Our Family Home Evenings (FHE) are always evolving. I started out being very structured with our kids, always spending at least an hour preparing a lesson every week. Then we did the Family Home Evening groups at Cornell where we put together 10-20 copies of the same FHE to distribute amongst our group, returning home with 9-19 new FHE lessons from the others in the group. (Thank you, thank you ladies – these have been lifesavers for Primary Sharing Times and classes as well as our own FHE’s!)
Now I find our FHE’s evolving once again. Cami is turning 3 this week and has now taken an active part in our FHE’s. Before, when she was on lesson, Chris and I would do the lesson and she’d hold the visual aids, etc. Now, we give her the choice of what she wants to do for her lesson and, can I just say, these are starting to be my favorite FHE’s.
The first week we did this, Cami just wanted to sing Primary songs. So, we each took a turn to pick a song and we all sang it. Last week when her turn had come around again, she wanted to play her new ‘Hi-ho Cherry-O’ game. As we were sitting around the coffee table (playing on teams so we could all play), I looked around at how nicely Emma and Hannah were sharing their turn, how Chris and Caleb turned each of their turns into something funny, and how Cami was just enjoying everyone doing something she had chosen. I was reminded then that FHE isn’t always about teaching our family gospel lessons each time, but spending time together as a family. I was so thankful at that moment for this inspired program and for the desire we all have to work together as a family to make sure we always have it.
Saturday we had a Primary Activity that we’ve been working on for months, which coincidentally was all about Family Home Evenings! The Primary theme this year is “My Eternal Family” and what better way to focus on families than encouraging them to have Family Home Evenings in their homes each week.
Our branch is made up mainly of converts so we knew going into the activity, this may be an introduction to many of what Family Home Evenings are. Truly, when I asked the families to share their favorite FHE’s that they’ve done, only one family had something to share. But, we had a little Family Home Evening lesson then split up into three groups to go to different stations. In one station they played the game “Don’t Eat Pete,” another station was making Family Home Evening charts, and the last station was putting together 8 different FHE packets on “The Family Proclamation.”
It was a great activity and the parents seemed very appreciative of the tools they were given. The kids had a great time playing “Don’t Eat Pete” and enjoying the refreshments. I am hoping this created a desire for them to set time aside to have their Family Home Evenings because truly these are my happiest moments with my family.
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