4.08.2010

family home evening chart

In January I had this big elaborate idea that I was going to plan our Family Home Evenings out for the entire year. I would spend the afternoon going through the many various lesson ideas I had and decide what lessons I would do each week of the year. I would type all this up in an excel spreadsheet and be the most organized Family Home Eveninger you'd ever seen. I sat down and started going through all my stuff when I realized that this was not the point of FHE. Once again, the perfectionist in me was missing the point. Family Home Evening should be based on the needs of our family at that particular time, not planned months in advance. Family Home Evening should be something that my children feel involved in, as opposed to me preaching to them every week.

I found this silly little chart that our kids got at a primary activity last year. I immediately colored it {I mean, one of my kids did}, laminated it and then printed off a picture of our family. I cut out our heads and laminated those too. I attached Velcro adhesives to the chart and the pictures. This project took me less than 30 minutes to do and it has completed changed the spirit of our Family Home Evenings. Everybody loves having a part, which we always tried to do before, but never did that well. My boys beg to do the lessons. Who knew?

I've learned that sometimes the big elaborate things we try to do are just wasteful, they are completely missing the point and detract from the spirit. This simple little chart was all our family needed to have successful Family Home Evenings...together!

5 comments:

Tonii said...

Oh my goodness, I can SO relate!! I had a six month plan, including a theme for the week, a letter to focus on, and a fhe that coordinated in with the theme :) Yes, our fhe's were planned, but most of the time they were spiritually flat. I'm with you, when I have been open to my Heavenly Fathers guidance, we have had some truly inspired fhe. Thanks for the wonderful reminder...have I mentioned how great I think you are? :)

Angie said...

I love your chart. I will have to look online for that. I've been meaning to make something or buy one, but what you have would work perfectly. Thanks for sharing.

Amanda said...

I subscribe to the free LDS Living Magazine Newsletter and every Monday they send an FHE lesson complete with activity and treat- we don't always use them and sometimes we modify them to fit our needs like you said- but I love the ideas they give me to use then or for future FHE'S and you can print them off and save them too. Also CONGRATULATIONS on your blog award- you definitely earned that with all the wonderful things you post about- your blog is so inspirational!! Love it!

Andi said...

I love the chart! I made a FHE board while we lived in AZ and I have just now gotten around to hanging it and letting the kids pick the color ribbon that they wanted since I don't have the letters for their names to put on it yet. They love it and it has made them more excited about FHE!

Patty said...

FHE is the best so glad that yours are successful! We need to stop by sometime!