Scripture Plays in Family Home Evening

Scott and Connie Mooy, Utah, USA

When our two children were preschoolers, we occasionally struggled to keep their attention in family home evening. One week when we were planning a lesson on obedience, my wife and I agreed we would share the story of Ammon. We also felt that after we had shared the story from the scripture reader, we should try acting it out. We gathered toy animals for sheep and made a simple paper sword. Our children loved it and asked to do it again and again. Later that week, both asked which story we were going to play out next Monday.

Over the next few years, we included “scripture plays” in our family home evenings several times. Our children often helped us find or make simple props after we had reviewed the story in family scripture reading. We even saw them rehearsing the stories in their playtime.

We acted out Nephi retrieving the plates, Noah building the ark, David confronting Goliath, the experiences of pioneers, and many others. We pointed out gospel principles we learned from these examples, and our children were able to testify how Heavenly Father helps us in similar ways today.