Author: Keira

FHE

Honor our Mothers FHE

Keira

Purpose: To remind our families that listening, obeying and respecting our mothers is really what they want on Mother’s day.

**Special note: we understand and appreciate that not all families are the same! God loves all families that are trying their best. We have spent our own time as “not the typical family,” and want you to know we love and support you! If you don’t want to do this lesson, feel free to pick another one! You know what you need! **


Possible scriptures: ask your mother what her favorite scripture is!

Possible Songs: Home Can Be a Heaven on Earth, Hymn 298; Love at Home, Hymn 294 or 318; Love One Another, Hymn 308, Children’s Songbook page 136; Families Can Be Together Forever, Children’s Songbook page 188; Mother, I Love You, Children’s Songbook page 207; I Often Go walking, Children’s Songbook page 202; A Happy Family, Children’s Songbook page 198a; Quickly I’ll Obey, Children’s Songbook page 197b; When We’re Helping, 198b; Dearest Mother, I Love You, Children’s Songbook page 206b; Mother Dear, page 206a; My Mother Dear, Children’s Songbook 203; Mother, Tell Me the Story, Children’s songbook page 204; The Dearest Names, Children’s Songbook page 208

Possible Materials: the poem from the May 2010 Friend; colored paper, a pencil, straws, and a jar or vase; A picture of the 2000 stripling warriors; maps of Germany and Czechoslovakia during WWII (see below); A picture of Abigail Adams.


Preparation: If you are the mother and it is your time to teach, watch this video, and then tell your husband or oldest child that they get to teach instead! Begin with prayer. If you are the father, watch this video and consider if there is a way you can set the example and tone for your family. Read the suggested scriptures, Alma 53-57 (use the arrow on the right to go to the next chapter). Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Watch the video of the 2000 stripling warriors (I really like this one for younger kids, but it doesn’t tell as much of the story), and these 2 stories (one, two) about Elder Uchtdorf’s family fleeing German control. Then gather colored paper, a pencil, straws, and a jar or vase for the lesson.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: read the poem from the May 2010 Friend to your family. Then trace each family member’s hands and cut them out (help little ones!). Glue or tape them to a straw like a flower and place them in a jar or vase for your mother. You could consider making other flowers, as well, but for younger families, a handprint will be plenty!


From the Scriptures: Hold up the picture of the 2000 Stripling warriors. Ask your family if they know who these young men are. Tell them that when the people that had believed Ammon were baptized they decided to bury their weapons so they could show Heavenly Father that they were ready to keep his commandments. They moved to live closer to the Nephites. Then, the Nephites were being attacked and the people of Ammon (called Anti-Nephi-Lehites) felt bad that they could not help protect the people. They were ready to break their promise in order to keep their friends safe. The Nephites did not want them to break their promise! But then their young sons stood and said that they had not made the same promise as their parents and that they would help protect their parents and their friends, the Nephites. They were very valiant and fought bravely. Heavenly Father protected them. Read Alma 56:45-48. Tell your family that they honored their mothers by remembering Heavenly Father and His promises, like their mothers had taught them. We honor our mother by doing as she teaches us, too.

From Church History: Hold up a map of Europe during WWII (older families might find this video map cool, but it’s way too long for younger families. Otherwise this is a good one showing Czechoslovakia, and showing the difference between East and West Germany. Tell your family that Dieter F. Uchtdorf, one of our twelve Apostles used to live in Germany, and was a little child during the time of the war. He and his family had to flee to different countries 2 different times! Point to the map and show were Czechoslovakia is. Then point to West Germany, and again to East Germany. Elder Uchtdorf often reflects on his mother and how she handled these hard times. Read the beginning of the talk “The Infinite Power of Hope,” and think about how life would have been like for this family. If Elder Uchtdorf’s mother was still alive, how do you think she would appreciate the lessons that her son shares with us each and every conference. Knowing what we know about his family history makes his message of hope and guidance all the more potent. We can honor our mothers by knowing and sharing her stories.

