A ready-to-print family home evening lesson designed to help the family to understand the great work that happens in temples and to gain appreciation for the blessings we receive there. Includes a temple bingo game. Lesson is complete with lesson plan, activities, and full-color visuals that are ready-to-print, cut, and use!
For more ready‐to‐print FHE lessons visit http://thegoldenseven.blogspot.com . Temples FHE Lesson By Lara Goold Materials needed: Scriptures, small markers (coins, scraps of paper) for Temple Bingo, a picture of a special temple (if desired) Purpose: For the family to understand the great work that happens in temples and to gain appreciation for the blessings we receive there. Scripture: “And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it.” Doctrine and Covenants 97:15 “The Lord is in his holy temple.” Habakkuk 2:20 Opening song(s) and prayer: “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, page 95 “The Lord Gave Me a Temple,” Children’s Songbook, page 153 Lesson: “The Temple is a Happy Place ” with visuals—Using the summary and visuals provided begin your discussion about the important blessings of the temple. Temples Around the World Collage : Show the collage and talk about how some temples are large and some are small. Some have several spires and some have none (Mesa Arizona). Some are in big cities and some are in the woods. Although they may all look different from the outside, they are all beautiful and well taken care of and most importantly the ordinances performed inside the temple are all exactly the same. A couple who gets married inside a little temple in Germany is married forever just as a couple who is married in a big busier temple in Salt Lake. The Lord wants temples to be scattered all over the world, so as many people as possible have access to the blessings of the temple. Talk about how far away your own local temple is and a little about the effort it takes to get there (the length of the drive, hiring a babysitter, getting off work early, etc). Show Temple Mobile : Briefly discuss in more detail some of the wonderful blessings we receive by attending the temple and how important these blessings are. Hang the mobile up somewhere in your house to help remind you of the wonderful blessings of the temple. We Must Be Worthy to go to the Temple : Explain that any member of the Church who is old enough and who lives a righteous life and gets permission (in the form of a temple recommend) from the bishop and stake president can go to the temple. Those who go to the temple must be worthy to enter the house of the Lord. Ask them what they think being worthy to attend the temple entails? Listen to their ideas and make sure that some of the following are mentioned: (keeping the commandments, attending church, obeying the Word of Wisdom, paying tithing, following the prophet, being honest, having a testimony, etc) Temple Bingo Game : Use small markers, such as coins, candies, or scraps of paper for markers. Take turns choosing cards and telling how that relates to the temple. Take care to especially note any things they can be doing in their lives right now to prepare to go to the temple someday.
Materials needed: Scriptures, small markers (coins, scraps of paper) for Temple Bingo, a picture of a special temple (if desired)
Purpose: For the family to understand the great work that happens in temples and to gain appreciation for the blessings we receive there.
Scripture: “And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it.” Doctrine and Covenants 97:15
“The Lord is in his holy temple.” Habakkuk 2:20 Opening song(s) and prayer: “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, page 95 “The Lord Gave Me a Temple,” Children’s Songbook, page 153
Lesson: “The Temple is a Happy Place” with visuals—Using the summary and visuals provided begin your discussion about the important blessings of the temple. Temples Around the World Collage : Show the collage and talk about how some temples are large and some are small. Some have several spires and some have none (Mesa Arizona). Some are in big cities and some are in the woods. Although they may all look different from the outside, they are all beautiful and well taken care of and most importantly the ordinances performed inside the temple are all exactly the same. A couple who gets married inside a little temple in Germany is married forever just as a couple who is married in a big busier temple in Salt Lake. The Lord wants temples to be scattered all over the world, so as many people as possible have access to the blessings of the temple.
Talk about how far away your own local temple is and a little about the effort it takes to get there (the length of the drive, hiring a babysitter, getting off work early, etc).
Show Temple Mobile : Briefly discuss in more detail some of the wonderful blessings we receive by attending the temple and how important these blessings are. Hang the mobile up somewhere in your house to help remind you of the wonderful blessings of the temple. We Must Be Worthy to go to the Temple : Explain that any member of the Church who is old enough and who lives a righteous life and gets permission (in the form of a temple recommend) from the bishop and stake president can go to the temple. Those who go to the temple must be worthy to enter the house of the Lord. Ask them what they think being worthy to attend the temple entails?
Listen to their ideas and make sure that some of the following are mentioned: (keeping the commandments, attending church, obeying the Word of Wisdom, paying tithing, following the prophet, being honest, having a testimony, etc)
Temple Bingo Game : Use small markers, such as coins, candies, or scraps of paper for markers. Take turns choosing cards and telling how that relates to the temple. Take care to especially note any things they can be doing in their lives right now to prepare to go to the temple someday.
Bear your testimony about the blessings of the temple.
