Family Home Evening Ideas

This issue contains articles and activities that could be used for family home evening. The following are some examples.

family looking at photos

“What Can the Book of Mormon Teach Us about Happiness?” page 16: Consider discussing with your family members what makes each of them happy and create a list. Then introduce the seven principles of happiness from the article and highlight any similarities between these principles and the items on your list. You could select two or three principles from the article and ask family members to share ideas for living those principles individually and as a family. You might also challenge family members to search in the Book of Mormon for additional guidelines to happiness, as the author suggests. Ask them to come to your next family home evening prepared to share what they found.

“The Joy of Family History Work,” page 28: Elder Cook invites us to get started on family history work by holding a “Family Tree Gathering.” For your family home evening, consider using FamilySearch.org to record information, stories, and photos of your family. Elder Cook promises that “if you look beyond the bonds of time and mortality and help those who cannot help themselves, you will be blessed with more closeness and joy in your family and with the divine protection afforded those who are faithful in His service.”

Forgiveness Balloons

When an article about forgiveness appeared in the Friend (see Mara Sundwall, “Let It Go,” June 2009, 4–6), I felt impressed to base a family home evening on the article. We began by discussing how important it is to forgive those who have hurt our feelings, especially other family members. Next, each of us wrote on a helium balloon an offense we wanted to forgive. Then we went outside and released our balloons, symbolizing how our negative feelings can be released when we forgive. As we watched the balloons float into the sky, my husband quietly said, “I think you were inspired to do that.”

Beatriz Ishee, Louisiana, USA