From World History: Hold up a picture of Abigail Adams. Tell your family that Abigail Adams was an important figure in the Early United States. She was the wife of the second president and the mother of the 5th president. Upon her death, John Quincy Adams proclaimed (paraphrasing scripture) that he hoped he could live just as good of a life as she did in his diary. He said, “There is not a virtue that can abide in the female heart, but it was the ornament of hers.” He later became president of the united states. We can show love and respect to our mother by recognizing all she does for us!

Further Discussion:

What are some other ways we can honor our mother? Discuss this topic among your family.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Click here for talks on motherhood.

Challenge:

Ask your mother to place the vase in a spot that the family can see it throughout the week and remember that the best gift they can give her isn’t a handprint, but to listen, obey, and love her.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lesson 23 (Nursery Manual lesson 11), Gospel Principles Chapter 37, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson 17 and lesson 21 (though I kinda hated both of them… they’re way too preachy for me and reminded me of why I hated FHE as a kid).

FHE

Heavenly Father Provided a Savior FHE

Keira

Purpose: To teach your family that no matter what happens in our life, Heavenly Father and Jesus have prepared a way for us to return to them.


Possible scriptures: Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 53:3-12; Matthew 26:28; John 5:26; John 15:13; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Nephi 11:32-33; 2 Nephi 2:8 (really the whole chapter); 2 Nephi 9:4-9 (once again, the whole chapter is good); 2 Nephi 25:26; Jacob 4:11; Mosiah 3:7-11; Mosiah 3:19; Mosiah 4:2; Mosiah 15:1-9; Mosiah 16:6-8; Alma 7:14; Alma 12:24; Alma 34:8-16; Alma 42:11-30; Helaman 14:15-19; 3 Nephi 11:14; Ether 3:14; Moroni 7:41; Doctrine and Covenants 20:22-27;

Possible Songs: God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son, Hymn 187; I Stand All Amazed, Hymn 193; Behold the Great Redeemer Die, Hymn 191; He Died! The Great Redeemer Died, hymn 192; How Great the wisdom and the Love, Hymn 195; Upon the Cross of Calvary, Hymn 184; He Sent His Son, Children’s Songbook page 34; I Lived in Heaven, Children’s Songbook page 4; The Third Article of Faith, Children’s Songbook page 123; To Think About Jesus, Children’s Songbook page 71; I Thank Thee, Dear Father, Children’s Songbook page 7.

Possible Materials: My stepping stones and puzzle pieces (you may have to trick your printer on orientation. Someday I’ll fix the document itself…); a blanket, blue if you have one; a picture of Alma the Younger; any picture you have of Jesus in Gethsemane; Scripture figures of the story of Lazarus.


Preparation: Begin with prayer. Ask yourself when the last time was that you thought about the Atonement. Is there some way you need to apply it to your life? Read the suggested scriptures, Mosiah 26-28 and Alma 36-38, 40-43, as well as Matthew 26:36-4; Mark 14:33-41; Luke 22:41-44. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Watch the videos on Alma the Younger, Lazarus, and Jesus in Gethsemane. Ask a grownup to help you print and cut the stepping stones and puzzle and to find a blanket to be like a river.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: Ask your family to recall what they know about the Plan of Salvation. When we were with Heavenly Father, we were so excited to come to earth and gain bodies and experiences. Lay out a blanket across the ground (blue for a river, if you can). Tell your family that in order to make it back to Heavenly Father we needed a way to overcome some problems: we needed to overcome death and we needed a way to repent of our sins. Those problems are like a big river we needed to cross. We want to get to the other side so that we can return to Heavenly Father. We can’t jump the river, it’s to big. Hold up a picture of Jesus and tell your family that Jesus our Older Brother agreed to make stepping stones so that we could cross. Pull out your pile of stepping stones with the puzzle pieces on the bottom. (If your family is older you could skip the “river” and just tell your family you are going to find the answer on how to get back to Heavenly Father by solving the puzzle. Have the puzzle pieces covering a picture of the Savior).

