Double-Duty...

Life with a preschooler and kindergartener and newborn is kind of...CRAZY!  There is already homework to do, I'm balancing laundry and starting a photography business, and there is never enough time.  I'm sure those of you with teenagers are thinking, "just wait."  :) So FHE last week had to be "double-duty."  We practiced numbers and fine-motor skills and got our reading in, all by talking about missionary work and using The Friend.

Numbers & Reading!  To work on number recognition and order, I numbered the pictures in the "Matt and Mandy" story, cut them out and mixed them up, then, as a family, we put them in order again.  You could also do this easily with the "Inviting Jacob" story on pg. 32 which is specifically about missionary work.  Of course, reading the story and asking them what is happening in the pictures is great for developing comprehension skills and getting in that minimum of 20 minutes of reading a day.

Coordination!  I helped in my daughter's kindergarten class this week and loved this activity of picking up cotton balls with a clothes pin or other pinching clip to strengthen the muscles in the hand they need to hold a pencil.  We talked about how even doing little deeds of service and missionary work add up, and how little by little the gospel is filling the world!

 You can see them moving the cotton balls from one container to the other with every idea they can say of how to serve others and be a missionary.  You can also see our put-together Matt and Mandy story on the floor, as well as our "uh-oh". LOL

 Finally, just coloring together is another great, wholesome activity that can teach your child (depending what is in the picture) and help them develop fine motor skills.  Look on pg. 46 for this coloring activity.  I'm planning on including a bunch of links on an upcoming post of LDS coloring pages.  Yeah, it's great to color Spider-Man and My Little Pony, but it's such an easy, fun way to bring up and teach gospel principles too!

I hope these ideas can be a little more motivation to make time for FHE and teaching our children by using The Friend.  The Gospel is True!  Don't be afraid to share it-ESPECIALLY with your kids!  Luv, Eva