Category: Life Lessons

Things I’ve learned and wanted to share.

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:

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

A Day in the Life, FHE, Spiritual

Conference Activities

Keira

Dear Reader,

An unspoken thing that I personally think is amazing about conference is that there are so many family traditions involved in how each household watches conference. If you feel like you need a new tradition in your family, here are are some resources I have found from the Church (while planning our FHE lesson for this week) that are totally free to you!

  • Watch videos sharing the personal testimonies of the Apostles.
  • Print off and fill out conference notebooks (for older or for younger kids; or one of these pages one, two for in between)
  • color by topic pages (I personally think this one is worth it! love it). There is this one, as well, but a) it’s outdated, and b) it’s not as pretty. But it is still a good resource!
  • Conference Bingo! This is what our family does! we have pages my aunt made when we were kids, but the topics have shifted slightly and it’s getting harder to get bingos! So I think I’m gonna print these off, instead, this year. Before conference, I go to the dollar store and pick out little toys and party favors. I buy things that are less than a dollar (so multiple things in a pack) for bingos and then 1 dollar prize per session per kid for blackouts (I might have to make the “sustaining leaders” a free space in order to do that on this print-out). I try to pick prizes that are projects or crafts, so that my kids have some form of entertainment during conference, as opposed to a figurine, but even little figurines have value while entertaining kids for so long. Here is another page, but it has President Monson represented for “prophet,” so it’s a little outdated.
  • Here are some awesome coloring pages of the General Authorities! See if your family can recognize them and know their names.
  • There are a lot of picture searches within the church’s website, but these two (one, two) deal particularly with General Conference.
  • Same thing goes for coloring pages. I found 5 in particular that are about conference (but I bet there are more hidden in the “internet cracks.” Some of these have President Monson, but he was still a prophet (one, two, three, four, five). And here is one about King Benjamin teaching his people, in case you’re following along with our FHE lessons.
  • Here’s a poster with kids coloring for conference.
  • This page has a blank bingo sheet, but I like the idea of drawing the ties given on the bottom.
  • Challenge your family to listen for key words and keep a tally of what is said.
  • If you told your family about King Benjamin teaching his people, this activity about his people pitching his tents toward the temple will have deeper meaning.
  • Here is a connect four game based off of listening to key words.
  • This one seems fun, too. Color in a square for each clue you see or hear.
  • assign a small treat to key words and each time that word is heard, the hearer can get a treat.
  • Here is a dot-to-dot of the prophet (and a picture story).
  • There is nothing to print here, but this story talks about watching conference via a tent, like King Benjamin. You could build a fort like they do in the story or a real tent. If it’s stable enough, you could even allow your family to sleep in it one night!
  • This activity involves 1 word for each letter of the alphabet and suggests writing notes about each word.
  • Here is a rope code game that has a hidden answer at the bottom of the page.
  • For kids that can read, they could cover these words as they hear them.
  • The second page of this story from the friend gives a nice way to take notes on a talk. If your note-taker can read but isn’t ready to take that thorough of notes, they might be able to follow this outline.
  • Here is a 2-week countdown of activities to prepare for conference.
  • And this is a crossword search with conference words.
  • If you want to update the pictures, this is a fun mini-conference setup with chairs and a pulpit that you can have the speakers walk to. But it’s from 2012.
  • This coloring page is similar to some others already listed, but a little bit simpler. It would still require reading, though. Or there is this one, tied to the talk before it.
  • Here’s a wiggle break rhyme to get kids up and moving, if needed.
FHE

Preparing for General Conference FHE

Keira

Purpose: To help each family member properly prepare for General Conference so that each may get the most out of the chance to listen to prophets. 


Possible scriptures: Doctrine & Covenants 1:38; Doctrine & Covenants 43:8-10; Doctrine & Covenants 68:4; Reread some talks from last conference. Prepare a quote from your favorite talk to share with the family.

Possible Songs: We Thank Thee, O God For a Prophet, hymn 19; Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice, hymn 21; The Spirit of God, hymn 2; Testimony, hymn 137; Again We Meet Around the Board, hymn 186; Come, All Ye Saints Who Dwell on Earth, hymn 65; Come, Sing to the Lord, Hymn 10; Oh, Holy Words of Truth and Love, hymn 271; Latter-day Prophets, Children’s Songbook page 134;

Possible Materials: 3 cups of different size (small, medium, large) and 3 cups of the same size that is as close to the large-sized cup as possible. Small pictures of the First Presidency and the twelve Apostles (either print the last page of this handout twice {or this one} and cut out the individual photos; or, if you have time, buying a pack of photo paper and print individual photos of the 12 Apostles and the First Presidency. the second option is definitely more tedious and time consuming, but with clearer pictures, your family will recognize them better). A picture of King Benjamin teaching his people and this video about the Conference Center.

Preparation: Begin with prayer. Consider your present attitude towards General Conference and ask yourself what you could do in order to receive greater spiritual renewal and personal guidance from the Conference addresses. Read the conference talks from the last General Conference (or watch them). Read through the lesson, including any links, and Mosiah 1-5 (click the > on the right to continue to the next chapters), and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Have fun playing with measurements and how much water will fit into each cup. Watch the video about King Benjamin. Ask a grownup to help you get pictures of the General Authorities and to read the fact about them to you.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction:Introduction: Ask the family to join you in a place that is okay to spill and get wet. Present a small cup, a medium-sized cup, and a large cup. Tell the family that the Holy Ghost is like water. We are each like the glasses. When we are being taught, the teacher who has done his work to prepare and invite the spirit in is like the pitcher that pours water into our glass. Some of us spend very little time preparing. We are like the small glass (pour the water into the small glass, let the extra water overflow). When conference comes, we are able to receive some of the blessings of the Holy Ghost, but we are easily overwhelmed and cannot hold more than a little enlightenment. Sometimes we are like the medium glass (pour the water into the medium glass. Just a little should overflow): we are looking forward to conference, we have plenty of room for the Holy Ghost, and we come away feeling refreshed and enlightened, but we still long for just a little bit more. But what happens if we could be as prepared as the full glass (Pour water into the third glass. All of the water should fit within the glass, filling it full)? When Conference comes, we are eager and well-prepared, we have prayed for enlightenment, studied past conference addresses, and are eager to receive more enlightenment. As we listen to conference, we receive every blessing and insight that the Lord wishes us to receive.

