Family Home Evening Ideas

This issue contains articles and activities that could be used for family home evening. The following are some examples.

“Four Tools That Bring Promised Blessings,” page 21: Consider focusing your family home evening on one of the tools mentioned in the article, such as temple worship. You may wish to begin with a song that teaches about the tool you selected (for example, “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, 95). Review with your family some of the blessings associated with the tool you chose, then counsel together about how you can better utilize this tool in your lives. For instance, you might set a goal to prepare family names for the temple. Conclude by watching a related Church video (such as “The Blessings of the Temple,” lds.org/go/templeE415).

“I Need Thee Every Hour,” page 64: Just as the words of the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour” helped Pak Mi-Jung decide to be baptized, hymns can have a powerful impact on our lives. Think of a time that the words of a hymn have blessed your life and consider sharing the experience with your family. Invite each family member to choose a favorite hymn and tell how it has blessed his or her life. Then sing each hymn with your family. (You might spread this out over a couple of weeks.)

Using Conference Talks

In our efforts to use general conference talks for family home evening lessons, the following ideas have helped:

• Read and ponder the talks during personal study time.

• Pray for guidance about which messages may best meet your family’s needs.

• Focus on specific principles from the talks; this makes it easier to plan fun, interactive ways to teach your family.

• Involve family members in preparing and presenting the lesson.

• Follow the Spirit as you teach; use music to calm and engage your family.

• Together plan ways to apply the message and set related family goals.

Emily Layton, Utah, USA