2019 – Reflecting on Last Year’s Program
When our Church came out with the new Come Follow Me program last year I was so excited. I fell in love with this idea of studying the scriptures more in our home and had all these grand ideas for how it would go.
Throw in a freshly turned 3 year old and 7 month old and you can see how my plans quickly changed.
As people shared their progress in church meetings, I started feeling discouraged that my journey looked nothing like theirs. I realized that I was at a different stage of life than most of these families. I had young kids, worked part time and couldn’t devote our family to studying an hour each day.
My sweet friend Mary introduced me to a wonderful resource shop on Etsy called Time Savors and it saved our family!
I bought the children’s version of the New Testament, complete with games and activities to keep my 3 year old’s attention for a solid 10 minutes each night. Seriously.
I decided to buy the instant download, print, laminate and bind the book myself so that the set would last us all year. I WILL tell you it took a lot of time to finish but the end result was amazing and we used this resource every night all year long!
Small Attainable Goals
Our goal was to read a children’s version of the New Testament that corresponded to the lesson we were on in the Come Follow Me program and help our boys make a small connection to the scriptures that felt relevant to them. I also made up a prayer chart that rotated who said our dinner prayer and our bed time prayer. My oldest son LOVES charts so this worked amazing for helping us staying consistant with family prayers.
2020 – What We Are Doing Differently and What We Will Keep the Same
This year, I will be making a binder again to keep all of our CFM curriculum organized in one place. We kept it in our boys room last time so it was easily accessible after dinner and bath time. We will also be utilizing the Book of Mormon Videos produced this last year.
Reading Schedule
I loved using a reading schedule last year and printed this similar one out for my binder cover this year. It’s a quick was to glance and see what lesson we are on this week.
Time Savors – Book of Mormon Children’s Version
After loving the download from Time Savors last year, you know I was going to use it again. My only change was I paid for the already printed and bound version to save on ink. I took the book apart to laminate the pages and then had it bound back together for a few dollars at Office Max.
Kindred Kids
I am probably most excited to incorporate these Kindred Kids Cards into our nightly routine Come Follow Me study plan.
After running across this Mom run company on Instagram, I instantly knew I wanted to try these cards with my boys.
Each card is broken down by the weeks theme with a beautiful illustration on the front. The back has a scripture and a small goal outlined for the week to help in your families progress.
The aspect I love most is the simplicity. The cards are high quality and well made with beautiful eye catching colors and pictures but it is simple enough for young kids to stay involved and be able to participate. They also come bound on a ring and in a sweet little linen bag that you could easily take with you anywhere.
You can grab a set of the Book of Mormon Kids Cards by Kindred Kids here. Kindred Kids was so amazing that they gave me a 15% off code for your order! Use code KATIE15
Reading Progress Coloring Chart
I am also part of a Facebook Group – Come Follow Me For Families and a sweet girl in the group shared her monthly color block sheets. This is a fun and visual way for kids to see their progress through the scriptures!
My First Book of Mormon
Deseret Book sells some great young reader versions of the scriptures with beautiful pictures and easy to read stories. I have had this Book of Mormon one for about 3 years now and we love it!
Looking Ahead – General Conference Ideas
In the Fall, I stumbled upon Colorly Love on Instagram and printed out their General Conference Kit. Seriously, amazing idea and activities. My kids loved the giant coloring sheet. They have entire kids just for conference but they also sell prints, games and study charts.
I really loved this resource and the price point just cannot be beat! I will definitely be using them again for April Conference 2020.
I hope you found a new resource or two to help you feel hopeful and prepared for bringing the Come Follow Me program into your home this new year. I would love to hear how you incorporate ideas into your family and please share new thoughts that you think I might love too!