LDS Goal Setting/ New Year's Resolutions Family Home Evening

Paper Football Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by sniggitysnags 2011

Opening Prayer

 

Opening Scripture:

"It is necessary to prepare and to plan so that we don’t fritter away our lives. Without a goal, there can be no real success.... Someone has said the trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never cross the goal line." President Monson (Treasure of Eternal Value Ensign April 2008)

 

Volunteer Activity:

Ask for 2 volunteers.

The first volunteer will need to run in a circle 10 times, do 15 jumping jacks, 2 push ups, stand on a kitchen chair and then flap their arms like wings for 30 seconds, then run to the front door.

Now, the second volunteer will need to just run to the front door.

Which was easier? Who got to the door faster?

 

Read the quote from President Monson one more time. Without goals we can really waste a lot of time!! Good goals are the BEST way to be successful, they help us see and do clearly and accomplish things without "frittering" away!

 

What does frittering mean? Would the first volunteer like to show us again? It's wasting time little by little!

 

Have small strips of paper, about 3 per family member. Invite family members to come up with good goals for the upcoming year and write a goal on each paper. Take turns sharing goals and folding them up in a triangle shape. Have one family member hold up fingers like a goal post and play paper football! This year we are going to reach our goals and score! Gather up all the family goals and afterwards type them on a piece of paper to put somewhere where everyone can see often!

 

What is our ultimate goal?

Closing Scripture:

"Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be?’ asked the Master, and he answered, ‘Verily I say unto you, even as I am." 3 Ne. 27:27

 

Closing Prayer

 

Treats

If you're an overachiever Apple Fritter Cake

If you are a mellow yellow, quite right slick... buy some Apple Fritters at your local Donut Bistro

Other Great Resources On Goals:
Absolute MUST READ Chapter 3 Setting Goals of The Gospel & The Productive Life Student Manual
The Best Is Yet To Be- President Holland
Pursuit of Excellence Goal Setting

"I am a great believer that what you and I think about will ultimately come to pass....I believe if we think about what it takes to be successful long enough and if we are willing to discipline ourselves to the principle of success, we will experience success. Yes, I am a great believer that “as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7)." Elder Ballard (Go For It!!! New Era March 2004)

"As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us." Elder Tanner (Today I will... New Era March 2003)

I Am A Child of God Song Helps & Ideas LDS Hymns 301

Free I Am A Child of God Printable by NatSprat click HERE for her website link

* Who Am I?
Have about 5 interesting facts per child. After you sing a verse of the song tell your primary friends that you have a mystery child of God. Tell the 5 facts. See if they can guess who it is! Invite that friend and whoever guesses correctly to come up front and help you lead.

* Have a picture of children from all over the world. Make it into a puzzle and turn the pieces so the picture can't be seen. As you learn the words to the song, primary children can earn a chance to turn around a puzzle piece. We are all so different! Yet we are all brothers and sisters. We are all children of Heavenly Father who loves us dearly.

* Psalms 82:6 says "All of you are children of the most High." Write it on the chalk board. Have a picture of Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ appearing to Joseph Smith. As far as I know, that is the only gospel picture of Heavenly Father... except for smaller illustrations in the scripture story books. Put that picture as high as possible on the chalk board. Have paper signs that you can write class names on like Sunbeams, CTR 4, etc. Look for classes that have everyone singing in them! Invite a child to come put their class post it as high as possible on the chalk board... you might have to have them stand on a chair or lift them! And of course, make it positive... this isn't a competition! All classes should be able to move their post it to the top!! For example, "Wow. Sunbeams!! That was amazing. Come move your post it Annie for your class. Every single one of you were singing! Let's try verse two and see who else we can move!! I'm so proud of you children of the most High!!"

* Videos almost always catch children's attention. HERE is a Mormon message video to I am A Child of God that you could share with your primary. I really like it. It's peppy and fun. But my favorite part is that around 1 min. 32 seconds there is a guy and he's holding something that looks like a black snake with it's mouth open.

