Purpose: To help your family remember that Heavenly Father’s plan involved coming to earth to a family that will help us learn and grow. Families are the main structure of the church.
*** Disclaimer: I purposely have left this lesson pretty broad, because not only is every family different, but the concept of belonging to a family is a HUGE concept. In fact, it’s pretty much everything. This lesson will take special prayer and consideration in order to be adapted to what you and your family and me and my family will need at any given time. Therefore, adapt as needed ***
Possible scriptures: Genesis 2:24; Proverbs 1:8 (6:20); Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 22:6; Proverbs 29:15,17; Ephesians 6:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-2; 3 John 1:4; Mosiah 4:14-15; 3 Nephi 18:21; Doctrine and Covenants 68:25; Doctrine and Covenants 83:2,4; Doctrine and Covenants 88:119; Doctrine and Covenants 93:40; Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-44; Moses 2:27-28;
Possible Songs: Love at Home, Hymn 294, Home Can Be a Heaven on Earth, Hymn 298; O My Father, 292; Families can Be Together Forever, Hymn 300,Children’s Songbook page 188; I Am a Child of God, Hymn 301, Children’s Songbook page 2; A Happy Family, Children’s Songbook page 198a; Fun to Do, Children’s Songbook page 253; When We’re Helping, Children’s Songbook page 198b; We’re all Together Again, Children’s Songbook 259; The Family is of God
Possible Materials: a stick (about 2-3 feet high, perhaps a yardstick) with one yarn or rope or ribbon tied to it per member of your family at about 2/3 height. A white board or strips of paper and a writing utensil. Pictures of families (the link didn’t work when I checked links 3/1/23 but it looks like it should so I’m leaving it. I’m sorry if it still doesn’t in the future). A picture of Moroni and the title of liberty.
Preparation: Begin with prayer. Read the suggested scriptures, as well as Alma 43, 46, and 48. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Watch this video on Families, this video about Captain Moroni, and tis video about Amanda Barnes Smith. Ask a grownup to help you get a stick and some rope, ribbon, or string.
Lesson:
Discuss how last week’s challenge went.
Introduction: Bring out a stick with one ribbon/rope/string/yarn tied to it for each member of your family. Hand one rope to a member of your family (probably one of the older family members). Ask them to stand the stick on end without touching the stick itself, just the string. It’s nearly impossible! Ask if they’d like some help. When they agree, hand another string to a family member. They may be able to get the stick to stand on end, but it will be wobbly and weak. Now hand a string to each member of the family. Make sure that little kids are spread between older family members. Have everyone pull their strings tight until the stick is able to stand because of all the counterpulls.
Discuss what made the stick stay upright. What was different than when only one person tried to hold up the stick? Why was it so much easier when everyone worked together? Tell your family that when we work together as a family, our tasks become much easier. Heavenly Father sent us to earth as families because in families we can learn and do things we couldn’t do on our own, just like holding up the stick. Discuss with your family why Heavenly Father chose for us to come to earth in families.
Ask the questions listed below and discuss what blessings we get by coming to earth as families. As each idea is listed and discussed, write it on a white board or a pieces of paper. You could use some pictures of families as needed. As you are talking about families, make sure that this lesson stays upbeat and friendly. Remind your family that no one is perfect and we (even the grownups) can all improve in different areas, but with Heavenly Father’s help, our families can still be the best thing for us.
- Why is our house special? In our home we can and should feel safe. It is a protection from the dangers and temptations of the world. When we are home, we are with those that we love. We can set aside the outside world and enjoy spending time with people that know and love us. How can we help keep our home a sanctuary? How can grownups help us feel safe at home?
- Why does Heavenly Father give us parents? Parents care and provide for children. In a family our basic needs of food, clothes, and shelter are provided. Babies can meet almost none of their own needs! They need loving families to help them multiple times a day.
- Think of the line in I Am a Child of God that says, “lead me, guide me, walk beside me.” What does it mean? Parents are charged to give direction and to help their kids make good choices. What do parents teach us? We learn to take care of ourselves because loving parents teach us how. Parents teach us to brush our teeth, clean our bodies, wash our clothes and dishes, and how to do chores. They teach us how to use a fork and to go potty and get dressed. they teach us about the gospel and help us to grow our own testimonies. Read Mosiah 4:15.
- What would happen if no one taught you what was right or wrong and you did something against the law? We learn to follow rules before rules become laws. We also learn that there are consequences for breaking rules before we have even bigger consequences for breaking laws. Read Ephesians 6:1-4
- Who are the first people to give you love? Families give us love. This is perhaps the most important part. We learn to love because our family gives us love. If a family is broken and children don’t feel love they spend the rest of their lives looking for it. They are more likely to get involved with crime and people who choose evil. They are more likely to seek out gangs or drugs. A loving home is a basic human need.
