July is a great month to focus on your heritage. It is so easy to teach your children about their heritage and family history in conjunction with the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day at church. You could focus your family home evening lessons around the founding of our country at the beginning of this month and then mid-month talk about the pioneer heritage of the church.
You can share with your children the conversion stories of the first members of the church in your family. If you are the first member then you are a pioneer and you can share that story with your children as well. You may want to talk about the sacrifices that the first members made to become members of the church. You can also share stories about the pioneers crossing the plains and the sacrifices that they made.
You may choose to feature an ancestor each night at dinner. This is fairly simple to do. If you have a picture you can display it. You then explain who the ancestor is and share a few stories from his or her life. You may want to rotate between your line and your husband’s line. You can do this even if you do not have pioneer ancestors, because it is important for your children to understand their heritage.
Another activity that you may consider doing as a family is taking a hike or going camping. While doing this you may want to compare it to the journey that the pioneers took. If you live close to part of the Mormon Trail, you may want to hike along it for a short distance. If you are close enough you may consider going to the monuments and other areas that the church has erected to honor the pioneers.
If you do not have your family history done, you can begin as a family. You can make a picture of a tree on a poster and each time you find a new family member you can add a leaf to the tree. This can help your younger children grasp the concept better. You may also consider a family trip to the temple if possible.
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