FHE: General Conference

Discussion:
Discuss some of the things that were talked about during conference that apply to your family.

Activity:
Print out Conference Squares (one for each person) and make word strips for each item listed (any one card won't have all of the possible words, so make sure you take the words from all of the cards you'll be using).  Play bingo using marshmallows or small candy to cover the squares as you call them out.  If you remember anything about a word or topic that was mentioned in General Conference, you can share your thoughts when you come to that word.
http://lds.org/general-conference/children?lang=eng

(You could have each person use their conference squares card during conference and color each square as they hear that word/topic mentioned.  Then use the same cards to play bingo on Monday night for review.)

Testimony:
-Bear testimony of the principles that you discussed and of the reality of living prophets.

FHE: Follow the Prophet

Discussion:
Review what a prophet is by reading from this article in the March 2011 Ensign, p. 8.
http://lds.org/ensign/2011/03/god-reveals-truth-to-his-prophets-and-to-us?lang=eng

Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today.  Next week, we will have the opportunity to listen to the prophet's words in General Conference.  As we follow the prophet, we can gain and strengthen our testimonies that he is the Lord's prophet at this time.

One thing that our prophet talked about at the last General Conference was the importance of preparing to serve missions.  He said, "Every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission.  Such service is a priesthood duty--anobligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much.  Young men, I admonish you to perpare for service as a missionary.  Keep yourselves clean and pure and worthy to represent the Lord.  Maintain your health and strength.  Study the scriptures."  (January 2011 Ensign, p. 4)

We can follow the prophet today by preparing to serve a mission.

Activity:
What can you do now to prepare to serve a mission?  (List ideas.) 
have a positive attitude
be a good example
develop talents
attend church
eat healthy, exercise
watch/play good things that invite the Spirit
read scriptures
pray
prepare to make and keep baptismal covenants
serve others
learn to clean, cook, and do household chores
save money

Fill in the blanks to complete the "Preparing for a Mission" activity from the October 2007 Friend.
http://lds.org/friend/2007/10/for-little-friends?lang=eng

Goal:
Decide what you can do this week to prepare yourself to serve a mission.
Give each person a copy of this certificate from the March 2011 Friend, p. 11 to sign.
http://lds.org/friend/2011/03/i-will-prepare?lang=eng

Testimony:
-We have a living prophet today who tells us what the Lord wants us to know.
-As we follow the prophet, we will receive blessings and our testimonies will be strengthened.
-We can follow the prophet by preparing now to serve a mission.

Additional Activities/Resources:
-Cut out small squares of heavy paper to make missionary badges. Instead of writing your names, write one quality you would like to develop that would help you be a better missionary (for example, Elder Cheerful or Sister Humble). After family home evening, put the tags where they can remind you of your goals. http://lds.org/friend/2004/06/missionary-work?lang=eng

-Word Search
http://lds.org/friend/2005/11/funstuf?lang=eng

-Elder Cook's suggestions on how to be a missionary now.
http://lds.org/friend/2010/04/how-can-i-be-a-missionary-now?lang=eng

-Ideas for ways to be a missionary now.
http://lds.org/friend/2005/11/a-missionary-now?lang=eng

FHE: Prophets and Apostles

Discussion:
"If you needed to ask someone to give an important message to people you love, what kind of person would you ask?  You would probably choose someone who is honest, responsible, and trustworthy.
Heavenly Father gives His message to His children on the earth through prophets.  He knows His prophets are honest, responsible, trustworthy, and righteous.
...We are blessed to have a prophet today.  We can hear messages from Heavenly Father as we listen to the prophet."  (March 2011 Friend, p. 40)

Prophets help us learn about Heavenly Father's plan and what we need to do to return to live with Him.  We will be blessed and protected as we follow the prophet.

-Who is our prophet today? 
-Who else do we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators?  (The counselors in the First Presidency and members of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles.)