  1. Overcoming the Fall: 1 Corinthians 15:22. When Adam fell, our bodies became corruptible. In order to return to live with Heavenly Father again, we needed to have bodies that could be perfected like His. We also know that mercy requires that we aren’t trapped in the sins of our ancestors (see the 2nd Article of Faith)
  2. Breaking the Bands of Death: John 5:25-29. Because Jesus was the Only Begotten, He had the power to overcome death and be resurrected. He also suffered greater than any mortal man could withstand (see Mosiah 3:7). From the Scriptures: Jesus had this power long before he was hanging on the cross. Hold up he figures of Jesus, Lazarus, and his sisters. Read or summarize the story in John 11 about Lazarus being raised from the dead. Christ testified that he was the resurrection and the life. Martha knew this was because he was the Son of God.
  3. Changing our Hearts: From the Scriptures: Hold up a picture of Alma the Younger. Summarize the story of his conversion. For older families read Alma 36:12-21 aloud. For younger families, just read verse 21. Talk about how Alma’s heart had changed. Once he understood the power of the atonement, his life was focused on being worthy of that atonement.
  4. Applying our Repentance: Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19. Because of the atonement, when we are sorry for what we did, there is a way to wipe it away like it never happened. That way is called repentance. We have to do our part to make it right; but once we do our part, Jesus makes up the rest. We must do all that we can in order to meet the demands of justice and to learn from our mistakes.
  5. Fulfilling the Demands of Justice: Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5. Christ lived the perfect life, and yet he paid for all of the sins of not only you and I but everyone that has or will ever live.
  6. Validating the Law of Mercy: Alma 7:11-13. Because Christ knows what we have gone, are going, and will go through, He knows what is in our hearts. He also knows how to help us! When we are to stand before God and be judged, Jesus will be there. He will reason with Heavenly Father and explain our case for us. He will know what the circumstances of each choice was and how we acted and felt.
  7. Offering His Help and Love: 2 Nephi 9:20-21. Christ knows everything we are going through. No one else will ever completely understand. If we ever feel alone or misunderstood, we can remember that the atonement applies to those feelings, too. He is there for us. He will help us. By giving all of our sins and sorrows to Jesus, our burdens may become light. See Matthew 11:28-30.


From Church History: Elder Orson F. Whitney relates how we are all like the Apostles of Jesus, and how by not applying the atonement into our lives, we are essentially “asleep.” Read the highlighted section of an address given in 1926. Ask your family how Elder Whitney felt. How would you have felt to see the Savior suffering and knowing it was for you?

Further Discussion:

Watch this video or read the parable given in the talk entitled The Mediator, by Boyd K. Packer (1977). Discuss the feelings you felt as a family. Ask them what we buy and to whom we owe the debt? How does the Savior qualify as our mediator? (He was perfect and willing. What are Christ’s terms to qualify for his mediation? (He asks us to repent and serve Him).

Read Doctrine and Covenants 29:39-44 and talk about how the Fall was a necessary step and how because of the Fall, we needed an Atonement. If we did not have the fall, the atonement would not have been necessary, because we would not have had agency; however, we also would not have made any progress or gained any knowledge.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Click here to see a list of talks on the atonement.

Challenge:

Read Article of Faith #3 to your family. Explain any words your family may not know. Challenge them to memorize the article of faith. If they have already memorized the article of faith, memorize Doctrine and Covenants 19:16.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from Gospel Principles Chapter 12, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson 9, and Gospel Topics on the Atonement.

FHE

Sunday Is a Special Day

Keira

Purpose: To reinforce among family members the reasons we keep the Sabbath Day holy.


Possible scriptures: Exodus 20:8-11 (Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Mosiah 13: 16-19); Exodus 23:12 (Leviticus 23:3); Isaiah 56:2; Isaiah 58:13-14; Mosiah 18:23; Doctrine and Covenants 68:29;

Possible Songs: Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning, Hymn 280; We Meet, Dear Lord, Hymn 151; Gently Raise the Sacred Strain, Hymn 146; Sabbath Day, Hymn 148; Oh May My Soul Commune with Thee, Hymn 123; Saturday, Children’s Songbook page 196; Remember the Sabbath Day, Children’s Songbook page 155; Heavenly Father, While I Pray, Children’s Songbook page 23b; I Want to Be Reverent, Children’s Songbook page 28b; Reverence, Children’s Songbook page 27a; Reverence is Love, Children’s Songbook page 31;

Possible Materials: Ice cream! A picture of Christ (pick one that closest fits the story you choose below); A picture of the pioneers resting and worshiping on Sunday.


