6 Practical Things to Do Before General Conference

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Don’t let General Conference sneak up on you. Prepare for it. While preparing yourself spiritually is the most important thing you can do, there are some practical things you can do to help you enjoy General Conference more as a family. No need for it cause extra stress. You’ve got this.

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Clear the calendar

School, sports, work, and General Conference don’t have to be competitors. While there are some things that you really can’t do much about, there are other things that can you knock out with some extra planning.

For example, you can help your teen see that there is that big project due just after Conference and to get it done before the weekend comes. You can send an email to some teachers asking for extra time for some homework or to receive it earlier so you don’t have to do it over Conference weekend. You just might be surprised how flexible teachers are when you or your child talks to them ahead of time (not just the day before).

Even if you end up missing a session of General Conference, we live in a world where you can still show your family that you value General Conference. The ability to rewatch the sessions is available immediately! Summaries of talks are available so quickly. If you have to miss Saturday morning’s session, what will you do instead? Listen to one talk a day for scripture study? Binge watch Conference that afternoon? Listen to a talk in the car each day to seminary? Get creative and make a plan as a family.

The important thing is that you show your family that General Conference is important and a priority (and why).

Knock out those Chores

Let’s do some Conference math. If Conference starts at 10 AM that means you want to be in your seat ready to go by 9:59 AM. Therefore you want to eat breakfast by what time and you want to have all your chores done before that. Take a few minutes and figure it all out. You can still go grocery shopping on Saturday morning, just know when you want to be back and have your list actually ready.

The weekend is far more enjoyable when you don’t have to worry about chores and shopping in between all the breaks. Skip the Conference math and knock out those Saturday chores and errands on Friday or throughout the week. It takes a little intentional planning to remember but it’s worth it.

And remember! You can always hit rewind on Conference so even if your math isn’t perfect, it’s okay.

Figure Out What everyone will Do During Conference

Think about each person in your family individually. What will help them listen best and set them up for success this Conference?

One child may be ready to take notes while another needs a lot of smaller activities. Is that listening game actually helpful or does it make things worse? Your teen may want a little structure but still some fun. And don’t forget about yourself and your spouse. What will help you both actually sit down, listen and capture the things you want to remember?

The goal isn’t to keep everyone busy or make everyone experience Conference the same way. It’s to think ahead about what each person needs and set your family up for the best possible outcome. Of course, things won’t go as planned all the time but a little prep can make a big difference.

You’ll find plenty of free printables, games and activities on our General Conference Fun page or head to our Market for even more.

get to know the speakers

Actually recognizing someone on the screen can make a big difference to how well you and your family pay attention. Think about it: would you rather listen to a friend or complete stranger? Get to know the apostles and other leaders of the Church before Conference. Play a few rounds of our Apostle Bingo game so your family is familiar with the names and faces. Get to know each apostle more with our fun fact pages and make a fun puppet in their likeness.

Plus you can check out the General Church Leadership page to get to know all the organization’s current leaders.

Check that food storage & Emergency Prep

General Conference is also a perfect time to check on your food storage and emergency preparedness. What needs rotating? How about those 72-hour kits- do they still have diapers even though everyone is a teenager? Check it out, add to it, and feel good knowing you are better prepared than you were before.

It’s usually a good time to start checking for deals too on things like a generator or crank radio as Conference is always surrounded by holidays.

Need to put more in your emergency fund? Use the week of Conference as a challenge to use only the food in your house- no buying anything that week. Then put what you normally would have spent into your emergency fund.

Don’t start the weekend exhausted

You know Conference is exhausting. Set yourself up for the best situation possible by getting a good night’s rest all week if you can. It takes several days to recover from a bad night’s sleep. Set an alarm (to go to bed), follow some of those best sleeping practices, and get a good night’s sleep all week long. You can go crazy next week.

What else would you add to your practical General Conference prep? We’ve got what you need to help make this next General Conference the best one yet. Check out our notebooks, games, and coloring to help your family listen and focus.

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