Stories
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“Matt and Mandy” (March 2020 Friend)
Matt and Mandy learn about how they are related to their cousins in Australia -
“Family History Party” (May 2020 Friend)A boy plans a family history party for his family.
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“The Temple and You” (April 2020 Liahona and Friend)Sister Joy D. Jones of the Primary presidency encourages children to do family history work and prepare to enter the temple.
- “Family History in Five Senses” (August 2020 Liahona and Friend)
Use your senses to think of things to write or draw that help you feel close to your family. - “Anna’s Journey Part 1–Leaving Home” (July 2015 Friend and Liahona)
Anna traveled from Sweden to Utah as an early pioneer. - “Anna’s Journey, Part 2: A Prayer in the Night” (August 2015 Friend)
Anna’s prayer was answered in an unexpected way. - “Cemetery Impressions” (November 1982 Friend)
A visit to a cemetery can open doors to learn about family history. - “A Century of Genealogy” (November 1994 Liahona and March 1994 Friend)
An explanation of how the genealogical society began and what it accomplished in the first 100 years of its existence. - “Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice: Your Fascinating History” (June 2005 Liahona and Friend)
President James E. Faust teaches that finding your ancestors can be one of the most interesting puzzles you work on. - “Detective Danny Does It Again!” (July 2018 Friend)
Danny loves to solve mysteries, so his dad gets him into solving family history mysteries. - “Detective in the Family” (July 1991 Friend)
Emily learns how to enjoy a family reunion when she asks family members to tell stories. - “A Different Kind of Pioneer” (July 2018 Friend)
Gabby doesn’t have any ancestors who crossed the plains to share about at Activity Days, but she does get to share about her great-grandmother, who was a pioneer in other ways. - “The Ducks’ New Clothes” (July 2016 Friend)
A funny story about a pioneer family who made clothes for their ducks after their feathers were plucked. - “Erika from El Salvador” (July 2013 Liahona and Friend)
Erika loves helping with indexing using the FamilySearch program. - “Family History 1-2-3” (September 2010 Friend)
Here are three easy steps for doing family history. - “Family History Fun” (February 2018 Friend)
Cole M., age 8, shares all the fun things he loves doing with his family history. - “Family History Library” (September 2010 Friend)
Kelsie visits the Family History Library on Temple Square. - “Family History, Step by Step” (September 2019 Liahona and Friend)
A story about a girl who found information and photos about her great-great-grandmother, put them in FamilySearch.org, and then went to the temple. - “Family Treasure” (September 2012 Friend)
Nika learns about her ancestors while helping sort things after her great-grandmother dies. - “Finding Grandpa Oskar” (August 2002 Friend)
Nathan visits a family history center and finds information on an ancestor. - “Forever Family” (February 2017 Friend)
Alison C., age 11, shares a poem she wrote about eternal families. - “Friends around the World: James H. from Utah” (May 2013 Friend)
This 11-year-old loves family history. - “Getting to Know Your Family” (February 2019 Liahona and Friend)
President Dallin H. Oaks talks about the importance of learning about your ancestors. Includes ideas and an invitation for throwing a getting-to-know-you party for one of your ancestors. - “Grandpa’s Goodhue’s Hand-Me-Down Smile” (January 1987 Friend)
A young girl helps a photographer who is trapped in a creek with his wagon, then she teaches him about the importance of genealogy. - “The Great Family History Mystery” (November 2016 Friend)
A family visits a cemetery to find a headstone for one of their ancestors. - “Hannah Goes to the Temple” (April 2013 Friend)
On the way to the Salt Lake Temple dedication a girl thinks about how the temple will bless her ancestors. - “How Big Crow Became Echo Hawk” (November 2013 Friend)
Elder Larry Echo Hawk of the Seventy shares a story about one of his ancestors and encourages us to learn about our ancestors. - “I Can Do Family History!” (September 2017 Friend)
Mary, age 9, shares how she participates in family history work. - “I’m Going There Someday” (July 2015 Friend and Liahona)
Mary writes about her first visit to the temple. - “Just Like Grandpa” (September 2018 Friend)
William is sad he has to leave his friends in his ward because of his dad’s new calling in a sign-language branch. His mother tells him a story about his ancestor who was asked by Church leaders to move to a small town. - “Lindsay’s Family Puzzle” (September 2015 Liahona and Friend)