Preparing for Conference: Tell your family that one way to prepare for General Conference is knowing who the speakers are. Make sure your surface is really dry after the water, and set up and play memory match using the General Authorities’ portraits. When a match is made, read their name and the information about them found below.

  • President Russell M. Nelson: born 9 September, 1924, in Salt Lake City, UT. He has 2 sisters and a brother. He was baptized at age 16. He plays the bugle and the organ, sings baritone with perfect pitch, loves to ski, and can speak 12 languages (including Mandarin and Latin). He was an open heart surgeon (one of the best) and a medical captain in the army during the Korean War. He has 10 kids (9 girls and 1 boy). He became president of the church in 2018. He was called as one of the 12 apostles in 1984!
  • President Dallin H. Oaks: born 12 August, 1932, in Provo, UT. His dad died when he was 7, so he and his younger brother and sister spent summers with his grandma while his mom went to college. He played the oboe and football in high school. Elder Oaks was a lawyer, and served in the National Guard during the Korean War. He taught law at the University of Chicago and became president of BYU in 1971. He left BYU when he was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court. He has 6 kids. He was called as an apostle in 1984, and is currently the first counselor to president Nelson.
  • President Henry B. Eyring: born 31 May, 1933, in Princeton, NJ. He was the nephew to President Spencer W. Kimball. He was the middle of 3 brothers. He grew up in a studious home and his parents taught him to love learning and reading. He likes to play tennis, drawing, and painting. He was both in the Air force and served as a district missionary in the Western States Mission in Albuquerque, NM at the same time. He was a professor at Stanford University, followed by becoming president of Ricks College. He has four sons and two daughters. He was called as an Apostle in 1995.
  • President M. Russell Ballard: born 8 October, 1928, in Salt Lake City, UT. His great-great-grandfather was Hyrum Smith. His great-great grandfather was President Joseph F. Smith. His grandfathers were Melvin J. Ballard and Hyrum M. Smith (both of the 12 Apostles). And yet, his parents didn’t attend church and he never heard his grandparents speak from the pulpit. He served a mission in England. He was in the Army Reserves. He often found himself a leader in many business industries, both successful and unsuccessful, and credits his unsuccessful business ventures as creating a sense of humility. He has two sons and five daughters. He was called to the Quorum of the 12 Apostles in 1985 and is currently the Acting President.
  • Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: born 3 December, 1940 in St George, UT. He had 3 siblings, but his younger brother died in infancy. He played football and basketball in High School. He and Elder Quentin L. Cook were mission companions in the Britain Mission. He was a teacher and professor before becoming President of BYU, replacing Dallin H. Oaks. He has 2 sons and 1 daughter. He was called to the quorum of the 12 apostles in 1994.
  • Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: born on 6 November 1940, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia. He has 3 siblings. He and his mom and siblings fled to East Germany while his dad was conscripted to the German army, and then his whole family fled to West Germany, being labeled as “dissenters.” He joined the German Air Force as a fighter pilot, and left the military to spend his career as the commercial pilot. He and his wife like skiing and dancing together. English is his second language (he grew up speaking German). He has 2 children. He became an apostle in 2004.
  • Elder David A. Bednar: born 15 June,1952, in Oakland, CA. he is 15+ years younger than his 2 other siblings. His father did not join the church until Elder Bednar was in his 20’s. He played football in high school. He served his mission in Southern Germany. He was a teacher and a professor before becoming president of Ricks College, which transitioned to BYU-I under his leadership. He has 3 sons. He joined the 12 apostles in 2004.
  • Elder Quentin L. Cook: born 8 September, 1940 in Logan, UT. he has 2 siblings. His great-great grandfather was Heber C. Kimball. He participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track in high school. He and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland were mission companions in the Britain Mission. He was a corporate lawyer, focused a lot on medical law, and worked pro bono for 14 years. He has 3 children. He was sustained as an Apostle in 2007.
  • Elder D. Todd Christofferson: born 24 January, 1945, in American Fork, UT. He has 4 younger brothers. His family moved to Somerset, NJ, where he was the only church member in his high school. He served his mission in North Argentina. He performed in the Hill Cumorah pageant. He made bread for his mother until he left home, after a surgery left her incapable of making homemade bread. He was in the army reserves for 8 years. He has 4 sons and a daughter. He was a political lawyer (during Watergate), and a bank lawyer before being called as an Apostle in 2008.
  • Elder Neil L. Andersen: born 9 August, 1951, in Logan UT. He is the middle child of 5 siblings. His dad became a dairy farmer in Pocatello, ID. He speaks English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. He served his mission in France, and later he returned to France as a Mission President. He was a businessman, with specific focus in healthcare. He has 4 children. He became a member of the Quorum of the 12 apostles in 2009.
  • Elder Ronald A. Rasband: born 6 February, 1951, in Salt Lake City, UT. He has 3 half-siblings (two brothers and a sister). His strongest skills were often described as leadership and charisma (he regularly convinced is friends to happily do his chores for him as a kid). He served his mission in the Eastern States mission (New York and Pennsylvania), later serving as a Mission President in New York. He worked in Chemical sales. He has 5 children. He was called as one of the 12 in 2015.
  • Elder Gary E. Stevenson: born 6 August, 1955, in Ogden, UT. He has 2 sisters and brother. He often relates a story involving delivering homemade bread to the 30 widows in his childhood ward. He served his mission in the Japan Fukuoka Mission (also returning later as a Mission President). He spends a lot of time outdoors, enjoying skiing and fishing, and snowmobiling. He started his career as a salesman, later cofounding an exercise equipment manufacturing company. He has four sons. Before being called as an Apostle, he served The Church as the Presiding Bishop. He joined the Quorum of the 12 in 2015.
  • Elder Dale G. Renlund: born 13 November, 1952, in Salt Lake City, UT. His parents were Swedish immigrants, and he has lived in both Sweden and Finland. He has a brother and 2 sisters. His first language was Swedish. He served his mission in Sweden. He was a researcher, medical director, cardiologist, and professor of medicine before being called as an apostle. He has 1 daughter. He is the 100th apostle to be called, joining the quorum of the 12 in 2015.
  • Elder Gerrit W. Gong: born 23 December, 1953 in Redwood City, CA. He is the oldest of 3 children. He played basketball and soccer in high school. He served his mission in Taiwan. He has been special assistant to the Secretary of State, the special assistant to the ambassador of China, the special assistant to the BYU President, and as a professor. He appreciates doing crafts and painting with the children he meets along his world service. He has 4 sons. He became an Apostle in 2018.
  • Elder Ulisses Soares: born 2 October, 1958, in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the youngest of 4 brothers. He was the only church member in his high school. He served his mission in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission. His first language is Portuguese, but he also speaks English and Spanish. He was an accountant and auditor for large corporations, and later, became Director for Temporal Affairs in the Church office in São Paulo, Brazil. He has 3 kids (1 son and 2 daughters). He is the “junior apostle,” as he was called as one of the 12 in 2018.

