Thursday, February 12, 2009

FHE ideas from Preach My Gospel

I was asked to teach a class for Enrichment tonight on:
Family Home Evening Lesson Ideas from ‘Preach My Gospel’
Since I went to the work of reading through and pulling out bunches of ideas, I thought that I'd better post them somewhere so someone may benefit from them.

Family Home Evening Lesson Ideas from ‘Preach My Gospel’
Get Inspired and determine your purpose - what is your purpose of FHE?

Start right - Songs & treats, flexibility & fun – no one likes a lecture or book report

Lehi’s vision. Suggested songs: Nephi’s courage (CS), The iron rod (Hymnal)
Week 1: Using a poster board read through and illustrate Lehi’s dream as found in 1 Nephi 8. Work in teams, or have each family member draw their own element of the dream. Post in conspicuous place, and during the week talk about what each item might symbolize.
Week 2: Focus on 1 Nephi 11, and label your illustration of Lehi’s dream with the symbolic meanings. Set up a rope (inside or out) which leads to a tree/plant which has marshmallows or divinity etc. hanging from it, have each family member follow the rope (possibly blindfolded) to reach the end. Focus lesson on holding to the rod and enduring to the end.
Week 3: Family flag and song. Based on Lehi’s vision, discuss faith, gospel ordinances, enduring to the end, attitudes, and sharing the gospel as they relate to Lehi’s dream. Discuss the story of Captain Moroni (Alma 46) and the title of liberty. Determine what is most important to your family, and discuss and make long term family goals, and identify short term goals which are necessary for reaching long term goals. Make a family flag and a family song as a reminder of the family goals.

Principles and topics. Start on page 30 and break each subject down (30-88.)
Remember it isn’t a marathon – break it down into topics such as:
God is our Loving Heavenly Father (pages 30-34) etc.
The Savior’s Earthly ministry and Atonement
The Apostasy
The Restoration – the First Vision
The Book of Mormon
The Holy Ghost
Etc.
Make sure you prepare beforehand (D&C 11:21.) Study the scriptures, suggested questions, activities, and ideas to figure out what YOU want to teach. Prayerfully determine what will be most important for your family.
As you focus on each topic, use the internet, primary manuals, conference talks, the Friend, church magazines, videos, publications, FHE manuals etc. to search for lesson ideas, stories, songs, object lessons, and games for each topic.
Suggested sites:
http://www.lds.org/hf/display/0,16783,4225-1,00.html
http://ldslivingmagazine.com/categories/show/3
www.sugardoodle.net
http://www.ldssplash.com/fhe/fhe_lessons/family_home_evening_lessons.htm
http://theideadoor.com/FHE.html

Gospel principles video. Have family members be news reporters. Divide into teams and research gospel principles of faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost using the Bible Dictionary and scripture references found in the topical guide. Have each member or team ‘report’ and make a video (or at least present their findings by way of a ‘news cast’.)

Journal Night. Have a Journal FHE. Read some important passages from your journal to your family or from an ancestor’s journal. Have each family member come up with a question, and have everyone respond to it in writing in their journal. Answer the questions in the Personal Study activity on page 18.

Ideas for Study and Application. Use ‘Preach My Gospel’ as a manual, using the activities and suggestions found at the end of each chapter under the Personal, Companion, District and Zone conferences and Mission president headings. Many different ideas, penetrating questions and related scriptures compiled in these sections. Simply modify for your family’s needs.

Blue Box discussions. Use the blue boxes in the text (page 8 for example) – they have a question and a theme. Read the related scriptures together and have a gospel discussion. A great way to start is to try and restate a verse in one’s own words, or use a dictionary to discover words that children aren’t familiar with. Make it fun by having a scripture chase to find each scripture or act it out.

Activity Boxes. Use the activity boxes – full of ideas and applications – make your lesson from these (i.e. p. 22.)

