I have a heckuva time paying attention. Why would I expect kids to be any different? 8 hours of at-the-pulpit talking.

Kids don't need to pay attention at conference.
Give them a day off.

I am a mom of nine and I have always tried to get my kids to sit through conference. It is great to have new suggestions how to help kids want to pay attention. And maybe these suggestions can help those adults that have a hard time paying attention too.

I think that girl is adorable

Jig saw puzzles are great for keeping people awake, but quiet and attentive during Conference. If you get comfortable on the couch with your feet up you're just asking to sleep through it.

Our kids love to build a blanket fort in the living room, packed with pillows and snacks from their 72-hour kits. It's a great way to see what they like and don't like to eat, refresh the 72-hour kits and make Conference fun. We have also tried activity folders with pictures, puzzles and quizzes to promote interest in what's happening on the screen.

And, since there are no comfortable spots left in the room when every chair is being used to support the blanket fort, it's easier to stay awake. (Unless, like my dh, you prefer to leave the living room to the kids, lie on the bed and turn on the radio. That always spells "zzzzzzzz.")

I kind of agree with DennyG in a round-about way. Children cannot be expected to just sit there and listen to something straight on that they do not understand at this point in their lives. That will come with growth. I know some that insist their kids watch every minute. Give them a little and let them go. They will grow up and mature and do the same thing adults do. I remember as a kid hating having to listen to the .... radio ... at conference time. That's what people do...grow.

conference bingo keeps their attention as they listen for certain words (home, temple, prophet, jesus, testimony, love, etc., filled in on a bingo card). as they hear a word on their card, they place an m&m, cheerio, raisin (whatever they like), on that square.

I don't know many adults that can pay attention to the droning at conference. I can't. The only ones who truly think it is important to pay attention are the speakers themselves. There is nothing original or inspirational about it. The emperor has no clothes.

sounds like you need to listen more than anyone.

Come on disillusioned who are you trying to be? If you are lost, bored, or disillusioned by what is said then you must be towards the Savior himself. You disillusionment is not from the speakers but rather from your own heart.

I am happy to hear conference. It recharges my battery.

Our kids look forward to conference as the time we recycle our 72 hr kit - eat the granola bars, candy bars, fruit cups, MREs etc. and put in new replacement items.
And our family tradition is that dad makes canned biscuit donuts on conference sunday.

I love Conference. As a kid I had trouble listening and staying awake once and a while but im so glad my parents encouraged me to listen and learn. As a child we learn more and catch onto more then we think. If a child is encouraged to sit and listen they will be more enlightened and learn more. But getting kids to sit through rests alot on the example of the parents. We need to show our kids the importance of it while they are young and they will appreciate it more as time goes on.

Did you know that the surnames of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve fit nicely to the tune of Ten Little Indians? It has since April, 1995, anyway. Granted, dropping the titles of President and Elder makes this irreverent enough that it will never appear in any official Church publication. But it gets our children (ages 7, 3 and 2) excited about today's prophets, seers, and revelators. Try the current version for yourself . . .

Monson, Eyring, Uchtdorf, Packer, Perry, Nelson, Oaks, Ballard, Wirthlin, Scott, Hales, Holland, Bednar, Cook, Christofferson

We keep pictures of each of these fifteen men in a binder. We use the pictures to teach our children the song (and who is "President" and who is "Elder") when they are about two. As each man speaks in Conference, the children draw pictures of the talk's subject matter to put in the book. The book comes back out at FHE as we review stories included the talks over the next six months.

We plan as many activities as possible to keep them focused, but when they get tired and fidgety, we let them drift off to the play room.

Your kids don't look forward to conference. They look forward to eating granola bars, candy bars, fruit cups, and biscuit donuts.

The detractors have to undesrtand. If mormons don't force their children to watch conference, they will not learn all they need to about conformity and becoming at one with God. They must lose their own hopes, dreams, and minds, so that they can support the church for their entire lives.

It's not easy, in this day and age, to raise kids to never question the prophet. The internet makes actual truth all too easy to find.

