June 2016 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps & Ideas

This is a picture from last year when my daughter Maria got baptized.

Monthly Theme: The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel Make It Possible for Me to Live with God Again.
Monthly Scripture: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:4).

Week 1 Faith in Jesus Christ leads us to love Him, trust Him, and keep His commandments.

* "As we increase in faith, we also must increase in faithfulness...if our faith does not change the way we live—if our beliefs do not influence our daily decisions—our religion is vain, and our faith, if not dead, is certainly not well and is in danger of eventually flat lining. Obedience is the lifeblood of faith. It is by obedience that we gather light into our souls." By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf General Conference April 2016 He Will Place You on His Shoulders
     Bring in some small clothes, even a baby shirt. Does it makes sense that when we grow we have to get bigger clothes? Try putting on the baby shirt... it doesn't even fit on my arm!! As our faith grows, so do the good things we need to do!
      Make a layer book for each child. Grab 2 pieces of paper, layer them, then fold and staple.

This picture shows several layers, you wont need that many. On the first layer, have the children write FAITH and draw a picture to illustrate what faith means to them. On the 2nd layer write LOVE HIM and draw a picture to illustrate why the children love their Savior. On the 3rd layer write TRUST HIM and have them draw a picture about why they trust Jesus. On the 4th layer have them write KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS and draw something they can do this week to really show their commitment to goodness. It would really help if you had an example to show the children of this layer book and what you drew inside!
       Did the pages/layers in your book get bigger? Repeat the quote from President Uchtdorf, "As we increase in faith, we also must increase in faithfulness..."

* "Most of you are familiar with Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire Cat, of whom Alice asks, “Which path shall I follow?” The cat answers, “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.”¹

Unlike Alice, we know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for the path we follow in this life leads to our destination in the next life. May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals." President Monson General Conference April 2016 Choices

       Have a path to a table set with a nice tea and a couple crazy hats. We know our path and where we want to go! And today our path leads to learning more about faith! Invite a primary friend to start on the path and state where they want to go - eternal life with Heavenly Father! They walk the path and sit down to tea (of course decaffeinated and don't forget to pretend pour it!!), wear a hat and get to answer a question about faith. Prepare 10-12 questions and have 2 scriptures to read about faith also! Have 3 paper Cheshire Cats hidden in the room. If someone can find one, remind them that the Chesire Cat says it's not important what path you take... wrong! What are some things we should avoid that don't help our faith??

(Yaya Christina and my Christina.... we're so Greek... these were the most fun hats to make!! I had to share.)

 

* Lds.org topic helps says, "Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does. Because He has experienced all our pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties (see Alma 7:11-12; D&C 122:8). He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33) and prepared the way for us to receive eternal life. He is always ready to help us as we remember His plea: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36)."
      Bring in a blindfold and ask for a volunteer. Do they trust you? Set up a mini obstacle course. Guide the primary friend by the hand, talk to them when they get to an obstacle and help them through it. Would this have been pretty easy to do blindfolded without my help? Faith in Jesus means relying completely on Him!!
        Have about 10 pictures of people from magazines cut out with paper thought bubbles coming from their heads and a ? in each bubble. “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36)." Invent 10 different scenarios/short situations for each person. Invite a primary friend to come up front and choose a person. Read their scenario and ask the primary child how that person can be faithful! For example- Sara just had a really long day at school. 2 of her friends got in an argument and wanted her to choose a side and choose who she liked more. Sara had a bad feeling.... what could Sara do to show faith? A response could be- First off, Sara doesn't know what will happen. She has to trust Heavenly Father that He will help her. She can say a prayer, she can tell her friends that she doesn't want to choose... Jesus loved everyone and so can she!
  

Week 2 Repentance brings forgiveness.

* “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.And I will remember [them] no more." Jeremiah 31:34
     HERE is some really interesting information with GREAT VISUALS!!! I would have 6-7 red pieces of paper covering white pieces of paper throughout the room. Invite a child to take off the red paper, read an interesting fact from the article, then crumple the red paper and throw it away.
     Repeat the scripture often throughout the lesson and try to help the children memorize it by leaving out words here and there or having them fill in the blank as you say it. Are the red papers gone? Yes!! And our sins or mistakes (if we are younger than 8) can be too when we repent or prepare for repentance by saying sorry!!