From the Scriptures: Tell your family that we have a record of a general conference way back in the Book of Mormon times! Hold up a picture of King Benjamin teaching his people, and summarize the story. Tell your family that King Benjamin gathered his people together in one big gathering so that he could teach them all before he died. His people all came and brought their tent, with the openings facing toward the temple (where King Benjamin gave his address). Read Mosiah 4:1-3 and 5:1-7. Ask your family if his people came with small or large “cups.” How can we tell? Were their cups filled?

Further Discussion:

Ask your family what they can do to receive all of the blessings of General Conference. Make a list of options. This may include taking notes, discussing conference between sessions, setting goals to study conference in the future, praying to receive inspiration for your life, and thinking of questions you have that you would like answered and then listening for those answers.

Discuss with your family a time that you received an answer to a question that you had during General Conference, or just bear your testimony about General Conference and how you feel about getting to listen to men of God.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation, by President Russell M. Nelson; The Message, the Meaning, and the Multitude, by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Challenge:

Ask each family member to prepare for conference this week. Ask them to think of a question that they would like answered, and invite each member of the family to take notes so that they can invite the spirit of revelation into your home


Giving due credit: For this lesson, I did a thorough read-through of the General Conference side of the Church’s website, including the biographies of the General Authorities. Also, when I googled specific leaders, I often found the answers to my questions via Wiki and the church news page. If you’d like more info on these men, check out those sources.

FHE

Jesus Created the World for Me FHE

Keira

Purpose: To gain respect for the world around us, because it is a gift from their Heavenly Father.


Possible scriptures: Moses 1:39; Moses 6:63; Moses 7:28-32; John 17:3; Colossians 1:16; 1 Nephi 17:36; 2 Nephi 2:14; Jacob 4:9;  Mosiah 3:8; Mosiah 4:9; Alma 30:44; Mormon 9:11,17; Doctrine and covenants 29:31; Doctrine and Covenants 38:1-3;  Doctrine and Covenants 59:14-21;  Doctrine and Covenants 76:24; Doctrine and Covenants 104:13-17;

Possible Songs: Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow, hymn 242; All Glory Laud and Honor, Hymn 69; O My Father, Hymn 292; If You Could Hie to Kolob, hymn 284; I Am a Child of God, Children’s Songbook page 2 and Hymn 301; My Heavenly Father Loves Me, Children’s Songbook page 228; Because God Loves Me, Children’s songbook page 234; Thanks to Our Father, Children’s Songbook page 20; The World Is So Lovely, Children’s Songbook page 233; I Am Like a Star, Children’s Songbook page 163; Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, Children’s Songbook page 60; The World Is so Big, Children’s Songbook page 235

Possible Materials: These scripture figures (print with black or they’ll come out gray-ish); some type of sculpting dough, clay, or sand dough. You could easily make salt dough if you don’t have anything else already on hand. A picture of Mary Jackson or Katherine Johnson. A picture of the seagulls eating crickets in Utah.


Preparation: Begin with prayer. Ask yourself why creating this world was so important to Heavenly Father’s plan. Ask yourself again if you feel God’s love for you. Do your family members know? Take a moment to think over the creation and how it is evidence of God’s love for you. Read the suggested scriptures, the article Four Accounts of the Creation (Jan 1986), along with Genesis 1-2, Moses 1-3, and Abraham 3-5 (hyperlinks can be found within the article). Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: watch this video and this video about the creation. Ask a grownup to help you print, color, and cut the scripture figures.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: pull out some dough or clay. Tell your family that clay is great because it can form all kinds of creations and sculptures. A tree, for instance. And then just set it down and sit there, like you expect it to do something. Ask your family why it didn’t form a tree! The dough has all the ability to become a tree, but it can’t just form itself into one. It needs a creator. Now tell your family that we live in a beautiful world, full of glorious things. How do you think it was created? Did it and could it create itself? Ask someone to open their scriptures to Alma 30:44 (starting after the second question mark).

Ask your family if they remember talking about Heavenly Father’s plan. Review it based on the needs of your family. Remind them that part of Heavenly Father’s plan involved coming to Earth. We needed someone to create a world for us to live on. Read Moses 1:33 and ask your family who created the world (Jesus followed Heavenly Father’s instructions).


From the Scriptures: Depending on the needs of your family read the accounts of the creation as found in the scriptures. For younger families, consider just read the most common account found in Genesis 1. Make sure to talk about the 6 days of creation and the 1 day of rest. If sharing video is available, I found this one by President Nelson (then Elder) to cut down right to the principles of the subject of creation.

