One of the difficulties of Family Home Evening is meeting every kid at their spiritual and developmental level. I have an inquisitive, wise 10 year old down to a rowdy, delayed 3 year old. They don’t need the same lesson. They don’t have the same attention span. They don’t have the same interests or the same questions. So what is a mom to do?
Well, I don’t have all the answers for you, but I do have one easy idea that has worked well for us.
We have Elle teach from the nursery manual: “Behold Your Little Ones”.
Here is why this idea has worked for us:
- There is a plan. Elle teaches from the manual once a month and she know what lesson she is on.
- The manual is easy for Elle to understand. She can read the suggested scriptures and the lesson plan. She can copy the coloring pages and gather supplies- all by herself. She marks pages and scriptures with post-it notes to prepare.
- I don’t have to do much work. I do consult with Elle after she reads through the lesson. She asks questions and I give her suggestions, but she does the majority of the planning and prep work.
- The lessons are short and the content meets Locke and Croft at their developmental level, but they also challenge Elle and keep her excited about Family Night.
- Elle is developing a talent as she teaches once a month. It is fun to watch her as she tweaks the lesson and adds her own twists. She is learning to get the kids attention, state the objective, teach doctrine, and bear testimony. She is learning about pacing and redirection. And she is learning that yelling isn’t the best teaching method 🙂
You can buy the “Behold Your Little Ones” Nursery manual here and it is only $5.50. This manual contains 30 lessons for teaching children ages 18 months to 3 years. Pictures and other visual aids are bound with the lessons. Here are some of the lesson topics that are covered in the manual:
I Am a Child of God
I Can Pray to Heavenly Father
I Love My Family
I Will Be Thankful
I Will Share
I Will Say “I’m Sorry”
Jesus Christ Was Resurrected
etc.
“Behold Your Little Ones” is a great family resource and it has made my life easier at least one Monday night a month.
This is the most wonderful idea! I have a 9 year old who will thrive with this. I will start this with him on his next turn to teach. So far I love Mormon Mondays! Thank you! 🙂
We learn what we teach. This is why Heavenly Father has us teaching all the time. Not just studying, but teaching it.
I just love you……you are so inspired, what a good mom!