General conference: Games, activities to enhance children's interest

Web site features attractions to help engage young folks

27 March 2010, 12:00 a.m. MDT

The main Web page links to an assortment of conference-related games and activities.

By R. Scott Lloyd

General conference is, or should be, a high point in the year for young and old, but as most any Latter-day Saint parent can attest, it can be a challenge at times to keep the very young engaged, especially while they are listening to or viewing the conference broadcasts at home.

Now, a new Church Internet service available on the Church's Web site aims to help meet that challenge with several games and activities designed to keep young folks' attention focused on the words being delivered by the prophets, apostles and other Church leaders at these twice-yearly events.

"General Conference Notebook" has space for writing thoughts as President Thomas S. Monson speaks.

The activities can be accessed at www.ConferenceGames.lds.org. Going there, parents and their children can expect to find such items as these:

Main Web page links to an assortment of conference-related games and activities.

Prior to general conference sessions, children and others can go online to play matching games to help acquaint themselves with names and faces of prophets and apostles.

"General Conference Notebook" has space for writing thoughts or drawing pictures pertaining to general conference sermons.

The Web pages may be shared or e-mailed, and the General Conference Notebook is available in other languages in addition to English.

Sister Cheryl Lant, Primary general president, said the new Web site "is just a great addition for parents and families to use."

"Our goal is to teach children the gospel and to engage them in that process so that they really are interested and involved in learning and doing things," she said of the Web site.

"One of the emphases in our teaching children with the Spirit is to ask ourselves the question, 'What can the children do to learn?' I think we see that really nicely reflected in this new Web site, because there are a lot of activities that keep the children's attention and focus."

A bingo-like game, challenges youngsters to listen for specific topics as they hear conference talks.

Sister Lant expressed confidence that the Web site activities "can be very helpful in creating a reverent atmosphere and having the children engaged in things that are meaningful during that time and be together as a family while they're doing it. They're doing those things, they're watching conference, and they're feeling the Spirit together."

The new Conference Games Web site is part of an initiative to refresh and improve all the sites associated with the main Church Web site, www.lds.org. A new Web site directed to youth in the Church was introduced late last year, and there is more to come.