* Bring in 5 paper bags with a couple simple costumes and props to tell the story for the following: Alma the Younger repents (Mosiah 27), Saul repents (Acts 9), Enos repents (Enos), The Anti-Nephi-Lehies (Alma 23-24), Jonah repents (Jonah 2).
     Do the children know these stories? Have them break into groups and prepare a short skit to present the scripture story of repentance. They must use all the items in the bag. Just in case the children aren't familiar or can't remember the story, type up 2 paragraphs to summarize and put that into the bag too. After 5 minutes, have the children present their story to the entire primary.

* HERE is a link to the FHE Resource book. If you scroll down there is a 5 question True or False test that would be a great introduction activity to your lesson. Children can stand on their right foot if they think the answer is True or left foot if they think the answer is false.
     Break into small groups of 3-4 primary friends and give each group a scripture on repentance. Have them read it and come up with a true/false question for the entire primary, then share.

* "In my youth I learned an important lesson about how our actions may limit our freedom. One day my father assigned me to varnish a wooden floor. I made the choice to begin at the door and work my way into the room. When I was almost finished, I realized I had left myself no way to get out. There was no window or door on the other side. I had literally painted myself into a corner. I had no place to go. I was stuck.

     Whenever we disobey, we spiritually paint ourselves into a corner and are captive to our choices. Though we are spiritually stuck, there is always a way back. Like repentance, turning around and walking across a newly varnished floor means more work—a lot of resanding and refinishing! Returning to the Lord isn’t easy, but it is worth it." Elder Robert D. Hales November 2010 Ensign Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life

       Play a game of 4 corners, label each corner with a color. Bring a bag with 4 small pieces of paper to match the colors of each corner. Draw a color from the bag and all the children in that corner are out. In between each round have questions (8-10), scriptures (2-3), or songs (2-3) on repentance for a child to answer or read. Songs of course are sung by the entire primary. You might not get to all the questions or scriptures, that's OK! It's better to be over prepared than under prepared!

Week 3 When I am baptized, I make a covenant with God.

* HERE is a great board game from The Friend on our baptismal covenant!

* Camp Covenant!! Write it on the chalkboard!! Bring in some camping supplies and have a reverent child come up and choose to learn more about baptismal covenants today at Camp Covenant!!
lantern (Please read Mosiah 18:8, emphasize LIGHT)
cast iron pot (How can we develop strong testimonies to prepare for baptism and help us afterwards?)
tent (Fill in the blank. Baptism is the gate that helps us to enter this shelter of The Lord...)
sleeping bag (Use the sleeping bag to demonstrate immersion)
backpack (What does it mean to bear one another's burdens that they may be light?)
mosquito repellent (How does keeping our covenants repel sin?)
marshmallow roasting stick (Sometimes we are a lone marshmallow in the fire. What does the covenant to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all places mean?)
matches (What does Heavenly Father promise us once we are baptized and confirmed? Please read Matthew 3:11)
hiking boots (Why was Jesus baptized and how can we follow Him?)
hat (Using your beautiful mind and brain, come up with 10 ways to comfort a person who needs comfort!)
picture of the mountains ( Sometimes it can be very peaceful when we camp in the mountains. What can we do to bring peace or mourn with a person who is mourning?)
      Mark 1:4 "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." We might not have been exactly in the wilderness camping today, but hopefully we were able to feel the Holy Ghost (a feeling of happiness or calm or peace) while talking about baptism and covenants! Challenge the children to go somewhere in nature this and pray about something they can do to keep their baptism covenant this week.

* HERE are some good ideas from The Friend. I like the one about inviting a priesthood holder to come in as John the Baptist (with the permission of the Bishop).

