Family Home Evening (FHE) Ideas for Kiddos

1.  Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 

Song: Saturday #196

First let me just say, I taught this lesson for sharing time this week, and none of these ideas are orginals to me.  They're a compilation of ideas from different resources I found on the internet over the topic :)

Lesson:  First start with a bowl of ice cream and tell your children that we're going to make ice cream sundaes.  Then begin to top the ice cream with ketchup, cheese, bbq sauce, etc and then explain all of these topping are delicious but they're just appropriate on sundaes.  This should lead into a discussion on how going to the pool and swimming, soccer, going to the playground with friends are all great and fun during the week but just not appropriate on Sundays...just like ketchup and mustard aren't good on ice cream sundaes.  The Lord has asked us to keep Sundays or the "Sabbath Day" Holy.  The Fourth Commandment tells us,  "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8).  How many days are there in a week (7)?  And the Lord has asked us to keep just 1 of those days for him.  On this day we should do things that remind us of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ like (let them try to answer)....
-Going to Church
-Reading our Scriptures
-Watching Church movies
-Writing the missionaries
-Serving Others
-Journalling
-Learning a new Primary Song, practicing songs for Primary Program
-Geneology/family history
-Visiting the sick and in-need
-Visiting/Home Teching
-Working on Personal Progress, Duty to God, FIG
ETC

We should refrain from things that distract of from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (let them try to answer),

Game:  Make "activity Cards" that have appropriate Sunday activities on them and inappropriate activities on them.  I followed this example from Pergler's Primary Place for my cards
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=976904c8bfc9a79e&sc=documents&id=976904C8BFC9A79E%21105)
  
 Each child draws an activity card then acts out the activity for others to guess (charades).  Once the activity is guessed, then everyone decides whether it is an appropriate Sabbath Day activity.

Dessert:  Yummy Ice Cream Sundaes...with appropriate toppings.

2.  Samson and Delilah

Again, not my own idea :)  When looking through a baby book of a friend with his mother, there was a picture of this FHE they had and I remember thinking how fun that would be....especially if you have boys.

Song: Family Night #195

Lesson:  Using Judges Chapter 16 as a guide, tell a child-friendly version of Samson and Delilah

Game:  Using 5 gallon paint buckets (or whatever you have around the house....#10 cans, old ice cream buckets, etc) build 2 pillars.  Let the children take turns knocking down the "pillars" with the strength of Samson.

Dessert:  Marshmallow Barbells- place a large marshmallow on each end of a wooden skewer (you may need to trim the skewers to an appropriate length).  You can even dip the Marshmallows in chocolate first for some chocolate marshmallow barbells.

3.  Service

Song: A Happy Helper #197

Lesson:  Ask, What does it mean to "Serve Others".  Discuss.  Read "We'll Carry You!"  http://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/magazines/liahona/2011/02/LI_2011_02_24___09682_000_042.pdf?lang=eng and discuss.

Game:  Instead of a game, make cookies together as a family and deliver to a family.  Here is one of our favorite cookie recipes that we originally got off of allrecipes.com by Michelle Laverdiere, but again, changed slightly to fit our needs :0 (we do that a lot)...

Butterscotch Chip Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
1c butter
1 1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2c flour
2/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c. butterscotch chips

Directions:  Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets.  In a medium bowl, cream together butter & sugar.  Stir in eggs & vanilla.  In separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, & salt.  Add dry mixture to wet mixture.  Fold in chips.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.

Dessert:  After delivering cookies, come home and eat what's left as a family.