Family History

This year, our bishop has greatly emphasized family history work, so I decided to do a small keepsake booklet that the girls can record a little bit of their family history.

I was a little worried about this activity at first, because I thought the girls would be uninterested or even bored with the subject as a whole, but I was definitely proven wrong. This activity was the most spiritual activity we have ever had. The girls had a great time trying to pronounce the names of their grandparents and great grandparents, discovering who they were named after and realizing how long ago their some of their great grandparents were born! I was so impressed that some of the girls even knew stories about some of their family members.

Prior to the activity, I emailed this worksheet to the girls’ parents, encouraging them to fill in as much as they could, and to send the worksheet to the activity with their daughter.

Family History Worksheet

We started our activity with a brief devotional from this 2005 article from the Friend:
Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice: Your Fascinating History By President James E. Faust

We discussed how family history and temple work go hand in hand, and how we can be families forever. 

Next, each girl received a family history booklet. You can download the booklet I put together here:

Family History Booklet *

* This booklet is best printed on two 11x17 pages, double sided, folded and saddle-stitched (stapled) at the center. It will look jumbled and a bit confusing when you download it, but it will look perfect when printed double-sided and folded.

1. First, have the girls write their name on name plate on the front page
2. Second, have them fill out their family tree with full names only. The numbers on the family tree correspond with the numbers on the worksheet, so the girls will know exactly where to put each name.
3. Third, have the girls fill out the more detailed information on the following pages (birthdates and ordinances completed). There is also room for them to write down their testimony, what they love about their parents, and what they love about their grandparents.
4. Challenge the girls to learn more about their great grandparents, write down a few stories on paper, and add it to their booklets.

Quick note… I only had a couple of girls that had additional step parents and grandparents that they wanted to include. I printed these blank nameplates on sticker paper so the girls could add additional family members. You can download my template here:

Blank Nameplates

I hope that you will love this activity as much as we did!