  1. On the first day, Jesus separated the light from the dark and created day and night (Genesis 1:1-5; Moses 2:1-5; Abraham 4:1-5). Ask your family why we need day and night? What are some things we do during the day? What do we do at night?
  2. On the second day, Jesus created the atmosphere, organizing heaven and earth (Genesis 1:6-8; Moses 2:6-8; Abraham 4:6-8).
  3. On the 3rd day he separated the land from the water. He also created all different types of plants and fruit. The plants were made to have seeds (Genesis 1:9-13; Moses 2:9-13; Abraham 4:9-13). Why is water so important to us? What do we do with water? What about plants? How do we use plants? All of the plants on the earth show us that Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to have the things we need.
  4. On the 4th day, Jesus created the sun, moon, and stars, creating times and seasons (Genesis 1:14-19; Moses 2:14-19; Abraham 4:14-19). Talk to your family about all that the sun does for us! It keeps our earth comfortable and warm. It helps plants grow. How does the moon help us? What would happen if we couldn’t see stars in the sky? Think about a cloudy night when there is no moon. It’s hard to see! What if we could never see the stars?
  5. On the 5th day, he created fish and birds (Genesis 1:20-23; Moses 2:20-23; Abraham 4:20-23). How are fish and birds important? Would humans have learned to fly if they hadn’t seen birds in the sky?
  6. On the sixth day, the rest of the animals were placed on the earth. In the culmination of the creation, Heavenly Father and Jesus created man in his own image (Genesis 1:24-31; Moses 2:24-31; Abraham 4:24-31). How do animas help us?
  7. On the 7th day, Heavenly Father rested (Genesis 2:1-3; Moses 3:1-3; Abraham 5:1-3).

From Church History: Hold up the picture of the seagulls eating the crickets in Utah. Ask your family if they know this story (more info here). Tell your family that in 1848, the pioneers had just settled in and were starting to grow crops. It had already been a hard and complicated spring, with a late frost, ad the saints were worried that they wouldn’t be able to grow enough food. Then, just as the crops were starting to look like they’d pull through, a swarm of crickets came in (they were actually katydids, if you were curious) and started eating the crops! The pioneers tried all they could to get rid of the crickets and it wasn’t working. They were scared. They knelt down and prayed to Heavenly Father. Soon, lots and lots of seagulls came and ate all the crickets! the Pioneers had enough food to eat and save until next planting season. Heavenly Father sent the seagulls. They obeyed Him because they knew He was their creator.

From World History: Ask your family how we can show Heavenly Father that we are thankful for the world he made. Answers will vary and should all be acknowledged. If or when someone mentions that we should learn as much as we can about the world we live in, (even if prompting is necessary), hold up the picture of Katherine Johnson or Mary Jackson. Explain to your family that in the 1960’s people were wanting to learn lots about the world around them, and they were especially excited to learn about space, where our sun and moon and stars are. Katherine and lots of women like her were really smart, smarter than computers were back then! they could do lots of math very quickly. Math was very important if we wanted to get rockets into outer space to see the world. People didn’t think much of black women at the time, but Katherine and Mary learned as much as they could and overcame the excuses people made because they loved science and loved exploring. Because of them, their math skills, and their determination, we have sent many rockets up to space to learn about our world and about what else is in space. We can show gratitude to Heavenly Father by learning all that we can about his creations.

Further Discussion:

Read 2 Nephi 2:11. Ask your family to look over the days of the creation and point out the opposites in each aspect of the creation. Why did God separate opposites in his creation process? Are there good and bad in the separations? Both separate aspects are necessary and important. We can and should embrace differences just as we can and should enjoy each part of creation.

There are many different focuses to take in a family where everyone knows the basic creation story. Pray to know what is the best direction to take for your family, but some of the areas of focus include: why we have so many creation accounts, that all things were created spiritually before they were created physically, or other ways we can show gratitude to Heavenly Father for each and every category of creation. Also consider the overall planning and preparation that went into the creation. There was nothing haphazard about the creation of the earth.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Facing Our Spiritual Hurricanes by Believing in Christ, by Elder Sean Douglas; A House of Sequential Order, by Elder Vaiangina Sikahema (this one is really good!); Invite Christ to Author Your Story, by Sister Camille N. Johnson; The Things of My Soul, By Elder Ronald A Rasband; God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul, by Sister Susan H. Porter; A Faithful Search Rewarded, by Elder Patricio M. Giuffra; The Love of God, by Elder D. Todd Cristofferson

Challenge:

Challenge each family member to look for ways God loves them throughout the week. At dinner each night, have each family member share what they noticed that day. Invite the members of your family to make sure those things end up in prayers as well, focusing all week on expressing gratitude to Heavenly Father for His creations in prayer.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lessons 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 (Nursery Manual lesson 7), Gospel Principles Chapter 5, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson 6. I also found this article from the 1998 Friend, and this article from the 1986 Ensign helpful.

FHE

Heavenly Father Has a Plan for Me FHE

Keira

Purpose: To help family members understand that we lived with Heavenly Father as spirit children before we came to earth, why we are here, and that we can live with him again after this life.

Possible scriptures: Moses 2:26-31; Moses 3:5; Genesis 1:1; Job 38:4-7; Ecclesiastes 3:2-1; Jeremiah 1:5; Hebrews 12:9; 1 Corinthians 15:44; 2 Nephi 22:21, 24-27; Alma 42:5-15; Doctrine & Covenants 29:31-38; Doctrine & Covenants 59:18-20; Doctrine & Covenants 76:22-24; Doctrine & Covenants 88:14-17; Doctrine & Covenants 93:29; Doctrine & Covenants 104:13-17; Doctrine & Covenants 138:56;

Possible Songs: I Am a Child of God, hymn 301 or Children’s Songbook page 2; I Lived in Heaven, children’s songbook page 4; Families Can Be Together Forever, hymn 300 or Children’s Songbook page 188; God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son, hymn 187; I Stand All Amazed, hymn 193; O Thou, Before the World Began, hymn 189; Teach Me to Walk in the Light, hymn 304 or Children’s Songbook page 177; He Sent His Son, children’s songbook page 34; I Will Follow God’s Plan, Children’s Songbook page 164; The Third Article of Faith, Children’s Songbook page 123.