Preparation: Begin with prayer. Read the suggested scriptures, as well as the stories contained in: Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28, and Luke 6:1-5 (Picking corn on the Sabbath); Matthew 12:9-13, Mark 3:1-5, and Luke 6:6-11 (healing a withered hand); Luke13:11-17 (healing the hunched woman); Luke 14:1-5 (healing dropsy), John 5:1-18 (Healing at the pool of Bethesda), and John 9:6-33 (Healing the man born blind). Pick your favorite story to share with your family. Read through the lesson, including any more links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Watch this story about Jesus healing on the Sabbath and this video about Why the Sabbath Is Needed (from KnowWhy on Book of Mormon Central).

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: Read Genesis 2:3. Tell your family that Heavenly Father made the 7th day special. Then read Mark 2:27. Have your family say the word, “Sabbath.” Tell them that Sabbath means rest in Hebrew, the language that Jesus spoke while he was on the earth. Tell your family that Jesus says that Heavenly Father gave us Sundays as a gift. Ask if they feel like Sunday is a gift? Why or why not? Now read Isaiah 58:13. Ask your family what it means that the Sabbath is a delight? Explain that it’s like a special treat. Like ice cream! How do you think that Sundays are a treat like Ice cream? For every way that the Sabbath is a delight, add a scoop of ice cream (or these paper scoops) to the bowl. Some possible ideas include:

  • It is a day to remember Heavenly Father and Jesus. When we are rushing around all week, sometimes we are just too busy to think about all that Heavenly Father has done for us because we are busy getting everything else done. Dedicating one day a week to thinking about Jesus helps us remember how great we feel with Him as the center of our lives. It puts our daily tasks back in focus.
  • It is a day that we can renew our covenants with Heavenly Father. We get to take the sacrament. Read Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-12 (you may want to keep it marked for later). Tell your family that the footnote says, “oblations,” means, “offerings, whether of time, talents, or means, in service of God and fellowman.”
  • It is a day we can go to church meetings. We can visit with others, interact, and learn from them. We can worship together and sing hymns that help us feel the spirit.
  • It is an easy way to tell Heavenly Father we love Him and want to be “His.” Heavenly Father says it is a sign. Read Exodus 31:13. What is it a sign of? Now read verses 16-17. Perpetual means it is always there and always renewing. What covenant are we renewing when we keep the Sabbath day?
  • We are promised that if we keep the Sabbath day holy, we will be blessed with the things of the earth. Read Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-20 and Leviticus 26:2-12. How will keeping the Sabbath day bless us? These are some pretty great blessings!
  • The sabbath is a delight because it lets us rest our bodies. Our bodies need rest!
  • It is a day that we can serve others. When we aren’t busy doing our own thing, we can look around and see what others need, and give it!
  • It is a day we can play and learn and have fun with our families! Heavenly Father gave us families because they’re the best way to learn and be happy, but if we don’t spend time together and get to know one another, families can get hard. By spending time as a family, we learn how to be together.
  • It is a quieter day. It gives us time to hear our own thoughts and check in with ourselves. If Heavenly Father and Jesus rested on the 7th day, we can be sure that it is an important principle. I think Heavenly Father and Jesus wanted to show us exactly how important it is to rest. Heavenly Father has a perfected body and Jesus did not yet have a body and yet they rested from their labors.
  • Sunday is a gift to us because its a day that we can stop and think about how we are doing, if there is anything we need or need to improve on, and make a game plan for how to do better next week.
  • Sunday is a day to share God’s work! We can share the gospel with our friends, invite them to church, do family history work, talk with family members about gospel questions or concerns, serve others, and share God’s love with them.
  • It is one less day per week to spend money! If we avoid restaurants, we spend less money. If we set a rule to not buy things on Sunday, we control that urge to spend money, and thereby spend less. If we don’t partake of paid-for entertainments on Sunday, we save that money for other things.


