Preparing Our Children for General Conference

Prepare now for Conference! As we prepare our hearts for a "spiritual feast" and as we listen to our living Prophet, Apostles, and other General Authorities deliver divinely inspired words, we will receive answers to our prayers, comfort for our souls, and peace in our hearts. We will be safely guided on the path that leads us back to our heavenly home.

"It is when children are young that parents must be innovative in helping them develop good habits regarding conference participation. As our children are given opportunities to observe and learn the role of these special witnesses, they will receive a spiritual confirmation of the sacred calling of their Church leaders, and they will feel a deeper love for and interest in these leaders and their message." 

- Elder Neil L. Andersen, "Teaching our Children to Love the Prophets," ensign, Apr. 1996, 47.

Before Conference

1. Prepare spiritually: Talk to your children before Conference about how exciting it is to hear the prophet and his apostles talk to us.
2. Pray individually and with your children that your "hearts" will be prepared for the messages of conference.
3. think of questions you have, write them down, and pray for the Spirit to be with you during conference - that you will recognize the answers to your questions.
4. Purchase note-taking materials -- notebooks, stickers, etc. ahead of time.
5. Gather up conference-related games and activities in issues of the Friend, Era, and Ensign.
6. Make a count-down-to-conference chain.
7. Mark conference weekend on your family calendar.
8. Clear your schedule: Prepare for conference by completing chores, homework, grocery shopping, and other weekend activities by Friday night.

During Conference

1. Take notes of the speakers during conference.
2. Develop family traditions that coincide with General Conference (a favorite meal, treat, activity, etc.)
3. Activities can enhance the conference experience when directed by the Holy Ghost. Fore younger children, it could include posting the center spread with photos of the General Authorities from the most recent conference Ensign and use it to help children learn to identify the names of the speakers.
4. Display key words or pictures, that they can listen for, in front of the television and have a treat bowl set out to reward "listening ears." You could also have stickers available for children to stick in their "conference notes" book when they hear a key word.
5. Turn a favorite food the family enjoys into a special treat or meal and serve in between conference sessions.
6. Do a family activity, such as having a picnic on a blanket in the back yard, watching old family videos, taking a walk, or talking about the session that just ended, etc.
7. Spread a blanket on the floor, in front of the television for conference watching (and allow for special treats, if wanted. Liken it to the families in the Book of Mormon who sat on the ground and listened to their prophet, King Benjamin, teach them about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

After Conference

1. Establish Family Traditions.
2. Hold a family testimony meeting in FHE on the next Monday after conference.
3. Have a FHE conference trivia or quiz night on the next Monday. (three questions, etc.)
4. Use the most recent conference edition of the Ensign as your Family Home Evening manual. Give each member of the family their own conference edition Ensign and write their names on them. Read a talk together, paragraph by paragraph, pausing to ask and answer questions, to discuss thoughts, and to liken what they learned to their own lives.

• For older children, give them a highlighter to highlight words, sentences, and paragraphs that felt important to them. These phrases can be used for in-depth gospel discussions.
• For younger children, they can color in the pictures in the Ensign, or whatever they feel needs a splash of color.
• Photographs in the Ensign can often enhance the talks and can open another door for gospel discussion that all ages can participate in.
• For empty nesters, individually read a chosen conference talk prior to Family Home Evening. Read, mark, and ponder on passages that impress your mind. Discuss together what you learned.

To read the entire article go to lds.org

"Preparing Our children for General Conference" March 2009 Ensign

Conference Notes

General Conference is coming up in 3 weeks. Can't wait to listen to the talks! They are always so inspiring and uplifting. Makes me want to do better, serve better, and love better. 

In April, our family started a new tradition in order to have a more meaningful Conference experience. A week before Conference we got together and made Conference Notes. A small book to highlight talks, flag favorites, and pinpoint pertinent messages. 

It was a huge success! Even our youngest grandchildren got into the action. Incentives were used to keep their interest up on the talks and music. All three of them, ages 5, 3, and 18 months, listened and actively participated in all four sessions. Saturday and Sunday! 

We had a follow-up Family Home Evening Night that was dedicated to Conference trivia and sharing notes. It, too, was a huge success. We will be doing this again and again and again! 

What you need to make Conference Notes:

1. 5x7" lined recipe cards
2. Metal or plastic rings
3. Scraps of scrapbook paper, tags, markers, and ribbon (optional)

I took my piles (for each person) of lined recipe cards to Office Max and they punched holes in the cards, saving me tons of time. And, the holes were exact! The cost is so minimal and is very worth it. I think I spent a little over $2.00 to have 1000 cards punched.

I had everything on had, except the lined recipe cards. 

Instructions for making Conference Notes:

1. Cut to size and glue scrapbook paper to the front of a recipe card.
2. Add embellishments, if desired. 
3. Make a Conference Notes label for each book. Picmonkey, a free photo editing program, has a variety of label choices. After choosing the label, I picked a background color and added text. Easy!
4. I also bought 2x3 pictures from Deseret Book of the prophet, temple, Jesus, Joseph Smith for visual interest.
5. Put lined recipe cards through metal or plastic rings and add ribbon, if desired.

Now you are ready to take Conference Notes!

At the beginning of each Conference Notes book, we positioned a picture of our beloved prophet, Thomas S. Monson, in the center of the notecard. He is the first person we see. We listen to conference to be uplifted, inspired, and receive instruction. We come to hear the prophet's voice! We love him!

I added some questions before hand--things to look for, like specific messages that would help provide answers to prayers, give guidance and direction, and bring comfort and healing from a recent passing of my daughter. Then, at the end of Conference, I was able to go back through each talk, ponder upon, and answer the questions I had written previously and the ones listed above. 

What was so amazing about taking Conference notes this way, was that it was so easy to remember the talks. Not only because I took notes, but because I tagged specific messages and thought about questions I had even before Conference began. I was more in-tune with the spirit. I listened. I learned. I was able to retain much more than had I just turned Conference on t.v. and watched. 

I tagged favorite talks. And, of course, I had a few! Hastening Family History and Temple Work by Quienten L. Cook. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, of the first presidency, on Being Grateful. And President Thomas S. Monson, on Love.

Can you remember Gary E. Stevenson's message: My Life is a Four Minute Performance! Wow! did it ever have an impact on me. I will never forget it!

Our youngest listeners took notes!

favorite songs, and titles

They listened for Jesus Christ's name in talks

They drew pictures of themselves and how they felt. This was drawn during President Monson's talk on Love.

Drawing happy things.

Jesus loves little children! Jesus loves me!

I love to see the temple. I'm going there someday!

Little Emmy, 18 months old, even understood the importance of listening to Conference. Your children are never too young to learn!

How did youngest daughter and son-in-law get their kids to listen to conference and enjoy it? They placed pictures around the living room of different gospel topics, such as temple, faith, prophet, Jesus, etc. When the kids heard any of these words or name in a talk, they wrote and drew a picture in their note book and got a small treat. 

Follow up Family Home Evening Lesson: Conference Notes Trivia and Sharing Notes

A follow-up lesson on Conference was done on Easter Sunday. Perfect time! Each family wrote up questions related to Conference. Each question was placed in a plastic egg. We took turns reading and answering questions about talks, songs, church statistics, announcements, and names of speakers. Questions were age appropriate. Everyone brought their Conference Notes and could cheat, of course. The point was to take good notes during Conference! For each question answered correctly, a treat could be chosen from the candy jar. Cupcakes, too.

We can't wait for General Conference in a few weeks! We'll prepare. We'll pray that we will receive answers to our prayers. We'll listen and take notes. And then we'll share what we have learned with each other. Love, love, love this tradition!