Scripture study is an important activity that we have been asked to do regularly in our homes. I know many of us struggle with this, but it doesn't need to be difficult. Here are some tips to making it a more enjoyable experience for everyone:
*First of all, set a comfortable, peaceful tone. Make sure the spirit is present. This is more important than what you read or how long you read.
*Connect scripture study time to a daily routine like after dinner or before bedtime (or if you are so inclined, first thing in the morning...yikes! I wish I could pull that one off).
*Assign a child to be the "reminder" person each week.
*Make sure everyone has their own set of scriptures.
*Let younger children follow along with their picture scriptures if they prefer.
*Have a scripture jar with titles of favorite stories in it. Have one family member choose a title each time you read.
*Snuggle together on the bed while reading.
*Make your own picture scriptures by having the children draw pictures of the stories after reading them. Put them in plastic sleeves and place in a notebook.
*Tape record yourself or your family reading from the scriptures for your children to listen to later.
*And most of all, KEEP TRYING! DON'T GIVE UP! If you haven't done it for a while, start now. And if you miss a few nights or weeks, or months, or even years, just start again. You'll notice the difference and it will be worth it, I promise!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Movie Time
Sorry for not posting in a while, we've had a tough few weeks here. But if you're stopping by to get a quick, easy, fun, and purposeful FHE lesson for tonight, you've come to the right place.
I was speaking at an Enrichment night this last week and one of the women in the audience commented that her kids (ages 4 and 2, I think) love to act out scripture stories for FHE. And then I remembered that another friend had mentioned that they do this also and that they video record the movies. How fun is that? What kid doesn't like to watch themselves on TV? And what a great way to remember the story.
So pick a scripture story, tell it to your family, and then have the family act it out! Easy! And for the treat, pop some popcorn and watch the show.
(If anyone tries this idea, I'd love to hear about it.)
I was speaking at an Enrichment night this last week and one of the women in the audience commented that her kids (ages 4 and 2, I think) love to act out scripture stories for FHE. And then I remembered that another friend had mentioned that they do this also and that they video record the movies. How fun is that? What kid doesn't like to watch themselves on TV? And what a great way to remember the story.
So pick a scripture story, tell it to your family, and then have the family act it out! Easy! And for the treat, pop some popcorn and watch the show.
(If anyone tries this idea, I'd love to hear about it.)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Great Christmas Gift Idea (or Shameless Self-Promotion)
Ok, this is my blog so I can write what I want, right? Right. So I'm going to plug my own books. I hope you don't mind.
My books Monday Nights in Zarahemla and Monday Nights in Nauvoo are excellent resources for teaching your family about the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. My newest book Monday Nights in Nauvoo will help you and your children better understand the Doctrine and Covenants. I don't know about you, but that book is a tough one to read with children so I included only the sections that contained gospel principles and topics that would apply to their lives or that taught about important events in Church History. I also included a few Church History stories to fill in the gaps. The book is arranged chronologically and includes passages from Joseph Smith History in the Pearl of Great Price. Each lesson is divided up into sections that contain the verses to be read, questions to ask, and
"treasures of knowledge" that help explain words or phrases that might not be known. You can read just one section each time, or you can read several; whatever best fits the needs of your family.
I wrote these books to help transition my children from the picture scripture books into the actual scriptures because just jumping straight into the scriptures was a little overwhelming and confusing. So many of the chapters contained deep doctrine that my young children were not ready for. Most of the lessons in my books contain the same verses found in the picture scriptures so there is already some familiarity for the children to connect with.
Even though the title of my books suggest that they are for Family Home Evening, I actually wrote them for family scripture study and that is what we use them for. They work great for both FHE lessons and scripture study (personal and family). Each time we get together for scripture study we start where we left off, and sometimes we only read a few sections at a time (once and a while we only read one!).
If you have younger children you can still use these books. I would recommend reading a story from the picture scriptures and then finding that story in one of my books and reading just a few verses at time. This helps children to learn where the stories are coming from, and the language of the scriptures. After reading a verse, ask questions to see if the children comprehended it. If they don't know the answer, read the verse again and have them listen to find the answer.
I know from experience that family scripture study can be a struggle for families and wrote these books to help make it easier and more enjoyable. So if you're looking for something like this for yourself, or if you're looking for a great gift idea look no further!
You can buy them at any LDS bookstore or online at deseretbook.com and amazon.com.
And if you don't believe me on how great they are, you can read some unbiased book reviews here and here. :)
My books Monday Nights in Zarahemla and Monday Nights in Nauvoo are excellent resources for teaching your family about the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. My newest book Monday Nights in Nauvoo will help you and your children better understand the Doctrine and Covenants. I don't know about you, but that book is a tough one to read with children so I included only the sections that contained gospel principles and topics that would apply to their lives or that taught about important events in Church History. I also included a few Church History stories to fill in the gaps. The book is arranged chronologically and includes passages from Joseph Smith History in the Pearl of Great Price. Each lesson is divided up into sections that contain the verses to be read, questions to ask, and
"treasures of knowledge" that help explain words or phrases that might not be known. You can read just one section each time, or you can read several; whatever best fits the needs of your family.
