Activities

Christmas Family Home Evening Lesson

2011

Christmas Family Home Evening Lesson

Purpose: To reflect on the true meaning of celebrating Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Song: “Away In A Manager”

Scripture:Luke 2: 1-14

Lesson:

Young Children~ Print & Use this Picture Strip of the Christmas Story. *Manger Cut Out
~From LDS.org

Tweens~ Print & Use Nativity Matching Game

Teens, Groups, Couples,Individuals~

What Is Christmas?

Christmas is prophecy fulfilled. On the eve of His birth, the voice of the Lord came unto Nephi, saying, “Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.”

What did the holy prophets of old declare? Isaiah, more than 700 years before the birth of Christ, prophesied, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

On the American continent, King Benjamin said, “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent … shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay. … He shall suffer temptations, and pain. … And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.”

Then came that night of nights when the shepherds were abiding in the fields and the angel of the Lord appeared to them, announcing: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. … For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

The shepherds with haste went to the manger to pay honor to Christ the Lord. Later, wise men journeyed from the East to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. … When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”

Since that time, the spirit of giving gifts has been present in the mind of each Christian as he or she commemorates the Christmas season. Our Heavenly Father gave to us His Son, Jesus Christ. That precious Son gave to us His life, the Atonement, and victory over the grave.

What will you and I give for Christmas this year? Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps. It was said of Him that He “went about doing good.” As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours. ~President Thomas S. Monson

Story: “Maybe Christmas Doesn’t Come From A Store” ~ Elder Jeffery R. Holland

Activity:

Young Children~ Coloring Pages

Wise Men Still Seek Him Color Page ~ From LDS.org

Joseph, Mary & Baby Jesus Color Page ~ From LDS.org

Meaning Of Christmas Decorations~ from LDS.org

Want an activity for the older children. Have them observe Christmas decorations around the house or around the neighborhood and write down the decorations they see and what they think each of them symbolize. Compare the lists and talk about their meanings.

Decoration	Symbolism
Bells	Sheep bells
Candy canes	Shepherd’s staff
Lights, candles, star	The star that appeared on the night of Jesus’ birth
Holly	The crown of thorns
Evergreen tree	Eternal life
Green, ivy	Life and hope
Red, holly berries	The blood of Christ

Filed Under: Families, Families With Children, Latter-day Saints, Lessons

FHE Service Project: Write Letters to Sick Children

2011

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Letters to Sick Children Service Project

Purpose: Jesus taught us by His teachings and His perfect example to bless those that are sick and afflicted. There are many seriously ill children in hospitals all over the world that would love to have your letters of hope and inspiration.

Lesson:

Have you ever had an earache, sore throat or the flu and felt miserable for a day, two or maybe for a week? There are many children all over that suffer from more serious illnesses that leave them bound in hospitals. Many are to weak to play and are unable to go outside, jump in piles of leaves, smell the fresh air or even play in the park.

During this holiday season, you can serve other children that are similar ages to those in your family by performing acts of service. One way is to visit them, go caroling at the hospitals, donate toys and even write letters.

Discussion: What are ways in which you can serve someone daily? Weekly? Monthly? How have you felt as you’ve been served? Share an experience of being served.

Goal Setting: Have family, group or ward members write at least one goal to be more active in serving those who are in need– like the sick and afflicted.

Service Project: Write letters to ill children in hospitals

Each member of the family, group or ward can participate in this service activity.

Gather paper, markers, crayons, stickers, etc. to make greeting cards to send to sick children in hospitals all over the country. If you live outside of the U.S., you can send letters to children in your own area/country or surprise some of these children with letters from all over the world!

Visit: Make A Child Smile (click to link to Web site)

You’ll see a list of children who would love to have your letters! You can click on their names to read more about them.

Treat:5-Minute Chocolate Pie

Ingredients: 1 Ready Graham Cracker Pie Crust 1 1/4 C. cold milk 2 pkg. (4- serving size) chocolate instant pie pudding mix 1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping (thawed) 1. Beat milk, pudding and half the whipped topping together in medium bowl with a wire whisk for one minute. The mixture will thicken. 2. Pour into ready-made crust. 3. Top with remaining whipped cream. You can eat it right away or chill until ready to eat!
(recipe adapted from Keebler)

Filed Under: Activities, Couples, Families With Children, Family Home Evening, FHE Lessons for All, Lessons, Service Project Ideas, Service Projects, Tweens & Teens

Christmas Service Countdown Service

2011

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“Christmas Service Countdown Family Home Evening“

Purpose: To reflect on serving one another in our families during the Christmas season. Often times we can focus on selfish thoughts during this gift-giving season. It’s important that we strive to keep the focus on being selfless as our Savior was as we celebrate His birth.

