Adelle has a family night lesson with a bit of a name game in it to help everyone understand the importance of taking pride in heritage and in one’s relation to God.
Did you know that you have a Father in Heaven who loves you and knows you personally? He knows each of His children, individually, by name. He is the Father of your spirit. His love is unconditional. As His children, we are always under his watch and care.
This Family Night Lesson has a name game that’s all about YOU! What is your name? Where did it come from and what does it represent? What can you do to make your name something to be proud of?
Lesson:
Make a name tag for each person in your family. You can decorate your own, or fill out the pre-made kind that you can buy at the store. This lesson is all about names!
Sit in a circle. Take some time to talk about each person in the family. Tell the story of how you decided on their name when they were a baby. Are they named after a specific ancestor or special friend? Is there a funny story about how their name came to be? Why did you love it? Go around the circle until everyone has had a chance to hear their personal name story.
Then, look up on the internet what each person’s name means. I used a simple Google search. My name is Adelle. When I looked up the meaning of my name, I found out it was a German name that means, “Sweet or Noble.” I thought it was a neat discovery.
Discussion:
When you hear a person’s name, there is a unique feeling associated with it. You picture in your mind how that person acts. You feel how you would feel in their presence. Talk about how our actions and behavior affect the way people feel when they hear our name. What kinds of things can we do to make our family name something to be proud of?
Some ideas might include:
- We can be kind.
- We can dress modestly.
- We can have a smile on our face.
- We can give compliments.
- We can be quick to offer a helping hand.
- We can use clean language.
When we talk and act in a positive and uplifting way, it makes people feel good. We can be proud of our name and how it is being represented.
When we are baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we take upon ourselves the name of Christ. We promise to keep the commandments and remember that Christ loved us so much that He died to pay for our sins. We represent Him on this Earth. We want to keep His name holy by keeping the commandments and choosing the right.
When we make a good name for ourselves it is also making Jesus and Heavenly Father happy too!
Activity
Draw the letters of your name down the side of a piece of paper. Make each letter capitalized. Then, write a describing word that starts with each letter that characterizes the type of person that you are.
For example: My name is “Adelle.” So, I would write next to the letter A “Adventurous” because I love exploring new places with my family. Then, next to the letter D, I could write “Delightful” because I am just a joy to be around! Ha! Continue filling in the letters with adjectives until you finish your full name. I would suggest only using positive words.
Then, take turns reading your name posters out loud to each other. Hang them in the house for the week, so you can focus on all of the great qualities of each person in your family. Heavenly Father knows your name. He loves you and wants you to be happy. Set a goal to act in a way to make your name something to be proud of!
For more posts like this, check these out:
Love Like Jesus – Family Night Idea
February 2017 Visiting Teaching Message
Family Night Archives – All our Family Night posts in ONE place!