I wrote these books to help transition my children from the picture scripture books into the actual scriptures because just jumping straight into the scriptures was a little overwhelming and confusing. So many of the chapters contained deep doctrine that my young children were not ready for. Most of the lessons in my books contain the same verses found in the picture scriptures so there is already some familiarity for the children to connect with.
Even though the title of my books suggest that they are for Family Home Evening, I actually wrote them for family scripture study and that is what we use them for. They work great for both FHE lessons and scripture study (personal and family). Each time we get together for scripture study we start where we left off, and sometimes we only read a few sections at a time (once and a while we only read one!).
If you have younger children you can still use these books. I would recommend reading a story from the picture scriptures and then finding that story in one of my books and reading just a few verses at time. This helps children to learn where the stories are coming from, and the language of the scriptures. After reading a verse, ask questions to see if the children comprehended it. If they don't know the answer, read the verse again and have them listen to find the answer.
I know from experience that family scripture study can be a struggle for families and wrote these books to help make it easier and more enjoyable. So if you're looking for something like this for yourself, or if you're looking for a great gift idea look no further!
You can buy them at any LDS bookstore or online at deseretbook.com and amazon.com.
And if you don't believe me on how great they are, you can read some unbiased book reviews here and here. :)
Friday, November 21, 2008
Book of Mormon Reading Chart
"If you don't have time to pray and read your scriptures, you are busier than God ever intended you to be"
I love that quote (don't know who the author is though) and think it's a great reminder for all of us who sometimes put these important things off. I KNOW it's hard, we struggle with doing it consistently in our home too. So I found this great Book of Mormon reading chart (click here) that you can use for family scripture study or for your kids personal scripture study. I recommend printing it out and hanging it where you'll see it everyday to remind you to make reading the scriptures a priority. I plan to have a family home evening lesson about the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and of gaining a testimony of it for ourselves (yes, we've had this lesson many times but it's one that needs repeating). Then I'm going to print a chart for each of my kids and hang it right by their beds so they can read a little bit each day and mark off their chart as they go a long.
Monday, November 10, 2008
General Conference and FHE lessons
In the October 2007 General Conference, President Hinckley encouraged us to study the talks in Family Home Evening.
"All of the proceedings of this conference will appear in a subsequent issue of the Ensign and Liahona. We encourage you again to read the talks in your family home evenings and discuss them together as families. They are the products of much prayer and meditation and are well worthy of careful consideration."
Here are some suggestions on how to do this with both younger and older children. Please comment if you have additional suggestions.
* For younger children: Show them the magazine and tell them what it is. Show them the picture on the front of President Monson and teach them his name and that he is a prophet. Explain what a prophet is (someone who speaks the will of God for the church). Look through the photographs taken during conference and talk about them. Show the page with all the General Authorities and explain who they are. Have the children point out President Monson and his counselors, and teach them their names. You can have them look through the magazine and try to find which talks were given by the First Presidency or other apostles by looking at their pictures.
*For older children: Choose a few talks that you feel your family might need at this time. Write down the title of each of these talks on seperate pieces of paper. Then read through the talks and copy and paste from your computer (or write on paper) a paragraph or two from that talk that best summarizes the objective. Place the talk titles on the floor and then pass out the paragraphs to each member of the family to have them read a loud. Try to match up the paragraph with the title. Remind the family that the topics of each talk were prayed about and given for the membership of the church at this time. Discuss why each talk is important to your family and how you can apply the teachings in their lives.
It might also be helpful to have the children find each author of the talk on the picture chart in the magazine. This is a good way for them to learn the names and faces of the General Authorities.
*For teenagers: Have them read through the Conference talks and choose one to give a lesson on. Giving a lesson on a talk is a great way to learn and reinforce the principles taught.
"All of the proceedings of this conference will appear in a subsequent issue of the Ensign and Liahona. We encourage you again to read the talks in your family home evenings and discuss them together as families. They are the products of much prayer and meditation and are well worthy of careful consideration."
Here are some suggestions on how to do this with both younger and older children. Please comment if you have additional suggestions.
* For younger children: Show them the magazine and tell them what it is. Show them the picture on the front of President Monson and teach them his name and that he is a prophet. Explain what a prophet is (someone who speaks the will of God for the church). Look through the photographs taken during conference and talk about them. Show the page with all the General Authorities and explain who they are. Have the children point out President Monson and his counselors, and teach them their names. You can have them look through the magazine and try to find which talks were given by the First Presidency or other apostles by looking at their pictures.