How can we gain a testimony of the prophets and the things they teach?  (pray, listen to their words, and follow what they say: read John 7:17 and quickly review experimenting upon the word from Alma 32)

Testimony:
-President Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today.
-You can gain your own testimony that he is God's prophet and that the things he teaches are true.
-We are blessed to have the guidance of a living prophet.
-As we listen to the words of the prophet and apostles, we will know the things our Heavenly Father wants us to do.

Matching Game:
Remove page 41 from the March 2011 Friend and glue it to cardstock, then cut out the pictures of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  (or print it out from this link:) http://lds.org/friend/2011/03/heavenly-father-speaks-to-us-through-his-prophets?lang=eng

Write the names of these 15 men on strips of paper and play a matching game to match the names with the correct pictures.  Then put them in order of seniority.

Additional Activities:
-Apostles Memory Game
http://lds.about.com/od/familyhomeeveninggames/a/fhe_apostlecard.htm

-Use the info on p. 71 of the March 2011 Ensign to learn a little more about these men.

General Conference Activities

I love to find activities that help our kids prepare for and listen during General Conference.  Here's a few that we've used:

General Conference activities for children at lds.org
(coloring, conference squares, and a conference notebook to print, plus online memory games)
http://lds.org/general-conference/children?lang=eng

Conference Coloring Activity:
http://classic.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=916b925cf971c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=21bc9fbee98db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

King Benjamin Hidden Pictures:
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=916b925cf971c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=21bc9fbee98db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Apostles Memory Game
http://lds.about.com/od/familyhomeeveninggames/a/fhe_apostlecard.htm

Conference Notes Booklet
http://lds.about.com/od/visualmusicalaids/a/bk_generalconf.htm

FHE: Choosing Good Friends

Review:
What is a good friend?  What have you done this week to be a better friend?

Scripture Story:
Why is it important to choose good friends?

Review the story of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah.  (Gospel Art Kit 321, Mosiah 27)
Then review the story of Daniel and his friends who refused to eat the king's meat. (Gospel Art Kit 114, Daniel 1)

Compare the two stories and discuss how the friends that we choose can influence us for bad or good.

Discussion:
When we surround ourselves with good people who will set good examples for us and help us make good decisions, it is easier to choose the right.  Remember that if we want to have good friends, we have to be good friends.

What are some things you would want in a good friend?

Activity:
Coloring: what makes a good friend.  Using an outline of a person, create a good friend while talking about attributes you would want in a friend/how you can be a good friend.  (Here's the link to the outline we used.)
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/what-i-look-like-coloring-page/

Make slips of paper with the following body parts written on them.  Draw slips out of a bowl and draw or color that part while talking about what makes a good friend.

Draw eyes: good friends look for the good in others, have a positive outlook
Draw mouth: speak kindly, don't gossip or use bad language
Draw ears: listen
Draw hair (for head): thoughts and actions are clean and pure
Color shirt (heart): show love towards others
Color arms: serve others
Color pants: quick to run from evil and temptations
Color shoes: stand for truth, stand up for what they believe in

Testimony:
-importance of choosing good friends who will help you choose the right
-you can be a good influence, set a good example for others by being a good friend

Additional Activity:
Complete the scripture code activity to reveal some of the qualities of true friends.
http://lds.org/friend/2009/05/what-kind-of-friend-are-you?lang=eng

FHE: Being Good Friends

Discussion:
What does it mean to be a good friend?  What do you like about your friends?  What makes you want to be around them?

"Friendship is a loving relationship between two people. Friends respect each other, care about each other, remain true to each other, and overlook and forgive each other’s faults."  (Family Home Evening Resource Book, p. 187)

True friends will support you even if they don't share the same beliefs.  They won't try to persuade you to do something wrong.

Discuss the secret of friendship: that if we want to have good friends, we first have to be a good friend.

Scripture Story:Use these flannel board pictures to review the story of the Good Samaritan.

http://lds.org/friend/1999/05/the-good-samaritan?lang=eng

What did he do that made him a good friend?  (compassion, willing to help someone even when it wasn't easy, cared more about others than self, etc.)