* I Like My Birthdays (CS 104) is a great song!! The first verse is pretty easy to learn:
Have 2 birthday hats for children to wear on I like my birthdays every one
Have a party horn blower toy for a child to blow on the word JOY only!! in the phrase Each brings a greater joy to me
Have 2 children come up and hold up 8 fingers for the phrase But I can't wait until I'm 8
Have a child hold up a picture of Baptism on the phrase For then I'll be baptized you see -and have the child point to their eye on the word see
    After you've gone through the song a couple times, have an undecorated  REAL birthday cake. Have 10-12 questions/scriptures (Not each, TOTAL!) about baptismal covenants for the children to answer/read. After the child answers have them add some frosting to the cake. Once it's completely frosted, children who come up can add sprinkles. Have the missionaries come in and give them the cake and sing I Like My Birthdays for them!

Week 4 The Holy Ghost comforts and guides me.

* Have you ever heard about a breathing buddy? How does it feel when we take nice deep breaths? Bring in about 10 small stuffed animals. When you lie down on your back, you place your breathing buddy on your stomach and breath in and out... really noticing you buddy going up or down.
       Have 10 questions about the Holy Ghost attached to the breathing buddies. Invite a primary friend to come up and choose a breathing buddy. The Holy Ghost can give us comfort, calm, and peace. He's just like a breathing buddy- helping us stay focused, ready, and aware. After the primary friend answers the question, invite them to put the breathing buddy on their tummy and take 3 deep breaths. The primary can also do this in their chairs!
       "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Job 33:4

* Bring in a snow globe. Ask a child to come up front and shake it. Sometimes we feel angry, or sad, or afraid. We feel like there is a snowstorm inside of us. Will this storm last forever? Will the snow keep on falling and the wind never stop? What happened in our snow globe?
      The Holy Ghost can comfort and guide us. When we feel shaken up (shake the snow globe), He can be there for us to help us settle down and be at peace no matter what the situation. Has anyone had a time when the Holy Ghost has comforted them?
     Make some snow water bottles during sharing time. Save up some of your plastic water bottles, bring in a funnel and let the children add 1 tablespoon of glitter to it and a little bit of baby oil. (Try it out at home first!! HERE is one that uses glitter glue) Have some adults on hand to help out. For those that are finished, have them look up scriptures about the Holy Ghost or act out the story of when Jesus calmed the storm.
      "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still." Psalms 107:29

* After a long day, I love to change into my jammies and cozy socks! They are so comfortable and help me to relax. Does anyone else feel the same way? The Holy Ghost helps to give us comfort and guide us. He helps us to be calm and is there for us during and after a long day!! Hide some jammies and socks around the room. Invite a primary child to go and find an item. Have short stories attached where the Holy Ghost gave comfort or guidance.
      "For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." Isaiah 51:3

May 2015 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps & Ideas

The Invitation by Jenedy Paige

For more information about this artist click HERE

Monthly Theme: Principles ad Ordinances of the Gospel Lead Me to Jesus Christ.
Monthly Scripture: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” Articles of Faith 1:4

Week 1 My faith in Jesus Christ is strengthened when I obey.

* We know what is right. We know the things we can do to show obedience and return to Heavenly Father. THIS is a story about a horse who was not obedient. It's a little sad what happens to him... warning!! Share the story with the primary children.
     2 Nephi 2:27 "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
    Because the horse would not be obedient, what did he end up choosing?
     Have 3 pictures of beautiful strong horses. On the chalkboard draw 3 lines horizontal with 15 notches vertical on each line for the horses to move according to a roll of the die. Which horse will be first?? Can we get them all to the finish by working as a team?? (Magnets work better than tape for moving!!)
     Make about 20 index cards with scriptures, questions, and/or songs about faith and obedience. Let a child come up front, choose a card and answer the question. If they get it right, they can roll a die and choose a horse to move forward that many notches.
     Have a handout for them to take home, fill out, and color. It can be a picture of a horse. On the bottom can be the words, I will show obedience this week by _____________________ and my faith will be strengthened! If you want to adapt this idea for Family Home Evening, HERE is a link on how to draw a horse.

* Have a small obstacle course. Bring in a blindfold. Have one child give directions for the other child to get through the course blindfolded.

     Our faith is strengthened when we are obedient and listen to the word of God! We will make it as long as we listen and do what is right! You can rearrange the course a few times and repeat. Have some questions for the children to answer before you switch up the obstacle course. They could include:
What is faith?

Who are some examples of people who were obedient in the scriptures? What about some examples of people who were NOT obedient in the scriptures?