*For older children: Choose a few talks that you feel your family might need at this time. Write down the title of each of these talks on seperate pieces of paper. Then read through the talks and copy and paste from your computer (or write on paper) a paragraph or two from that talk that best summarizes the objective. Place the talk titles on the floor and then pass out the paragraphs to each member of the family to have them read a loud. Try to match up the paragraph with the title. Remind the family that the topics of each talk were prayed about and given for the membership of the church at this time. Discuss why each talk is important to your family and how you can apply the teachings in their lives.
It might also be helpful to have the children find each author of the talk on the picture chart in the magazine. This is a good way for them to learn the names and faces of the General Authorities.
*For teenagers: Have them read through the Conference talks and choose one to give a lesson on. Giving a lesson on a talk is a great way to learn and reinforce the principles taught.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Book Signing Cancelled
In case you saw the post I had up here yesterday, I wanted to let you know I will not be signing books this Saturday. They moved it to the following week and I will be unable to attend. But I'll be sure to let you know when they reschedule me. Thanks!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Help Needed!
I'm doing an Enrichment presentation on Family Home Evening next month and need your help. I'd like you to be honest and open and answer a couple of questions for me. It would really help me in preparing this talk.
#1 - To you who infrequently, or never have Family Night, can you please tell me why? This includes those who are single, married, kids, or no kids. (And if you feel more comfortable, you can answer anonymously in the comment box). What are your obstacles, what are your reasons for not having it?
#2 To you who frequently have family night, I want to know Why do you do it? What keeps you going week after week? And where do you get your ideas?
#3 I'd like to know if you were going to an enrichment night presentation on family home evening, what would you like the speaker to talk about? What questions might you hope get answered and what would you want to take away from that talk?
I have a presentation already prepared that I've given before, but I want to add some things and make some changes to it so your help would be much appreciated! And if you'd like to direct some of your friends and family here to help answer my questions it would help me out. Thanks so much!
#1 - To you who infrequently, or never have Family Night, can you please tell me why? This includes those who are single, married, kids, or no kids. (And if you feel more comfortable, you can answer anonymously in the comment box). What are your obstacles, what are your reasons for not having it?
#2 To you who frequently have family night, I want to know Why do you do it? What keeps you going week after week? And where do you get your ideas?
#3 I'd like to know if you were going to an enrichment night presentation on family home evening, what would you like the speaker to talk about? What questions might you hope get answered and what would you want to take away from that talk?
I have a presentation already prepared that I've given before, but I want to add some things and make some changes to it so your help would be much appreciated! And if you'd like to direct some of your friends and family here to help answer my questions it would help me out. Thanks so much!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Contest Winner!
The winner of my blog contest is Ruby.
Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the book! Thanks everyone for entering, and please continue to comment, it makes it so much more fun.
Congratulations and I hope you enjoy the book! Thanks everyone for entering, and please continue to comment, it makes it so much more fun.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
"Practical" FHE Lessons
I like to use FHE for teaching my kids "practical" stuff as well as spiritual lessons. It is the perfect time to discuss manners, safety, and money topics. We like to use role play activities because the kids have fun and they remember it better.
Does anyone have any other "practical" lesson ideas and fun ways to teach them?
Does anyone have any other "practical" lesson ideas and fun ways to teach them?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Ides for FHE with Toddlers
Okay you guys, since I know that many of you who read this blog, have little children, I'd like you to share what you do for Family Home Evening. I think that there's a misconception that everyone else is having these long, elaborate, consistently great family night's, but I don't think that's the norm. So SHARE! Even if you think what you do is lame, or boring, or not spiritual enough, it doesn't matter, I want you to share some of your ideas.
And I'll go first. Last week we decided to try one of my reader submitted responses and watch the scripture stories at lds.org. I figured I'd be lucky if little Ben sat through one of them, but lo and behold he sat through 2! And my older kids wanted to watch more (we watched about 5 of them). We also sang nursery songs that Ben knows so he was able to participate. It was fun and simple and easy. Afterwards we rode our bikes over to the gas station and got a treat.
Ok, so now it's your turn. Click on the comments box and SHARE! (And seriously, if you don't share, then I'm going to boycott you all and stop posting. Ok, maybe that's a little extreme, but come on, I know you can do it!) Oh, and by the way, my contest ends this week. I'll post the winner next week.
And I'll go first. Last week we decided to try one of my reader submitted responses and watch the scripture stories at lds.org. I figured I'd be lucky if little Ben sat through one of them, but lo and behold he sat through 2! And my older kids wanted to watch more (we watched about 5 of them). We also sang nursery songs that Ben knows so he was able to participate. It was fun and simple and easy. Afterwards we rode our bikes over to the gas station and got a treat.
