The Sorrowful Christ, a statue at the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in New York
Monthly Theme: I Can Follow Jesus Christ's Example.
Monthly Scripture:Jesus said, “Come, follow me” Luke 18:22
Week 1 Jesus Christ always obeyed Heavenly Father.
* John 8:29 "...For I do always those things that please him."
Have sheets of paper with one different way, written and illustrated, that Jesus obeyed the Father. Cut each sheet into a few pieces to make a puzzle. Divide into groups and have them put together the puzzles. Have each group come up with 3 hints to give the primary so the primary can guess what their puzzle was about!
HERE is a link to pictures and things Jesus did to show obedience!! It's EXCELLENT!!!!
If there is time, have the children draw something they can do to show obedience like Jesus did. They can cut up their drawings into pieces and see if family members at home can put them together!
* "Our love of the Savior is the key to Savior-like obedience. As we strive to be obedient in today’s world, we declare our love and respect for all of Heavenly Father’s children." (“If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments” April 2014 Elder Robert D. Hales)
Bring strips of paper with a secret message. That message should be things Jesus did to show obedience to Heavenly Father. Have a KEY to help decode the message. Break into groups to figure out the phrases. Have them share with the primary what they found out! Have pictures to go along with the phrases.
Again.... HERE is the above mentioned link, it really is a helpful one for this week's lesson!!
* Lord, I Would Follow Thee Hymns #220 says,
" Savior, may I learn to love thee,
Walk the path that thou hast shown. …
Pause to help and lift another,
Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I learn to love thee—
Lord, I would follow thee."
Sing this for the children, invite any children who know the verse to sing along with you.
Have a path (you could use small strips of masking tape and arrows) throughout the primary room. Have different "stops" along the path with a picture of something Jesus did to show His obedience to Heavenly Father. Have a large heart drawn on the chalkboard. Invite a primary friend to share a reason why they love Jesus. Write it down in the heart, then invite them to follow the path to any stop they like.
Have a couple of questions to go along with each stop. Invite the child to answer the questions, then choose another friend to come up and take a turn. Bear testimony that Jesus has shown us the path of obedience and we need to walk the path that He has shown.
* HERE is a reader's theater I wrote, however I only recommend doing it with the senior primary.
* HERE is a reader's theater I wrote, however I only recommend doing it with the senior primary.
Week 2 Jesus Christ went about doing good.
* Play a game of charades with things that Jesus did as He went about doing good. The children are NOT acting the part of Jesus, they are acting out the things He did. Charades could include: giving blessings, helping the blind see, helping the lame walk, helping the deaf hear, healing the sick, teaching, going to the temple, reading the scriptures, listening to parents, sharing food with others, praying, fasting, was baptized, loved children.... have pictures of Jesus doing these things from the Gospel Art Book to show the children after they guess!
* "For the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do... Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” 3 Nephi 27:21, 27
Have a discussion with the children and invite them to share some of their favorite stories about Jesus. Have them come up front as they share and also have a Gospel Art Book handy to show pictures as they talk. Make sure the children are facing forward, so everyone can see their beautiful face!
Then do something good! Be like Christ.... make a card for someone sick, draw a picture for a missionary, write a thank you note to the Nursery leaders, write a poem to your grandma. Maybe you could even have the older kids make a list and see if they could come up with 50 GOOD THINGS TO DO this week! And remember, it's not always about baking cookies... sometimes just a smile to a grocery clerk or a compliment to a little brother could mean all the world!
* Matthew 7:17 "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit."
Have a paper apple tree with paper apples for the children to choose. On the apples have questions, scriptures, songs having to do with all the GOOD things Jesus did in His life.
* HERE is the link to the beautiful Bible Videos of Christ's life. You could always show a few and talk afterwards about how the children felt as they watched Jesus doing all these good things.
* "Do" drops. Take a turkey baster and let the children fill up a glass of water one or two "do" drops at a time. To earn a "do" drop they have to sing a song about Jesus, read a scripture or identify a GAK picture of something Jesus did in His life.
John 4:13-15 "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw"
Let us always remember Jesus, our living waters who always went about doing good!!