What are some things we can do to show obedience?

Can you share an example of a time in your life when you were blessed for listening and following the commandments?

Why is it important to have a strong faith?

* HERE is a great link from The Friend. It has 5 examples from The Book of Mormon of people who were obedient. Bring in some SIMPLE dress up costumes. Invite a few children up front to put on the clothes and stand reverently holding a sign with the name of the person they are dressed up as. You'll be giving some clues (Read the lettered clue from The Friend) and will call on a reverent friend to share who they think it is. How was the faith of that person from the scriptures strengthened by their obedience? How were they blessed?
     You might have time for another round! Make up 3-4 more clues for some modern day examples of obedience and bring in dress up for those. Dress up could be as simple as a hat or a scarf with gloves!

* I really like THIS story from April 2002 General Conference. To paraphrase, a man and his family went out fishing in the ocean on a beautiful sunny day. Out of nowhere, an 8 foot tall wave crashed into the boat! Their uncle was slammed out of the boat. Fortunately, they were able to rescue him. But where did this wave come? It was a thing called a sneaker wave. 5 people had died that very same day because of that very same wave.
    Elder Schultz says, "As we make our way through this life’s journey, we must continually be on guard and watch for those things which are deceptive and not what they appear to be. If we are not careful, the sneaker waves in life can be as deadly as those in the ocean.

      One of the sneaky ploys of the adversary is to have us believe that unquestioning obedience to the principles and commandments of God is blind obedience. His goal is to have us believe that we should be following our own worldly ways and selfish ambitions. This he does by persuading us that “blindly” following the prophets and obeying the commandments is not thinking for ourselves. He teaches that it is not intelligent to do something just because we are told to do so by a living prophet or by prophets who speak to us from the scriptures.

      Our unquestioning obedience to the Lord’s commandments is not blind obedience."

     Have 3 spray bottles filled with water. Have all the primary children close their eyes. NO PEEKING!!! Choose 3 friends to spray a sneaker wave on another primary friend's HAND. Then have them come up front. Whoever was sprayed can stand up to answer a question about faith/obedience and guess who sprayed them. If they guess right, then they can be the next sneaker wave.

     Bear testimony that there will be times in life when sneaker waves will come. If we are obedient and faithful, we will be safe!!

Week 2 I can repent.

* Invite 5 friends up front. They are going to choose an action to do for the person next to them to follow. They will say, "I can..... can you?" They will each have to repeat the action from the people in front of them, so the fifth person will be busy! After the 5th person adds their action, have the entire primary do all the actions together! (It's nice to get up and move around!!)
    Some friends were able to do the actions, some maybe weren't. Some people can jump rope, some can't. Some people can build bridges, others can swim, even some others can run a mile in 6 minutes. One thing that EVERYONE 8 years old and older can do is REPENT!!!! If we're under 8 we can definitely practice for when we are older by saying sorry for our mistakes!!!
     Play a few rounds of "I can.... can you?" You're looking for reverent friends who can come up front to help! Friends that are listening, participating, keeping hands to self, and not talking so that the spirit can be felt. In between each round have questions about the repentance process. What do we have to do to repent? For your final round, have a picture of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Bear your personal witness of The Atonement.

* I always love the visual demonstration of putting a really old/dirty penny completely into a small cup of ketchup. After letting it sit for 5-10 minutes, you can take it out and wipe it off and it will be shiny and like new. Practice this though before you do it in primary!
    I don't want any of the children to misunderstand this quote. Obedience is very important, but just doing good things would never be enough in life. The Atonement of Christ should be at the center of our lives. President Uchtdorf from our last general conference said, "Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God. Thinking that we can trade our good works for salvation is like buying a plane ticket and then supposing we own the airline. Or thinking that after paying rent for our home, we now hold title to the entire planet earth."  (The Gift of Grace)
     We must repent!!! But repentance is only possible because of the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for us!!!

* Have a child stand on one side of the room. Have a trash can all the way on the other side of the room. Can they toss a piece of trash into the garbage?
  President Thomas S. Monson has taught, “One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final....
     Who among us cannot remember moments of failure?

