I Will

By Sheila E. Wilson

“Successful … families are established and maintained on principles of … respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Liahona, Oct. 1998, 24; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).

“Do you have a rope?” the man in the boat called out. The man’s family had been fishing when their boat motor stopped. They had no way of getting to shore. Weldon’s dad steered his boat closer. Weldon’s brothers got a long rope and threw one end to the man. When the rope was securely tied to both boats, Weldon’s dad slowly towed the man’s family and their boat to shore.

Looking at the rope, Weldon asked his mom, “Is our rope strong enough to pull the boat?”

“Look closely at the rope,” Mom replied. Weldon could see the rope was made of lots of individual strands twisted together. “When all the strands work together, the rope is strong—just like our family,” Mom said.

Weldon asked, “What do we do to make our family strong?” Mom said he was strengthening their family each time he answered, “I will,” and happily did his assigned jobs or was kind to his brothers and sister.

What are you doing to make your family strong? Do you show love for each family member? Do you answer, “I will!” when asked to help? An important way to have a happy family is to do things together, whether working in the garden or taking a trip.

You can contribute to the happiness in your home. When asked who will help, you can answer, “I will!”

“I Will” Game

To prepare: Remove page F4, and mount it on heavy paper. Cut out the game board and circles. Make additional game boards for family members. Fill in the blank squares on the boards by writing in each square the words found on a different circle (be sure to write the words in different places on each board). Place the circles in a small sack. You will need several small game pieces for each player (buttons, coins, or beans). Place a game piece on the center (free) square of your boards.

To play: Pick a circle from the sack and read it. If a player has the phrase on his or her game board, he or she may cover that square with a game piece. The first player to cover five squares in a row—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally—calls out, “I will!”

Illustrated by Thomas S. Child

FREE SPACE I WILL
Be kind
Participate in family activities
Say thank you
Happily do my chores
Share
Pray for my family
Respect others’ property
Be patient
Hug a family member
Give a compliment
Work with my family
Be a cheerful helper
Be happy
Say I’m sorry
Obey the prophet
Listen to others
Be a good example
Show love for my family
Forgive others
Plan a family home evening
Read the scriptures
Strengthen my family
Follow Jesus Christ
Honor my parents

Sharing Time Ideas

Invite the children to draw pictures of giving service to a family member or of working and helping at home. Tape the pictures together, and place them in a roller box (see Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 178–79). (The front of the box could be made to look like a house.) Sing a song or hymn about families, and roll the pictures for the Primary to see. At the end of the song, invite the child whose picture is showing in the box and two other children to come up and act out ways they can be happy helpers in their home. Let the Primary guess what they are doing. Repeat so more children can participate.
On a large strip of paper, write “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful … families are established and maintained on principles of … respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.” Cut the sentences into individual words. Hide the words before Primary. Invite the children to look for the words and work together to arrange them. Just as they worked together to arrange the sentences, it is also important to work together in our families. Hold up a wordstrip that says, “I strengthen my family when I __________.” Fill in the blank with a short phrase (for example, wash the dishes, rake the leaves, take care of the baby, say kind words, clean my room). Then hand the wordstrip to a child, and have him or her repeat everything you said, then add his or her own suggestion. The child then passes the wordstrip to the next person, with each person continuing to repeat what has been said and adding to it.