Get to know your scriptures. Learn how to use the Topical Guide, Bible Dictionary, Maps, Gazetteer, and Abbreviations

Scripture Marking. Lesson on learning to mark scriptures, page 24

A Picture is worth a Thousand Words. Organize family into groups and assign a chapter from the Book of Mormon. Have each group identify a story, scripture event or teaching that is meaningful from their chapter. Have each group sketch or describe how they visualize this, or their mental image they have formed regarding what they read and why it is meaningful to them. Identify the doctrines found and discuss them. Moroni 10:3.
For a twist, give them a piece of paper and have them make something (origami style) that was talked about in their chapter.

Kids teach. Get children involved in the discussion by preparing beforehand and having them teach the lesson or tell the story.

Missionary Night. Work with kids before the lessons, and have them be missionaries teaching parents and family members the principles.

Size and Time adaptations. Use suggestions found in text (pages 30-88) which break lessons up into small, medium or large lessons.

Word Match & Definitions game. Page 44

Questions of the Soul. Make a list of questions of the soul. See if your family member’s questions are similar to the ones found on page 107. Put the questions in a jar – have someone read out the question, as well as the chapter it is found, and have a scripture scanning race to find the answer within that chapter.

References of Christ. Personal study activity on page 112 (#1)

Sermon on the Mount, Contrast and comparison. Personal study activity on page 112 (#4)

References of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon. Highlighting references of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon activity - page 114 (#6)

Sunday Talks. Practice preparing and giving talks – use page 124 ideas 1 & 2 and prepare talks to give to each other pretending it is sacrament meeting. Practice sacrament meeting behavior.

Personal attributes exam. Pretend that your family has just been resurrected and the personal inventory questions on page 126 are the questions you will be asked at the judgment bar. Have each family member complete the self evaluation and grade themselves, then identify focus areas and record personal insights and goals in their journals.

Cultural Night - Once a month have a ‘cultural night’ and study the ideas, beliefs, foods, and customs of a different culture. Take time to focus on different religious backgrounds

Different religions FHE - explore different religious ideologies and customs. Pages 45-46 give a very brief overview of a few.

Family ‘To be a friend’ action plan. Use ideas from page 167, 215-217. Figure out what you and your family can do to be part of this process. Make fellowshipping goals; put them into action and report back.

One minute messages. Divide the family into teams and put several principles or topics into a jar to be drawn out. Time each family member and give them two minutes. One minute to think and plan, and then one minute to teach the principle.
This could be adapted into a game show with a competition between both teams teaching, and being scored by the judges etc.

Elder Ives Likening the scriptures game. Two contestants face each other and an abstract word is given. The first contestant to figure out how to liken that word to a gospel principle wins a team point. Contestants then go back to their teams, and the teams are given a specific scripture (seminary scripture mastery – whatever, but the same one (Family Feud style)) and a time limit within which they must come up with as many personal applications as possible. Points are awarded for each valid personal application which does not duplicate the opposing team’s answers.

Service lesson by a five year old. 45 seconds talk about the importance of service - that it makes you strong, and helps others and helps Heavenly Father.
Thinking of musical chairs, hand out stuffed bears or animals, one less than participant number. Instead of musical chairs, play musical bears, and while singing a song, pass the bears to each other around the circle. When the music ends, whoever doesn’t have a bear gets to have an on the spot service done for them by the other participants (i.e. backrub, foot rub, glass of water, make their bed etc.) Continue until everyone has had a chance to serve and be served.

3 comments:

Julie B said...

You are amazing to me. I could never have taught this lesson. Thank for all the good ideas.

Heidi said...

Thank you for posting this. I am using some of your ideas to teach this very thing in enrichment in my ward. :) Your post has been a great resource and catalyst for ideas! :) Thanks!!

Angela D said...

Just did a Google search for something like this and yours was one of the first. This is wonderful! I hope you don't mind - I'm going to do what Heidi did and use some for our Relief Society activity tonight. Thank you!