Ok, so now it's your turn. Click on the comments box and SHARE! (And seriously, if you don't share, then I'm going to boycott you all and stop posting. Ok, maybe that's a little extreme, but come on, I know you can do it!) Oh, and by the way, my contest ends this week. I'll post the winner next week.
Monday, October 13, 2008
FHE Lesson/Game Idea - Partake of the Fruit
For the lesson read the story of the "Tree of Life" in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 8:9-34), or if you have younger children, read the story out of the picture scriptures.
After telling the story, have the family help draw Lehi's dream on a large poster board or you can have each family member draw their own on regular sized paper. If you have older children, have them write the meaning of each item also (ie. The rod of iron = the word of God).
On a separate piece of paper, have each family member draw and cut out a piece of fruit.
Now it's time to play "Pin the fruit on the tree":
Hang the poster(s) on the wall and place a piece of tape on the back of each fruit piece. Take turns blindfolding and spinning around each member of the family and have them try to place their fruit on the tree. Whoever gets the closest to the tree wins! Allow the children to play as many times as you'd like. Have fun!
(Note: This game idea can be found in Monday Nights in Zarahemla pg. 136)
After telling the story, have the family help draw Lehi's dream on a large poster board or you can have each family member draw their own on regular sized paper. If you have older children, have them write the meaning of each item also (ie. The rod of iron = the word of God).
On a separate piece of paper, have each family member draw and cut out a piece of fruit.
Now it's time to play "Pin the fruit on the tree":
Hang the poster(s) on the wall and place a piece of tape on the back of each fruit piece. Take turns blindfolding and spinning around each member of the family and have them try to place their fruit on the tree. Whoever gets the closest to the tree wins! Allow the children to play as many times as you'd like. Have fun!
(Note: This game idea can be found in Monday Nights in Zarahemla pg. 136)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Another Great Book Review
Here's a link to another book review for Monday Nights in Nauvoo. Click here to read it. Yeah!!
Scripture Study Tip
Here is a reader submitted idea. Thanks!
If you are short on time and not sure how to teach a certain scripture section for your young ones, just turn to lds.org and let them teach it for you :) They have taken all the scriptures done in kids style and put them on their website with pictures and audio. It's really neat and probably more interesting for the kids then just reading out of the regular books. Click here for the website.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Fun FHE Game
The game we played tonight was lots of fun and everyone loved it including my sixteen year old son and his friend (and if you know my family you know what a big deal that is). So here goes:
"Verse Search"
Choose any verse from the scriptures and write each word on a separate piece of paper and mix them up. Let each member of the family take a turn leaving the room while one of the papers is hidden. The family member returns to the room and tries to find the paper by getting hot and cold clues. Do this with each paper until they are all found. At the end, have everyone work together to put the words together in the right order.
Simple and lots of fun!
(This game can be found in Monday Nights in Nauvoo pg.116)
"Verse Search"
Choose any verse from the scriptures and write each word on a separate piece of paper and mix them up. Let each member of the family take a turn leaving the room while one of the papers is hidden. The family member returns to the room and tries to find the paper by getting hot and cold clues. Do this with each paper until they are all found. At the end, have everyone work together to put the words together in the right order.
Simple and lots of fun!
(This game can be found in Monday Nights in Nauvoo pg.116)
Family Night Success Story
Tonight was one of the those family nights that was planned at the last minute but ended up being one of the best. I had spent the day up at the hospital getting a check up on my oldest son so I was pretty tired when I got home at 6 pm, fixed dinner, and cleaned up. No one had planned their part (including me) and I was very tempted to just let it go. But thankfully we decided to go ahead.
A few years ago I joined a family home evening group where we made lessons and traded with each other. Basically each person makes one lesson and copies it for the number of people in the group. We did this several times and after about a year or so I had around 60-70 lessons. So right now they are all in a box and are a great resource, especially for last minute lessons.
So anyway, my daughter grabbed a lesson on General Conference - good timing, and then we played a fun game ("Verse Search" and I'll post it after this). And it was great! Why? I don't know. We do this every week and it's not always such a positive experience, but for some reason it was tonight. This time everyone participated (which is rare) and everyone was in a good mood (another rarity). But most of all, the spirit was there, everyone felt it, and we all left with smiles on our faces!
After it was over I said a silent prayer of thanks that we decided to have family night and I reminded myself that this is why I do it week after week. It brings a spirit of love and joy into our home and for that I am so grateful.
So next time you're thinking you're just too tired and want to let it slide, just "do it"! Even if it's short and you think the lesson and game are lame, just do it. It's not so much what you do as much as it is that you spend good, quality time together as a family learning about the gospel and having fun! It's a small amount of effort that has long lasting rewards.