One such moment came to me as a young basketball player. The game was close—hotly contested—when the coach called me from the bench to run a key play. For some reason which I shall never understand, I took the pass and dribbled the ball right through the opposing team. I jumped high toward the basket; and, as the basketball left my fingertips, I came to the abrupt realization that I was shooting for the wrong basket. I offered the shortest prayer I have ever spoken: “Dear Father, don’t let that ball go in.” My prayer was answered, but my ordeal was just beginning. I heard a loud cheer erupt from the adoring fans: “We want Monson, we want Monson, we want Monson … OUT!” The coach obliged.” (The Will Within,” Ensign, May 1987)

    Let the friend try again a little closer until they make it! We can repent!!! When we make a mistake, it's not the end. We can try again!! Have each class come up with 3 True/False questions about repentance and write them down. Invite a primary friend to toss a piece of trash into the garbage, but first have them answer one of the true/false questions.
   End with a final thought from President Monson's above mentioned talk, “Change for the better can come to all." Repentance is a gift from God. We don't ever need to think that if we make a mistake, that's it. Bear testimony that you know we can repent.

Week 3 When I am baptized I make a covenant with God.

* What is a covenant? Good insight HERE. (Bible Dictionary)

* "Baptism symbolizes our birth into the kingdom of God. It is a pivotal event in our eternal progress. Just as we cannot have mortal life without physical birth, so we cannot enter the kingdom of God except by being born of the water and of the Spirit (see John 3:5). Thus it is very important to thoroughly understand the covenant of baptism." (From Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual)
    Bring in a couple birthday presents, a birthday hat, a mini-piñata, a mini birthday cake, a balloon, a party favor bag.... (about 10 items) Make a nice little display on your front table of birthday things you can think of!
   Say the following words, "You've had a birthday, shout hooray! When you were baptized, at age 8! Born of water and spirit too, you made a promise, it's true!" ( I AM NOT SUGGESTING IN ANY WAY TO HAVE YOUR PRIMARY CHANGE THE WORDS TO THE SONG AND SING IT. I'm merely trying to illustrate in a different way what the above quote talks about.)
     Have questions, scriptures, and songs about baptism and the baptismal covenant on the different birthday items. Have a reverent child come up front and choose a birthday item and answer the question. Just as our birthdays are special days, our Baptismal day is one of extreme importance. It's the day we are born into the kingdom of God! End with singing, I Like My Birthdays (Children's Songbook pg. 104)

* See if you can gather about 7-8 pictures of people that were baptized in your ward when they were children, e.g. the bishop, the primary pianist. It will take some work and preparation beforehand! Ask them to briefly tell a little bit about what they remember from their baptism. Share that with the children, and have them guess who said it and what picture matches! Have other questions and scriptures prepared for children to answer/read before you give the next hint! Ask if a child who was recently baptized would be willing to share a little bit about their special day and a picture too!

* HERE is a great story from The Friend with a Covenant Keeper certificate! After you talk about baptism and the covenants associated with it, spend some time to make cards for anyone that may be mourning or need a lift!

 

Week 4 When I am confirmed I receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

* Share this quote from conference with the children, " Years ago I listened to a radio interview of a young doctor who worked in a hospital in the Navajo Nation. He told of an experience he had one night when an old Native American man with long braided hair came into the emergency room. The young doctor took his clipboard, approached the man, and said, “How can I help you?” The old man looked straight ahead and said nothing. The doctor, feeling somewhat impatient, tried again. “I cannot help you if you don’t speak to me,” he said. “Tell me why you have come to the hospital.”

     The old man then looked at him and said, “Do you dance?” As the young doctor pondered the strange question, it occurred to him that perhaps his patient was a tribal medicine man who, according to ancient tribal customs, sought to heal the sick through song and dance rather than through prescribing medication.

     “No,” said the doctor, “I don’t dance. Do you dance?” The old man nodded yes. Then the doctor asked, “Could you teach me to dance?”

The old man’s response has for many years caused me much reflection. “I can teach you to dance,” he said, “but you have to hear the music.”

      Sometimes in our homes, we successfully teach the dance steps but are not as successful in helping our family members to hear the music. And as the old medicine man well knew, it is hard to dance without music. Dancing without music is awkward and unfulfilling—even embarrassing. Have you ever tried it?

