FHE: Two lessons on Reverence

When it comes time for family prayer and scripture study in our home, I would have to say that the mood is generally far from reverent. The same applies during Sacrament Meeting, so my husband and I realized that lessons on reverence would be a good thing. Here are two Family Home Evening lessons on reverence that we did recently:

I Will be Reverent, from Behold Your Little Ones Nursery Manual (lesson 20).
We mostly just followed the lesson plan as written. We also discussed what our body should be doing when we are reverent: arms folded, mouths closed, ears open, bodies still, eyes closed and head bowed (during a prayer). It worked well to practice being reverent, for example, "Let's pretend it's time for family prayer. What should we do with our arms? Should our eyes be open or closed?" etc. We emphasized that being reverent means quietly thinking about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

I thought that the teaching tip on the sidebar of p. 85 was helpful: "Do not reward reverent behavior with prizes or food. Do not have contests to see who can be the most reverent. These tend to focus on the wrong things. Teach about the real rewards of reverence, such as increased understanding and the influence of the Spirit. Give the children specific verbal praise when they show reverence, for example: "I like the way Mary is sitting so reverently. Thank you, Mary."

For an activity the girls colored and made the flip book on p. 88.

The Sacrament Helps Me Think About Jesus Christ from Behold Your Little Ones Nursery Manual (lesson 27).
Sing the first two lines of "Reverently, Quietly" (CS, 26), while looking at the picture of Jesus on p. 106.

Review what our body parts are doing when we are being reverent, and that being reverent means thinking about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Discuss the sacrament: Each Sunday we have a special opportunity to remember Jesus, to take the bread and water, etc. Show the picture on p. 114 and point out the details, emphasizing the reverent behaviors. Role play taking the sacrament and being reverent. Ask "Who should we think about when we take the sacrament?"

Read and Discuss: How should I behave in sacrament meeting? (Dallin H. Oaks, “How should I behave in sacrament meeting?,” Friend, May 2010, 11)

For an activity, color the picture on p. 115 and make a small book.