Take time for Family Home Evening.  My husband always says, “If you hold it regularly, while your children are young, and as they continue to grow, Family Home Evening will become a part of their DNA.”  We’ve done just about everything for Family Home Evening:

• Testimony Meeting
• Game Night
• Scriptural Lesson
• Book of Mormon Trivia (Question and Answer game)
• Seminary/Sunday School/Primary/etc. Lessons
• Lessons from the Family Home Evening Manual
• Lessons from the Preach My Gospel Manual
• Go to the Movies Night
• Watch a Church Movie at Home Night
• Etiquette dinner night
• Family Olympics
• Go Around the Circle Saying Nice Things About Each Person
• Beginning Course CD from Distribution Center. Activities that go along with the Scripture Readers
• Go Out to Eat
• Extended Family Home Evening Gatherings
• Use the Nursery Manual
• Write Some Missionaries
• Holiday Celebrations
• Sub for Santa/Service Opportunities
• Various Topics Opened Up For Conversation/Discussion

I wanted one of those fancy FHE assignment boards that cost so much money, but I just couldn’t justify the expense.  I was tired of dreaming and waiting, so I found an old piece of wood, nails, and paint, and for FHE we painted, nailed, labeled and created our own board…and it lasted for years.  It was the ugliest thing, but it was ours and we loved it.

We rotated the basic responsibilities: Conducting, Song, Scripture, Lesson, Op/Cl Prayer, Refreshments.  Our children knew how to conduct a meeting at a very early age, our kids were in charge of coming up with a lesson (with some help from a parent, but it was their lesson), refreshments were usually a group effort, and often homemade.

Family Home Evening is really that important.  We had experiences that we would never have had as a family otherwise.  Our children had a chance to feel like a true contributor when they had a responsibility to perform.  We mixed up lessons so some were serious, some were casual fun, some were challenging, some were just plain silly.  We were a family and it was important enough for us to spend valuable, fun time together.  It was also the best place to teach the gospel to the kids.  And, as parents, we wanted to be the ones in control of that part of their lives.

It is never too early or too late to start Family Home Evening.  Once you start, be consistent until it’s a habit.  Prepare for difficult times, but don’t let that be an excuse to stop.  Remember, our battle is with Satan, not with members of our family.  Keep your time together short, depending on the age of your children; 10 minutes may be just right.  Content isn’t always the most important thing, but example always is.

Relief Society sisters can help generate ideas for Family Home Evenings amongst one another.  Many lessons have been written, organized, and shared over the years.  We’ve never been quite that formal or organized, but a short, thoughtful, spiritual “punch” can be just what your family needs.

Family Home Evening is a very simple way to put Satan in his place—behind us.