Sometimes I have it all together and sometimes areas of my life could use a basic overhaul, but when it comes to prepping for a new Family Formation year, I find it best to take a cue from the requirements of starting a new school year.  Prepared is great but being organized and prepared is better!

In the Organized Category, I like to start with the family calendar.  You wouldn’t miss an important school event, right?  Give the same priority to organizing your kids’ religious education!  Marking the dates we all meet at church is the essential starting point, but I also like to mark the regular times our family has agreed upon to do our Home Lessons.  In ink.  We have too much sad experience with letting regular family busy-ness push our Home Lesson time aside.  We’ve learned that sticking to our scheduled time as the highest priority is the best way to make progress.

Regarding being prepared, my kids have a crazy love for new supplies!  New supplies give a fresh start to the year. It’s just nicer to open a box of sharp, unbroken crayons and a glue stick that’s not mostly dried up and kinda gloppy.  Having supplies that function well fuels enthusiasm and creativity.  It marks something special and new (you know — like that new backpack you bought for school).  This time of year you can get everything you need for just a few dollars, so stock up!

We recommend the following essentials:

• A pair of scissors for each student.  Get the best ones you can for your child’s skill level.  There is no joy in trying to cut out a detailed paper doll with a pair of 25-cent plastic scissors.  Get something that actually cuts well and is sized for your child’s hand.  Pre-schoolers perhaps need blunt-tipped safety scissors, but anyone old enough to be trusted not to give themselves a haircut could likely be given the real deal.
• The coloring tools of your choice.  Crayons, colored pencils, watercolor pencils or paints, glitter paint …  It’s almost always optional, but there are lots of opportunities to make your projects more beautiful by adding color.  Have some options on hand!
• Glue bottles or sticks.  Again, having one available per child makes everything move along just a little more smoothly.
• Sharp pencils and working erasers.  Pens are also useful.
• Folders.  Each Family Formation project your child completes is a little peek into their faith life.  Have your kids sign and date their favorites and tuck them away.  You’ll want to look back at them someday, so keep them organized.
• Finally, you’ll want a supply box.  What good is having all these wonderful supplies if you can’t find them?  I recommend getting some kind of plastic container (like a shoe box or sweater box) to keep everything in.  The size you need will vary, depending on the number of children you’re supplying and (obviously) the amount of stuff you want to keep in it, so buy this after you’ve decided between the 8 count or 120 count box of crayons.

After you have everything together, tuck it away and just bring it out ONLY at Home Lesson time.  This has a couple advantages:  (1) you know the stuff will be there when you want to use it and (2) it sets these things apart for this sacred purpose.

With just a little forethought your Family Formation year can start off in a super way!