Importance of the Sacrament Family Home Evening

 Can you believe a NEW post?! 

Only took me about a month to share something with you again ;)  This has been one crazy winter at our house.  Between day to day stuff for 5 kids, a baby that seems to catch EVERYTHING from RSV to pneumonia, building a new house and a husband that now travels it monthly for work I have been in major survival mode.  With that said, life is GOOD and we did a fun family home evening last night targeting an area that my family certainly needs a little help with :)

Sacrament Meeting...it can be uplifting and edifying, and it can also be downright MISERABLE with little kids.  Lately I have been wanting to help my kids understand the importance of the Sacrament, and focus on ways we can get the most out of the ordinance.  I have especially been wanting to find ways to help my kids truly focus on the Savior during the Sacrament.  It really is such a short period of time, and I do not think it is too much to ask to expect them to be able to show reverence and respect.

To get started we talked about what the Sacrament represents and how we should act during it.  I found a really cute idea at Sugardoodle that my kids really enjoyed.  It is a fun little activity that compares how different children act during the sacrament to different kinds of animals.  

I thought it would be fun to print out each animal and tape them to a craft stick.  Then I let the kids each take turns picking and animal and reading how that animal behaves.  It was obvious which animal was reverent and respectful at church, and it was a great opportunity to talk about some of the animal behaviors that my kids exhibit from time to time that may NOT be so reverent ;)  Click HERE for the story at Sugardoodle and feel free to print out the animal printables above!

Then to end the night I gave the kids some simple notebooks I had put together earlier in the day.  We call them our Promise to Remember Books!

These are simply books for the kids to use ONLY during the Sacrament.  They were quick and simple to make and the kids LOVED them.

To get started I found these adorable notebooks at Target in the Dollar Spot.

Then glued a picture of the Savior on to the front and attached a big paper clip and a gel pen (both from the Dollar Spot too!)

On the inside I stuck 10 different cards with pictures of the Savior in the paper clip.

My hopes for these books is that my older kids will look at the pictures of the Savior and write down some ways they will strive in the upcoming week to remember Him, and the promises they have made to Him.  For the younger kids they can look at the pictures of Jesus and draw things they can do to follow His example.

Such a simple thing, but the kids were so excited to have their own books and now cannot wait for the next Sacrament Meeting ;)

I hope this gave you some ideas for helping your kids during the sacrament, and please...feel free to share!!  What successes have you had with your young children?!  Seriously, I need the help ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by!