" 'all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children' " (3 Nephi 22:13)

I've been doing a little research on how to make conference a meaningful thing for Faith. I couldn't come up with a single thing on my own, so here's what I have gathered. I hope it can help someone else.

The Church always comes out with a general conference packet for the current conference. This is most helpful, but when it comes to the little kids, I find it a bit more challenging to make conference a meaningful experience for Faith and for us (chasing a 3 year old and making her be quiet makes for a not so meaningful conference for mom and dad).

The Ensign gave some great ideas for the small kids. Here are the ones I liked:

* "Complete chores, homework, grocery shopping, and other standard weekend activities by Friday night."

* "Turning a favorite food the family enjoys into a special treat served at conference time, or participating between sessions in a family activity, such as playing games, watching old family videos, taking a walk, or talking about the session that just ended."

* "We pray individually and with our children that our hearts will be prepared for the messages of conference."

* "They remove the center spread with photos of General Authorities from the most
recent conference edition of the Ensign and hang it near the television. Each time a new speaker appears on the screen, the children study the poster and try to find the speaker's picture. They are rewarded with a sticker to place on the poster or in a notebook of their own. "They quickly learn to identify the First Presidency and others by name."

* "Set out a bowl of small treats for each session. Next to the bowl, they place objects that represent key words for that session. Each time the children hear one of those words spoken from the pulpit, they can help themselves to one treat. Sister Sorensen notes: "It's surprising to see how much young children can and do listen. Their enthusiasm is priceless as you hear them say, 'Mommy, he said temples!'"

* " 'all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children' " (3 Nephi 22:13).

* "To set general conference apart as a special event, Brother and Sister Beverley designated the family home evening following conference as "Quiz Night," when each member of the family would ask three questions about the talks, the reports, or things they observed. It quickly became tradition." "When our children were young, we wondered whether questions like 'What color was the prophet's tie?' would really make a difference in their lives, however, Quiz Night established a pattern that has matured with the children."

* One couple used the most recent issue of the Conference Ensign as their Family Home Evening manual, giving each family member a copy of their own. They were given highlighters to highlight the important things to them, and the kids could color what they wanted. They tried to use the pictures to teach the little kids about the talk.