- What are some things we learn from our siblings? We learn to play and have fun in a family. Siblings are and can be built-in friends. We learn how to get along with others because we have had to learn to get along with our siblings. Even though we fight with our siblings, they’re more likely to forgive us when we make mistakes or say mean things because they love us and are our family. We learn conflict resolution. We learn how to say sorry and how to forgive. Have your family read Ephesians 4:32. We also learn how to control our own emotions within a family. We learn and watch our parents and siblings and learn how to be okay when things are hard. We learn from loving parents about how to deal with sadness and frustrations. Our coping skills are learned at home.
- What other interpersonal skills do we get from our families? We learn how to work together. Greater things can be accomplished than if we were to only work by ourselves. We learn teamwork. Cleaning the house is easier together. Yardwork is more fun together. We learn how to talk to one another to be understood. We learn how good it feels to help others within a family. When we help our family members we strengthen our relationships with them and learn how to help ourselves and others better.
- When we’ve got our family are we ever without help? With family, you’ve always got someone in your corner. Your family should and does want the best for you. Heavenly Father wanted us to be with our families so that we knew that always had help when we need it. Even if we can’t talk to our families, they can remind us that we can always talk to Heavenly Father and Jesus.
- What about grandparents and aunts and uncles? Not only are we given a basic family but we are also given extra help. Some families need grandparents because parents can’t be there as much as they need to be. Sometimes grandparents are the extra friends we need. Or they can help us learn different lessons than what we learn from our parents. They’re older and wiser and not usually as busy as parents have to be to meet all of our other needs.
- What can our grandparents teach us? Grandmas and grandpas can tell us what life was like before we were born. They can tell us about our family history. Read Malachai 4:6. They, along with our families, can teach us about the traditions of our cultures. Family life teaches us the traditions of our cultures. What are some traditions in your own family? Why are traditions important?
- What was our life like in Heaven? Did we have a family there? We mirror our eternal family within our own family. In Heaven, we all lived with Heavenly Parents and with brothers and sisters. And now we live on earth in families, as well. By living with families on earth, we can learn more about our Heavenly Parents and how to return to them. Our families will be eternal, outlasting every other unit in society, because Heavenly Father teaches us they can be together forever.
From the Scriptures: Hold up the picture of Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty. If you have already talked about Moroni in the America the Beautiful FHE lesson, ask your family what they remember about Captain Moroni. Remind your family that Moroni lived in a time that people were fighting. Some people didn’t like the freedom of the government and wanted to have a king instead. But Moroni knew that if people lost their freedom it would hurt families. He wanted families to be safe, so he reminded the people that freedom meant that we could choose what was best for our families. He wrote on a piece of his coat and hung it up like a flag. Have someone read Alma 46:12. People remembered that what they were fighting for was important. Now read Alma 48:7-10. How did Moroni help protect families? How can we strengthen our own family?
From Church History: Now hold up a picture of Amanda Barnes Smith. Tell your family that Amanda was a brave woman that took care of her family. Amanda and her family were living in a tent at Hawn’s Mill [I always thought it was Haun, but the Church writes it as Hawn. Both show up in a google search, however]. People in Missouri were not happy with the Saints. They built a mob (a group of angry and dangerous people looking to hurt others), and attacked the people staying at Hawn’s Mill. Amanda lost her husband and a son, and another son was really hurt. He was missing part of his hip. How do you think Amanda felt? When she saw how bad Alma’s hip was, she prayed to Heavenly Father to help her care for him. Heavenly Father told her how to help Alma’s hip to get better. She said lots of prayers and treated it with the herbs that she felt inspired to use. Her family was protected while Alma’s hip healed. Heavenly Father helped Amanda protect her family. Heavenly Father can help us in our family, too. We can pray to Him and ask Him for help, and we can be guided to do the best things for our family, even in hard times. [sources: Blessings Amid Tragedy, The Reminiscence of Willard Gilbert Smith, Amanda Barnes Smith in Church History]
Further Discussion:
The Nephites learned that fighting to protect their families was important and was a better motivator than fighting to gain power. Read Alma 43:9, 30, 45, and 48 (scroll down). Why do you think fighting to protect our families is a better motivator than fighting for power?
As a family, briefly look over the Church’s article 5 Keys to Raising a Strong Family. These “keys” are pretty basic and are probably unsurprising. Why are they so important? How do they help strengthen the family?
Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Click here for the latest conference talks on the family.
Challenge:
Each night during your personal prayers, think of one way you blessed your family this week, one way your family blessed your life, and something you can do tomorrow to help strengthen your family. At the beginning of next Family Home Evening, you may choose to share any impressions you feel or how your understanding of families has changed this week.
Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lessons 23, 24, and 25. (Nursery Manual lessons 11 and 13), Gospel Principles Chapters 36 and 37, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lessons 21, 22, and any part of the section on Building a Strong Family, and Gospel Topics from Gospel Library on Family. I also read Promoting The Family as the Fundamental Unit of Society, from the Institute Teacher’s manual, Organization and Purpose of the Family, from the Family Guidebook, Balancing Truth and Tolerance, by Elder Dallin H Oaks, and Why Marriage and Family Matter – Everywhere in the World, by L Tom Perry
