I am so excited to introduce the monthly theme cards to you today! This is my third set of theme cards. 2014 and 2015 sets are similar in design and the 2015 set is still available here on the site for FREE (if you’re patient and want to click through individual posts) or you can avoid multiple downloads and purchase the 2015 set (no dates on these – so you can use them for any year you want) here for a small fee.
These are such great reminders for the youth. I’ve heard from so many of you about how you’ve used the cards and I’ve loved all the ideas. I need to write up a post with just ideas for these, but I wanted to get them out to you sooner rather than later – maybe that’s a post to come! With two full sets of theme cards done, I felt like the set for 2016 needed a new look and approach.
Lately, I’ve been feeling the need for simplicity in just about everything. October’s General Conference only confirmed that for me as we heard President Uchtdorf share his story about the women who spent hours on a visual aid for her lesson and at it’s center was the word “simplify”.
I’ve listened to that talk dozens of times now, so when I set to designing the cards for this year, I knew that I wanted them to have a simple look that would focus on the meaning rather than on the design or extra text added to the card. (That extra text – is something I’m compiling into a simple PDF so that you can use it if you like – it will include all the Personal Progress goals and have them categorized by monthly theme.)
Elder Durrant’s talk My Heart Pondereth Them Continually, solidified for me how to simplify and some insight that was shared at a local auxiliary training meeting helped me recognize that the simplify approach could still have a major impact. I’m currently serving in a Primary presidency and one of our stake leaders shared the following thought about the Primary songs – you may or may not remember much about Sharing Time lessons or what you learned in your Primary class each week, but I bet all of you remember the Primary songs… if we teach the songs, the children will have them forever and their testimony of these simple principles will be strong and true.
This year’s cards are still in a 4×6 format, and are set to printing specs for a photo lab – I’m still all about cost effective and stretching the budget! But the card design now displays only the monthly theme scripture and a small ribbon pennant that displays the month’s theme. My intent is that the girls can ponder these scriptures – maybe even add them to those they memorize – and hopefully have them written on their hearts like the Primary songs and other plain and precious gospel truths.
How to Use Them
This year’s design is horizontal. You might want to consider purchasing those cheap plastic frames for your girls from the dollar store so they can display the cards by their bed, or consider including a roll of washi tape so they can stick them on their mirror or in their locker.
My favorite way to use these is to have the girls put together a journal of sorts. You’ll need those metal binder rings, a hole punch, some scrapbook paper or 3×5 cards. Colored pens, washi tape, stickers, are all optional. Simply punch the top corner of all the cards and slip them on the ring, placing 3×5 cards or scrapbook paper cut down to size for note taking during Sunday lessons in-between the monthly theme cards. The girls can use the pens, stickers, and washi to include other handouts or to decorate their note pages. Tie a few ribbons on the ring to add a little bit of flair and let the girls create covers for their books that can either be laminated or put on thicker cardstock. The idea being that you want the girls to collect and display in their journals their testimonies of these scriptures and monthly themes. I’m thinking at the end of the year these might be some of the coolest things to display at Young Women Evening of Excellence.
Here’s How it Works
Just like in year’s past, you can download each new card for FREE for the upcoming month. Below you can download January’s card and on the 15th of each month the next month’s card will be available so that you have plenty of time to download and get it printed and out to your girls.
If you’re like me and want to get it all done at once – you can purchase all 12 cards at once, in my shop. This way you can upload and send them off to your printer 1 time for the whole year and stash them in the YW closet until you need them.
Download 4×6 January 2016 YW Monthly Theme Card
[purchase_link id=”14472″ style=”button” color=”” text=”Download Now”]
Want to purchase the entire set right now?
click the link above to get your set!
Printing Tips
Each of the monthly theme cards are set to the printing specs for photo printers so you can easily upload them to your favorite photo lab ( I love sending mine to Costco) and print. Photos are by far the more cost-effective method for printing in color when you’re printing for a group, and I wanted to help however I could to stretch your Young Women budget.
*Just a little side note: If you open the file you’ll see that the size is actually larger than a 4×6; however, the size matches the resolution requirements that most photo shops use for this photo size. Printing them as photos, rather than color copies is by far the cheaper option. And who doesn’t like something that’s cute and cost-effective?
No matter how you use them – I’d love to hear about your plans for the 2016 cards or how you’re using them. Feel free to share down in the comments below or tag @pricklypeardesign on Instagram. Your ideas make my day!