Through Children’s Eyes

“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, … in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1, 3.)

Imagine a picture with splashes of finger-painted fireworks at a family picnic; a lace-and-yarn collage of sisters walking to church; or a watercolor garden that features a family harvesting pumpkins. Earlier this year, images such as these filled the walls of an exhibit titled “Through a Child’s Eye: ‘All Families of the Earth Be Blessed,’” held at the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City.

Created by Latter-day Saint children from more than thirty countries, these images celebrated the importance of families. Through their art, children expressed their faith in God, their love for their families, their insight, and their creativity.

Children between the ages of five and eleven submitted more than 2,600 illustrations using crayon, colored pencils, watercolor, oil, finger paint, or collage. Three hundred of these were exhibited.

The exhibit was divided into four sections: “Families,” “Families at Play,” “Families at Worship,” and “Families at Work.” Each section was introduced by a short quote from President Ezra Taft Benson encouraging families to be actively engaged in worshipping, playing, and working together.

Following is a selection of artwork from the exhibit.

Families: “Home and family … are at the very heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988, p. 489.)

My Family by Esther Fuglsang, age ten, of Tasmania, Australia.

Going to Market by Ivan Ramirez Godinez, age eight, of Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Family Grows Together by Heather Buhler, age ten, of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Families at Play: “As a family, go on campouts and picnics, to ball games and recitals, to school programs. … Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings.” (Ensign, Nov. 1987, p. 51.)

We Are Camping by Masha Makarova, age eight, of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Brother Teach to Dance by Lindsey Huntbach, age six, of Pleasant Grove, Utah.

Playing Together by Joy Grant, age ten, of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Families at Worship: “Our homes need the blessings which come from daily communion with God.” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 521.)

In the Temple by Maria Irene Monterroso G., age ten, of Costa Rica.

Family Prayer, by Ana Paula Marquez, age eleven, of Chubut Province, Argentina.

Family Night by Marilyn Barratt, age nine, of Lucas, Texas.

Families at Work: “Children … should learn the pleasure of work, of doing a job well.” (Ensign, Nov. 1982, p. 60.)

In Our Kitchen Garden by Lyuda Syoutanina, age seven, of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Picking Apples by Hiromi Chiba, age ten, of Gunma-ken, Japan.

Clean My Room by Sarah-Marie Wettstein, age seven, of Geneva, Switzerland.

Helping Rake Leaves by Michael J. Serabian, Jr., age seven, of Glen Burnie, Maryland.

Working in the Yard by Antonio Moriancumez H.R., age six, of Mexico City, Mexico.