A few years ago I joined a family home evening group where we made lessons and traded with each other. Basically each person makes one lesson and copies it for the number of people in the group. We did this several times and after about a year or so I had around 60-70 lessons. So right now they are all in a box and are a great resource, especially for last minute lessons.
So anyway, my daughter grabbed a lesson on General Conference - good timing, and then we played a fun game ("Verse Search" and I'll post it after this). And it was great! Why? I don't know. We do this every week and it's not always such a positive experience, but for some reason it was tonight. This time everyone participated (which is rare) and everyone was in a good mood (another rarity). But most of all, the spirit was there, everyone felt it, and we all left with smiles on our faces!
After it was over I said a silent prayer of thanks that we decided to have family night and I reminded myself that this is why I do it week after week. It brings a spirit of love and joy into our home and for that I am so grateful.
So next time you're thinking you're just too tired and want to let it slide, just "do it"! Even if it's short and you think the lesson and game are lame, just do it. It's not so much what you do as much as it is that you spend good, quality time together as a family learning about the gospel and having fun! It's a small amount of effort that has long lasting rewards.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
FHE at Temple Square
I don't know if any of you are like me, but I've lived in Utah my whole life and I often take for granted the wonderful sites we have to go and see here. Such is the case with temple square. It's been years since I've taken my family there, except around Christmas time to see the lights. But a few weeks ago we went for Family Night and it was one of the best we've had in a long time.
First we went to see the Joseph Smith movie, which is fantastic. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it. Frankly I had hesitated going because every Joseph Smith movie I've seen shows the same scenes that I always see and since I had just done six months of research on church history for my latest book, I figured I knew it all. But I was wrong. There were several little scenes and facts I had not known of and even though I knew a lot of what took place, I have not seen a Joseph Smith movie so well done. And I have never seen an actor play Joseph Smith so well. I think he portrayed Joseph wonderfully and showed the many different sides of such a complex man. In a nutshell, it's a great movie and if you haven't gone yet I highly recommend it. We went to the 4:30 pm showing and there were only about 30 people there. And did you know that you don't need tickets or reservations anymore? Just show up and enjoy.
After the movie, we headed over to the visitor's center and walked around. My eight year old daughter stopped at every (and I mean every) picture and plaque and TV and read them all! It was so fun to watch her go around and excitedly read each one. Needless to say we were there for quite a while.
Once we finished the first visitor's center we took our picnic dinner and sat at the tables between the Joseph Smith memorial bldg. and the visitor's centers. It was nice and shady and quiet. We enjoyed eating and talking about the things we had seen.
It was a wonderful evening and a great family night. We were there for 3 1/2 hours and still didn't get to see and do all that is available. I think it would take 2 or 3 visits to do that. You can visit the church history museum, go on a tour of the conference center, and take a tour of the beehive house.
If you haven't been to temple square in a while I recommend you take your family, no matter the ages, and go. Now, if you don't live in Utah I can understand how this might be a lengthy and costly family night idea, of which I can understand you not being able to do at this time. However I promise to post a cheaper, more available idea next time! Enjoy!
First we went to see the Joseph Smith movie, which is fantastic. If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it. Frankly I had hesitated going because every Joseph Smith movie I've seen shows the same scenes that I always see and since I had just done six months of research on church history for my latest book, I figured I knew it all. But I was wrong. There were several little scenes and facts I had not known of and even though I knew a lot of what took place, I have not seen a Joseph Smith movie so well done. And I have never seen an actor play Joseph Smith so well. I think he portrayed Joseph wonderfully and showed the many different sides of such a complex man. In a nutshell, it's a great movie and if you haven't gone yet I highly recommend it. We went to the 4:30 pm showing and there were only about 30 people there. And did you know that you don't need tickets or reservations anymore? Just show up and enjoy.
After the movie, we headed over to the visitor's center and walked around. My eight year old daughter stopped at every (and I mean every) picture and plaque and TV and read them all! It was so fun to watch her go around and excitedly read each one. Needless to say we were there for quite a while.
Once we finished the first visitor's center we took our picnic dinner and sat at the tables between the Joseph Smith memorial bldg. and the visitor's centers. It was nice and shady and quiet. We enjoyed eating and talking about the things we had seen.
It was a wonderful evening and a great family night. We were there for 3 1/2 hours and still didn't get to see and do all that is available. I think it would take 2 or 3 visits to do that. You can visit the church history museum, go on a tour of the conference center, and take a tour of the beehive house.
If you haven't been to temple square in a while I recommend you take your family, no matter the ages, and go. Now, if you don't live in Utah I can understand how this might be a lengthy and costly family night idea, of which I can understand you not being able to do at this time. However I promise to post a cheaper, more available idea next time! Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Win a Free Book!
I'm starting a contest here on the blog. The winner will receive one of my books (see sidebar to the right for more information on my books).
There are several ways in which your name can be entered into a drawing to win (you can do as many as you want, as many times as you want).
