The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a variety of activities and resources to help keep children and youth engaged during the two days and up to 10 hours of general conference sessions.
Get to Know the Speakers
Young people may find general conference messages more impactful if they recognize and can relate to the speakers’ voices and faces. Download or print a recent chart of all the General Authorities and General Officers of the Church for easy referral, or simply pull up the online versions of leaders’ biographies, which include a brief personal history, interesting facts, images and links to their past conference talks.
For an even greater impression, invite children to watch a video of several Apostles (in English only). With fun images and clips, a child narrator, and stories about how members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles obtained their testimonies in Christ, children are sure to be intrigued.
Teens may enjoy watching the Special Witnesses of Christ videos series.
The General Conference Notebook can help youth to gain a greater perspective and insight before, during and after general conference.
Keep Fingers and Ears Engaged
Sometimes the best way to get children and youth to listen is by providing them with quiet yet spiritually uplifting activities such as the following downloadable options:
The General Conference Notebook is a great option for teens to gain a greater perspective and insight before, during and after the two-day conference. Download the fun, interactive pages in a PDF format to use either online or as an easy printable. In addition to guessing games and a large section for notes (or doodles), there are sections where youth can record questions they have before conference, as well as their thoughts and impressions throughout conference. The completed notebook helps youth recall the most impactful teachings they learned from Church leaders and inspiration they received through the Holy Ghost.
Conference Squares is a printable, hands-on listening game with spaces represented by images of Church leaders, historic events, and themes that children might hear in general conference talks. The game is played as children listen to each talk. When they hear the topic of the square spoken, they get to cover it with a piece of candy or small object. The goal of the game is to cover five squares in a row, followed by as many squares as possible.
Printable pages keep children’s hands busy while they listen.
Like Conference Squares, printable conference coloring pages require children to listen intently to the speakers and their talks. The color-by-topic pages prompt children to color in the squares when a certain subject is mentioned. In the end, they will have a beautiful, colorful picture to be proud of.
Conference Notebook for Children
The simplified and child-friendly general conference notebook is an all-inclusive, printable resource with various images to color and areas to jot down ideas, doodles and takeaways from the talks. It also includes a picture and section for each of the Apostles, which can familiarize children with the people they see on-screen. See also General Conference Fun and Conference Activities in the “Friend.”
For more printable pages, see coloring pages of the Church leaders, coloring pages by topic, and games and activity ideas on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Enjoy Digital Content
Mobile devices can be a distraction during general conference, but they can also be a blessing if the content is engaging and uplifting. The following apps and channels offer additional ways for young people to get more out of general conference:
Mobile devices can be a distraction during general conference, but they can also be a blessing if the content is engaging and uplifting.
The easy-to-navigate Gospel for Kids app gives children digital access to music, art, and scripture activities, with links to child-friendly resources in the Gospel Library, Gospel Media and Family Search apps. The app is available in iOS in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Android users can preregister for the app in the Google Play store.
Using the Gospel Library app, youth can download the placeholder for the upcoming general conference publications. Once the placeholder is downloaded, they can pick a session and record any questions they have prior to the session. Then, during conference, they can digitally record and save the answers they receive as they follow along throughout the meetings.
The Gospel Living app helps teens discover and share music, videos, images, activity and goal ideas, and other inspiring content. Encourage young people to check the Gospel Living posts to help them get the most out of conference.
Conference provides opportunities to share favorites talks, scriptures, and quotes with friends and family members. If social media is approved for your teens, invite them to share their favorite talk from the general conference YouTube channel or how they were able to #HearHim during conference using #GeneralConference or speakers’ recommended hashtags. They may also want to follow the Church leaders on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.