I have to say that the most successful Family Home Evening is not always the most thought out or the most prepared.... All though it helps to do so! I believe it is more about the time you spend together as a family and feeling the spirit that the evening brings. While children are young they seem to require so much... but a simple lesson is suffice enough to make an impact for their age and the rest of the time should be spent together as a family. When you start having children of different ages your lessons start warping into a mix of different comprehension levels. The most important thing is that they feel the spirit... at any age! Kids will squirm, they will interrupt, they will have their rants.... but they will also know that they are loved and that they are part of a family unit and that is something too many children go without these days.
There is a great little book called "52 Weeks of Family Night" by Tamara Baggett and it has great little lessons in it. For the wee ones you could use the book for weekly topics and shorten the lesson even more!
We have had activities big and small according to our schedules. We've decorated cookies many of times, made cards for someone who was sick, toured the Krispie Kreme (where you could see them make the doughnuts) and then tasted a free doughnut! We've had living room dances, bubble nights, dress up nights, visited grandparents, walked temple grounds, walked in the park, a run in the McDonalds play area, swimming, BBQ with friends, service project (like having them pull weeds for mommy!! It actually turned out to be fun!) We've watched home movies, made sock and brown bag puppets, we've taken explorer walks where we have to discover things around us and ask way too many questions.... (That was fun!) We have gone to a pet store to play with the puppies, made gingerbread houses, made decorations for the upcomming holiday, driven around to see the holiday lights and lots and lots more.
Ok, the reason I went on so much is to hopefully get my point across.... Just be together and make it count. Have fun! Kids are ever changing and going through multiple phases from total defiance to mommys little angel... but I believe that if you keep FHE going, your family will truly be blessed. I myself am still working on having it EVERY SINGLE WEEK and in trying to keep it on the same nights... as well as learning to create an atmosphere that is inviting to the spirit! I know we will get it down someday and you will, too! And yes, I am soooo looking for new ideas so keep them comming!
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