Weeks 3 & 4 Jesus Christ's example teaches me how to live.
(Many of these ideas are recycled from previous posts or tweaked just a little)
* Bring in a mirror. What do we see? Jesus Christ set the perfect example for each one of us. We need to mirror and reflect what He did!
Break into groups and play a game of reflection. Invite 2 primary children to reflect each other's movement. Have about 6 questions for the group to answer about the life and example of Jesus Christ. After each question, invite 2 more children from the group to play a round of reflection. Have an adult by each group to help ask the questions and pick children to play.
"We also have a spiritual light within us... This spiritual light is a reflection of the Savior’s light. Others will be attracted to this brightness."
Sharing Your Light Oct. 2014 General Conference by Sister Neill Marriot
* Have a thin piece of masking tape for a child to walk across without touching any other part of the floor and then have them squeeze in between two chairs to finish.
2 Nephi 31:9, 16 " And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them"
Have questions about the life of Christ prepared. Invite a child to answer a question and then see if they can walk the straight and narrow!
* 3 Nephi 18:16 "And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you."
Have some index cards with questions, scriptures, and songs about the Savior's life on them. Turn off the lights! Invite a child to hold a flashlight and shine it on the index card they'd like to pick. Then have them answer the question.
Can you follow anything in the darkness? No! Jesus Christ's example teaches us how to live.
* Bring in some pictures of people you admire and are examples to you. Briefly share why. Ask the children to share some people in their lives who are good examples. Who is the greatest example? Jesus. Just like we follow His example, we're going to play a follow the directions game!! What is important when you are following? Good listening and actually doing what is said! Start at the back of the room and come up with directions for a primary child to follow to find a picture of a story from the life of Christ.
For example, "Take 10 steps forward, jump twice and look under the front table. What is this a picture of? Jesus getting baptized! Great!! Why should we follow that example?" You could even have primary children make up the directions for another to follow!
2 Nephi 31:10 "And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?"
* Have a large plastic bowl and a wash towel. Tell the children that you are going to read a scripture passage to them and you want them to picture themselves at that place with a bowl of water and wash towel. You can also have a primary friend hold a picture of Jesus washing His disciples feet. It's a longer passage, so make sure when you are reading, you read with expression and move around a little. John 13:1-15 emphasizing the last verse, "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you."
What does this scripture mean? How did you feel as you heard these words? Remind the children that when we have feelings of peace, this is the Holy Ghost confirming truth to us.
Have children write down ways that they can be like Jesus on strips of paper. Have them put them in the bowl. Pass around the wash towel reverently as you sing a song about Jesus. When the music stops, whoever is holding the towel can draw a paper or 2 from the bowl and share what other friends have written.
"Jesus wanted the Twelve—and He wants each of us—to learn that humility and service are worthy characteristics we should seek to obtain. He taught that no one is too important to serve others." Barbara Thompson As I Have Loved You Ensign 2011
* Sing "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" (CS 78-79).
President Eyring had an experience one time as he watched other children sing this song. He said, " It seemed to me that they were not just singing; they were declaring their determination. Jesus Christ was their example. To be like Him was their fixed goal. And their eager looks and their shining eyes convinced me that they had no doubts. They expected to succeed. They believed that the instruction of the Savior to be perfect was not a hope but a command. And they were sure He had prepared the way.
That determination and confidence can and must be in the heart of every Latter-day Saint. The Savior has prepared the way through His Atonement and His example. And even the children who sang that song knew how.
Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example." Our Perfect Example General Conference October 2009
Have a small ball with a paper heart on it. Have 2 children put the ball between their sides (like they are making a ball sandwich) and work together to walk across the room without dropping it! Once on the other side of the room, have some prepared questions on the life of Christ and how we can follow His example. Some questions could include: Can you name a time in Jesus' life when He gave us the example to share? What were some of the things Jesus said from the cross and why do you think He would have said those things? How did Jesus react when people didn't treat the temple with respect? How do you think Heavenly Father felt about all the things Jesus did? What is something you can do right now at this very minute to follow the example of Jesus? (Smile, be happy are good answers!)