From World History: Have you ever actually thought about why we have a 7-day week? We are told in the scriptures that Heavenly Father created the world in 7 days and rested for 1. It is interesting that this pattern can be seen in ancient civilizations like the Babylonians, Chinese, and Japanese. To the Babylonians (and the Jews), the number 7 had particular divine significance, as it did with the early Jewish people. The Babylonians were so powerful that they influenced all of the cultures around them. Then, even the Greeks and Romans adopted the 7-day week. It became “official,” when Emperor Constantine and the Nicaean Creed solidified the calendar for his people, designating Sunday as a holiday.

From the Scriptures: At the time that Jesus lived on the earth, the leaders of his people had become very strict on what people could do on the Sabbath. They made rules about how far people could walk and what knots people could tie and how to make bread on Sunday. When Jesus healed people on Sunday, the people that made all the rules were Angry. He tried to teach them that Sunday isn’t about rules, but on doing Heavenly Father’s work and growing closer to Him. Share your favorite story from the preparation section on Christ’s teachings and miracles on the Sabbath.

From Church History: Hold up a picture of the Pioneers studying the scriptures. Read the following paragraph to your family:

The main company of pioneers had arrived and begun planting on a Saturday. The next day was Sunday, and even though there was much work to do, the pioneers rested from their labors and held worship services to thank Heavenly Father for bringing them safely to the valley. They were grateful to finally have a place where they could live in peace. That Sunday Brigham Young preached to the Saints and reminded them of the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. Wilford Woodruff recorded: “He told the brethren that they must not work on Sunday, [and if they did,] they would lose five times as much as they would gain by it” (quoted in Carter E. Grant, The Kingdom of God Restored, p. 430).

See Lesson 41 of Primary book 5

Tell your families that the saints were very eager to get settled and make sure to get some crops and plants in the ground to make sure there would be enough food to keep everyone healthy and fed all winter. When you need time to grow crops, it is easy to conclude that each and every day counts. This was a new place, they didn’t know when it would snow or how long they would have to harvest! And it wasn’t spring anymore, but summertime! Plus, they needed to find a way to get water to their plants, and to till the ground (that was very hard because it had never been tilled before). It would have been a strong act of faith to even wait that one more day to plant! Sometimes something as simple as keeping the sabbath day can seem really hard, but Heavenly Father helped them get their harvest in, and He can help us when we struggle to keep his commandments, too.

Further Discussion:

One way that it can become easier to keep the sabbath day holy is to prepare in advance, or get ready on Saturday. Discuss with your family some suggestions that they can do to prepare for Sunday. The list may include: clean the house, prepare clothing, fuel the car, get things ready for Sunday dinner, go to bed early enough that you do not struggle to get up and get ready for church.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Click Here for talks on the Sabbath Day. [I really enjoyed Elder Bednar’s talk from April 2021].

Challenge:

Ask your family to pay particular attention to their coming Sabbath day activities and take a personal evaluation on if there is a way that they need to improve. Tell them that they can decide if they would like to share anything next week.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lesson 15 (Nursery Manual lesson 8), Gospel Principles Chapter 24, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson on the Sabbath, and “Sabbath” from both the bible dictionary and Gospel Topics. A few talks and articles were exceptionally helpful, including Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy from the February 2000 Ensign, and the talk by President Russell M. Nelson entitled The Sabbath is a Delight from the April 2015 conference, Lord of the Sabbath from Jesus the Christ by Elder James E. Talmage.

FHE

The 10 Commandments mini-FHE

Keira

Here is a quick lesson on the 10 commandments based on the needs of our family. Sometimes it’s important to teach what your family needs, not what is scheduled.

Print off and color this picture of Moses with the commandments. It has an age-appropriate telling of Moses receiving them as well. Then print off these 10 commandment “finger puppets.” and cut and tape the sides so that fingers can still fit inside the bottom of each commandment like a mini glove for your finger. You may consider 1 copy per family member (it’ll give the little family members something to touch).

Children: Watch this video on Moses getting the commandments. Older children may watch this one as well, but it’s too much story for younger families.

Hold up this picture of Moses. Tell your family that Moses wanted to help his people make good choices so that they could go back to live with Heavenly Father again. Heavenly Father gave Moses 2 big flat rocks cut out of the side of the mountain. On the rocks, He wrote 10 commandments, or rules, that he wanted the people to remember. Say this fingerplay with your family. Then say that we are going to learn what Heavenly Father wanted us to remember. For each puppet, talk about what the commandment is as found in Exodus 20:3-17.