Possible Materials: pictures to represent the plan of salvation in the best way to explain it to your family. I like this one the best, I think. There is also this picture strip that I recommend for younger lesson-givers. Also, a picture of Viktor Frankl.

Preparation: Begin with prayer. Read the suggested scriptures, The Plan of Salvation from True to the Faith, 2 Nephi 2, Alma 12:24-37, and Alma 42. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Watch this video called Our Heavenly Father’s plan, and this one about the Three Kingdoms of Heaven.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: Tell your family we are going on a pretend hike. You can have everyone get ready for the hike with shoes and hiking clothes, or even pass out water bottles or trail mix. You could also just keep it simple and tell your family you have a map about your hike’s path. Tell them this hike will take us on the trail of Salvation.

  1. Start your trail off with the Council in Heaven. Before we were born, we didn’t have bodies. We lived with Heavenly Father as spirits. Heavenly Father created a plan that would let us get bodies and learn to be like Him and then come back to be with Him. Have your family read Abraham 3:24-26 (keep it open). We were so excited we shouted with joy! Have your family shout, “hooray,” with their fists in the air, and then pretend walk while you go to the next spot on our map.
  2. War in Heaven: Tell your family that part of Heavenly Father’s plan required a volunteer. We needed someone who would give his life for us so we could return. Jesus volunteered. Have your family read Abraham 3:27 and Moses 4:2. Tell your family that we had another brother that did not want to follow Heavenly Father’s plan. He wanted everyone to have to do what he wanted instead of choosing what we wanted to do. He also wanted everyone to think he was the best instead of Heavenly Father. Now have your family read Abraham 3:28 and Moses 4:3-4. Pretend walk in place while you move on to the next place on our “map.”
  3. The Atonement: Heavenly Father knew we would make mistakes, so Jesus Christ became our Savior and atoned for us so that we could have a chance to repent and make it back to Heavenly Father. Ask a family member to read or recite the 3rd Article of Faith. Pretend to walk over a bridge, because Jesus is our bridge to connect us back with Heavenly Father.
  4. When we were born, we came to earth, we forgot what it was like in heaven. We needed to be away from Heavenly Father and we needed to forget our time with Him so that we could learn things that we couldn’t learn if we remembered what it was like while we lived with Him. Messing up and learning from or mistakes was part of Heavenly Father’s plan. Have your family start curled up and small and grow “tall, tall, tall.”
  5. We were so excited to live our mortal lives with our families and to get bodies so that we could be like Heavenly Father. Have your family read Alma 34:32 and ask your family how we prepare to return to be with Heavenly Father. Make sure the answers include keeping the commandments, getting baptized and going to the temple. Ask your family to take big loud steps now and enjoy that their physical body can move.
  6. Death is part of what it means to be alive. It is an important part of Heavenly Father’s plan and how we can make it back to Him. Have your family read Hebrews 9:27. Now have your family make little quiet tiptoe steps for this part of their “hike.”
  7. After we die, we spend some time in the spirit world. It is a time for us to either learn about the gospel or to share it with others. Alma 40:11-13. Ask your family to put their hands up over their eyes like they’re looking for someone to teach, or looking for the “path.”
  8. The Resurrection. Jesus provided a way that we can get our bodies back. When we are resurrected, our bodies will be perfected, but they will still be our bodies. We will look like our best selves. Ask your family to read Alma 11:42-45 and Helaman 14:17. Now continue walking, but walk as tall and as gracefully as you can!
  9. After we are resurrected, we must work with Jesus and stand for our Final Judgement. Have your family read 2 Corinthians 5:10. Ask them how they think they will feel to know that Jesus helped us by making everything – all our mistakes and sicknesses and hard or ugly things – all better. Now have your family hold still and tell them there are different paths on our map now, and we need to talk about where we will be going next.
  10. When we get to this part of our path, we get a choice! We can choose to live with Heavenly Father and our families again, but it requires that we live like Heavenly Father asked us. Have your family read Doctrine and Covenants 76:69-70. Talk about the Celestial Kingdom and how it is the only place we can live with Heavenly Father and our family. Then read verses 77-78. Talk about the Terrestrial Kingdom. Thirdly, read verses 81-82 and talk about the Telestial Kingdom.

From World History: Ask your family if knowing Heavenly Father’s plan changes how they feel about hard times. Hold up a picture of Viktor Frankl and tell them that he lived during World War II when evil people were trying to kill him because he was a Jew. Before the war, he was studying some important questions, like “who am I? Where did I come from? And, where will I go after I die?” While he was in a concentration camp, he realized that the people that had a purpose, a reason for living, stayed alive much longer than those that did not. Viktor realized that understanding the Plan of Salvation (though he didn’t refer to it by that name) made living through hard times easier and even possible. Open this link and pick a topic from the list that fills the needs of your family.

Further Discussion:

Add to the categories above by including the Creation, the Fall, more on the Atonement, the veil of forgetfulness, and Resurrection. Divide ante-mortality into deeper categories: Pre-mortality and living with God; Council in Heaven; War in Heaven; Satan’s fall (and his 1/3 of the hosts of heaven); Foreordination; and Waiting to be born. Go into more detail of the Kingdoms of Glory/Perdition (Outer Darkness) by reading Doctrine and Covenants 76 and 137 in their entirety.

Also talk about the truths we learn about the Plan of Salvation from the Proclamation on the Family.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: For the most recent conference talks, click here.

Challenge:

Reread Alma 34:32. Challenge your family this week to think of things they can do now so that they can be with Heavenly Father again someday. If your family is old enough, challenge them to memorize the verse.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lesson 2 (Nursery Manual lesson 3), True to the Faith chapter on the Plan of Salvation and the Kingdoms of Glory, Gospel Principles Chapters 2 and 5, and the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson 17.

FHE

Heavenly Father and Jesus Love Me FHE

Keira

Purpose: To help each member of the family feel that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love and know each of us personally and that they have worth as children of God.


