January 2011 LDS Primary Sharing Helps and Ideas

GAK 617

Monthly Theme: The Scriptures Are the Word of God

Monthly Scripture: "Feast upon the words of Christ, for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." 2 Nephi 32:3

Week 1 The scriptures are the word of God.

* Mystery Scriptures! Have a large box with a question mark you can hide a book of scripture under. Have clues for which book is under the box. Invite children up to read a clue or hold a picture clues. Read all the clues before they can guess!!

For Example: (Hide a bible under the box) Clue #1 This book of scripture is the word of God.

Clue #2 This book of scripture takes place many years ago.

Clue #3 This book of scripture is divided into 2 parts, NEW and OLD.

Clue # 3 The first 3 books in this book of scripture is Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus.

Clue #4 Jesus is often referred to as Jehovah in this book of scripture.

Have children come up and hide a book and make up their own clues too!

* Have 5 different stations in the room. One for the Bible, Book of Mormon, D&C, Pearl of Great Price, and Ensign. Have a piece of posterboard at each station as well as pictures and an adult to guide the conversation (and of course the actual book of scripture). Divide into small groups. Have the children brainstorm as much as they know about each book of scripture and write on the poster board at each station!! Rotate quickly, about 3 minutes at each station.

Why do we include the Ensign? When holy men of God write or speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, their words “shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation” D&C 68:4

* Have the children say the 8th article of faith. Have 1/2 of the room stand on the word "Bible" and the other half on "Book of Mormon". If they have their scriptures they can hold them up in the air too! Repeat a couple times, have boys stand on "Bible" and girls on "Book of Mormon". Have children with brown hair stand on "Bible" and children with all other color hair stand on "Book of Mormon" etc.

* Hold up a sword and the scriptures. How are they different? Which one is more powerful and why?

Alma 31:5 "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God."

Sing Scripture Power!!!

Week 2 We are to feast upon the words of Christ.

* This is one of my favorite FHE's that can easily be adapted to sharing time. Click HERE for it. It's especially rememberable when you start off by asking what feasting on the word is... do we actually rip out pages and eat them from the Bible? When we read the scriptures it feeds our soul!!

* Have the children decorate their own scripture reading chart.

* FEED FRED. Have a box with a picture of a boys face. Have the mouth with an opening into the box, so a child can put their hand in it to feed him. Have tons of pictures of different fruits, veggies, meat, etc. On the back have questions, songs and scriptures having to do with "feasting on the words of God". Let the children come up and pick the food, do what it says then feed it to Fred!! We're helping his body grow by giving it food and we're also helping his spirit grow as we talk about the Word of God.
For example, some things on the pictures of food could include:
How often should we study our scriptures?
Who can we study our scriptures with?
What is your favorite story from the scriptures that has nourished your soul?
How do you feel after you read your scriptures?
Please read 2 Nephi 9:51
Please read Jacob 3:2
(You can also use the topical guide to look up FILL)

* Just as we nourish our bodies, we must nourish our spirits!!! Invite the children up to build a sandwhich for the Bishop. Have REAL bread, turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. For them to come up and help make the sandwhich they have to answer questions about different scripture stories and from what book of scripture they come from. The more we read our scriptures the more we feast for our spirits!!

Week 3 The words of Christ will tell us all things we should do.

* HERE is scripture study Sam. He's great. He uses the scriptures in case scenarios to decide what to do! You could have children come up and act out a scenario, then the primary looks up the scripture and everyone helps to decide what to do! (From Karen Ashton, "Sharing Time: The Words of Christ", Friend, Mar. 1996, 46)

* Matt. 7:24 "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

Have a list of 10-15 scriptures that tell us something we need to do. Give the children a paper with an outline of a house. Let them choose a scripture, then draw a picture to illustrate what that scripture says we should do. Challenge older children to find their own scripture not on the list that says what we should do.

Send the children home with small rocks and a note that says, "The words of Christ will tell us all we should do. And when we do, we're like the wise man who built his home upon the rock!"

* Play charades!! Find simple scriptures the children can act out and have others guess, then read that scripture!

* Bring in cookies where you didn't do as the instructions said. Ask for a volunteer to taste. If we don't do as the words of a recipe says it turns out babester. Yes, you heard me right. I'm a child of the 90's, babester! Hence, the words of Christ tell us all things we should do and if we don't we'll end up like an unfabulous cookie!!!

* Psalms 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
 Have a path through the room. Turn off a few lights, don't make it too dark!! (And of course if little children are scared, just leave the lights on and have everyone pretend it's dark) Invite children to come and walk along the path with a lantern. In order to walk a few steps on the path, they must answer questions, sing songs and read scriptures having to do with the words of Christ. See if as a Primary you can all work together to get to the end of the path!

We live in a world that is dark and full of sin, but the scriptures are a light and will lead us to the Savior!!

Week 4 I can know the scriptures are true.

* Invite a few members from the different auxillaries to briefly share HOW they know the scriptures are true. Ask them to share what they did to know or any personal experience that is brief. As in 2 minutes brief. Have the children point to all the adults. Are they the only ones in the room who can know the scriptures are true? Have the children point to who can know the scriptures are true. EVERYONE!!!

"What a glorious blessing! For when we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures; for His words are spoken through His prophets. He will then teach us as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit." Holy Scriptures:The Power of God unto Our Salvation Robert D. Hales October 2006 General Conference

* Have the children act out the story of Nephi getting the brass plates. Why would Nephi risk his life? 1.Because God commanded him to and 2. Because the scriptures are important!!!

1 Nephi 5:21 "And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children."

* Ask the children to share experiences of things that have been too hard for them to do. Does reading the scriptures sometimes seem hard? What about knowing they are true? Sometimes things seem impossible... but the scriptures tell us over and over again the opposite.
Mark 10:27
Matt. 19:26
Mark 9:23
Mark 14:36
All things are possible with God!!! We can know the scriptures are true!

* Have 5 fascinating facts. Have the children give a thumbs up if the fact is true or a thumbs down if what you say is false. How do we know if something is right or wrong?

Moroni 7:15-16 "For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night. For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God"

Divide into pairs and have them come up with a true or false statement about a scripture story. Have them share with the primary and do thumbs up or down....

Challenge the children to go home and see if when they read the scriptures, do the scriptures invite them to do good? Pass out simple invitations with the children to write down at home what the scriptures invite them to do.