Photo Credit: Deseret News

Here’s a super simple way I am currently using Come, Follow Me. What makes it super easy is that you tack it onto a habit you already have, which is eating! Use this over dinner or whatever meal you commonly share with your family. If you don’t commonly share a meal, then fix a bowl of popcorn or some cookies and sit down to enjoy a snack or dessert together.

1. First, I do one of the following. I either briefly tell one of the stories from the weekly assigned reading to my children in my own words. Then I show my kids a Bible video on my mobile device, if there is one to go with it. These videos are usually included in the lesson for Come, Follow Me. If you can’t find any videos in the guide for “Individuals and Families” check the guides for Sunday School and Primary. Here is the full playlist.

or

I read the scripture passage mentioned, or we take turns reading each verse, and I ask the kids a question to turn their brain on into “seeking” mode. It’s super important to ask a question before we read, to get them to pay attention. Like for example, we just read one of the passages mentioned in the Easter lesson, 1 Peter 1:3-11. I asked the children before we read, “What words or phrases do you notice as we read that give you a sense of hope?” I briefly scan the section mentioning the scripture passage, to find a question I can ask to get the kids in “seeking” mode. That’s how I found the question about hope.

2. Next, I mention the key doctrine that goes with the video/story. To create more engagement, you could ask your listeners what they think the key doctrine is, or “nugget of truth.”  The key doctrines are always printed in bold in the lessons, such as “Jesus Christ gives me hope and joy.”

3. Then I ask a question to get my kids to think of how that doctrine applies to them today. Questions are included in the lessons after the bold heading of the doctrine. Sometimes I even come up with my own questions and use those. Often the study sheets from Emily Belle Freeman in her “Don’t Miss This” newsletter archives have great discussion questions as well. Sometimes I use those. (Click on the link I just made and scroll down to where it says “Download Study Sheet.”)

4. Lastly, I love to write down their answers in a special pretty notebook I have dedicated for our Come, Follow Me Family Study Journal. (Hint: Ross Dress for Less Stores have pretty notebooks for only $2.99! I love them because they are hardbound, have a spiral binding so I can attach a pen with a clip inside the coil, and they often have a Bible scripture printed on the cover.) This is becoming a treasured family keepsake as the kids tell me things I’ve never heard before. I am getting delightful peeks into their souls.