Ideas for LDS Young Women's Mutual Activities
Fun and Spiritual Weekly Activity List for Young Women
Jul 8, 2009
Each week, the young women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meet together to participate in Mutual. For 90 minutes, they do an activity that helps them to have fun together, develops friendships, and strengthens their faith in Jesus Christ.
One of the most difficult aspects of working with Latter-day Saint youth is planning weekly Mutual activities. It's hard to think of fun ideas that motivate young women to show up while also fulfilling a higher purpose.
Get Young Women Involved in the Planning
Having the first mutual activity of the year be a "pizza and planning party" is a great idea. Young women can get together for pizza, share their experiences from Christmas and the New Year, and contribute ideas for the coming year's activity schedule.
LDS young women's leaders often simply don't know what interests their youth, and giving the girls an opportunity to voice their thoughts gives leaders real insight.
Involve Other Adults in Mutual Nights
Between Sunday meetings and weekly activities, Latter-day Saint young women hear from their leaders frequently. It can be refreshing to see a new face, and hearing the same gospel message come from others strengthens their testimonies.
Try to enlist the help of young women's parents, ward missionaries, other ward members, and even non-members from the community to teach a skill.
If someone in the ward has just returned home from an LDS mission or been sealed in the temple, consider building a mutual around that activity and allowing that person to share about his or her experiences and bear testimony.
Young Women's Mutual Activity Ideas
There are three basic purposes to the LDS Mutual program:
- Helping young women to have wholesome and fun experiences, while developing friendships with peers;
- Allowing young women to experience spiritual growth and work on personal progress, and;
- Giving young women opportunities to serve others.
Fun LDS Young Women Activities
Finding activities that get young women excited is no easy job, especially when it needs to fall within the budget. These ideas may satisfy both:
- "Kindergarten night" where girls play hopscotch, blow bubbles, do sidewalk chalk, play games like Red Light, Green Light and Red Rover
- Ice blocking/slip 'n slide
- Video game tournament: Wii, Rock Band, or Dance Dance Revolution
- Jewelry making
- Decorate flip flops with ribbons and glue-on embellishments
- Photo scavenger hunt
- Wallyball (played in a racquetball court)
- Tie dye
- Visit an art museum
- Visit a haunted house near Halloween
- Manicures and pedicures with the Achievement Day girls
- Making cards or a mini scrapbook
- Candy making
- Cake decorating
- Internet safety presentation
- Mother-daughter activities, like facials, the "how well do you know me" game, or Personal Progress value experience (like faith #2)
- Ice skating or roller skating
Every group of young women has a unique set of interests, so the best thing for leaders to do is ask for girls's input when planning fun mutuals.
Spiritual Mutual Activities
Mutual should provide Latter-day Saint youth with faith-building experiences whenever possible. Some ideas for activities focusing on the gospel and personal progress are:
- Q&A panel with the bishopric on gospel topics
- Learning about the temple and holding a sugar cube temple building contest (with a tinfoil Moroni on top)
- Reading and conducting music
- Church history trip
- Patriarchal blessings preparation
- Hands-on iron rod activity
- Talk about modesty and learn how to alter clothing (adding sleeves, lengthening hemlines, etc)
- Create a Family Home Evening lesson to present at home
- Self-esteem night: work on an individual worth Personal Progress value experience, guess the pictures of everyone as a baby, tape a sheet of paper to everyone's back and write compliments to everyone on their paper
- Make tile pictures using a picture of Christ or the temple
- Sign language class: learn a hymn in sign language
- How to change a flat tire, jump a car, check oil, etc. (knowledge value experience)
- Introductory self-defense lesson (knowledge value experience)
- Introductory mending and how to sew on a button (knowledge value experience)
Latter-day Saint young women are at a critical age where the serious search for a testimony often begins. Activities giving them opportunities to feel the Spirit or ponder gospel topics will leave a deep impression.
Service YW Activities
Helping others is a critical part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so Mutual nights should reflect that emphasis. Some ideas for serving others during mutual are:
- Assembling a care package for a missionary from the ward
- Clean up a park, stretch of road, or the grounds of the church meetinghouse
- Service at women's shelter, public library, or animal shelter
- Clean out the interior and exterior of a family's van in the church parking lot
- Make and deliver fortune cookies
- Clean the ward nursery's toys
- "Heart attack" houses of less-active members near Valentine's Day
- Make and deliver freezer-friendly dinners for specified ward members
- Make simple puppets to donate to a children's hospital or women and children's shelter
- Shop for and deliver nutritious food to a food shelter
- Organize a clothing drive and donate accumulated clothes to a homeless shelter
- Go Christmas caroling at a local nursing home
Adapt the types of service to the needs of the ward or community. When possible, solicit suggestions from the young women on how they could help those around them.
Though working with the youth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a rewarding calling, it certainly has its challenges. Planning fun mutual nights that interest the girls while meeting the purposes of the program is not easy, but it is possible. Enlist help from young women themselves, utilize the expertise of ward and community members, and use some of the suggestions listed above to get the ball rolling.
Other resources for Latter-day Saint young women's leaders include "Personal Progress Motivators for Young Women."
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