The conformity must be instilled as early as possible.

I actually liked conference more as a child. When I got older, I realized all the speeches were the same thing every time. Obey. Pay money. Read the scriptures. Be nice.

Conference is best suited to jr. high level mentality.

I can't imagine making your kids watch all 8 hours of conference. I have too hard time doing that myself. These days I tune in for the prophets talk at the end of the Sunday morning session, then read the rest in the Ensign. I get more out of it that way. Watching it all in one weekend my mind goes numb and I don't end up listening anyways.

Frankly, I don't understand the PURPOSE of General Conference any more in this modern age and time.

Communications have improved since the mid 1800s, but somehow the Brethren don't seem to understand. Nothing new is ever presented, just the same old admonishments repeated over and over again (previously mentioned by peter @ 4:01) It only reinforces my own conclusion that Mormonism today is based more on tradition than any new or real revelation.

Don't force them to watch conference... after all, there is no compulsion in religion

Personally, I like to record it & then just rewatch the Quorum of the 12.

Child abuse. Children should never be forced to do anything they do not want to do. That includes watching TV programs..... geezer! Where's the mentality on here?

You earlier you start the repetition, the easier it is to sell the product.

I did not care for conference when I was kid, so why should my kids care about it? Kids become rebellious when they are forced to do something they find boring. Most kids just want to play with each other.

"The internet makes actual truth all too easy to find."

Yes, because everything on the Internet is true (in my most sarcastic voice).

Stupidist comment I've ever heard. Spew your venom elsewhere, nobody forced you to read this article.

I love conference time. It renews my faith and recharges my spirit.

If you have to give your child a book or a puzzle to keep them quiet then maybe they shouldnt be there in the first place! Do we really have to teach them at such a young age that conference really is so boring?? Just look around and everyone with a fair mind will notice how bored the adults are a lot of the time. If you want to make conference a really special day for the kids, take them to Disneyland instead. They will love you forever and look forward to EVERY conference day!!!

Well if you can't handle your kids or keep them focused well then they are just kids. Don't force them to be involved if they are not into it. It is very simple and clear as there time will come to make a choice and if to leave the church or not. By forcing something on someone against their will it will only distance them.

When I was a kid I did not like conference, then I grew up and realized that it was not conference that I did not like, it was the church.
More hate will be spewed from the pulpit, and thank goodness I will not be forcing my kids to listen!

I think I will go spend actual quality time.

If some of you dislike conference and the Mormon Church in general, why are you even reading this article? Never will understand why you guys care so much about what we do.

I always look forward to conference. Now, we have "bingo" cards for our kids. We sit at the kitchen table together until the kids get restless, and then they are excused. I admit that when I was younger, I didn't like conference much, but that had to do with the fact that we had to get up early (due to the time difference) and go sit in a cold church. We would always have a brunch between sessions though, and I wouldn't change it even if I could. As for the repitition of the talks... perhaps it is because we are slow to act (myself included). For those of you who would state "indoctrination" (of our children,) that is a blanket statement that doesn't apply to everyone. I work very hard for our children to experience a variety of cultures/beliefs so they can decide for themselves.

And for the few posts who say that only hate is taught from the pulpit, perhaps you should listen again, without deciding beforehand what you want to hear.

As for me, I look forward to the instruction, inspiration and peace that I will hear tomorrow.

What a sad bunch of people. I feel so sorry for some of you. Not because you hate the Church, hate Mormons, are bored at Conference, see no purpose in hearing from the prophets or other Church leaders, etc. But because you feel the need to pollute cyberspace with your hostility and animosity.

If you hate it all so much, why are you wasting your precious time or energy on it? Spend some time practicing your golf swing or polishing your antique pencil sharpener collection instead.

As for those who have left the Church. how true it is that they rhen can't leave it alone.

Conference is not a Nazi day camp for kids. Let the kids play and have a good time with toys or whatever. They don't care about conference and never have. My kids whine and groan when we have forced them to watch conference, and that is not spiritual whatsoever.