*make a comment on any post (you will get 1 entry for each comment made)
*email me a FHE or Scripture Study question that I can post here on the blog for others to answer (you'll get 2 entries for each good question)
*email me a FHE or Scripture Study idea to post on the blog (you'll get 5 entries for each good idea!) (you can email me via my website)
I will do a drawing at the end of the contest (middle of October) and post the winner here on the blog. So be sure to check back and see if you won.
EASY! Be sure to spread the word to your friends and family that you think might enjoy visiting my blog!
There are several ways in which your name can be entered into a drawing to win (you can do as many as you want, as many times as you want).
*make a comment on any post (you will get 1 entry for each comment made)
*email me a FHE or Scripture Study question that I can post here on the blog for others to answer (you'll get 2 entries for each good question)
*email me a FHE or Scripture Study idea to post on the blog (you'll get 5 entries for each good idea!) (you can email me via my website)
I will do a drawing at the end of the contest (middle of October) and post the winner here on the blog. So be sure to check back and see if you won.
EASY! Be sure to spread the word to your friends and family that you think might enjoy visiting my blog!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Scripture Study Tip - Ask Questions!
When reading scriptures with your family, and even by yourself, be sure to stop along the way and ask questions.
Stop every couple of verses, or less if you're reading with younger children, and ask who, what, where, and why questions. Such as, "who are we reading about?". "what is happening in these verses?", "where is this taking place?", and "why do you think that happened?" You can ask as many questions as are applicable to the verses.
Once you know your children understand what they're reading about, stop and ask application questions like "what can you learn from Nephi's example of obedience?", or "have you ever been in a situation where you were afraid to act on a prompting?" Application questions help children relate the scriptures to their lives and help them see the importance of studying them.
When reading picture scriptures with younger children, be sure to ask them simple questions such as "who is this?" while pointing to a picture, and "what is he doing?" This helps them pay closer attention while reading, and also helps them remember better.
Once your children get used to doing this, let them start asking YOU questions! Asking the questions is another way of reinforcing what they are learning, and it makes it fun for them to feel like they're in charge. Plus, you'll be amazed at some of the questions they come up with. Enjoy!
Stop every couple of verses, or less if you're reading with younger children, and ask who, what, where, and why questions. Such as, "who are we reading about?". "what is happening in these verses?", "where is this taking place?", and "why do you think that happened?" You can ask as many questions as are applicable to the verses.
Once you know your children understand what they're reading about, stop and ask application questions like "what can you learn from Nephi's example of obedience?", or "have you ever been in a situation where you were afraid to act on a prompting?" Application questions help children relate the scriptures to their lives and help them see the importance of studying them.
When reading picture scriptures with younger children, be sure to ask them simple questions such as "who is this?" while pointing to a picture, and "what is he doing?" This helps them pay closer attention while reading, and also helps them remember better.
Once your children get used to doing this, let them start asking YOU questions! Asking the questions is another way of reinforcing what they are learning, and it makes it fun for them to feel like they're in charge. Plus, you'll be amazed at some of the questions they come up with. Enjoy!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Book Review
This made my day! Every once in a while I google my name and books to see what's out there in the wide, wide, web. And tonight, before going to bed I did just that with my new book Monday Nights in Nauvoo. I wasn't expecting anything because it just came back from the printer TODAY! But lo and behold I found a review by Tristi Pinkston on families.com. I was a little nervous because you never know what reviewers are going to say and frankly I don't have thick skin (wrong business to be in, I know). But it was good!! Really good!! So thank you Tristi, and thank you to everyone out there who enjoys my books. That's who I write them for!
Here's a link to Tristi's review
http://lds.families.com/blog/monday-nights-in-nauvoo-janet-burningham
Here's a link to Tristi's review
http://lds.families.com/blog/monday-nights-in-nauvoo-janet-burningham
Monday, September 1, 2008
Easy FHE Game Idea
Last Letter, First Letter:
One person in the family starts by saying a word from the Book of Mormon (or any book of scripture you choose) such as "Ammon"; the next person must say a different word that starts with the letter "n" (the last letter of the word "Ammon"), such as "Nephite". And then the next person must say a word that begins with "e", such as "endure"and so on. (No one can repeat a word.)
You can play this game just for fun, or if you want to make it competitive, give each person a time limit (5-10 seconds) to say their word, and if they don't, they're out. The last person left in the game wins. To make it easier, you can let them look in their scriptures.
My kids love this game, and I hope yours do too!
(Note: This game can be found in my book Monday Nights in Zarahemla, pg. 135)
One person in the family starts by saying a word from the Book of Mormon (or any book of scripture you choose) such as "Ammon"; the next person must say a different word that starts with the letter "n" (the last letter of the word "Ammon"), such as "Nephite". And then the next person must say a word that begins with "e", such as "endure"and so on. (No one can repeat a word.)