       In section 8 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord taught Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (verse 2). We learn the dance steps with our minds, but we hear the music with our hearts. The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost." (From The Music of the Gospel by Elder Wilford Anderson)

     Time to learn some dance moves!!! Have a paper bag with pieces of paper including simple dance steps you can teach or do WITHOUT MUSIC!!- grapevine, cha cha, waltz, animal dance move (e.g. how would an elephant dance?), disco, twist, freeze dance, moonwalking, Charleston, robot, running man, sprinkler.....

ONLY DO THIS ACTIVITY IF THE CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO CALM DOWN QUICKLY!!! If you have a really reverent group that can handle this and have fun great, if not, DON'T do it!! This could easily get out of control if you don't have good behavior management. With that said, it would be a great family home evening!!

      In between choosing dance moves, have questions, scriptures, and songs about the Holy Ghost.

     REPEAT OFTEN through the lesson "The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost."

 

* Bring in about 3 gifts that you have received in your life that are very special to you. Show the children and share the stories behind them. But there is one gift that is the most special you have been given. It's not a gift you can see. It is one that helps you daily and a gift that helps you feel peaceful and happy. Can the primary children guess what that gift is?

     Invite the children to write down or draw a picture of a time they have felt the Holy Ghost. For little Sunbeams and CTR 4 children... have them draw a picture of happy people. The Holy Ghost can help us feel happy. Teachers can help them write a sentence about what their picture is.

     Take all these papers and put into a box. Wrap or add a bow. Give it to the missionaries to share with a person they are teaching. We know that when we are confirmed, we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost!!!

     Don't forget to talk about what it means to receive!! The Holy Ghost is never something that is forced on us, we must be willing to invite Him into our lives!

 

* HERE is a very simple matching game that children could do in small groups from The Liahona.

 

* Sometimes it's good to just get moving around. Have 4 stations in the room. At each station, invite a member to share a personal story of how the Holy Ghost has helped them. (You will need the Bishop's approval beforehand) Divide into groups and rotate stations every 2 1/2 minutes. Gather together and invite any children to share an experience of how the Holy Ghost has helped them, or some feelings they have felt because of the Holy Ghost. Bear testimony that when we are confirmed, we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

November 2014 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Odilon Redon, Christ in Silence, 1897

Monthly Theme: Living the Teachings of Jesus Christ Strengthens Me and My Family.
Monthly Scripture: “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Week 1: “If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” Alma 32:21

 

* A fun way to memorize this verse is with a game called sparkle (Senior Primary would work best for this). First you'll need to say the verse about 5 times together. Then each child says a word in the verse, after the last word in the verse the next child would say sparkle and be out (sit down). It helps if you are in a circle. If someone doesn't know the word, then they are out. Also, someone who is out can raise their hand and try to get back in. Whoever is the last person standing is the winner!

* Another way to memorize from The Friend, Jan. 2008, " Help the children memorize Alma 32:21. All of the children will memorize the second part, beginning with the word if, by setting the phrases to music. Sing the words of the scripture to “Have a Very Happy Birthday!” (pp. 284–85). Fit one word to each note; you will sing the scripture through twice. Sing the song through several times until the children memorize it." The article has more wonderful ideas, HERE.

* From Oct. 2014 General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott said, " We must take time to actively exercise our faith... Our Father in Heaven has given us tools to help us come unto Christ and exercise faith in His Atonement. When these tools become fundamental habits, they provide the easiest way to find peace in the challenges of mortality. Today I have chosen to discuss four of these tools. As I speak, consider evaluating your personal use of each tool; then seek the guidance of the Lord to determine how you could make better use of each one of them."
     He then goes on to mention the 4 tools- prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and temple attendance.
     Can we build anything without tools? Can we have a true strong faith without prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and temple attendance?
     Make a tool belt for the children. It can be as simple as a string or a paper envelope. Divide the room into 4 groups. Have 4 different stations with an adult who can give a personal experience (or one from the scriptures) about how the tool Elder Scott mentioned helped strengthen their faith. So for example, one station will be prayer. At that station I could talk about the story of Enos. I could show a picture and ask some questions. The other stations would be scripture study, family home evening, and temple attendance.
     At each station have a paper/cardstock tool for the children to attach to their belt. Each station should last about 2-3 minutes. On the tools, you should have the corresponding prayer, scripture study, family home evening, and temple attendance. If you need a PDF, you can email me.... but please say, "Hello Sofia." I know we live in a time with smart phones and texting this and that. But it makes me feel like a piece of meat when people don't address me as a person. :) I'll say your name too. Let's connect!!