Lesson:
“Over the years, many people, especially youth, have asked me, “Elder Cuthbert, how can I become more spiritual?” My reply has always been the same: “You need to give more service.
Service changes people. It refines, purifies, gives a finer perspective, and brings out the best in each one of us. It gets us looking outward instead of inward. It prompts us to consider others’ needs ahead of our own. Righteous service is the expression of true charity, such as the Savior showed.” – Elder Derek A. Cuthbert, Ensign May 1990

Here are a list of ways service helps us become more spiritual:

1. Helps us see true value in material things vs. things of the eternal value

2. Service establishes a righteous tradition. Start serving when you’re young and that will lead to more willingness to serve throughout your life in the community and church.

3. Service helps us overcome selfishness and sin.

4. Service helps us generate love and appreciation.

5. Service is the principle in which we show gratitude to our Savior.

Discussion:

~ What ways have you been served? How did it make you feel?

~ What are some ways that you’ve served others?

~ How did it make you feel when you’ve served someone else?

~ Why should we focus on service during the Christmas season?

Activity Ideas: *This activity requires prep work*

Prep work for countdown chain: Count down the days from FHE night until Christmas Day. Cut out equal sized strips of red and green construction paper to make the countdown chain.

1. Pick one of the ways stated below to use each section of your chain. Remember that the service continues and includes Christmas Day.

W 1. With each section of the chain you can write an act of service to perform as a family.

2. 2. Each night at dinner you can take a piece of the chain off and describe what acts of service each family member did during that day.

Treat:

5-Minute Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:1 Ready Graham Cracker Pie Crust 1 1/4 C. cold milk 2 pkg. (4- serving size) chocolate instant pie pudding mix 1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping (thawed) 1. Beat milk, pudding and half the whipped topping together in medium bowl with a wire whisk for one minute. The mixture will thicken. 2. Pour into ready-made crust. 3. Top with remaining whipped cream. You can eat it right away or chill until ready to eat!

Filed Under: Activities, Couples, Couples, Families, Families With Children, Family Home Evening, Lessons, Newlyweds, Newlyweds, Service Project Ideas, Service Projects, Single Groups, Tweens & Teens

Establish House Rules With Your Children

2011

Protecting your home and property

2011

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“Protecting Your Home and Property”

Purpose: We are counseled often to be prepared with having food storage as well as money set aside for a rainy day. But what happens when a sudden storm or fire destroys all that we have? This lesson will help us make further preparations in protecting our home and property.

Lesson: Throughout the scriptures there are countless stories of those that chose to be prepared, rather than fear. From early on, we learn of Noah. This prophet constructed an entire ark without it even raining one drop.

Prophets have always warned of the calamities that have come and those that are yet to come.

Does our Heavenly Father want His children to live in fear? No!

Being prepared both spiritually and temporally helps us to show obedience to our Father in Heaven.

Discussion:

1. How are you or your family showing that you are temporally prepared?
2. What calamities have you seen in the world in the past 4-5 years?

3. How can you or your family start preparing your homes to be more prepared in the event of a disaster (fire, flood, earthquake, theft, etc?)

? Do you have the proper insurance to cover you, your home or your property? Even those that don’t own homes or have families– most likely still have property that should be protected by insurance. Add up to basic costs of the items in your home and you’ll be surprised about how much money it would take to have to replace all of that if lost in a fire, flood, theft if they were not insured.

Helpful Web sites:

Know Your Stuff (Home Inventory Online Web site– FREE!)
* You can upload images of all your property as well as descriptions of your items all in one location online.

Home Inventory Check List (paper version)

Activity:

Youth to Adults: Inventory Your Home You can slit the home and assign rooms to each person in the family. You may want to use this helpful sheet to document the items and their value. You should have at least two copies of this list. You should store one copy in a fire and water-proof box in your home and a copy in a safety deposit box. You may want to even talk with family members who may live in your area about doing this same home inventory and even sharing a safety deposit box.

Home Inventory Check-list (click on link to download)

Treat:

Buried Treasure Cupcakes

Filed Under: Couples, Families, Families With Children, Latter-day Saints, Newlyweds, Newlyweds