FHE: All Choices Have Consequences

I feel like I've been having a hard time with my 3-year-old lately, and I hoped this lesson might particularly help her.

I basically talked about how we were all given the gift of agency as part of Jesus Christ's plan, which means we all have the ability to choose for ourself how we will behave.  BUT all choices have consequences.  Good choices have good consequences and bad choices have bad consequences.  Then I listed a bunch of choices on paper, cut them out and had the kids take turn pulling them out of a bag.  I asked the kids to tell me what they thought the consequence would be and if it was a good choice or not.

Here are some I used:

Playing outside in the winter without a coat.
Never putting toys away when we're done playing with them.
Helping mommy the first time she asked.
Waiting so long to use the bathroom that there's not enough time to get to the toilet.
Sharing our toys with friends or family.
Waking up too early in the morning or staying up too late.
Never doing school work.
Only eating cookies.
Cleaning up after ourselves without being asked.
Always being kind to others.
Reading our scriptures every day.

I added a few more that I thought of from "real world examples" of actual occurrences from the day as well.

Then we talked about what to do if you need to make a choice and you don't know which choice is good or bad.  (ask for advice and/or pray)

This could be a good opportunity to talk about "good, better, best" but that could also be an FHE topic of it's own, I think.

The kids were really engaged and participated well in the discussion.  It's amazing what drawing mysterious things from a paper sack will do for maintaining attention!

FHE: The Parable of the Popcorn

The kids had school off today and dad didn't have to work, so we decided to mix things up and have Family Home Afternoon :)

I told this story (I adapted it from another version that uses language meant to sound scriptural, but I thought it would be confusing for the kids...):
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In the fall, farmers gathered their special ears of corn that are dried and used to make popcorn.  Then you and me bought the popcorn and took it home to make a delicious snack.

All the kernels of corn looked the same on the outside.

We put the corn in the hot popper.

Some of the popcorn exploded and made themselves much bigger and fluffier and white- which looks and tastes yummy. (show this kind of kernel)

Some of the kernels popped a little, but still had a hard part that we had to spit out so that it doesn't hurt our teeth.  (show this kind of kernel)

Finally, there were even some kernels that did not pop at all.  (show this kind)  Even though all the kernels were surrounded by the same amount of heat, these ones just sat in the warmth and kept everything they had for themselves.

The popcorn that puffed big and fluffy helped bring joy and delight for others, but those that did not were thrown in the garbage and not fit to eat.

"and thus we see that in the beginning all appear alike, but when the heat is on, some come forth and give their all, while others fail to pop and verily become like unto chaff, to be discarded and forgotten."
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I think this parable could be related to a couple of different ideas:
-magnifying your callings or doing chores/helping out in the family
-how we handle our trials (the 3 kinds of kernels can be 1)someone who endures to the end is positive and is made better from the heat, 2) someone who deals with the trial, but complains the whole time they are dealing with it and 3) someone who gives up and is not edified but trapped.

Because my kids are still so small, I talked about contributing to the family and doing your chores so that we can all enjoy having an orderly, clean house.

Then we ate popcorn and watched a movie (which we wouldn't have had time for if it were after dinner....)

Update: my son woke up the next morning telling me that he made his bed without any wrinkles so he is like the puffy popcorn :)

FHE: Love One Another

We revisited our Valentine's activity last year because it was a success (and was again).  We talked about how we can show our love to each other in the family.  (being kind, following mommy and daddy's directions the first time, service, spending time together, gifts, sharing) and then we all wrote down things we love about each family member on a heart (parents helped the younger kids do this).  Our hearts are now on the wall as a Valentine's decoration and a reminder that we love each other :)

This year my 5-year-old wrote them all himself.  So cute!

FHE: Howard W. Hunter

We are so close to going over all the modern day prophets!!  We sang the "Latter-day Prophets" song, while flipping through all the photos of the prophets we have saved from the Friend magazines all last year up until now.  We, as usual, just used the inside back cover of the February Friend magazine and read what was there about Howard W. Hunter.  I should probably try harder...