Years and years ago (wow, almost 18!), I figured out that the single most important factor* influencing our Home Lesson time was how prepared I was.   When I was familiar with the lessons, we all learned.  When I did the necessary prep work, things flowed well.  Each month we would bring home a little mountain of paper and it really helped to sort through it all right away and get the big picture.  What needs to be done each week?  What activity pieces go with each lesson?  Did I bring home everything I needed, or did I need to stop by the office for that extra piece I forgot? In short, I found it was really helpful to get it all organized right up front, and that’s where my Top Pick comes in.

It’s this.  Simple, cheap, and effective.

My expanding file has 6 sections and is big enough to hold legal-sized pages.  I divide all the pages necessary for each of the three Home Lessons in the first three file slots.  Next is all the vestments for our Priest Paper Doll.  Fifth are some lyrics sheets we’ve used for a short praise time before lessons, and the last slot holds pages of art (from calendars, the internet, etc.) that I use on our prayer table.  It’s not the most attractive thing, but it fits on a bookshelf and really has lasted for all those years.

*Yes, I know that God’s grace is really the single most important factor influencing our Home Lesson time.  It does help a lot, however, when I choose to cooperate with it.  🙂  I also know that there are lots of other important influences, but those are posts for another time.