Enrichment: Based on the ages and attention spans of your children, choose one or more of the following enrichment activities to enhance the message of the lesson. Enrichment activities do not necessarily need to be completed on the same night as the lesson. We often use them as reinforcement/reminders during the week. Temple Trivia: Divide into two teams and ask trivia questions about temples(included) Temple Object Lesson: Gather items that remind you of the temple (Picture of the Savior, white cloth, a mirror, heart, picture of Angel Moroni, etc.) and have your family guess why that particular object reminds you of the temple.
Temple Notebook: Give each child their own notebook and have them draw pictures (or glue in photos) of various temples (ones that they’ve actually visited or ones that they connections to—it doesn’t matter) and have them write descriptions of the surroundings and their feelings while they were there. Depending on how your children are, keep the notebooks put away until they are ready to be worked on or let them work on them whenever they want. Eventually they should have their notebooks with drawings and photos of the temple along with their feelings about the temple. You could also give them copies of your wedding pictures (or sealing day) for their books.
Closing song: “Families Can Be Together Forever”, Children’s Songbook, page 188 “Spirit of God,” Hymns, page 2 (you can mention that this song is sung at every temple dedication)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshments: see below for a fun treat recipe.
Grandma’s Snowball Cookies from http://recipeshoebox.blogspot.com
Ingredients:
Cream together: 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup butter Add in: 2 cups flour 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional) It will be quite a stiff dough. Chill for about an hour. Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 325° (no hotter). You may want to turn the cookie sheet the last 5 minutes of baking to ensure even browning. When cooled, roll each cookie into powdered sugar. Makes about 40 small cookies. Enjoy!
“The Temple is a Happy Place”—adapted from the Friend, June 1993 (by Judy Edwards)
What makes you happiest? If you could choose between something that would last for just a little while and something that would last forever, which would it be (USE VISUALS)—an ice-cream cone, or a friend? a paper plane, or a Book of Mormon? a baseball game, or a trip with your family? Ice-cream cones and paper planes and baseball games are all fun, but they don’t give the lasting happiness that friends, scriptures, and family do. (SET ASIDE the pictures of the ice cream, paper plane, and baseball game and keep the other pictures out) Now I’m going to tell you about a special place where we can learn how to choose the happiest things in life—long-lasting things like goodness and kindness and love. (SHOW PICTURE OF TEMPLE) The temple helps us learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and why we are here on earth. And temple ordinances make it possible for the best things in life to last forever. (PUT THE PICTURE of the family, friends, and scriptures with the temple)
The temple truly is God’s house and the temple is one place on earth where we can feel the closest to Him. Not only do we learn of Him and His plan of happiness, but we make covenants with Him so that we can receive the greatest blessings of all. These blessings include being able to live with our families in Jesus and Heavenly Father’s presence for all eternity. And also helping others who did not have the opportunity while they were on the earth to receive the same glorious blessings.
The temple is a place of peace and love. We should be striving while we are young so that we can one day partake of these glorious blessings.
Washington DC temple (if you’d prefer using a picture of the temple in your region rather than this one of the Washington DC temple, simply go to http://www.lds.org/temples/geographical/0,11380,1899-1,00.html and print yours off instead)
Temple Trivia: (Questions increase in difficulty, so you may want to direct the first several questions toward the younger children. Another idea would be to divide into two teams and have a younger child be the spokesperson for each team.)
1. What is the name of the temple we live closest to? 2. What is the name of the temple where mommy and daddy got married? 3. Who is our prophet right now? 4. What color of clothing do people wear inside the temple? 5. How old do you need to be before you can do baptisms for the dead? 6. When people are married in the temple, how long can their family be sealed together for (if they are righteous)? 7. Do all temples look exactly the same? 8. Which state has the most temples? 9. Do they let wicked people into temples? 10. Why do we have temples? 11. Name one of the ordinances performed inside the temple 12. Which temple is the largest in the world? 13. What is the largest temple OUTSIDE the United States? 14. Which temple was the first to be completed in the latter-days? 15. Which temple was the first to be completed that is still in use today? 16. Do all temples have an angel Moroni on top? 17. How many temples are operating in 2010? 18. How many temples are operating in Utah? 19. Which was the first of the “smaller” temples to be completed? 20. What are the top 3 largest temples in the world? Answers: 4—white, 5—twelve, 6—forever, 7—no, 8—Utah, 9—no, 10—So that we can make all of the necessary covenants to be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father and with our families forever, 11—marriages, sealings, baptisms for the dead, endowments, washings and anointings, 12—Salt Lake temple is largest, 13—Mexico City temple is 7th largest of all the temples and the largest outside the US, 14—Kirtland, Ohio temple, 15—St. George, Utah, 16—no (Manti, St. George, Logan, Laie Hawaii, Oakland, and Mesa Arizona are among those that don’t), 17—(131 operating temples, 9 under construction, 12 announced), 18—14 temples in Utah (including 2 that are still under construction {Brigham City and Payson}), 19—Monticello, Utah, 20--#1 Salt Lake, #2 Los Angeles, #3 Washington DC
For lots of other interesting facts about temples go to: http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/articles/facts/