Lindsay loves doing family history and finds comfort in the fan chart taped above her bed. - “Matt and Mandy” (July 2016 Friend)
Matt and Mandy’s mother discovers that her second-cousin lives in Australia and it gets her family interested in where some of their other relatives might live. - “My Family History Miracle” (February 2008 Liahona and Friend)
A young boy goes to the Family History Library with his father and has a wonderful experience. - “My Family Tree” (October 2016 Friend)
Spencer, age 7, tells how he found ancestors who needed their temple work done. - “Pie-Crust Cabins” (November 2016 Friend)
Robbin and her family have a tradition of building log cabins out of pie crust dough in order to remember their blessings and their ancestors. - “A Priceless Heritage” (July 2016 Friend)
President Henry B. Eyring shares a story about one of his ancestors who joined the Church in 1855. Includes a simple activity. - “Reflections” (August 2011 Liahona and Friend)
A girl learns about her great-grandmother, who a hard life but put her trust in God. - “The Spirit of Eliza” (May 2018 Friend)
Eliza loved family history. But could she talk about it in front of everyone at church? - “The Story of Grammy Rose” (September 2019 Friend)
Tamika asks her grandmother to tell a story about one of her ancestors who escaped slavery. Tamika asks if she can have a journal to write her own story. - “The Story Rug” (July 2013 Liahona and Friend)
Katy hears stories from her grandma while learning to make a braided rug. - “The Temple Challenge” (October 2019 Liahona and Friend)
President Joy D. Jones of the General Primary Presidency shares a story of a boy named Colby who found the information for one of his ancestors and was baptized and confirmed for him in the temple. - “Temple Time” (July 2015 Friend)
Kyle talks to his parents before their temple night. - “The Treasure Box” (March 2017 Friend)
Tasha, Patrick, and Zach can’t wait to open their dad’s treasure box. - “Why is family history work so important?” (July 2013 Liahona and Friend)
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shares some thoughts on the subject.
Activities
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“Family History Time Machine” (May 2020 Friend)Take turns writing or recording your family’s answers to these questions. Then make a time capsule to keep the answers safe.
- Coloring Page: “Family Reunion” (September 2015 Friend)
- “Extra, Extra! Read All about It!” (March 2012 Friend)
Interview your grandparents to learn more about your family history. Includes tips and a list of questions. - “Family History ABCs” (July 2004 Friend)
Using the clues, fill in the blanks with words about family history. - “Family History Fun” (February 2011 Friend)
Help the boy at the bottom of this family tree identify his ancestors. - “Family History Mystery” (January 2015 Friend)
Learn how to be a family history detective. - “Family History Mystery: Pioneers” (June 2015 Friend)
Who was the first person baptized in your family? What was the story? - “Family History Mystery: The Mystery of the Funny Story” (March 2015 Friend)
What’s the funniest story in your family? - “Family History Mystery: The Mystery of the Journal” (November 2015 Friend)
Find out if your parents and grandparents kept a journal and copy one of their stories. Then use these ideas for writing in your own journal. - “Family History Mystery: The Mystery of the Old Photograph” (April 2015 Friend)
Do your family photographs tell stories of your family? - “Family History Mystery: The Mystery of the Recipe” (September 2015 Friend)
Collecting family recipes is a way of recording family history. - “Family History Mystery: The Future Heirloom” (February 2015 Friend)
Think about a special item you would want to give your kids someday. - “Family History Mystery: Your Baptism” (July 2015 Friend)
Record the story of your baptism. - Family History Quest: “Create a Profile” (April 2018 Friend)
Help every member of your family create a profile and collect them in your family history box or binder. - Family History Quest: “A Family Timeline” (March 2018 Friend)
Learn more about your family by making a family history timeline. - Family History Quest: “Fill Your Family Tree” (May 2018 Friend)
Fill in some of your family on this tree, and then add the information onto your family tree on FamilySearch.org. - Family History Quest: “Find a Family Pioneer” (July 2018 Friend)
See how many family pioneers you can find to fill out this page. - Family History Quest: “Learn to Index” (September 2018 Friend)
