I often ask my daughter on the way home from church what her primary lesson was about. It can be frustrating to hear the same reply every week. She calmly says, “I don’t remember.” I know that this might be common for a four year old, but I still hope that she is absorbing more of the lesson than she claims she is. One thing I can do to help my daughter’s comprehension and understanding is to reinforce the lessons at home during the week.
This is actually easier than it may sound. The lesson manuals are available online at the church’s website. Currently if your child is in Nursery or Sunbeams (ages 18 months-3 years) you would teach the corresponding lesson in the Primary 1manual. If your child were ages 4-7 you would teach the corresponding lesson in the Primary 2 manual. If your child were ages 8-11 you would teach the corresponding lesson in the Primary 6 manual.
To reinforce the lessons you do not need to necessarily sit down and review the entire lesson. You may want to discuss a scripture story from the lesson at dinnertime as a family. You may take the time to do an activity with the family, which relates to the lesson in some way. You may reiterate or discuss certain points that you want your child to really grasp, several times during the week.
When you reinforce the lessons at home do so in a positive manner. Try to make the lessons and the story as fun as possible. Ask for your child’s opinion about different situations, which the lesson would apply to. This will give you a chance to spend quality time with your child, while focusing on the gospel. What other suggestions do you have for reinforcing the lessons learned at church in your home?