Family Home Evening Ideas

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

“Engaging in Family History Work,” p. 8: You could provide each family member with a box to decorate and use to store photographs, journals, and other records.

“What’s New in Personal Progress?” p. 34, and “The Aaronic Priesthood—Greater Than You Might Think,” p. 37: The new Personal Progress and Duty to God programs encourage youth to reflect on and share what they have learned. If you have teenagers in your family, you could ask them to plan a family home evening lesson based on a Duty to God or Personal Progress activity they have recently completed.

“How Do I Build a Spiritual Foundation?” p. 62: In one waterproof container, place several small rocks next to each other. In another waterproof container, spread out a layer of sand. Find two small objects to represent houses. Place one “house” on the rocks and one on the sand. Then fill each container with water. The “house” on the sand will sink, while the “house” on the rocks will stand still. Discuss how a strong spiritual foundation allows us to endure the storms of life (see Helaman 5:12).

The Lessons a Puppy Taught

When our children were young, I took them to a pet store to redeem a coupon for a free goldfish. Two hours later we emerged with a puppy, purchased with the children’s own money. That night we put the puppy in the laundry room to sleep. In the morning the room was a mess. The children were expected to clean up, but they felt it was too much. “We can’t!” they sobbed.

That night we held a family home evening on the subject of consequences. “When you bought the dog,” their father said, “you didn’t think about the consequences. Now the dog is part of our family, and you must take responsibility for her.” We discussed how consequences always follow any choice we make, and we encouraged them to always make righteous choices.

The dog recently died after 14 years as part of our family, but the life lessons she helped teach us will always remain.

Jill Grant, Victoria, Australia