HERE is the talk. It's wonderful, like all of Elder Scott's talks. I especially like his challenge, "Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!"

Also, please notice his challenge from the first quote, "As I speak, consider evaluating your personal use of each tool; then seek the guidance of the Lord to determine how you could make better use of each one of them."
You could encourage the children to go home and talk with their families about how they can improve! They can even write how they want to improve/goals on the back of each tool.

Tools for Faith

Upon more thinking, we could even play 4 corners instead of the stations idea. Label 4 corners of the room as Prayer, Scripture Study, Temple Attendance, and Family Home Evening. On the chalkboard write, "Helps build my faith." All these tools are to help us exercise our faith. You'll need to write the 4 things again on small pieces of paper to draw out of a bag from. Invite 5-6 children to play. They choose a corner to stand in. Ask a question about faith or have someone read a scripture, then have a primary friend draw out "the corner" from the bag and after put it back in. Whoever is in that corner is out. Those remaining children choose another corner. Repeat with another question. Have another child come up and choose a corner. Play until there is only 1 person left!! If it happens quickly, play another round!! Make sure to have plenty (about 10-12) of questions/scriptures/songs about faith ready!!
Some questions could include:
1. How is faith like a little seed?
2. What is faith?
3. What is a story from the scriptures that talks about faith?
4. As a Primary, sing I pray in Faith (CS #14)
5. What can we do in Family Home Evening to help strengthen the faith of other family members? (help give/plan lessons, be reverent, answer & ask questions, be helpful)

* Bring in a large box with a hole in it. Have some different items for children to "feel" and guess what they are.
Can they see what's inside? No!! But there are things there!!!
      We don't have to see to know!
Have about 10 (total) different questions, songs, and scriptures about faith. Invite children up front to answer a question or read a scripture, then have them feel inside the box and guess. If they are right, have them take it out and show everyone!

 

Week 2: Prayer is reverent communication with Heavenly Father.

* HERE is an excellent little matching game and article in The Friend entitled, "Prayer is reverent communication between God and Me" by Jennifer Maddy.

* HERE is the ULTIMATE talk for this week's lesson. I especially liked, from Elder Oaks,
     "When one of our daughters was about three years old, she did something that always delighted her parents. When we called her name, she would usually answer by saying, “Here me is.” This childish reply was among the sweetest things her parents heard. But when she was grown, we expected her to use appropriate language when she spoke, and of course she did. As the Apostle Paul said, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11).

      The same is true of prayer. Our earliest efforts will be heard with joy by our Heavenly Father, however they are phrased. They will be heard in the same way by loving members of our Church. But as we gain experience as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we need to become more mature in all of our efforts, including our prayers."

     For Senior primary, you could even give the children copies in pairs and have them read it. After they can make up 2 questions to quiz the rest of the primary.

* An analogy:
       "Reverence is the atmosphere of heaven." President Howard W. Hunter (another wonderful talk found HERE)
     Bring in a couple pictures of the earth. What is the sky? What is air? The earth's atmosphere is a thin layer of gases that surrounds the planet. The atmosphere is what keeps us alive! It holds the oxygen we breath and it protects us from the harmful radiation of the sun.
     Without the atmosphere, our earth would be like other planets. Barren and with no life.
     "Reverence is the atmosphere of heaven." How important then is reverence!! In comparison, reverence is what keeps our spirits alive. It should be as important to us as our breathing. It protects us from the ways of the world. It should surround us as we pray!

* Sister Laurel Rohlfing shares some great insight in a Friend article HERE. You could definitely make a good point by having a children come up front and try to get you to talk about your day, but you respond only with the words, "Thanks for asking, it was nice, ok the end" over and over again!

Week 3: Repentance is a change of mind and heart.

