One idea for a family home evening is to plan a special lesson when you are expecting a new baby. This is a great way to help your other children understand the changes that are going to take place. It is also a chance to celebrate the times that they came to be part of your family. You can vary this lesson according to your family’s needs and circumstances. If you have very young children you will want to keep it much simpler.
You can open the lesson by reading part of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” You may want to start the lesson by reminding everyone that you will be having a new baby very soon. Then you can explain what that means. It is important to stress that the new baby is a gift from Heavenly Father. You can also explain the way things may change when the baby is born. If you have young children you may want to explain how to hold a baby, and how you need to be gentle with the baby. One nice touch would be to share what happened when each of the other children was born. You can have your older children share their memories of the births of the younger children. You may also want to talk about what will happen while you are in the hospital with the baby. It helps the children to know where they will be and who will take care of them while you are gone.
If you need additional resources there is an excellent lesson in the Home Evening manual on new babies. You can also use “John’s Real Problem,” “Let’s Talk about Babies,” and “We’ll Find Room” from “The Friend.” You can also find advice on how to further prepare your family in “We’re All Having a Baby!”
You can use “I Am a Child of God” p 2 and “Families Can Be Together Forever” p 188 from the “Children’s Songbook” as your opening and closing songs. You may consider scheduling a hospital tour as part of your family home evening activity as well. Do not forget to have refreshments!
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