Hey folks, let kids be kids, they will be adults soon enough.

It's interesting to read the range of comments here. Everyone is entitled to their opinion so here's mine-

I really like being a Mormon and I really like listening to General Conference.

I also like living in Utah - Utah Valley - to be precise. I like all the people here members and non-members alike - and I am friends with both. I like BYU. I like UVU (I'm a student there.) I like riding UTA. I like SUndance. I like Utah Lake. I like the mountains here and I even like the snow.

AND--I like me too.

why sit around like a bump on a log? Record it on your DVR and go out and enjoy the great outdoors. Better yet, wait a few days and read the talks online, or even watch it on the net on demand. Why tie up the whole weekend?

I think I will stay in bed and watch conference. I think it might rain too. So it's just me and my pillow and my fat cat.

and I like jeanie b.'s attitute!

10 hours, if you watch every session and go to Priesthood. There is no way a child can pay attention to that, with out there being serious hard feelings and discontent, expressed or not. Even the adults find reasons not to watch or get up and do other things and Conference becomes background.

I believe it should be on all the TV's in the House and the Internet and the only thing on, with the adults paying as much attention as possible. Heck I sleep during most of Church.

This is why I tape every Conference all sessions and I can watch or refer back to it later, the last few years I have been getting the CD's as well. Now there is also the Church Web Site and BYU Broadcasting as well as Cable TV in Hawaii, but No Radio.

Conference is Vital to me as it helps me tune in and fine tune my self to the desires of the Spirit and the Leaders of the Church. As a result I am a better person. Conference Starts at 6AM where I live so I set the alarm for 5:45, and turn to the right station and tape it.

Conference has always been a vital part of my Mormon Life. Some of my kids, not so much. To have the Church leaders be able to talk to us in our homes is wonderful. To be able to tape Conference or get it on the Net is great.

I used to be a Conference Repressor and bring out my wooden bench and make the kids sit and watch, the penalty being that if they did not meet my expectations we would go to the Stake Center for the Next Session.

Now its on and watched but I am really not up tight about it any more. It is on tape and I get the Ensign and the CD's Except for Sunday 2nd Session which is formal. We watch together but foster kids are excused.

I have come to understand you will not get anything out of it unless you want to watch it, anything else is just doing time.

One time years ago they suggested Bingo Cards and the Child matched the square to the person talking and put a pinto bean on the square. This worked at my house until they got big straws and blew the Beans.

I love Conference, and I look forward to it every session. When I was a kid, I would sometimes space out during the more boring talks, but I always sat and watched it. It didn't leave me with any feeling of resentment, and I never felt like I was being abused by having to watch it. And while my parents never had me play Conference Bingo or any of the other listening games, my church and seminary teachers would. My parents would just ask that we listen and not fall back asleep.

I might suggest that the reason some of the talks seem to repeat themselves every few years is because we aren't listening to the council. If we as a people would actually apply the teachings in our own lives, the leaders wouldn't have to keep repeating themselves, and we might learn something new.

And if you don't think it's important to listen to the Prophet, the Apostles and other leaders of the church, if you don't think that's spending quality time with your family, if you don't think they have anything of merit to say, then why are you reading and commenting on this article?

Picture-in-picture + conference + football = problem solved.

Who said you can't serve two masters?

Talk about cruelty to children. Not only did they have to sit through two hours of it, but Those In Authority made those kids SING, eeeek!

That Primary choir was absolutely marvelous. They really brought the Spirit to life. I loved the expressions on some of them. A couple of speakers said they were angelic, and they were indeed.

Someone should ask those wonderful kids how bored they were, or if they would have preferred to sit in the audience and doodle.

My heart goes out to some of you...
My kids love conference.
It's nothing we have done as parents.
My wife and I fall asleep during it sometimes, but our kids remind up to stay awake.
At the conclusions of each day of the 2 days of conference, our kids beg us to re-watch conference, which we do, sometimes until 12 midnight.
In fact, 2 of our kids actually have memorized most of the talks by the next day.