Choosing Happiness: Based off of the First Presidency Message (Happiness for Those We Love)

For tonight's Family Home Evening the topic in which I have chosen is: 

Choosing Happiness: Based off of the First Presidency Message (Happiness for Those We Love)

Preparation: I hope and pray that you can use these ideas as a guideline and adjust them to the needs of your own specific family.  Our prophet President Monson says, "We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest. On Lds.org there are resources available in helping to make your Family Home Evenings successful, here is a link to that site on Family Home Evenings.

Invite a member of the family member say the prayer

Discuss any family business


Follow-up with last weeks FHE.

Family Home Evening Instruction: 

Give each family member a piece of paper that says, "Happiness is..." Invite them to write on the paper (or draw a picture for the younger kiddos), of what happiness is.

When everyone has finished, invite each member of the family to share with the rest of the family what they wrote, happiness is.

Read this description of Happiness, to your family: Happiness (found on Gospel Topic: lds.org)

Now invite your family members to write on their paper or draw a picture of what happiness really is.

Explain to your family that we can "CHOOSE" to be happy as we make the choices that will allow the Holy Ghost to be with us.  Read the following quote from January 2016 First Presidency Message, "With the companionship of the Holy Ghost, our hearts can change so that we want and welcome the love of our Heavenly Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ. The way to get the love of God into our hearts is simple, as is the way to lose the feeling of that love in our hearts. For instance, someone may choose to pray less often to Heavenly Father or not to pay a full tithing or to stop feasting on the word of God or to ignore the poor and the needy.


Any choice not to keep the Lord’s commandments can cause the Spirit to withdraw from our hearts. With that loss, happiness diminishes." 

Invite your family to play, The Game of Happiness, with you.

To Play the Game:

Invite your family to sit in a circle.  Explain that the object of the game is to see which person will be able to fill their chart of happiness up the quickest. Write each family members name in the appropriate spot on the chart. To see who goes first ask them a question, first person to answer correctly will go first. Then it will be clockwise from then. Give the first person the squishy ball of happiness.  Place the action cards and the question cards on the ground. Invite the person with the squishy ball of happiness to toss it onto one of the cards. If they land on an action card, the person will need to complete the action within the allotted time it gives on the card. They can decline to do the action and will receive no smiley face on their chart.  If they fulfill their task in the allotted time, then they will receive a smiley face on their chart.  If they land on a question card, then you will ask them a question. If they answer correctly then they will receive a smiley face on their chart. If not no smiley face will be awarded and it will go to the next family member's turn. Continue this game until one of the family members fills their chart up with smiley faces. 




When the game is over, ask your family members how their example can help to influence those around them for the good?

Read the following quote, "You can choose to be righteous and be happy. But people around you will probably still make poor choices that lead to misery or discomfort. While those decisions are theirs to make, your example can influence their choices for good."

Invite your family members to strive to keep Heavenly Father's commandments and choose happiness and to be an example and positive influence of the lives of others.


Close with a Family Prayer.

Squishy Ball of Happiness:

Needed:
Two balloons,
Funnel or a plastic water bottle
Flower
Sharpie Marker

What to do:
If using a plastic water bottle, top the top part of the bottle off, so it can be used as a funnel. Make sure it is dry and that the lid is removed. Blow the balloon up a little bit and place the opening of the balloon onto the mouth of the water bottle or funnel.  Pour the flour inside of the balloon. When filled tie the balloon off and cut the excess of the balloon off. Take another balloon and cut off where the opening is, so it will fit over the flour filled balloon.  Then with a permanent marker draw on two eyes and a mouth.


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