28 of the best tips and resources for a successful General Conference weekend. 

 

General Conference is an exciting time! It is wonderful to hear counsel and direction from our church leaders. It can also be a little frustrating as we try to keep children happy and quiet.   

Here is 28 of the best tips and resources out there. They include everything from what to do before, during, and even after conference. Making this your ultimate guide to the perfect General Conference weekend!  

(Memes collected from Mormon Memes, LDS SMILE, BYU Memes, and Pinterest. )

 

IDEAS FOR MAKING GENERAL CONFERENCE A SUCCESS

 

 

 

1. FHE

Prepare your family by holding a special Family Home Evening all about General Conference, keeping in mind the importance of teaching our children to love the prophets. Here are some great ideas to include in your FHE: 

• Sing “Follow the Prophet” or “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet”
• Watch the story of King Benjamin or read the account in Mosiah 1:9–10, Mosiah 2–3, and Mosiah 5:7. Then compare that to General Conference today.
• Share with your children what the plans are for watching General Conference. Talk about any printables or fun activities that you plan to do. 

• End with a fun game of Don’t Eat Pete! 🙂

*For another great FHE idea, check out a post from Or So She Says

*And for another great game to learn the names of church leaders, try LDS Apostles Bingo and Matching.

 

2. Prepare Spiritually

Prepare your heart and mind through studying the scriptures, past conference talks, and prayer. 

3. Fantasy General Conference

A fairly new tradition at our house has been Fantasy General Conference. Simply print out copies and have everyone write down who they think will speak at which session, what songs will be sung, etc. Everyone will receive points for how many they get right. Be sure and have a reward for the winner at the end AND that the sheets are filled out before conference starts. *This is an older version as in you will need to change Priesthood session to Women’s Session and change the names of the First Presidency. But I still think you will find it just as fun as my family does 🙂 For a more in-depth Fantasy General Conference, great for seminary age children or older, check out the Fantasy General Conference Facebook page. Go to their post regarding their latest edition.

4. A Tip for Saturday

If on Saturday it is not possible to sit down and watch as a family, plan ahead. Plan how you’ll listen while on-the-go. It’s wonderful that we have the capability to listen to conference on our mobile devices wherever we are. Try not to plan any errands beyond what you have to do. Try and still have the day centered around conference as much as you can.   

 

5. Be Prepared

Have all your activities, printables, snacks, and easy-to-make meals prepared and ready before conference begins. Preparation is the key to a successful conference weekend. 

**Check out Six Sisters’ Stuff and their 25 of the Best Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes. They are easy and delicious. Perfect for meals during conference weekend. 

**For a fun Popcorn snack, try one of Something Swanky’s 50+ Perfect Popcorn Recipes. WARNING: They all look so good, you will have a hard time choosing 🙂 

 

 

 

 

6. Brunch

At our house, General Conference starts at 9 a.m. So one of the traditions we love is making a nice brunch on Sunday and everyone eats it while we watch conference. It usually consists of bacon, fresh fruit with dip, juice, and cinnamon rolls. (*Easy and Delicious Fruit dip: Mix together 1 container of fruit flavored cream cheese and 1 container of marshmallow fluff.)

7. Kids Situated

Assign and prepare seating spots. Let your children know where they are going to sit and then let them gather their pencils, crayons, pillows, favorite quiet toy, water bottles etc. Also, make sure everyone uses the bathroom so there are no potty-break interruptions.

8. Tent or Fort

In reference to the story of King Benjamin, you can also set up a tent in the house facing the prophet. You can let the kids sleep in it all weekend and watch conference in it. If you don’t have a tent or would rather not get it out, another idea is to let your kids make their own tents or “forts” out of sheets and blankets. Just be sure when they sit in them they can still see conference. 

9. Sleepers

I’ve heard some pretty great ideas on what to do about sleepers. Before conference starts, you may decide if there’s something you want to have ready. One idea is to have a squirt bottle filled with water on hand. Another idea is to have nail polish. A dad has been known to wake up with pink toenails 😉 Even if you don’t do either of these, it is a good idea to go over the “ground rules” before watching conference.

10. Morning Walk

Camille over at Chicken Scratch n Sniff suggests a morning walk. Morning walks are a great way to get the blood pumping, the eyes awake, and the lungs full of fresh air. Get as many wiggles out as you can before conference begins. 

 

 

 

There are lots of fun ideas out there for activities to do with kids during General Conference along with some fun printables. Here are my top favorites!

11. Hear a Word, Get a Treat

This idea comes from The R House. You have 3 or more small buckets filled with little candies. Each bucket has a word on it. Whenever someone hears one of those words said in conference, they can get a candy from that bucket. TIP: When I first did this idea I had more than 3 buckets and soon realized that was too much candy. If you want more than 3 buckets, I would suggest adding goldfish or another fun snack.  

OR an alternative to this that doesn’t have to include food but instead includes a hole puncher is Punch the Point from Brightly Street. Kids have strips of paper with words on them and places to punch a hole with a hole puncher whenever they hear that word. You can decide whether or not to offer a reward after all the holes are punched.   

