FHE Lesson: Making our House a Home

Use this as a basic outline and adjust it as you see fit for your family.
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Open by defining these two words. You can ask what everyone thinks they mean first, if you want.

House: a shelter; a building where people live
Home: an environment offering security and happiness

Ask the question: What does security mean?
Next, ask the question: I want you to picture a house.

Ask: Is a house just a building with windows and a door?

Answer: A house is where families live and sleep and eat. A house becomes a home when family members learn together, help each other, and do fun things.

Relate the following story:
Many years ago a fire destroyed a family’s house. A neighbor tried to comfort the family’s seven-year-old boy by saying, “Johnny, it’s too bad your home burned down.” Johnny thought for a moment and said, “Oh, that was not our home; that was just our house. We still have our home; we just don’t have any place to put it right now.” Johnny knew that the fire had not destroyed his family and their kind feelings for one another.

Ask: What are we doing to make our house a home?

Play the Making Your Home a Holy Place game (You can use your magazine or print it online)

Ask: So, look at these pictures. What were the people doing that made their home a place the Holy Ghost wanted to be?

Ask: How do you think we invite the Holy Ghost into our own home?

Possible answers/additional questions to ask:
We love each other
We have family prayer: how does having family prayer make you feel?
We say our personal prayers: how do you feel when you say your personal prayers?
We read our scriptures
Family Home Evening
We do things together as a family
We are nice to each other
We go to church
Forgiveness
Sharing
We give service: what can you do to serve your brothers and sisters?
Obedience
We support each other: what can you do for someone else to show that you support them?

I took an 8.5 x 11 size piece of white paper and drew a house in the center of it. Then I wrote down our answers radiating out from the house (like a sun). We put it on our fridge to remember.

Ask: Do you think that each one of us can make a difference in our family and in our home as we live the teachings of the gospel?

Ask: What can you do this week to make our house a happy home?

We ended with playing a game called, "My Happy Home" which comes from the Family Home Evening Games Galore Vol. 1, from the Finch Family Games. My kids never tire of these games.

Sources:
Making Your Home a Holy Place from the November 2009 Friend
A Happy Home from the November 2009 Friend
Finch Family Games, Family Home Evening Games Galore, Vol. 1.