FHE lesson to teach kids about service — Secret Service
I found a super cute idea for teaching kids to give service with a secret agent theme called Secret Service. I really wanted to use this idea with my kids but with only one of them being of the age to be able to write on the cute printables, I knew I needed to adapt it to a younger age. We used it for a Family Home Evening (FHE) lesson* – but it could be used by anyone who wants to teach their kids about giving service, something that all kids should be learning about. Here’s what we did:
We talked about serving and then gave them a “secret mission” for the next week. For each time they gave a “secret service” (service without looking for a reward or done in secret) they would tell me and I would write it down on a strip of colorful paper. They also had to answer one question: “How did it make you feel?” The papers would all go in a jar with the goal to fill the jar up by the end of the week.
It took some effort on my part to help (especially the younger ones) finding things they could do – I wanted each kid to do at least one thing every day. But the older ones got into it quickly. One morning, my 7 year old son banned his sisters from their room while he worked in there for 45 minutes. It was already fairly picked up but he cleaned, organized and set up some of their favorite toys on display. They were so excited to see what he had done and came running back to give him a big hug. He pretended to be all bashful about the attention but I could see on his face how great it made him feel.
What’s great is that it has stuck with them a little bit. Every now and then someone will come tell me about some secret service they’ve done or if I think to suggest something they can do for some secret service they get really excited.
Some of the service that was given included:
Cleaning up for someone
Helping a younger child
Making someone’s bed
Taking a treat to a neighbor
Cheering someone up
Helping someone at church
Sending get well cards to a sick family member
Sharing
Helping with yardwork
*Family Home Evening (FHE) is a program our church uses where families have a special time each week to build family relationships and learn important lessons from parents and each other. Click here to learn more about this great tradition that you could start in your own home to strengthen your family, no matter what religion you are.