  1. Always put Heavenly Father first. He is the only God.
  2. Do not worship anything except Heavenly Father. That means don’t pray to or make something more important than Heavenly Father.
  3. Don’t say Heavenly Father’s name without respect. Every time we say Heavenly Father or God, we should do it with love and thinking about who He is.
  4. Remember that Sunday is for Remembering Heavenly Father, and keep it Holy. Work 6 days and rest on the 7th.
  5. We need to listen to and obey our father and mother.
  6. Do not kill.
  7. Keep wedding promises.
  8. Do not steal.
  9. Do not tell lies or gossip.
  10. Don’t be jealous of what someone else has.

At the end of the lesson, say the fingerplay one more time. Challenge your family to memorize the 10 commandments in order and what they are about.

For complete FHE lessons, or to learn more, click here.

Kids Need Play

Water Bead Funnel Fun

Keira

Dear Reader,

I can’t believe spring is already here! I mean, I’m not complaining – I’m not a big fan of winter – but I am not ready for the busyness that comes with spring when you’re an avid gardener. I haven’t finished all of my winter projects yet! Plus, my preschooler has decided that spring means extra busyness, too! She has been wanting to do *all the things.* Which doesn’t exactly match with my need to get things done. So I needed to come up with something for her to do that was fun and exciting but didn’t involve me. I grabbed some water beads and a funnel and the pans we use for sand dough.

We filled an old juice bottle with water and watched the beads grow throughout the day, and then I poured a few in her tray and handed her the funnel.

Her OT and I have been talking a lot about retained palmar grasp reflex, and I can see it. Especially when we do fine-motor tasks like playing with small, slippery things. I Don’t know if tasks like this will really solve anything, but they definitely take concentration and focus, so I feel like they’re good for that aspect. And aiming for the funnel (especially the small end) takes hand-eye coordination. Just make sure you have a funnel with a big enough hole. This funnel was the only one that fit that bill besides our canning funnels, so I handed those to the toddlers (and watched them much closer) while I worked across from them and transplanted lavender.

Keira at searchforseven.com

Age Range

3+

Prep Required

lay the groundwork
(buy and prepare
the beads)

Time Needed

20 minutes

Supervision

3/10

FHE

He Lives! Easter FHE

Keira

Purpose: To help each member of the family focus on the Savior this Easter and remember that through the resurrection, we can return to our bodies and live forever.


Possible scriptures: Any in Matthew 21-28, Mark 11, 14-16, Luke 19-20, 22-24, or John 12-13, 18-20 (the triangles on the right will allow you to go to the next chapter); Guide to the scriptures on the Atonement; 1 Ne. 11:32–33; 2 Ne. 2:7; 2 Nephi 9:6–26;  Alma 7:11–13; Alma 11:41–45; any verse or verses from Alma 40 or 41; Doctrine & Covenants 19:16–19; any verse or verses from 1 Corinthians 15 (there are quite a few well-known verses in this chapter); Article of Faith #3 

Possible Songs: All Creatures of Our God and King, Hymn 62; Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Hymn 200; He is Risen!, Hymn 199; I Believe in Christ, Hymn 134; I know That My Redeemer Lives, Hymn 136; My Redeemer Lives, Hymn 135; He Sent His Son, Children’s Songbook page 34; On a Golden Springtime, Children’s Songbook page 88; Jesus Has Risen, Children’s Songbook page 70; Easter Hosanna, Children’s Songbook page 68; To Think about Jesus, Children’s Songbook page 71

Possible Materials: Empty plastic eggs. The rest will vary depending on what works for your family.

Preparation: Begin with prayer. Address this lesson with enthusiasm and gratitude. Think about what you want to get out of the Easter season this year. Read the suggested scriptures. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Think about what Easter is all about. Fill an Easter basket with your favorite things about Easter, then gather enough empty eggs for each member of your family. Then watch the videos about the week of Jesus’ death, including the triumphal entry, the Last Supper, Christ in Gethsemane, Christ on trial, Christ being crucified, and Christ risen again [Note to parents: for younger attention spans, pick the videos you deem most appropriate for your child or have them watch this very summarized version].