Do this activity to practice how to index. - Family History Quest: “Ready, Set, Go!” (January 2018 Friend)
Earn your first family history badge by decorating a family history folder, binder, or box and by having an adult sign up to help you use FamilySearch.org. - Family History Quest: “Story Time” (February 2018 Friend)
Ask your parents, aunts and uncles, or grandparents to tell you stories about your family, then pick a story and draw it in the squares, like a cartoon. - Family History Quest: “Temple Tracker” (August 2018 Friend)
Use this chart to keep track of your ancestors’ ordinance work. If the ordinance has already been done, color the temple picture. - “Family History Scripture” (January 1993 Friend)
A word search with words from a family history scripture. - “Family History Scroll” (April 2005 LiahonaandFriend)
Directions for making a scroll to enter family information. - Family Home Evening Idea: Sharing Family Stories
Read about family history in “Following Faithful Examples” and “I Can Do Family History” (September 2017 Friend). Share a family story, and make sure it’s written down. - “Family Memory Bingo” (March 2016 Friend)
Watch family videos and look through picture albums to find things that match with the descriptions on the bingo card. - “Family Search” (July 2017 Friend)
Pretend you just heard a family story about someone who joined the Church, and do this activity to find out who it was. - “FamilySearch Sleuth” (July 2013 Friend)
Use clues to help Sam solve the FamilySearch records puzzle. - “Family-Story Quiz” (September 2015 Liahona and Friend)
A game to help you learn more about your family and their stories. - “Family Story Swap” (July 2013 Liahona and Friend)
Here’s a game that can help your family members share stories with each other! - “Grandma’s Trunk” (May 2006 Friend)
A game that involves reading word strips and guessing which item from an ancestor’s trunk the words describe. - “I Can Climb My Family Tree!” (May 2013 Friend)
Fill out information about you, your parents, and grandparents. - “My Family Tree” (October 2009 Friend)
A poem about family history. Includes tree to fill in your own family. - “Puzzles and Games: Crossword Puzzle” (March 1972 Friend)
Complete a crossword puzzle with words associated with family history. - “Seek and Find” (March 1982 Friend)
A word search with words associated with with genealogy. - “Service Through Temple Work” (August 2002 Friend)
Cut and fold, then glue oxen to make baptismal font. - “Sharing Time: The Heart of the Children” (August 2002 Liahona and Friend)
Includes instructions for making a mobile based on Malachi 4:6, turning the hearts of the children to the fathers. - “Sharing Time: The Miraculous Story of Elijah” (September 1983 Liahona and February 1983 Friend)
Read statements about the prophet Elijah and match those statements to pictures. - “Your Favorite Scripture” (October 2015 Friend)
Write your family’s favorite scriptures and how they have been helpful.
Media
- Bright Idea: “The hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.” D&C 2:2 (July 2013 Friend)
- Image Collection: “Family History”
- Music: “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 188)
- Music: “Family History—I Am Doing It” (Children’s Songbook, 94)
- Music: “The Hearts of the Children” (Children’s Songbook, 92)
- Music: “I Have a Family Tree” (Children’s Songbook, 199)
- Music: “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95)
- Sheet Music: “Family History—I Am Doing It” (July 2003 Friend)
- Sheet Music: “Family History Is the Story of Me” (July 2018 Friend)
- Sheet Music: “There Is Love in My Family Tree” (October 2016 Friend)
- Sheet Music: “Truth from Elijah” (June 1983 Friend)
- Simplified Sheet Music: “The Hearts of the Children” (September 2017 Friend)
- Verse: “My Family Tree” (October 2009 Friend)
A poem about genealogy. Includes a family tree for you to fill in. - Video: “A Child Shall Lead Them”
- Video: A Year on Temple Square, “Family History Library”
- Video: ASL Primary Songs, “I Love to See the Temple”
- Video: “Families Can Be Together Forever”
- Video: “Family History for the Whole Family”
- Video: “Hannah’s View”
An girl shares how she likes family history and how her family is preparing to go to the temple. - Video: Our Values, “Why Mormons Do Family History”
- Video: "The Hearts of the Children"
An 11-year-old boy helps his family feel passionate about family history. Taken from the April 2013 Primary Leadership Training broadcast. - Video: “Turning Hearts”
- Video Collection: Family History