Title: “Mother Enrichment”
Exhibitor: Jane Jones
Description: Young mothers have special needs for support,
encouragement, education, and association. Some are living far from family and the strength that they can provide. Others have developed professional skills and spend many hours in the work place. All are entering an exciting phase in their lives when they have new responsibility and are eager to earn what it takes to be successful in their new and ever-changing roles. The Relief Society Handbook provides an excellent format to fill this void. Pages 204-205 states: “…the counselor assigned to homemaking may plan enrichment activities to help fulfill the interests of sisters…Enrichment activities may be attended by groups who have a common interest. They may be held weekly, monthly, or at other frequencies. They may be held at the meetinghouse, the home of a member, or some other appropriate place…they may include educational…social…or recreational activities, etc.
How To’s:
Playgroups
This is the easiest and probably the best way to get the group started. Organize playgroups so that they meet the needs of those involved. Decide how many times a month the group would like to meet, the day and time that will work best for the group, and choose a place. Neighborhood parks or large play areas work well in warm weather. During colder months, a ward nursery is wonderful. When an indoor playgroup is necessary, it works well to have the mothers take turns planning a simple activity, reading a story, teaching a song or finger play, or doing a craft or art project with the children. It is important to keep it simple. This is meant to help mothers, not to make their lives more complicated.
A calendar should be made up far in advance so that all of the mothers can plan ahead as they make their schedules for the month. After the group is organized and a calendar is distributed, the group practically runs itself. Mothers and children simply show up each week. It is unstructured time the mothers can visit and socialize while they watch the children play.
There are many benefits to the “Playgroup Enrichment Activity.” We have found that mothers of many faiths living in the neighborhoods get to know and understand one another and feel included by church members. Mothers that are new to an area have an instant welcoming group and feel quickly integrated to the ward and neighborhood. The group provides time for mothers to enjoy adult conversation as they network, support, and learn from each other. Pre-school children have opportunities to learn to play with other children as their mothers observe and supervise.
When the playgroups are attended regularly and you’ve established a core group, you can add lessons and projects, if desired.
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Lessons are planned with the needs and concerns of young mothers in the group in mind. They can be held once a month, quarterly, or as needed. There are many ways to incorporate a lesson into young mother enrichment, and often how that is done could be decided by the Relief Society President and the counselor over enrichment activities. It is also possible to call a young mother to be the leader over the enrichment activities of that group.
It is generally very difficult to have the children present during the lesson presentation. Therefore, lessons presented during the day will require a nursery. The way that is handled will be up to the mothers in the group. Some may chose to have mothers take turns in the nursery each time and rotate that responsibility within the group. Others have desired to hire a person or two, depending on the size of the group, to do activities with the children during the lesson. It may be necessary to pan an evening or Saturday lesson time when fathers are at home and available to care for the children. However your groups decides to meet the needs of the children, it is critical that the mothers can give full attending to what is being taught and not worry about their children for that hour.
Lesson topics are innumerable!! For example, lessons about family meals and nutrition are becoming a critical issue all over the world, and education in this area is essential. Recipe exchanges can encourage good nutrition and well as home cooking. Group members can study and present information that they have found on assigned topics. Books on parenting can be reviewed and discussed. Other lessons can center around how to help children be more reverent in church meetings, family home evening ideas, teaching responsibility, holiday traditions, how to create a gospel-centered home, how to discipline with love, etc. Experienced parents and professionals in the area can be invited and will help bless the families of our wards and stakes.
There are many projects that mothers would like to create for their families but time and travel limit their opportunities. Often ideas for projects come from lessons that have been presented. It is frustrating to want to be creative and not be able to meet that need. Sometimes mothers can work together and by having each one do a small part, they can accomplish their desired goal. For example, one group wanted to make “I Spy” quilts for their children. Each mother brought two or three different fabrics to contribute. A talented quilter and member of the ward then came to show how to cut, piece, and finish the quilt. It was a fun project and working together made it all possible.
A nursery is a must when doing projects. When space and equipment for a project needs to be shared (which is often the case) the mothers can take turns watching the nursery. Half the mothers work on the project while the other half supervise the nursery. The next time they switch places. It’s amazing what can be accomplished with team work.
Other projects include responsibility charts for teaching children to work Family Home Evening visual aids and quiet books. The creative possibilities are endless as we combine our talents and work together.