General Conference Activities for Teens & Tweens

My husband and I have been temporarily released from Primary (sad face) because we'll be meeting our baby girl VERY soon. But General Conference is this weekend and I couldn't stop my brain from working out some ideas inspired by the tweens and teens in my life. So I put together this quick post that you hopefully find in time...

There are tons of activities out there for little ones during Conference. From bingo to coloring pages the resources are seemingly endless. What about the older ones?

Often General Conference weekend is a rare instance when we can get them to be there, either because of family obligation, to do Seminary make up work, to participate in the acceptable napping, or for the bingo candy. Times are tough for the youth these days. Many of them may find the gospel boring or inapplicable or just plain hard. At least, that's definitely an attitude I've witnessed from a few young(er) people I know. Our youth deserve some Conference activities all their own that will make your GC family experience more meaningful with their involvement while giving them a chance to develop a habit of listening for themselves.

The General Conference Awards

Select from the best of the best this Conference just like an annual award show! Start by choosing your categories. Then nominate contenders after each session of Conference. When it's all over on Sunday vote on your family's favorites.

Here's some category ideas to get you started:

Best Overall
Most Inspiring
Most Applicable Theme
Best Quote or One-Liner
Most Memorable Story
Best Performance of a Hymn

A Question for the Whole Family

Get everyone involved in finding the answer to a family question or decision with advice straight from the podium. Come to Conference with a question the whole family will be listening for answers to. You could keep track in a group text, a online document, or just chat between sessions.

Some question examples might include:
Should we do hobbies/sports/performances on Sunday?
What is the role of each member of the family?
How can we do more service within our community?
How can I build my testimony and be more comfortable as a member of the church?

Create A Work of Art

Let your teens be inspired by a talk, quote, story, etc. to create. There are many possibilities here and the art is really up to the creator.

Some ideas to get you started:
Make up a tshirt (then print it!)
Put together a collage using LDS Church publications
Create a sculpture, painting, or drawing
Design a graphic or social media post to share

Write A Letter

Don't let General Conference end when the speakers sit down. Encourage your teens to respond to what they hear this weekend by writing a letter in response to a speaker, to encourage an investigator, or to teach a nonmember. Then actually deliver them!

Send letters to the speakers at Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City or submit them to the New Era. You could give letters for investigators to the missionaries for them to share. The missionaries will love that. Or, if your kids really have guts, encourage them pass the letter on to a friend who might need to read it.

GC Fire Drill

Okay admittedly this one is a little random. When watching at home we all have a special spot during Conference, which can often lead to a nap. Guilty... Get moving by having everyone randomly switch it up. Make it really interesting by picking a code word to listen for from the speakers such as "Faith," "Truth," or "Testimony." Add a little game of pass the snacks and then settle in again. Fun, right?

Would your older kids enjoy any of these activities? What twists or other ideas do you have? Please comment! There's a whole other round of General Conference in six months!!