Family scripture study is a great way to teach your family the gospel. We have been counseled to study the scriptures as a family. This habit will bring your family closer together and the spirit into your home. If you have not consistently sat down and began family scripture study or if you are looking for ways to make family scripture study more effective, here are five tips to help you out.
1) Be organized. It is important to have a regular time set aside to do scripture study each day. This helps your children know what to expect as well. Additionally you should have the scriptures easily accessible. Once your children can read they should have their own scriptures to follow along with.
2) Set aside enough time to study. This is a balancing act. If you have young children, then you will need to plan to take less time, since their attention spans are much shorter. If you have older children you may plan on a longer session. You can set the time to covering a chapter or two each night.
3) Be prepared for the study time. It is wonderful if you can read the next chapter before your family. This will give you a chance to become familiar with the material. You may want to choose a point to discuss as a family. If you have young children, you can prepare pictures, flannel board figures or objects to demonstrate the principles taught in each chapter. The preparation should not take up too much of your time.
4) Lead a discussion on what you read. You can have family members share their favorite part of the chapter or ask a question about it. You may want to ask questions about how the verses you have read can apply directly to their lives. These discussions can really help the scriptures come alive for your children.
5) Be sure to pray as you study the scriptures. This will bring the spirit into the study time. It will also help your family to stay closer together. If you pray before, you will have the spirit with you as you study.
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