Adam loved his packet. I gave him the regular packet pages, including speaker pages for notes. I also gave him a design page for each session and some extra coloring/activity pages. He mostly stayed on the note and design pages.

At the end of Saturday’s sessions, I asked Adam how conference was, and he replied enthusiastically. I asked him why he liked it, and he said, “Maybe because I was born on Conference.” (He was born on a conference Sunday.)

As soon as Tyler heard that Conference was coming up, he asked where his binder was. He is mostly into coloring pages, but also likes putting the sticker of each speaker on the speakers page.

He got upset when he asked for treats on Saturday and I informed him (a few times) that the treats are for Sunday. After moping for a few minutes, he got right back into his packet.

During the rest hymn, the kids could either stand and sing or do laps. I’m glad they chose the laps ‘cause I think it helped them sit through the rest. In between sessions on Saturday, I made sure they all went outside for some fresh air and exercise. Sunday, they just played inside the house.

Mark also kept Jake busy, emptying the crayon pouch, and then putting them back in... over and over again! Jake was nice and patient with him. Mark also passed out toy cookies to everyone, which was really cute.

It’s nice to have a big-big brother around!

Mark only did the morning sessions both days, and went down for his afternoon nap right before the second sessions began. That was so convenient!

Both Andrew and Tyler love using the Conference Center board. This is the first time Tyler got into it, which was a little challenging for Andrew since it has been his baby since its genesis. But when I allowed Andrew to help Tyler, he was fine with it, so that worked well.

Saturday afternoon, Natalie made some awesome General Conference Lego creations: the words “General Conference,” a tie, and...

this cool “Elder Bednar” at the pulpit (though we just couldn’t find a better face that wasn’t mean -- the others all had goatees and such).

I am happy with how well the kids listened. I love that all of them love Conference. They couldn’t wait for it to come, and then were sad when it was over. It has really paid off to work with them when they are little to help them learn how to navigate through Conference, how to listen, and how to enjoy it. I try hard to make it a fun and enjoyable experience, and try to keep the activities and special things all keeping their attention on the speakers.

Yeah for another successful conference!

Although Tyler and Andrew worked the Conference Center board most of the time, Mark was interested in it, too, and loved pulling the pictures off and putting them back on. He especially liked the pictures of us on it.

When Tyler wasn’t enjoying it so much, I sat with him on the floor in front of the Conference Center board and helped him learn how to do it. He really caught on and loved it.

I helped him find the different topic cards. If he didn’t notice a new topic mentioned, I would say the word and point to the picture of it. When he noticed on his own, he would gasp, “Obedience!” and put the obedience card in the conversation bubble. It’s nice to have 4 spots for topics since so many are connected, and even with 4, you are changing them a lot, which keeps their interest.

Andrew was really good at writing down a “note” for each speaker in his conference packet. I think that his writing the “treasures” after each chapter of the Book of Mormon has helped.

I thought Adam’s notes were interesting in that he drew pictures to represent what the speakers discussed.

Amy tried out a few different note-taking pages.

Natalie took notes with her tabbed notebook. (This one is mine)

I made tabs for each session in the kids’ binders. This way, they can easily find the right session. The rule is that they stay inside the current tab and don’t go past it. Then they don’t color all of their fun extra pages prematurely.

Last October, I printed several surprise Avengers pages for Tyler (in addition to the church ones), which were a huge hit.

The kids love this page, which I drew for the Sunday morning session. Adam proudly announced how quickly he found them all. (I think he found them all during the first song!)

After the sessions, Jon showed Jake his mission pictures and told stories for a long time. They enjoyed it. Jake stayed for several hours and played with the kids.

Mark (24 months) roamed free, but liked to copy what the others were doing. I gave him a clipboard with paper, and he hijacked Tyler’s crayons. We traced his hands and he colored.

Tyler (4)

An easy one that Tyler did for part of the time is to put a star sticker on each person’s picture when they speak (just put the general authority chart in a page protector). The back side includes the 70s, but there aren’t any auxiliaries on this chart.

Mark (24 months)

On Sunday, Tyler was very happy to get a treat each time an apostle spoke.

Andrew (7)

Adam (9)

Amy (11)

The morning of, Amy couldn’t find her Conference tabs notebook, and was a little distressed, so I quickly grabbed her old binder and gave her the packet pages I had printed for myself. She later remembered where her notebook was, but chose to continue with the binder for this conference.

Natalie (12)

Other

I had gathered several treats before Conference. Natalie volunteered to pass them out during Conference. (Each time an apostle speaks, the kids get to open his bag and eat that treat.) We always start with Propel for the first one (and switch pictures if needed). They love this and it makes the Sunday sessions extra special. You have to be strategic to make sure that snack distribution doesn’t take a lot of time or distract from the speakers. Pre-dividing the snacks into baggies or cups helps.

I love my Conference Center board! It helps the kids learn about how Conference works - who the speakers are and where the fit. On Sunday, Andrew asked me, “Are you going to print new pictures for the new Sunday School?” He caught on that the SS presidency was released and that new people were called. Wow. We also remember which apostles have spoken and can see who remains.