* A while back, I had an interesting discussion with a friend who wasn't a member of our church. Actually, it wasn't that interesting. It was frustrating. What one of his hang ups with the gospel was the fact that we know we have the possibility to become like God. I tried to make it as simple as possible, and thinking back it'd actually be a good introduction to learning this song.

Show a picture of a baby sheep. Does this little lamb have a cow for a father? Show a picture of a baby horse? Does this foal have an elephant for a mother? What about an apple? Does an apple come from an orange tree? We are children of Heavenly Father. We were created in His image. He has a body and we have a body. He loves us more than we can know. The universe didn't just explode and humans were created. We are children of God and we need to try our best to return to Him and be like Him!!

* GOOD TO KNOW: " When “I Am a Child of God” was first written in English one of the lines read: “Teach me all that I must know to live with Him someday.” However, Sister Randall changed the words because of a suggestion made by President Kimball.

 

Several years ago, before Spencer W. Kimball became president of the Church, he was visiting a conference in California where Primary children sang this song. Later, he said to a visiting Primary general board member, “I love the children’s song, but there is one word that bothers me. Would Sister Randall mind if the word know were changed to the word do?”

 

The change was made, for President Kimball had pointed out a very important truth—that while it is important to know what is right, it is more important to do what is right. Only in this way can we be sure of returning someday to our heavenly home to live always with our Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and our loved ones. Great joy comes to us when we understand the full meaning of the words “I Am a Child of God!

I Am a Child of God By Elder Robert D. Hales of the First Quorum of the Seventy Nov. 1978 Liahona

 

 

Christmas Singing Time Journey

Meet Eli the Elf. He's a sweetheart. He knows all about Santa, presents, trees, goodies... but he wants to learn more about the REAL meaning of Christmas.

We're going to take him on a Christmas Singing Time Journey.

I attach Eli's picture with tape to a little string along bus we have, that way the children can pull him where he needs to go.

If you haven't "elfed" yourself this Christmas, I highly recommend you do so!! You just need a picture of your head and lots of paper, scissors and glue!

 

 

These pictures will be all over the room. Children pull Eli the Elf along and choose one picture. We then sing a Christmas song, according to the picture. Have the child "briefly" tell what the picture has to do with Christmas.

 

Pictures include:

 

Shepherd

 follow the leader (child chooses an action to do while singing and we follow along)

 

Wreath

Heavenly Father & Jesus have no beginning and no end, the are the same always!

Sing while making arm circles to the side or if you have a smaller primary, sing in a circle holding hands

 

Star

Sing with a couple children holding flashlights & lights off

 

3 Wisemen

Hide Baby Jesus and invite 3 children to search for it while you sing

 

Samuel The Lamanite

Lead with a bow & arrow

My daughter got this for her birthday and I'm going to let 2 primary children take a couple shots trying to hit me on a chair (It's a Z Curve Bow & foam arrow set... I think my husband and I have just as much fun as her playing with it!

 

Farm Animals

Sing with a "Baaaaa Baaaa"
I'm going to use this only on "funner" songs like Christmas Bells or Once There Was A Snowmen

 

 

Angels

Add an "oooo oooo" on the off beat

For example,  Silent Night "ooo ooo" Holy Night "ooo ooo" All is calm "ooo" All is bright "ooo"

 

Manger

Whisper sing!

 

No Room at the Inn Sign

Have a primary class come up front and squeeze together while we sing

LDS Picture A Christmas Song Help/Idea

While singing Picture a Christmas I let a primary friend come up to the front and watch for a couple other friends who are singing SUPER!!!

 

I let them use my camera and show them the zoom and button to take the picture.

 

Since it's a digital camera, right after they take the picture and after we sing I can show the primary who they took a picture of that was singing so AWESOME!

 

I delete and we sing again & have another primary friend take a couple more pictures!!

 

I like to end by choosing the best singers in the whole primary & taking a picture of them. I take a picture of ALL the children and show them!!