Possible scriptures: Matthew 18:11-13; Mark 10:13-16; John 3:16; John 13:1; John 15:9; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 3:19; 1 John 3:1; 1 Nephi 11:22; Alma 26:37; 3 Nephi 11:13-15; 3 Nephi 17:6-7, 11-2, 21-24 (remember to scroll down); Doctrine and Covenants 18:10, 15-16; Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19; Doctrine and Covenants 138:2-4; Moses 1:39;

Possible Songs: How Great the Wisdom and the Love, hymn 195; ‘Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love, hymn 176 or 177; God is Love, hymn 87; God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son, hymn 187; Our Savior’s Love, hymn 113; Where Love is, Children’s Songbook page 138; Because God Loves Me, Children’s Songbook page 234; My Heavenly Father Loves Me, Children’s Songbook page 228 [my favorite choice]; God’s Love, Children’s Songbook page 97; I Feel My Savior’s Love, Children’s Songbook page 74; Jesus Is Our Loving Friend, Children’s Songbook page 58.

Possible Materials: A crisp dollar bill and a simple puzzle. the pictures from the “Young Readers,” version of the parables of the lost.


Preparation: Begin with prayer. Read the suggested scriptures, as well as some of the additional talks listed below, as directed by the spirit. Ask yourself ­­­­­if you believe that God really loves you. How do you know? Is there anything keeping you from believing He loves you and from knowing of your own worth? Read through the lesson, including the entire talk by Elder Groberg, any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: Ask a grownup to help you get a crisp dollar bill. Watch these videos about lost things (1, 2, 3… or for littlest lesson helpers, you may watch the young reader version). Ask a grownup to help you print the pictures from the young reader version. Then go get a puzzle and hide a piece in your pocket right before the lesson.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: Take a crisp dollar bill (doesn’t have to be a dollar, but dollars are easier to come by and hold onto…). Ask the family what it is. How much is it worth? Now wrinkle it up, crumple it, stomp on it a few times, and get it looking pretty haggard. Ask the family how much it’s worth now? Did the value change? Ask your family to think about the lesson about being a child of God. If we are Heavenly Father’s Children, he must love us and think we are valuable like this dollar bill. We have value no matter what we look like or what we have been through (if you have a smart-alecky family member who points out that if you rip the dollar or shred the dollar, it’s worthless, point out how you can tape that dollar back together and a bank will still trade it in).

Now get a simple puzzle out and have your family put the puzzle together, but have one piece hidden in your pocket. Encourage the natural reactions that come with a missing piece. Ask if the puzzle is complete. Tell your family you used all the pieces that were there, isn’t that enough? Talk about how just as a puzzle isn’t complete and that missing piece is glaringly obvious, so it is with us. That puzzle is like our family and our church and our earthly life. We are as important to the gospel and to Heavenly Father as a single puzzle piece is to a puzzle. God loves us and knows if we are “missing.”


From the Scriptures: Tell your family that Jesus liked to use stories to teach things he thought were important. Have your family read Luke 15:4-32. For younger families, hold up the pictures from this “young readers,” version. Ask your family how they feel when they lose something. How are we lost like the lost things? How will Heavenly Father feel when we are “found?”

Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to return to Him. He knows each one of us personally.

From Church History: President Monson’s entire time serving the Lord was out of love for his brothers and sisters. His desire to serve those around him was instilled from childhood by parents that loved others. As a family, watch any of the videos about President Monson’s love from the Prophets of the Restoration section, including his testimony. Emphasize that God knew the people President Monson served. President Monson knew God loves us. How did knowing of God’s love change President Monson’s focus?

From World History: [okay, this is still technically church history. I’m taking liberties since they made a movie about this story. And technically it’s not really that distant of history, since he’s still alive. But hearing his testimony in his own words is just too powerful an opportunity to miss!] Hold up a picture of John H. Groberg. Tell your family that he served his mission to Tonga and you’d like to share some of his words about his mission. Have your family read about Elder Groberg’s experiences in Tonga. Elder Groberg thought he had a testimony of Heavenly Father’s love before, but when he needed more strength, God gave him more love. Ask your family to share their thoughts about the story.

Further Discussion:

Elder Uchtdorf has given many talks about how Heavenly Father loves us. Why do you think he feels this message is so important? Have your family read the talk, “You Matter to Him,” and then watch the video, “Our True Identity.” Ask your family how they feel hearing those messages. The feeling of love and peace come from Heavenly Father.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Trust Again, by Elder Gerrit W Gong; Hold Up Your Light, by Marcus B. Nash; “Lovest Thou Me More Than These?” by President M. Russell Ballard; The Things of My soul, by Elder Ronald A Rasband; Addressing Mental Health, by Erich W. Kopischke; God’s Love: The Most Joyous to the Soul, by Sister Susan H. Porter; The Love of God, but Elder D. Todd Christofferson; The Greatest Possession, but Elder Jeffrey R. Holland; God Loves His Children, by Taniela B. Wakolo; What We Are Learning and Will Never Forget, by President Russell M. Nelson; What Has Our Savior Done for Us?, By Elder Dallin H. Oaks; Bless in His Name, by Elder Henry B. Eyeing; This Is Our Time!, By Elder S. Gifford Nielsen; God Among Us, by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Challenge:

Encourage each member of the family to take better care of themselves and others this week by remembering that each person is important. Have the older kids write down any negative thoughts they had about themselves each day and how those thoughts were not in line with what they know about their divinity. Invite them to tear those papers up as a mental reminder that those thoughts are not true. Heavenly Father sends positive reinforcements and ways to improve, but never negative or demeaning thoughts.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Behold Your Little Ones lessons 4 and 5; Sunbeams Manual Lessons 6 and 34; I also read through the Family Home Evening Resource manual section entitled “Unconditional Love.” Really, most of the direction of this lesson came from the many many talks and articles I read on the topic of God’s love for us. Some of my favorites were: The Lord Has Not Forgotten You, by Linda S. Reeves; Where Is the Pavillion?, by Elder Henry B. Eyering; Sugar Beets and the Worth of a Soul, by President Thomas S. Monson; Our Divinely Based Worth, by Barbara Day Lockhart; The Worth of Eddie Porter, by Ray Goldrup.

