Mid-September, I joined a "Children Who Know" challenge from myteachingmatters.com
1. Pick a monthly theme - centered around a gospel principle you feel your family could benefit from.
2. Pick a correlating scripture - one that you will repeat each day and commit to memory.
3. Know that children learn best in 3 ways: 1) through STORIES 2) answering open-ended QUESTIONS and 3) letting children speak at least 70% of the time.
4. In your personal studies, think of stories that go along with the monthly theme. Stories can be from the scriptures, family history, The Friend magazine, personal experiences, the illustrated scriptures stories for kids, videos found online, etc.
5. During family scripture time, tell those stories. Act them out. Watch a video of them. Ask open-ended questions concerning them. Let the children tell you the stories back, etc etc etc.
6. Then, watch and see how learning the gospel through STORIES help young children internalize the gospel principle and apply it to their lives.
For the 2-week challenge, we learned about how we can be peacemakers. Then for the month of October, we decided to focus our efforts on how we can do hard things with the Lord's help. It was amazing to see the miracles that came of our children applying the gospel knowledge we were learning to their own lives. Let me share a few examples:
1. We went to Bryce Canyon and hiked down into the hoo doos. It was about a 3 mile hike and we had to ascend up out of the canyon by climbing up switchbacks. When we got "almost" to the top, Laynie became scared and didn't think she could go the rest of the way. She wanted to turn back and go back down all those switchbacks we had painstakingly climbed! lol! But I acknowledge that it was a hard thing to finish strong. We said a prayer and Laynie's fears subsided enough for her to make it to the top. When we reached the top, we talked about how Heavenly Father helped us get up that hill. We said a prayer of thanks and we knew that He calmed Laynie's fears and she was able to do it with HIS help.
2. Laynie came home from school one day very nervous. She told me that there was going to be a math test the next day and she didn't think she could do it. I told her that sounded like a hard thing, but reminded her that HF helped her climb up the hiking trail and I knew He'd help her with the test as well. So, we said a prayer, went over some of her math problems she had been doing at home. We said another prayer the next morning before school and Laynie was able to confidently take her test. After school, we said another prayer of thanksgiving.
3. The primary program was soon approaching and a rehearsal was scheduled the Thursday before. We were running late and go there almost 30 minutes into the rehearsal. As soon as we walked into the chapel, Laynie froze. She saw all the kids on stage and became very scared to go up there. She felt like she didn't know the songs that well and she had no clue what her part was. She went into having a full-blown panic attack and nothing I did would console her. So I told Gavin to walk home from the church because I needed to take Laynie home. Once home, I agreed with Laynie that performing for the primary program was a hard thing. Then I asked her if she believed HF would help her do it. She thought of all the stories we had learned throughout the month - how Joseph Smith had to do a hard thing in Liberty Jail. How Abraham had to do a hard thing in sacrificing his son. How the early saints had to bear hard things amidst the angry Missouri mobs. How Jesus Christ, himself, had to do the hardest thing of all - suffer for the sins of mankind. She also thought of her previous experiences with the hike and her math test. With the Lord's help, these people (including herself) were strengthened and were able to get through what was before them. So Laynie had to agree that she knew HF would help her with the primary program. The 2 days, she was still nervous and on occasion she would tell me she didn't want to do it. I told her she didn't have to, but I knew HF would help her. We prayed for His help each day. When Sunday came, Laynie had worked up enough courage to sit on the stand and sing with her classmates, but she had made it clear that she wasn't going to give her speaking part. We said one final prayer the morning of. After saying "Amen," Laynie paused for a minute then looked at me and said matter of factly, "I'm going to say my part." And she DID!! She stood for each song, then went to the pulpit and did her part on cue. My mommy heart was over flowing. After the program, we went back to our seats and had the sacrament. I shed tears of joy knowing HF had helped my daughter internalize the concept of: We can do hard things with the Lord's help."
I'm so thankful Laynie was open to hear the whisperings of the Spirit and apply what we had learned that month into her daily life. It was a wonderful experience for our entire family.
Gavin was able to see these experiences and when things got hard with a computer program at school, he knew that he too could rely on the Lord's help and get through something hard.
Matt and I marveled at the faith of our children - who are really God's children. He knows them. He LOVES them and he wants them to know we can always do hard things with His help.
