Free coloring page from honkingdonkey.com. If you print it out on watercolor paper, it makes for a beautiful art project at home with children!
Monthly Theme: Jesus Christ Is the Son of God
Monthly Scripture: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world" D&C 11:28
I loved all the sharing time ideas from the Primary Outline for the month! They are the best!!
Week 1 Heavenly Father sent His Son to earth.
* Have your lovely Primary Pianist play He Sent His Son. Have a bean bag and let the children pass it around. When the music stops, have the children tell something about the birth of The Savior. Have plenty of pictures to put on the board to go along with what they say.
* Have a bunch of gospel art pictures lined up on the chalk board in order of what happened for Christ's birth. Heavenly Father "sent" His Son to earth and we're going to "send" someone out of the room. Have a primary child choose a picture to take off the board. When the primary friend who was "sent" out comes back in they have to guess what picture is missing. Then, after they guess, they can tell what they know about that picture. Of course it's important to know that Heavenly Father sent His son to earth, but then what? We need to receive Christ!! Have the children discuss what the following scripture means and ways we can receive Him who was sent to us!!
* Have a bunch of gospel art pictures lined up on the chalk board in order of what happened for Christ's birth. Heavenly Father "sent" His Son to earth and we're going to "send" someone out of the room. Have a primary child choose a picture to take off the board. When the primary friend who was "sent" out comes back in they have to guess what picture is missing. Then, after they guess, they can tell what they know about that picture. Of course it's important to know that Heavenly Father sent His son to earth, but then what? We need to receive Christ!! Have the children discuss what the following scripture means and ways we can receive Him who was sent to us!!
Matthew 10:40 "He that receiveth you recieveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me."
* Isaiah 19:20 "...And he shall send them a Saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them."
How many primary friends have recieved Christmas letters in the mail? Do you ever SEND Christmas cards? Can you tell us about a favorite Christmas card you've recieved?
Have some beautiful Christmas cards and on each one on the inside 1 scriptures, quotes, questions or song having to do with the week's theme. Let primary children come up front to choose a card and do what it says.
If there is time left over: Just as Heavenly Father sent His son to earth to DELIVER us, we'll make some Christmas cards all about the birth of Christ to send to others!
* If there is a doctor in your ward have them come in briefly to answer a question. If not, bring in a simple dress up doctor outfit for a child to wear. Ask this question to the doctor: If someone was sick, would you try to save and help the person or just let them be sick and say sorry man, I condemn you! You're guilty of being sick and will be sick forever!! I wouldn't help you if you paid me a bazillion gazillion dollars!!
Why do we think Heavenly Father sent Jesus to earth? Have the primary children share their answers and then let's double check our scriptures. Whenever we have a question we should turn to them!! John 3:17 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." Have items hid throughout the room that you would find in a first aid kit. Sing He Sent His Son and let a primary friend look and find something. When they do, have them share something they love about Christmas and something they love about the Savior.
Week 2 Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
How does a plant grow? Have a primary children pretend they are seeds and then demonstrate. We know how plants grow, so who is this scripture talking about?
Just like most plants don't grow overnight, Jesus had a childhood! He had years to learn and develop. He used His time wisely! Have 4 different plants with labels- Jesus grew in wisdom. Jesus grew in stature. Jesus grew in favor with God. Jesus grew in favor with men.
Invite a primary friend to come up front and ask them a question or make a statement. They will then have to stand by the plant they think that question or statement has to do with. If it has to do with more than one, they can invite another friend up and tell them where to stand.
For example: Jesus, at 12 years old, taught in the temple. Many of the wise men and women there marveled at His knowledge and teaching.
(A primary friend could stand at wisdom and invite 2 more friends for favor with God and favor with man)
Jesus listened to and obeyed His mother when she asked him to help out at a friend's wedding. What did Jesus do?
(He turned water into wine- they could stand on favor with man)
Remember a lot of answers will overlap, don't be rigid if a child chooses an answer you weren't looking for. Like in the above example, if they choose to stand by the plant with grew in wisdom, then run with it and make it work!
*Is there any primary friends that take piano? Invite a beginner piano student to come up front. Have a complicated piece of music and ask them to play it. Why can't they do it? Have a really large book.
Is there a primary friend who loves to read? Can they read this book within 1 day? Most of the time, talents don't happen overnight! We have to practice and grow and get better and better!
Jesus was always perfect, yet he still was able to grow and learn little by little!
Sometimes we might want everything right now. We want answers, we want to be able to do, we want to be able to see... but the scriptures say, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."
D&C 78:17-18
Have a bunch of pictures from the life of Christ. Invite a child to come up front and talk about what is happening in that picture and lead the primary along in knowledge! We're not going to be perfect in this lifetime, however, we're told to be of good cheer! Isn't it wonderful to know Christ will lead us along!! He'll help us grow little by little!!
* Ask anyone if they've ever been up really really early in the morning. Was it dark outside? What happened after it was dark? Did the sun pop out into the middle of the sky and BAM! It was noonday bright as bright sun?
Show a picture of a sunrise. It's something that is gradual. It gets brighter a little bit at a time until we stretch and rise and wake up and kneel by our windowsill to say our morning prayer.
Jesus grew a little bit at a time just like we do! Day after day. Sunrise after sunrise. We can follow His perfect example and do as He did to grow. He is our light.
D&C 50:24 "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day."
Have a big paper sun. Attatch strips of paper as rays of sunlight. On the rays have children come up with ideas on how Jesus grew and what we can to do grow in His light. This would be a good tie in to the next week!
Week 3 Jesus Christ is the light and the life of the world.
* Have a box of 10-15 glowsticks. Have a child peek in the box and ask if they are pretty bright. Do they light up the box? What is the brightest type of light? A lamp, a star, a sun or what? Those are all great answers!! The brightest and most wonderful light of all is Jesus Christ. He is the light and life of the world. Have questions, songs and scriptures having to do with this week's theme attached to the glowsticks. Let on primary friend come up at a time to choose and do what it says.
* HERE is a wonderful talk for you to prepare for this week's theme. Highly recommend!! I especially like Elder Oaks quote, "Jesus Christ is also the light of the world because his example and his teachings illuminate the path we should walk to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven."
You could have a bunch of tea lights, battery opperated. Invite children to share examples from Jesus' life where we could follow His example. Let them make a path of the tea lights to a picture of Him.
Week 4 Joseph Smith saw and testified of Jesus Christ.
* Act out the story of the first vision! Of course, you can't have children role play the part of Heavenly Father and Jesus, but you can have them hold up a picture!
* HERE is a link to the lds.org where you can find different artistic depictions of The First Vision. (Make sure to scroll down) They are beautiful! Have the children draw their own artwork of that glorious event and share!
* HERE is a link for cutouts that children can color to retell for Family Home Evening about Joseph Smith's First Vision.
