In our family, we tie our FHEs to our daily scripture study. We go through the standard works sequentially, study one story per week, and base our FHE on that story. We’ve made it through the OT and NT this way and it has been great. We’re starting the Book of Mormon, and I have decided to post my lessons here in case anyone is interested.
How we do this in more detail:
(1) We use one story each week. You could use the Book of Mormon Stories (available from Church Distribution), but I chose to go with Laura Lee Rostrom’s My Book of Mormon Storybook because I thought it was a little more engaging for tiny children. For each lesson, I’ll post the corresponding story in both books for your convenience. I”ll abbreviate Book of Mormon Stories as BMS and Rostrom’s book as MBM.
(2) We also select one verse from the actual text to read each week. I like to print this out in a huge font so the verse takes up a full sheet on paper and then put it in a page protector. I think you’ll find that by the end of the week, everyone in the family has the verse more or less memorized.
(3) I also have a theme statement for each lesson. I think it is important to repeat this idea several times during the lesson–it keeps you and the children focused on the big theme.
(4) I’ll also list suggested songs and resources, mostly from The Friend. (BTW, if anyone knows how to link directly to The Friend, let me know. I can’t figure it out.)
Lesson One: How We Got the Book of Mormon
BMS: “How We Got the Book of Mormon”
MBM: “Joseph’s Vision”
Scripture: Joseph Smith–History 1:34
Theme: The Book of Mormon is very special.
Songs: #86 and #119 in the Children’s Songbook
Resources:
(1) Flannel Board story: Joseph Smith received the plates, from the December 1992 Friend.
(2) Use pictures from the Gospel Art Picture Kit (also available online) #325, 400, 404, and 406 to walk your children through JS-H 1:34.
(3) We used a globe to explain the concept that the Bible records God’s dealings with the people of the Old World and the BoM with the New, and said a bit more about limited geography than you might expect with an audience whose average age was 4. (grin)
(4) “Book of Mormon Times” from the September 2000 Friend: we had the boys point to the pictures showing the contrasts between now and then.
(5) “The Book of Mormon” from the September 2002 Friend. We didn’t make the little book. Instead, I cut all of the plates out (and the pics of Joseph Smith and Nephi) and mounted them on heavy paper. We turned them over and used them to play a concentration game. The boys loved this.
fix
To access any of the church magazines and print them out exactly as they appeared in the magazines, go to LDS .org and go to gospel library. There is the PDF formatted magazines. It is awsome!
Thanks for this post and Lisa’s information. (I won’t make the comment I’m in the mood to make, asking exactly where in the scriptures this “flannel board” concept can be found.)
(I’m leaving now.)