Poster Article:
Love at Home*

Successful … families are established and maintained on principles of … respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).

You can strengthen your family as you learn, play, serve, and work together. Sister Barbara B. Smith, Relief Society general president from 1974 to 1984, said: “Remember that a family established in love … is maintained through work and service. A home is strengthened by work when workers receive respect” (Ensign, Nov. 1981, 84).

Working together in your home helps you to be responsible and to be grateful for the work others do for you. Serving your family members shows that you love them. Sharing talents or hobbies and participating in fun activities with your family teaches you more about your family members.

We can learn about working, serving, and playing together in family home evening. Prophets have promised us that our families will grow stronger when we use this time to study gospel principles and enjoy being together.

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught: “Families must spend more time together in work and recreation. Family home evenings should be scheduled once a week as a time for recreation, work projects, skits, songs around the piano, games, special refreshments, and family prayers. … This practice will bind a family together, in love, pride, tradition, strength, and loyalty” (Ensign, Nov. 1982, 60).

Activities and Ideas

1. Mount page 43 on heavy paper. Cut out the house along the broken lines; then cut the house into pieces along the broken lines. Mix the pieces up, and put the house back together again. Every time you put a piece in the right place, think about what the person in the picture is doing to help his or her family.

   

   Illustrated by Elise Black

   LOVE AT HOME
   Clean the floor
   Pick up toys
   Make the bed
   Sing together
   Play a game together
   Set the table
   Read together
   Help cook

2. For a family home evening activity, sing songs and hymns about home and family. Choose words that are repeated in the songs and hymns for the following activity. For example, each time you sing the word help, you could have everyone think of one thing he or she can do to help the family. When you sing the word love, think of how you can show love for family members. Every time you sing the word home, add another piece to the puzzle. Keep singing until you finish the puzzle. Then take turns sharing your thoughts about helping and loving your family.

3. For a family home evening lesson or Primary talk, discuss the statement by Sister Barbara B. Smith. How can you show respect for your family members?

Note: If you do not wish to remove pages from the magazine, this activity may be copied, traced, or printed out from the Internet at www.lds.org. Click on Gospel Library.

• Emphasizes the Primary monthly theme. (See “My Family Can Be Forever,” poster, Friend, Jan. 2004, insert.)