General Conference starts next week! Are you excited?

I look forward to General Conference every six months, excited to hear our prophet and other leaders share messages that inspire and help me become better. It’s almost like looking forward to Christmas, and we get to celebrate twice a year.

I used to not like General Conference as much because I worried so much about keeping my kids quiet and entertained. I put a lot of judgments and expectations on myself and my family members.

Can you relate?

The past few years I have tried a few things that have been helpful that I wanted to share to make General Conference weekend more enjoyable for you and your family members.

6 Quick Ways to Make General Conference More Enjoyable

1. Clear your calendar– Try and not plan other activities and events during conference. If this is not doable (Saturday’s have always been hard with soccer games), plan a day the following week to sit down and watch the session you missed.
2. Plan treats and meals–General Conference is all about the treats and meals. Buy special treats to eat as you watch conference together. As much as possible, purchase and prepare simple meals ahead of time. We love “Monkey Bread” at our house on Sunday morning.
3. Set realistic expectations for yourself and your family – Is this year a time you just need to listen? Do you need to write down your impressions for each talk? Do you want to take notes? If you have little children, remember they have short attention spans. What do you expect of your children? Be ok with how everyone around you chooses to watch conference.
4. Prepare and plan during conference activities – If you are a note taker, have your notebook and pens ready to go. If you enjoy coloring during conference, print out coloring pages now and gather colored pencils. If you allow your children to do quiet activities, gather them now. You can follow my Pinterest Boards for Notetaking HERE and Children’s Activities HERE for additional ideas.
5. Review talks from last General Conference – If you have been following along with the 40-Day General Conference Challenge, this is already done. You could listen to one or two favorite talks from the last conference to prepare you for this conference.
6. Plan to go outside between sessions – go for a quick walk as a family or play in the backyard. Let everyone get their wiggles out so they are ready for the next session.

I’d love to hear what you and your family do to prepare for conference. COMMENT and share what works for you and your family-I love new ideas!

Enjoy conference this year– a “time of spiritual rejuvenation” (President Nelson)

If you are looking for some “General Conference Talk Marking Ideas”, check out this blog post HERE.

If you are looking for “5 Inspiring Ways to Read General Conference Talks”, check out this blog post HERE.