Keeping the Sabbath

Here are 40 suggestions your family might use to keep the sabbath holy and special.  Print the list.  You can use it in several ways: keep the whole thing on your fridge or cut them up and put them in a fish bowl -- however you want pick one each week for the next week so you have time to gather the supplies and do it the next week.  Have fun & add your own.  

Make every Sunday Sabbath by turning off electronics, say "no" to anything that divides the family whether thats sports, clubs or going over to friends.  Plan ahead.

Make a collage or draw pictures showing your blessings.

Make charts for family members to show their progress in scripture reading or memorizing certain passages.

Make puzzles out of pictures from old magazines.

Make play dough and create people and shapes from favorite scripture stories

Create a family mailbox to keep inside your home that you fill with sweet letters to each other.

Create a family flag or banner to display in your home.

Decorate a pillow case with scriptures or other sweet thoughts to fill your mind as you

Learn about other cultures. Find out how the Church is progressing in different parts of the world.  Prepare a meal from a foreign country.

Listen to classical music and art. Learn about some of the famous composers and artists.

Have everyone in the family choose different books to read during the next few Sundays. When everyone has finished reading have each person present an oral report about what they learned from their book.  Start a Book Club.

Do an inventory of your food storage.  Create an emergency kit.

Update all of your smoke alarm batteries and review your emergency plans of exit with your family.   Prepare “every needful thing.”

Hold a family council.  Review expectations, rewards and consequences

Have individual interviews with your children. Review their goals, hopes and dreams.

Take family photos outside somewhere in a beautiful setting.

Write a list of all the good qualities of each family member. Share the list with them or just refer to it when you’re having a hard time remembering why you really do love them!

Show home movies or slides of when everyone was younger.  Tell stories of when parents were young and how they met, what things were like then, etc.

Plan your next family vacation. Talk about how you will keep the Sabbath Day holy if your trip involves a Sunday stay.

Plan a family reunion. Research locations where you could gather for the big event.

Write or call relatives who could help you organize it. Make assignments. Pick a theme.

Meet some of your neighbors. If they’re new bring them a copy of the local newspaper or list of helpful phone numbers, along with a plate of cookies and your phone number.

Invite two or three families from church to your home for ice cream “Sundays” and talk about your favorite Sunday traditions.

Leave treats at the doorstep of two families in the church with a note telling them to carry on the good “Sabbath Secret” deed. 

Create a gospel version of your favorite board game by substituting the original questions with gospel questions. 

Play Charades using scripture stories

Create a treasure hunt using scriptures as clues. Choose an object to hunt for such as a new set of scriptures, church stickers or a favorite dessert.

Make a special journal where you record only your spiritual experiences.

Create a photo pedigree chart of your family.  Research your family’s historic coat of arms. Find out about the symbols.

Volunteer to take pictures of tombstones at your local cemetery as part of the project for www.gravestonephotos.com

Go “Sunday caroling.”   Visit other members in your ward or branch and sing them a few hymns to lift their spirits.

Do science experiments to understand God’s fascinating world. Study how the Lord used scientific principles in the scriptures.

Look up addresses and phone numbers for your Congressmen and Senators. Write them a letter about an issue you feel strongly about. Thank them for the good they are doing.

Take treats to your local firemen. Thank them for the service they provide to your community.

Go to the Humane Society or People for Pets and volunteer to help play with the animals or walk the dogs.

If you have a cuddly or interesting pet that brings smiles to people’s faces, call a local hospital or nursing home to see if you could bring your pet to share with patients.

Learn about the Presidential Service Award and earn it! It can be earned by individuals, by families, or even large groups working together. www.presidentialserviceawards.gov

Put together a care package for a missionary, someone in the military service, or someone who is away from home at  school.

Call the Relief Society Compassionate Service Leader in your Ward or Branch and ask how you could help.

Volunteer to take home the nursery toys to clean or repair.

Keep a notebook of your prayers and how they were answered.