You can play this game just for fun, or if you want to make it competitive, give each person a time limit (5-10 seconds) to say their word, and if they don't, they're out. The last person left in the game wins. To make it easier, you can let them look in their scriptures.
My kids love this game, and I hope yours do too!
(Note: This game can be found in my book Monday Nights in Zarahemla, pg. 135)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
FHE Song Idea
Easy Family Night Lesson
Here's a cute idea sent in by a reader. I love it! It's simple, easy, and effective...my kind of family night.
I like spending a whole FHE on teaching a primary song to my kids. I feel it's a good investment since songs stay with us far longer than words do. Here's a good way to sing a song over and over again without it getting laborious: Each time you sing a verse of "I want to Live the Gospel" (Children's Songbook 148) or any other song, allow a member of the family to choose how everyone will keep the beat. The motion could be tapping your head, patting your lap, spinning your arms, etc. as long as it can be done to the beat. After several turns, we focus on one important word or phrase such as the phrase "to know I am heard when I pray." I ask my kids, how can we know our prayers are heard? One obvious answer is to live the gospel since that's the name of the song. We allow a few comments and then continue our singing game!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Family Scripture Study Tips
"Scripture Strips" are a fun way to choose what to read for family scripture study. In a small box or jar place strips of paper containing the names and verses of stories and/or topics you want your family to study (If you are reading from the picture books just write down the title of the stories). Each time you gather for FSS choose someone to draw a paper from the jar. You'll be surprised at how such a simple thing can make a difference in your children's desire to read the scriptures. My children get very excited about gathering for FSS and say it makes scripture study more fun!
Another fun idea that my children created, was to make a "pulpit" (out of a chair and a stool) and place it in the center of the room. Whenever it is someone's turn to read, they stand at the pulpit to read and ask the rest of the family questions about the verses. What child doesn't enjoy being the center of attention and in charge? I often find my kids talking more seriously when at the "pulpit" and a few times they have made comments or said things in a way that reminds me of their primary leaders....I have to chuckle when that happens...I guess they're paying closer attention than I thought !
Another fun idea that my children created, was to make a "pulpit" (out of a chair and a stool) and place it in the center of the room. Whenever it is someone's turn to read, they stand at the pulpit to read and ask the rest of the family questions about the verses. What child doesn't enjoy being the center of attention and in charge? I often find my kids talking more seriously when at the "pulpit" and a few times they have made comments or said things in a way that reminds me of their primary leaders....I have to chuckle when that happens...I guess they're paying closer attention than I thought !
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Great FHE Resource for Young Children
I just picked a copy of the new nursery manual that the church just released. Not only is this a great resource for us nursery leaders, but as I was looking through it I realized what a terrific family home evening lesson book this would be for families with young children!
The lessons are short and easy and very age appropriate. All visual aids are arranged with the lessons - so no hunting them down, and there are even coloring pages and activity pages to go with each lesson.
I am very happy with the way this manual is laid out and feel that it is much easier for teachers to use, and for children to understand.
You can buy a copy online at www.ldscatalog.com
or at the distribution center. The cost is $5.50! You can't beat that! So no more excuses (hint, hint to myself :) for not having FHE lessons with our little ones.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Question
Below is a reader submitted question. Please send in any comments or suggestions you might have. Just click on "comments" below the post. Thanks!
I need some easy Family Home Evening lesson or game ideas for young children that actually teach a gospel principle. Any ideas that have worked for you? Please help!
Guilt: Motivator or 4-Letter Word?
Ok, so I admit, I have not been very consistent this summer with both FHE and FSS. Yikes! And as a result I am now filled with guilt. But not the good guilt (is there such a thing?) - this is the "I am such a horrible mother, I am so disappointed in myself, I just want to give up" kind of guilt. Now I know that someone might say, "it's okay, everyone forgets now and again." And if that were the case I wouldn't feel so guilty. My guilt comes from the fact that I have remembered that it's Monday, and I have remembered we need to read scriptures regularly, but I have still not done them - I just haven't wanted to. And so now the guilt seeps in!
I've noticed that sometimes I feel guilty about not doing something and it eventually motivates me to try harder, and be better. But then there are the times when I'm just so tired of trying to do everything right and realizing I'm not doing a very good job, and I start to feel crushing feelings of guilt. This guilt does not motivate me, this guilt paralyzes me and makes me feel worse - such is how I feel now. Not good!
So, my question is, is guilt a good thing? Does guilt motivate you or make you feel worse? Isn't there a better way to feel motivated? I personally don't like guilt, and I don't like doing something just because I feel guilty. I prefer more positive ways of motivation.
Any thoughts? Suggestions? Similar feelings? If so, please share, I'd love to hear your opinion! Thanks!
