FHChildren

Ideas from Sharleen Wiser Peck: “Family Home Evening Helps: Five Family History Activities,” Ensign, Feb. 2004, p. 72

Help your family remember loved ones from long ago? With a little creativity, you can easily adapt the following family history activities for family home evening:

Play “What is this thing?” Display antique items or find pictures of items that your ancestors likely used. Have your children guess what each item is and how it was used.

Map your ancestors’ travels. Using a map of the country where your ancestors lived, locate their places of residence. If they moved often, discuss their modes of travel. Children will enjoy marking locations with stickers or colored markers and drawing pictures depicting their ancestors’ travels.

Prepare to visit a family history center. Discuss which ancestors you would like to know more about. Before the visit, choose one or two ancestors who you know are listed on the IGI or Ancestral File. Then watch as your children excitedly find them during their computer search. You can also create a similar activity at home by accessing the Church’s family history Web site at www.familysearch.org.

Plan an “old-games” night. Choose activities children did long ago. Make paper dolls or slingshots and practice shooting inanimate targets outside in a safe place. For additional ideas, invite grandparents to share their favorite childhood activities.

Make old-fashioned musical instruments. Because resources were often limited, immigrants often devised their own musical instruments. With a little creativity, you can do the same. Strum an old washboard, clank a set of pots and pans, or clack an old pair of spoons between your knee and an open hand. Many household items make great “instruments.”

When we experience a small part of our ancestors’ lives, they become real to us—not just names and dates on a chart. Family history work then becomes personal as we help fulfill the prophecy to turn “the heart[s] of the children to their fathers” (Mal. 4:6).

One Fair had the children trace their hand and part of their arm. The arm was the trunk, the outstretched fingers were the branches--then they pasted green paper or tissue paper "leaves" on the branches of their "family tree."

Some have had tables where the children did mazes or crossword puzzles (can create FH ones at Puzzlemaker website) or crayons/markers/colored pencils to color pictures having to do with Families or Temples. Could be made into a little book for each child to take home (stapled).

If a group went outside (or had a large drop cloth to protect floor): My mother used to always have our children blow bubbles, using dish soap and the old wooden spools that thread used to come on. She said that's how they did it in their day!

Idea from a FH Fair: Someone created a booklet for children to make about their Grandma and Grandpa. Each page had a picture the children could color and a question for the children to ask their Grandma and Grandpa and then write down their answer. Examples: What was your favorite game as a child? Did you have a pet? How did you meet? What was your favorite subject in school? Etc.

(Have you seen the books where half of the book is on one subject and if you turn the book over and start reading from the back, it is upside down to the first half and on a different subject? Well, that's how this book was. The front said, "My Grandma" and the back said, "My Grandpa.") But it could be done many different ways. This book was the size of a half-sheet of paper and stapled in the middle, made into a book.

Idea Shared by Pat Carpenter, Draper Corner Canyon 3rd Ward, Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon Stake: One idea that I am using, in case anyone is interested, is to hand out a half-sheet insert with the Sacrament Meeting bulletin every other week. I've titled it "The Relative Joys of Family History" and I include such things as: motivational quotes from the brethren or documented inspirational stories (very short) or address and hours of operation of the Draper FHC or ward FH news - such as new classes, temple nights, etc. or ideas for families - such as: how to involve children in FH. You could also just make this a small little blurb right in the Sacrament Meeting bulletin, if your bishop approves.

Preparing for General Conference: Children's Activity:

Booklet for General Conference Notes (link)
Booklet Instructions (link)

General Conference: Additional Resources