February: Family Helps to Reinforce

Family Time! Things to do with your family to reinforce what was taught this week in Primary! (These ideas, this month, have been taken directly from the Friend Magazine)

1. Have your family sit on the floor in the middle of the room. Sing the first verse of “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Children’s Songbook, p. 281). Explain that the rock they are singing about is the Savior, His teachings, and His commandments, which we find in the scriptures (see Matt. 7:24–27). When the people in the scriptures followed the Savior and kept His commandments, they were blessed. When they sinned and would not repent or keep the commandments, they were not blessed and were often destroyed. Have your children stand. Say that if the people in the story you will tell them were blessed by the Lord, they should hold their hands high. If the people were wicked and were destroyed, the children should sit on the floor. Alternate singing the verses to the song “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” with telling stories from the scriptures. Possible stories are: City of Enoch (Moses 7), Noah’s family (Gen. 6–8:16), Daniel (Dan. 1–6), Israel crosses the Red Sea (Ex. 14), Pharaoh’s army (Ex. 14), Ammonihah (Alma 14–16).
2. Explain that one of the joys of scripture study is coming to know the prophets who have lived on the earth. Prepare a set of cards, with names of prophets from the scriptures on paper of one color, and a description of something each prophet did on paper of another color. Mix the cards, then place them face down on the ground. By turning over one card each turn, of each color, try to match the name of prophet with the description of what he did. Some possible prophets: Nephi—returned to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates from Laban (see 1 Ne. 3), Noah—built the ark (see Gen. 6), Moroni—hid the gold plates in the ground and delivered them to Joseph Smith (see JS—H 1:30–60), Samuel the Lamanite—stood on a wall to tell the people about the coming birth of the Savior (see Hel. 14:1–5), Daniel—spent an evening in a den of lions (see Dan. 6); Joseph Smith—in the Sacred Grove, saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (see JS—H 1:15–17).
3. Color the picture of “Scripture-Study Sam” and the picture strips. Cut out along all the heavy black lines. Carefully cut out the windows above Sam’s shoulder. Then fold along the dotted line and glue or tape the edge to the back of Sam, forming a flattened tube. Glue or tape end to end the long picture strips containing the situations and the scripture references. Slip the resulting strip inside the tube. As you move the strip, a difficult situation will appear in the large window and a helpful scripture reference will appear in the small window. Be sure to look up the reference to see how the scripture can help Sam resolve each difficult situation he faces.
4. Show GAK 517 (Spencer W. Kimball), and explain that when President Kimball was called to be an Apostle he turned to the scriptures for comfort and support. Recount President Kimball’s experience from “Gospel Classics: The Breaking of the Day Has Found Me on My Knees” (Ensign, Feb. 2004, 50–53). In the section “Comfort in the Scriptures,” President Kimball says that 1 Nephi 3:7 gave him comfort. Have the children look up the scripture and read the words of Nephi. Sing “Nephi’s Courage” (pp. 120–21). Tell the children that you want them to find some of the other promises taught in the scriptures that give us comfort when we face hard things. Read the following scriptures: John 14:26 (the Holy Ghost), D&C 108:8 (the Lord will bless us and deliver us), and 1 John 2:25 (eternal life). What were the promises? Testify to the children that they can find comfort and courage in the scriptures just as President Kimball did.
5. Paula J. Lewis, “Scripture Puzzle Cards,” Friend, Nov. 2000, 35
· You will need a plain 3″ x 5″ (8 cm x 13 cm) card for each scripture you wish to learn. On the left half of the card, write a scripture you wish to remember from your daily scripture study. On the right side of the card, draw or paste a picture that helps you remember what that scripture is about.
· Draw a curvy or zigzag line down the middle of the card between the scripture and the picture. Cut the card in half along the line. The two halves now form a puzzle. Make several cards, then mix them up and match them to help you remember the scriptures you have chosen. Keep the cards in a resealable plastic bag. Add more cards as you find additional scriptures you want to remember.
· You may want to use different colors of cards for scriptures from each volume of scripture—Book of Mormon, Old Testament, New Testament, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. You could also create a separate set of cards for each book of scriptures.