I've noticed that sometimes I feel guilty about not doing something and it eventually motivates me to try harder, and be better. But then there are the times when I'm just so tired of trying to do everything right and realizing I'm not doing a very good job, and I start to feel crushing feelings of guilt. This guilt does not motivate me, this guilt paralyzes me and makes me feel worse - such is how I feel now. Not good!
So, my question is, is guilt a good thing? Does guilt motivate you or make you feel worse? Isn't there a better way to feel motivated? I personally don't like guilt, and I don't like doing something just because I feel guilty. I prefer more positive ways of motivation.
Any thoughts? Suggestions? Similar feelings? If so, please share, I'd love to hear your opinion! Thanks!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
FSS Tip of the Week - Timing is Everything
The idea for this post came while reading scriptures with my children today. My oldest daughter was tired and not putting much effort into her reading, and didn't want to answer any questions. My younger daughter got her feelings hurt and mumbled everything she read. So we stopped. Even though we still had several verses to read in that lesson, I decided to stop before things got ugly. In the past, when I've pushed on and made them read until the end, someone, or even everyone, ends up leaving mad and/or crying. Was that my purpose when we began? I don't think so. What was my purpose? Well, for one, it was to bring the spirit into our home, and for another, it was to help my children gain a greater understanding of the scriptures. If, today, I had kept reading, would either of those purposes been met? I think not. Which is why I stopped on a good note. Granted, we had only read for a few minutes, but sometimes that's enough.
So my tip this week is to be aware of the timing in your scripture reading. Don't read longer than your children can pay attention, and don't worry about how much you read. Often we will get stuck on one verse, one concept, and have a really good discussion during our scripture study. And when that happens, I try to remember to stop on a good note. My purposes were met and everyone left feeling a greater measure of the spirit.
When your children are younger, it's okay to read only a few verses, or even just one verse. The time will come soon enough when you are reading entire chapters (we're still working up to reading one chapter). Enjoy this time while they are young, and remember why you're reading. Teach them to love the scriptures, to feel the spirit and to learn what Heavenly Father would want them to know right now.
So remember that timing really is everything, and to love the time you have reading together!
Enjoy!
So my tip this week is to be aware of the timing in your scripture reading. Don't read longer than your children can pay attention, and don't worry about how much you read. Often we will get stuck on one verse, one concept, and have a really good discussion during our scripture study. And when that happens, I try to remember to stop on a good note. My purposes were met and everyone left feeling a greater measure of the spirit.
When your children are younger, it's okay to read only a few verses, or even just one verse. The time will come soon enough when you are reading entire chapters (we're still working up to reading one chapter). Enjoy this time while they are young, and remember why you're reading. Teach them to love the scriptures, to feel the spirit and to learn what Heavenly Father would want them to know right now.
So remember that timing really is everything, and to love the time you have reading together!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Welcome to my blog!
Hi everyone,
Welcome to my new blog "Monday Nights..." The title of course comes from my books, Monday Nights in Zarahemla, and Monday Nights in Nauvoo.
My plan for this blog is to use it as a way to post tips, ideas, suggestions and questions, regarding Family Home Evening and Family Scripture Study.
Each week I plan to post at least one tip or suggestion. But I would also like you, the readers, to write in and ask me questions that I, and others can answer. This is an easy way to share our thoughts and experiences.
If you struggle with FHE or FSS, then I hope we can help motivate you and give you some good, realistic suggestions.
And if you don't struggle, then please, share with us your thoughts and ideas! Let's help each other.
For those of you unfamiliar with blogs (like I am), if you want to send in a question or a suggestion, please email them to me at jburningham@emcity.net and I will post them here.
If you want to comment on a post, just click on the comment link under the post and write your comment. If you have any questions, just email me and I'll be happy to help you (and help myself by learning with you).
So send me your questions, ideas, suggestions, and let's go!
Welcome to my new blog "Monday Nights..." The title of course comes from my books, Monday Nights in Zarahemla, and Monday Nights in Nauvoo.
My plan for this blog is to use it as a way to post tips, ideas, suggestions and questions, regarding Family Home Evening and Family Scripture Study.
Each week I plan to post at least one tip or suggestion. But I would also like you, the readers, to write in and ask me questions that I, and others can answer. This is an easy way to share our thoughts and experiences.
If you struggle with FHE or FSS, then I hope we can help motivate you and give you some good, realistic suggestions.
And if you don't struggle, then please, share with us your thoughts and ideas! Let's help each other.
For those of you unfamiliar with blogs (like I am), if you want to send in a question or a suggestion, please email them to me at jburningham@emcity.net and I will post them here.
If you want to comment on a post, just click on the comment link under the post and write your comment. If you have any questions, just email me and I'll be happy to help you (and help myself by learning with you).
So send me your questions, ideas, suggestions, and let's go!
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