Sunday Box

As the mother of seven children, I wanted to be more organized and to spend more quiet time on Sunday with my children. As a result, the idea of a Sunday box was born.

I covered a box with vinyl-coated adhesive paper. Then I filled it with special storybooks, games, coloring books for the younger children, music, pretty cards, and stationery. Periodically, I rotate items in and out of the box, and I provide both fun and quiet activities for the children.

This box comes out each Sunday after our family council, and the children are encouraged to write, read, draw, or play quiet games. The older children take turns reading to the younger ones, and I sometimes include a special treat (or the ingredients to make a treat), with enough to share with a neighbor.

There are many adaptations to the Sunday box. Each family can use it to fit their own situation for Sabbath activities. My children look forward to the appearance of the box, because they are never sure what it will contain. Having special things just for Sunday teaches them that the Sabbath is a special day, apart from the rest of the week, and that Sunday activities don’t end when church is over.—Lory Fuller Beacham, Glendale, Utah