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: Pull out an Easter basket filled with commercial Easter items. Hand the family each an empty egg and ask them to find something that fits in the egg that makes them think about Easter. Make suggestions throughout about new birth and spring flowers starting to grow, or anything related to the Savior. The idea is to understand that each of these things has a place. When the family has regrouped, start with the youngest member of your family and ask each person what they found. Each selection is good, because it brings happy memories, even if it doesn’t focus on the Savior. Tell your family that Easter is all about Jesus! We celebrate the day that Jesus was resurrected. The last week of Jesus’ life, he did a lot to get ready to return to His Heavenly Father and to make it so that we could return, too. Tell your family that we are going to

From the Scriptures: Click here and pick the best Easter-themed activity for your family (sorry, I just didn’t want to clog up this whole post with options. I figure it’s hard enough to stay focused on so many words already!)

Further Discussion:

Ask the family why we celebrate at Easter time. The responses will turn towards focusing on Jesus, but get the family to think even deeper. Emphasize the word Celebrate. Easter is about Jesus’ death and all of the pain and agony he felt. Why, then, do we celebrate?  We celebrate Easter because Easter is about Jesus’ final triumph in that he overcame death, both spiritual and physical. Easter is Christ’s final victory! We celebrate Easter because of the Atonement! Explain to the family that the Atonement has two parts: the first part is when Christ suffered for the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane. The second part came when he was resurrected after he died on the cross. Both sin and death are part of the mortal experiences we came to earth for; both were part of the plan for us to learn and progress. But both, without the atonement, would keep us stuck and unable to return back to Heavenly Father. 

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion:

Challenge:

Ask your family to think about the true reason we celebrate Easter this year by focusing on the events of the last week of his life. Give each family member back their egg and a picture of the Savior to set somewhere they will see it this week.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lesson 45 (Nursery Manual lesson 29), Gospel Principles Chapter 12, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson 36.

FHE, Spiritual

Bringing Christ Back to Easter

Keira

Okay, okay. I Couldn’t pick one favorite Easter activity that fit every year, so I made a list of my favorites.

If you’re looking to focus on Holy Week, or more chronologically focused:

If you’re looking to focus on more of the symbols of Easter:

If you want a very thorough plan to focus on the Savior:

Scripture figures to tell the story of the Resurection:

Kids Need Play

Decorating Easter Cookies

Keira

Dear Reader,

First of all, I have no intention of these cookies making it until Easter. In fact, most of them were eaten by the end of the night. But We all just needed something fun to do. So we busted out some spring sprinkles, I whipped up some frosting, and some cookies, and we all just sat at the table.

I put a dab of frosting on everyone’s cookies and piled sprinkles on their plates and passed out plastic spoons. By putting the frosting in a dollop I kept from cross-contamination when my toddlers licked their spoons. Because that happened. And all the sprinkles were unceremoniously dumped on top. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t giving them to anyone but the designers, so it worked for me. I feel like usually when we make cookies, they’re going to someone and I cringe at all the sprinkles or the lumpy frosting. It was fun to just let them play. I wish I could say they ate all their cookies… But they ate the frosting and the sprinkles and I ended up throwing licked-clean cookies away after I sent them to bed.

Keira at searchforseven.com

Age Range

2+
(older if you want less licking)

Prep Required

lay the groundwork

Time Needed

20 mins

Supervision

7/10

FHE

Jesus Came to Earth FHE

Keira

Purpose: To draw closer as a family to the Savior who came to Earth and lived among his brethren and sisters.


Possible scriptures: using the Topical Guide as your guide, pick your favorite scripture about Jesus and his mortal life (Sorry, there are just sooo many possibilities here).

Possible Songs: When Jesus Christ Was Baptized, Children’s Songbook page 102; Jesus Loved the Little Children, Children’s Songbook page 59; I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus, Children’s Songbook page 78; Jesus Once Was a Little Child, Children’s Songbook page 55; Tell Me the Stories of Jesus, Children’s Songbook page 57; Come Follow Me, Hymn 116; Our Savior’s Love, Hymn 113; Master, the Tempest is Raging, Hymn 105; Far, Far Away on Judea’s Plains, Hymn 212

Possible Materials: Pictures of Jesus. A map of Jerusalem and the map in the January 2015 Friend. It’s up to you if you would rather use a map from the back of the scriptures or maybe just google maps.