12. Brown Paper Sacks

Brown Paper Sacks is where you fill 15 brown paper sacks with a variety of items. Anything from coloring pages to quiet toys to candy and/or healthy snacks. On the front of each sack, put the name and picture of the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. When one of them speaks, the kids get to look inside the appropriate bag and get whatever is inside that bag. (Example: If Elder Holland speaks, they get what’s inside Elder Holland’s bag) If someone speaks that doesn’t have a bag, then your kids continue to play with what they already have or any other fun activities that you have planned. (Here is a link to images of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)

13. Bingo

BINGO is a popular game to play during conference. What’s great about BINGO is that you can print off bingo cards on cardstock or laminate them and they can be reused for the next conference. You can use m&ms, goldfish, buttons or beans for the Bingo pieces. There is a super cute up-to-date set of BINGO cards available on Etsy for only $1. LDS.org also has BINGO cards as does LDS Bookstore. The FREE printable version from LDS Bookstore is nicely done and geared towards older kids and adults. If you want to get away from using sweets or having lots of small pieces everywhere, you can also download the app Quiet Games for LDS Kids and they have a Conference BINGO that you simply click on the squares. 

14. Quiet Toys

Some great ideas for quiet toys are Legos, Play-doh or LDS Sewing (Lacing) Cards. I know one mom who purchases a new set of Legos before each conference. This is a great toy that keeps her children quiet while listening. Her children look forward to it at every conference. Brand new Play-doh can also be exciting for kids. Another fun way to keep little hands busy is with Teepee Girl’s Free LDS Sewing (Lacing) Cards that you print, hole punch, and add a piece of yarn.

15. Conference Store

Have you ever tried having a Conference Store? Kids earn Conference Cash by listening, doing their printables etc. and then at the end they can buy something from the Conference Store. The Conference Store can consist of treats, dollar store items, and/or coupons for things like a date with Mom or Dad or a fun night with friends. The possibilities are endless. Thanks to Somewhat Simple who has some free Conference Cash that you can print out.

16. Printables

Having something to color is always fun for kids while they listen.  

With the newly called apostles and First Presidency, you may have found it hard to find printables that are up-to-date. No worries! I have found a few that are really good. *If there is one not listed here that you know of, please share it in the comment section below.

Mormon Cartoonist has an up-to-date April 2019 General Conference Packet that has lots of different fun activities!

LDS.org has some printable pages for kids. 

April 2019 Maeser Art packet

General Conference Packet – From A to Z

General Conference I Spy Sheets by Little LDS Ideas

Color Their Tie from the Idea Door

Family Conference Prep Packet: April 2019 by Deseret Book

13 Articles of Faith Coloring Pages from LDS Lane *Something for older kids and adults to color while listening

17. Wall of Quotes

A great idea for older kids and adults is to give everyone a sticky pad of paper. Whenever anyone hears something they really like, they write it down and stick it on a designated “Wall of Quotes.” The goal is to see how many sticky notes your family can get on the wall before conference is over. *At the end of conference, this is a great way to review what was said, having everyone share the quotes they wrote down. You can also offer a small piece of candy for each quote that is added.

18. Conference Trivia  

This is also a great activity for older kids and adults. As conference is going on, have each person write down questions about conference that can later be used in a game of General Conference Trivia. Prepared Not Scared has some cute printable cards that you can use. Have everyone write one question per session. Collect all the cards and make a game out of it at your next FHE. 

19. Conference Journals

Also for older kids, and even the adults, conference journals are a great way to write down your thoughts and feelings that you have during conference. A fun way to do this is to purchase a composition book or small spiral notebook and have stickers, scrapbook paper, ribbon, buttons, special pens, etc. available to decorate the outside cover with.  

20. Scenic Drive

One great idea to do during a session of conference is to go for a scenic drive. Driving and listening to conference can be a wonderful experience and also gets you out of the house. 

 

 

 

After listening to conference for 2 hours, it’s time to take a break. Here are a few ideas to do between sessions and one after Saturday.

21. Service

Make a goodie, visit the elderly, or do a random act of kindness. Check out a whole list of Random Acts of Kindness you can do with your kids at Sunshine and Spoons. 

22. Get the Wiggles Out

Go on a nature hike, ride bikes, play games that involve lots of movement such as tag or kickball.

23. Clean

On Saturday you can do one of those do-every-6-months cleaning chores such as washing windows. 

24. Go Out for Ice Cream

After the Saturday evening session (this year it is for the women) have all the girls go out for ice cream. Better yet, my girls love it when we order chinese and eat it at Grandma’s while watching the women’s session. OR you could also plan a fun pizza night for the whole family on Saturday in celebration of conference and everyone being good that day.

 

 

 

25. Share via Social Media

To participate in general conference conversations on Twitter, the church suggests using #LDSconf or speakers’ recommended hashtags, or simply retweet quotes, videos, and images posted at @LDSchurch. The Apostles’ Facebook pages are another way to see and share their messages.

 

26. Personal Study

Relisten to the conference talks and study them over the next 6 months. Check out The Red Headed Hostess General Conference Study Kit – perfect for personal or group study.

27. Family Study

Make studying the talks given by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles a part of your family scripture study. Pick one day a week where you read a talk together as a family instead of the scriptures. And/Or use them in your Family Home Evenings. 

General conference talks in text, audio, and video formats are provided in multiple channels for studying after conference, including the Gospel Library app, the general conference section of LDS.org, and Church magazines.

28. File Away

File away notes of everything that worked or didn’t work well for your family this year along with your BINGO cards and any leftover printables. This will get you ahead of the game for next conference.

 

 

I hope you found this guide helpful. If you did, please share it with your family and friends 🙂

Have a fantastic General Conference weekend!

Yours Truly,

 

 

 

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