Get Your Kids Involved in Family History Work

My lesson from last month's Primary activity on family history:

Elder Allan F. Packer said, "Temple and family history work is part of living the gospel at home. It should be a family activity far more than a Church activity."

Elder Bednar explained,

Many of you may think family history work is to be performed primarily by older people. But I know of no age limit described in the scriptures or guidelines announced by Church leaders restricting this important service to mature adults. . . . 

It is no coincidence that FamilySearch and other tools have come forth at a time when young people are so familiar with a wide range of information and communication technologies. Your fingers have been trained to text and tweet to accelerate and advance the work of the Lord—not just to communicate quickly with your friends. The skills and aptitude evident among many young people today are a preparation to contribute to the work of salvation. . . . 

I promise you will be protected against the intensifying influence of the adversary. As you participate in and love this holy work, you will be safeguarded in your youth and throughout your lives. 

Parents and leaders, please help your children and youth to learn about and experience the Spirit of Elijah. But do not overly program this endeavor or provide too much detailed information or training. Invite young people to explore, to experiment, and to learn for themselves (see Joseph Smith—History 1:20).

Sister Rosemary M. Wixom shared at RootsTech 2016 ways in which we parents can make our ancestors real to our children, such as by telling kids when they share a quality or trial with an ancestor. She also recommended writing down precious pieces of information at every family gathering to share with our children.

These stories will help our children feel a connection to their ancestors. Through this connection, children naturally will desire to do family history work, from finding names to completing temple ordinances. And, as Elder Bednar promised, you children will be protected from the evil in this world. Working on your family history will keep you safe and strong. And you can kill two birds with one stone by making it Family Home Evening!

I closed by sharing these two videos. The first expresses how even children can use the Family Search site. The second shows how children can begin to be involved in family history work simply by learning more about their ancestors.

Challenge: Involve your children of all ages in family history work.