Preparation: Begin with prayer. Ask yourself ­­­­­how you would have felt to be alive at the time of our Savior and see Him in person. Read the suggested scriptures, and watch Finding Faith in Christ. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Watch some videos about Christ’s life and ministry (like this one and this one. Check out the sidebar from one of the videos for other “younger reader” videos).

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: Hold up your favorite picture of Jesus. Ask your family who is in the picture. Then ask who is Jesus Christ? What did he do and why was he important? How did he come to earth? What did he teach? Then ask each member that is old enough to answer what their favorite story about when Christ was alive on Earth. Scripture references and pictures are definitely a bonus, but don’t get caught up in looking for them.

From the Scriptures: Jesus taught us that we should love everyone. Jesus loved everyone, even those that did not love him. He taught us how we can love other people and serve them. Tell your family we are going to read some scriptures of Jesus’ teachings.

  • Read John 3:16.  Talk about how Jesus loved us so much he came to earth in order to help us.
  • Read Matthew 22:36–39. Talk about how Christ summed up everything we need to do into 2 big rules: Love God and Love the people.
  • Read Matthew 25:35–46. Talk about how Christ performed miracles out of love, and then said that if we serve other people, we also show love to God.
  • Read Matt. 5:3–12. Talk about how Christ loved us by teaching us about love. If we serve others, we will be blessed.
  • Read Luke 23:34. Talk about how Christ also loved those who hurt him and forgave those that crucified them.
  • Read Doctrine and Covenants 19:16. Discuss how Christ suffered for our sins out of love.
  • Read John 15:13–14. Discuss how Christ paid the ultimate price and died for us that we may live again.

From World History: It is important to help your family understand that Jesus really walked on earth. Pull up a map of Jerusalem. Help them see that it is a real place. Then compare it to this map from the January 2015 Friend. As a family, place the cards on the map.

Bear your testimony of Jesus Christ and how you feel about His time on Earth.

Further Discussion:

Discuss what it means to be the only begotten, how Christ was both mortal and divine, and how that allowed him to suffer for our sins and be resurrected.

Ask the family if Jesus ever made any mistakes. Discuss that Jesus was always doing the work of Heavenly father. Remind them of the story of the boy Jesus at the temple, and discuss how Jesus was baptized even though he had never done anything wrong, because he wanted to keep ALL of God’s commandments.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Click here for the most recent conference talks on the Savior.

Challenge:

Throughout the week, find opportunities to serve and love others, in the name of the Savior. For younger children, you could give them a token that they can leave in as a sign that they served (it also acts as a visual reminder that they are challenged to serve others).


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Nursery Manual lesson 5, Gospel Principles Chapter 11, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson 17.

Educational, Kids Need Play, Life Lessons

Sand dough place values

Keira

Dear Reader,

I know that place values are way above what my preschooler is ready for… but is it, though? I mean, do I actually expect her to understand and grasp entirely what we were talking about? No way. But she is has an incredible sense of numbers that I did not have at her age. And when the opportunity came up, I definitely seized it.

Anyway, I digress… today we played with sand dough. We play with sand dough regularly, but my preschooler got a set of letters and numbers for Christmas, and she is very proud of that ownership. And since she always loves numbers, when she made the one and the zero, she got excited about it making the number 10. And then the wheels started turning and you could see it. “What happens if I add another zero?” So, I told her to do it and see! Then I said, “look, you just made 100!” and it grew from there all the way to one million.

I know this wont be the only time we talk about it, because she’s not ready to completely grasp the concept of place values, but I loved seeing the brainwaves happen. [nerd fact: From a science perspective, it’s called myelination – reinforcing thought patterns in our brains. Basically the more you hear and see something, the more you will understand the concept. And from a teacher perspective, it’s called scaffolding – basically that when you introduce a new concept you need to build up to it].

Keira at searchforseven.com

Age Range

4+

Prep Required

on the fly

Time Needed

less than 5 mins

Supervision

9/10