A new website to help plan weekly family nights is "a wonderful tool for parents" according to mother of four, Laura Hunter.
"It has everything in one place including lesson and activity ideas, videos, quotes from Church leaders and success stories from other families."
The site is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' official website, www.lds.org.
Laura and her husband Richard have been holding a weekly family night (what Latter-day Saints call 'Family Home Evening') each Monday since they were married 13 years ago. They and millions of other Mormons worldwide keep Monday night free of other activities so they can dedicate the evening to spending quality time as a family.
"Holding family night every week has been great for our family," Laura says. "If you consistently have a dedicated evening for the family each week it brings a sense of togetherness and teamwork into the home."
Treats and games are popular ingredients for a successful family night.
"We've played a form of indoor hockey, with rolled up, taped up newspapers as the sticks, and tied up socks as the ball. We have also invented other games such as house-ball, where dad throws a big beach ball over the house and the children run to catch it as it comes bouncing over the roof to the other side of our home. It's a little like tennis, with the house as the net. Another favourite is Flash-point 3000. This game involves two teams running through the house taking prisoners and stealing the other team's treasures from their 'base.'"
"Family home evening is special for us because we're laughing and playing together every week. That brings us closer."
Family home evening is also a time when the Hunters talk clearly and simply about values they want to live by in their home, such as honesty, work, helping others, learning, prayer, faith and courtesy.
"Monday evening is not the only time we spend together as a family," Richard adds. "We try to do a lot of things together, including household chores. But making Monday evening a special family time makes for an excellent start to the week. It sets the tone for what we are trying to become as a family."
To learn more about the new website, click here.