FHE

Testimonies FHE

Keira

Purpose: To help your family gain and grow their testimonies and learn how to share them through the power of the Holy Ghost.


Possible scriptures: Job 19:25-26; John 7:17; John 8:32; James 1:5-6; 1 Nephi 10:19; Alma 5:45-47; Alma 30:41-44; Ether 12:6; Moroni 10:3-5; Doctrine and Covenants 6:22-23; Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-24; Joseph Smith – History 1:24-25;

Possible Songs: The Spirit of God, hymn 2; How Firm a Foundation, Hymn 85; I Believe in Christ, Hymn 134; My Redeemer Lives, Hymn 135; I Know that My Redeemer Lives, Hymn 136; Testimony, Hymn 137; I Know My Father Lives, Hymn 302, Children’s Songbook page 5; Families Can Be Together Forever, Children’s Songbook page 188;

Possible Materials: The articles from the friend about Elisa and the Testimony Plants, and the article by Elder Uchtdorf. Scripture figures of Nephi and his family. A picture of Boyd K. Packer (see Church History below). A picture of Joan of Arc.


Preparation: Begin with prayer. Think about how your testimony is doing. Are you living in a way that will grow your testimony? Strong testimonies do not just happen. Read the suggested scriptures, along with 1 Nephi 2 (Starting with vs 16) and Alma 32 (starting with verse 27). Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Gather paper and things to draw with, and possibly seeds and planting supplies. Children: Read or listen to the story about Elisa and the Testimony Plants. Watch the video of Alma teaching about Faith and the Word of God. Gather paper and things to draw with, and possibly seeds and planting supplies.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: You may consider singing “Faith is Like a Little Seed,” from the Children’s songbook if it was not your opening song. Have someone read the story about Elisa and the Testimony Plants (or summarize it) and show the picture on the second page. Ask your family what the word, “testimony,” means. As they are discussing answers, pass out paper and drawing utensils, and ask them to draw their testimony. As they are drawing, read Alma 32:27-43. If your family is older or does not feel comfortable drawing their testimony, an alternative is to start planting your seedlings for your summer garden. I plant my tomatoes and peppers at the end of February, so this lines up nicely with planting season for us. Make sure to highlight that testimonies do not just appear. They take work to cultivate and grow slowly.

Talk about what should make up the foundation, or roots of a testimony. They are:

  • Knowing that Heavenly Father lives and loves us.
  • Jesus Christ, God’s son, lives and atoned for us.
  • Joseph smith was the prophet of the restoration.
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior’s church on the earth today.
  • Our Church is led by a living prophet, seer, and revelator.

If we seek to grow these root principles, our testimonies can grow to include all other principles of the gospel. Ask your family why they think these 5 points are so important and the foundation of a testimony.


From the Scriptures: For younger families, introduce Nephi and his family by using these scripture figures. Read 1 Nephi 2:16. Ask the family what steps Nephi followed (first he desired. Then he asked Heavenly Father. But is that all? Lastly, he acted upon it. He didn’t rebel like his brothers did. He applied faith to his testimony) to gain a testimony. Read the July 2015 article from the Friend by Elder Uchtdorf. Talk about the steps Elder Uchtdorf says we should take. Why is it so important to work and cultivate our testimony?

From Church History: Each and every conference, we are given an opportunity to hear the testimonies of our prophet and the apostles. President Boyd K Packer shared regularly that his testimony didn’t have to be perfect to be enough. Hold up a picture of Elder Packer (maybe the military one from this bio?) Have your family read both of his testimonies shared in April 2014 and October 2007 (the sections marked out). President Packer says that he felt that if he could have such a witness, anyone could. He also points out that any amount of a testimony is a good place to start; a good foundation. This is a reassuring idea! Reiterate to your family that their testimonies do no have to be perfect to be enough as long as they’re willing to hold on to it.

From World History: Hold up a picture of Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc was known for her testimony. She was unlike any girl in her era, doing things even the men couldn’t do, and she was a 17-year-old girl with no esteem or aristocracy. Ask a family member to read the excerpt from a 2006 talk by Elder James E. Faust about Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc was told she could either deny she had been inspired and die quickly or hold to her testimony and die slowly. She was scared and chose to die quickly, but the morning designated for her execution, she said she had been reprimanded by God and that she could not deny her testimony any longer. She was set on fire and died slowly because she would not deny her testimony. Elder Faust points out that just like Joan of Arc, we have a right to our testimony and a responsibility to act on it, even if that makes us different. By holding true to what we know, we can change history.

Further Discussion:

Ask your family to read all of 1 Nephi 2, instead of just vs 16. Lehi wished all of his children could have strong testimonies. But some of his children chose different directions for their life. No matter how strong your parents’ testimonies are, it isn’t enough unless you also grow your own.

Read Elder Bednar’s summary of a 2012 conference talk as well as Elder Eyering’s First Presidency Message in 2015. What is the difference between having a testimony and being converted? Make a graph and list the differences your family found in each article. Discuss what you list.

Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: Click here to find the most recent talks about testimonies.

Challenge:

Challenge each family member to be prepared to bear their testimony at the beginning of next Family Home Evening. Help them to be comfortable with the idea, and tell them it is a safe environment to practice where they know that everyone loves them and will benefit from their testimony. If anyone does not feel comfortable doing so next Family Home Evening, do not make them. Offer to help younger children.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Family Home Evening Resource Manual Lesson 16. I also studied Gospel Topics on Testimony and its included links.

FHE

The Holy Ghost Helps Me FHE

Keira

Purpose:


Possible scriptures: John 14:16-21,25-27; Romans 8:16-17; 2 Nephi 32:8-9; 3 Nephi 11:35-36; 3 Nephi 28:11; Moroni 8:26; Doctrine and Covenants 11:12; Doctrine and Covenants 42:17; Doctrine and Covenants 46:7-33; Doctrine and Covenants 130: 22-23; Doctrine and Covenants 132:19;

Possible Songs: I Know My Father Lives, Children’s Songbook page 5; Listen, Listen, Children’s Songbook page 107; The Still Small Voice, Children’s Songbook page 106; The Holy Ghost, Children’s Songbook 105; Let the Holy Spirit Guide, hymn 143

Possible Materials: my treasure hunt; some small prize at the end (perhaps a picture for each person of the family); this picture of Christ ordaining his Apostles,


Preparation: Begin with prayer. Read the suggested scriptures, along with John 14-16. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: listen to the story about Harold B. Lee and Wilford Woodruff. Ask a parent to help you print, cut, and hide the clues for a treasure hunt.