Game: Fishing for Friends
List on slips of paper ways to make and keep friends and ways not to make and keep friends.
(See #2 under Friendship, Family Home Evening Resource Book, p.188)
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=4321a41f6cc20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD

Attach each slip to a paper fish with a paper clip.  Make a simple fishing pole by tying a magnet to some string and attaching it to a dowel.  Take turns "fishing for friends".  With each fish caught, read the slip of paper and decide if this is a good way to make friends or not and put the fish in the correct pile.

Application:

Give everyone a copy of this quiz from the May 2009 Friend.

http://lds.org/friend/2009/05/what-kind-of-friend-are-you?lang=eng

Tally points (individually) and discuss ways to improve and be better friends. 
Set goals to work on over the next week.

Testimony:

-importance of being good friends and following the example of our Savior
-challenge to be a good friend at home, school, church, etc.

FHE: Speaking Kindly

Activity:
(Pull strips out of a bowl and read out loud.)

Set A
1. I don't want to clean up!  I'm not done playing!
2. You always want to be in charge!  I don't even want to play with you!
3.  That's not very good.  Why did you do it like that?
Discuss how these statements make you feel.  Unkind words make us feel bad.  The words that we choose to use are important.

Set B
1. (complain) These cookies are so good!
2. (angrily) I love you!
3. (meanly) It's fun to play with you!
Discuss how even though the words are kind, the way you say things can make a difference.  Speaking in a kind way is just as important as choosing kind words.  So is having a good attitude.

Set C
1. Would you like to play with me?
2. I'm having a hard time making this.  Could you help me?
3. I like spending time with you.
4. Can I finish this really quick before I clean up?
5.  That looks great!  I like the way you did this part.
6.  I love you!
Discuss how these statements make you feel.  When we speak kindly and use kind words, we feel happy and those around us feel happy too.

Story:
What we choose to focus on can change our view of situations or other people.  When we choose to look for the positive or what is good, we feel happier and it's easier to have a good attitude. 

Read or paraphrase this story about some jungle animals who discovered how what they chose to focus on changed their attitudes about each other.  ("Pass it on" by Annabelle Sumera, Friend, Apr 1978)
http://lds.org/friend/1978/04/pass-it-on?lang=eng

Scripture Story:
In the scriptures, we read about some brothers who reacted differently to the same situations.  Laman and Lemuel were quick to murmur and complain when things seemed difficult, but Nephi turned to the Lord for help and did his best to accomplish what was asked of him.  Discuss the different reactions these brothers had to situations like leaving their home in Jerusalem, returning to get the brass plates, Nephi's broken bow, and building a ship.  Laman and Lemuel murmured or complained while Nephi was determined to go and do.

Read this story about Nephi and his brothers from the May 2000 Friend Sharing Time: Keeping Promises. (Copy and paste pictures and text, have the kids color the pictures in advance, and make into a book.)
http://classic.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=e64194859a4bb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=21bc9fbee98db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Just as the liahona didn't work when they were unkind or complaining, the Spirit can only guide us when we try our best to do what is right.  It's important to have a good attitude even when things are hard.  We can rely on the Lord's help when we do our best.

Discussion:
How can the words we choose, the way we say things, and our attitude affect our ability to have the Spirit in our home and to guide us personally?

Testimony:
-Importance of speaking kindly and having a good attitude in order to be happy and to be able to have the Spirit with us to guide us in our lives.

Additional Activities:
1.  Read "Gerald's Secret New Year's Resolutions" by Vicki H. Budge, Friend, Jan. 1978, and unscramble the words to discover what Gerald resolutions were.
http://lds.org/friend/1978/01/geralds-secret-new-years-resolutions?lang=eng

2.  Choose the Right Words (multiple choice scenarios from Jan. 2010 Friend)
http://lds.org/friend/2010/01/choose-the-right-words?lang=eng

3.  Read "Clean up Claire" from May 2008 Friend and discuss how to change our attitude and invite the Spirit after complaining.
http://lds.org/friend/2008/05/clean-up-claire?lang=eng