Lesson:

Discuss how last week’s challenge went.

Introduction: Remind your family that we learned about Heavenly Father. He loves us. He wants us to be like Him. He sent His Son to show us how to be like Him and to create the path back to Heavenly Father. We have to remember to stay on the path that Jesus made for us. There is another person that can help us to be like God. He is called the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost does not have a body like Heavenly Father does, because he needs to speak to our spirits. He couldn’t do that if he had a body.

The Holy Ghost helps us to stay on the path by helping us know when we are drifting or which way we need to go. He gives us clues to make it back to Heavenly Father. Tell your family that we are going to go on a treasure hunt and learn about the Holy Ghost by following the clues. To make it easier, I’ve made a printable document of the chart. You can find it by clicking here. At the conclusion of the treasure hunt, you can pick what your family will need to “find” but it will need to be something little and easy to hide. You don’t have to have any prize if you don’t want (especially for older families), because the prize is eternal life! as given to us in the last clue! Along with all the roles and gifts of the Holy Ghost we collected along the way.

WhereScriptureRole of the Holy Ghost/clue
1Give this clue to your family3 Nephi 28:11Witnesses of the Father and Son:
The Godhead is a group of three, 
Heavenly Father, the Holy Ghost and Me. 
2A picture of Jesus ChristMoroni 10:4-5Testifies of Truth:
Go to the bookshelf, o seeker, o sleuth,
Pick out the book full of gospel and truth.
3Book of Mormon on a bookshelfMoroni 8:26Comforts us:
This item of comfort found in a bed,
Fills us with warmth, like love that is spread.
4Blanket or other loveyDoctrine and Covenants 8:2-3Sends inspiration and confirmation:
Beit phone call or text, this device sends us word, 
Likewise inspiration, sometimes felt, sometimes heard. 
5Someone’s phoneAlma 5:46Delivers messages from Heavenly Father:
Sometimes God has a message for me,
The Holy Ghost makes that delivery!
6A box on the front porch or taped to the mailboxAlma 24:8 or Acts 2:37-38Softens hearts:
A softened heart can feel cozy and sweet, 
It’s pliable, akin to a pillow you eat.
7Wherever you store your marshmallows.Hebrews 4:12 or
1 Nephi 4:10-11		Sends warnings:
Don’t touch! Be careful! Watch what you do!
The Holy Ghost can be a warning to you. 
8Something your kids know is dangerous (the oven or knives)Doctrine & Covenants 33:15Dwells with recipients of the gift of the Holy Ghost:
When we are baptized we are given the power
To call upon gospel light in a dark hour.
9Light switch or flashlight1 Corinthians 12:7-11Grants the gifts of the spirit:
The Holy Ghost knows what we need
Like a bag full of supplies to help us succeed.
10Purse or backpackEphesians 4:30 or D&C 76:53Seals on earth and in heaven:
When we go to this place as husband and wife And always keep our covenants, we earn eternal life. 
11Picture of the templexx

From the Scriptures: Hold up the picture of Christ ordaining His apostles. Talk about how Jesus had 12 apostles to help Him lead his church. He knew He was about to go back to Heavenly Father. Read John 14:16-27. Discuss how Jesus knew his Disciples would miss him when he was gone, so he said that he would ask Heavenly Father to send a Comforter to help them feel better. Discuss how that comforter is the Holy Ghost and he can comfort us when we are sad and lonely, too. He promised that if we would listen, and be baptized and confirmed, the Holy Ghost would always be with us.


From Church History: Read this story about Harold B Lee as a boy {the link takes you right to the paragraph to read. Otherwise, it’s the 5th paragraph} by Elder Harold B. Lee and discuss how the Holy Ghost is a voice of warning. Sometimes, but not always, the Holy Ghost is a voice we can hear. For younger children, use this version with pictures that is found in the friend.

Then tell the story about about how President Woodruff listened to the Holy Ghost and it kept him safe. For younger audiences, use this graphic story. For older audiences, it is found starting at the 16th paragraph of Prayer and Prompting by Elder Packer. The Holy Ghost has the important job of warning us! If we listen, we will never lose that voice of warning. And even when hard things happen, the Holy Ghost can comfort us. Bear your testimony of how the Holy Ghost has helped you in your life. Point out that sometimes the Holy Ghost can be loud, but usually He will just send a quiet feeling.

Further Discussion:

The spirit is not always with us. It never abandons us, instead we make it leave. Discuss times that the spirit withdraws from our lives and what we need to do to get it back. Focus on profanity, uncleanliness, disobedience, rebellion, sin, and anger. Discuss what would have happened in any of the previous stories had the people not been receptive to the Holy Ghost?

Read The Unspeakable Gift of the Holy Ghost, by Jay E. Jensen and The Sacred Roles of the Holy Ghost, by Kevin R. Duncan. Look for the ways the Holy Ghost works for our salvation.

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

Challenge:

Remind your family of the lesson where we learned the first article of faith. We learned that God is our Eternal Father. If your family only learned the first part, tell them that we have now learned 2 more members of the Godhead: Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Challenge your family to memorize the entire first article of faith this week.

If your family has already memorized the first article of faith, memorize Doctrine and Covenants 11:12 instead.


Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lesson 7 (Nursery Manual lesson 6), Gospel Principles Chapter 7, True to the Faith on the Holy Ghost, and Gospel topics on the Holy Ghost. If you want an amazing article that teaches a lot, check out What is the difference between the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Christ, and the Light of Christ? from the June 1989 Ensign. I learned a lot!