* You could have a couple child act out the story of Alma and Abinadi, dress them in simple costumes. Alma didn't make the best of choices but he changed his ways and repented! What about Alma the Younger too??
Alma 5:11-12, "Behold, I can tell you—did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them?

    And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true."

* HERE is a very straight forward explanation of what we need to do to repent from Elder Russell M. Nelson.

A couple recycled ideas from previous posts:

*Bring in the movie Cinderella. Who has seen this movie? Have a primary princess or prince BRIEFLY tell the story!! A minute or less!! Well, it's an important story because it was even brought up in this last April General Conference !!
"Every Cinderella has her midnight—if not in this life, then in the next. Judgment Day will come for all. Are you prepared? Are you pleased with your own performance?
     If any has stumbled in her journey, I promise you that there is a way back. The process is called repentance. Our Savior died to provide you and me that blessed gift. Though the path is difficult, the promise is real. Said the Lord: “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow....And I will remember [them] no more.” (Believe,Obey,Endure by President Monson)

Have 10 paper glass slippers with scriptures, stories, songs or questions having to do with repentance on the back. Let primary children come and choose a glass slipper and do what it says. (Of course, songs should be sung by the whole primary!) At the end of the lesson, you can show a picture of Cinderella in rags and then in her beautiful ball gown. Bear testimony that repentance changes our rags into beauty!!    

* Have a member of the bishopric come in to help you with your lesson if possible. You'll need a running headband, a racing number to pin on him and a pair of running shoes for him to change into. He might look a little silly wearing these things and his suit! However, he's going to be our special runner today! He's going to reverently run (perhaps even just jog) from one side of the room to the other. After he finishes, ask him, if he were in the middle of a race and realized he was going the wrong way, what would he do?? Share this quote,
       " If I were going the wrong way in the middle of a marathon, and I realized my mistake, would I keep going? I would immediately turn around! . . . I wouldn't stay on the wrong course because no matter how long I ran there, I would never reach the finish line. And yet for many who have made a moral mistake, a little voice keeps saying: 'You blew it. You can't change. No one will ever know anyway.' To you I would say, Don't believe it. 'Satan wants you to think that you cannot repent, but that is absolutely not true' (For the Strength of Youth [2001], 30)." Elaine S. Dalton, "You Can Return," New Era, Mar. 2010, 11
      Have the children jog reverently (demonstrate for them first!) in place with their thumbs out. Invite one child up front to answer a question on repentance. Then they can reverently jog to another primary friend and tag their thumb. That friend comes up front to answer another question on repentance. While children answer questions, the primary children can sit down. We need to run and finish the race, repentance and forgiveness from our Savior and Heavenly Father helps us do so!!

Week 4: Forgiveness brings peace.

* HERE is a video from lds.org on the prodigal son. It is 5 1/2 minutes. After showing the children, ask them if the story would be different if the Father didn't forgive the son? Absolutely! But The Father does forgive!
Have the children illustrate the story of The Prodigal Son. Have them divide a piece of paper into 6 sections. For younger children, just have them 1 picture using the entire sheet.

* Bring in a frozen turkey. See if a small child can lift it up. It's pretty heavy. How would it feel if you dropped it on your foot? How would it feel if someone threw it at you?
HERE is a wonderful talk by President Hinckley. I actually remember hearing him give it. I'm sure you do too! He shares a true story that you could tell the children. HERE is The Friend version.
I like the ending quote,

      “According to an account in the New York Post, Cushing carefully and tentatively made his way to where Ruvolo sat in the courtroom and tearfully whispered an apology. ‘I’m so sorry for what I did to you.’

        Ruvolo then stood, and the victim and her assailant embraced, weeping. She stroked his head and patted his back as he sobbed, and witnesses, including a Times reporter, heard her say, ‘It’s OK. I just want you to make your life the best it can be.’ According to accounts, hardened prosecutors, and even reporters, were choking back tears”

 

* HERE is a great story about some girls who need to learn how to be nice and also show forgiveness. After reading the story, have the children make some friendship bracelets to remember that forgiveness brings peace.

 

* HERE is another great story about letting go of bitter feelings. Go ahead. Take a minute to sing it to yourself. I'm one with the wind and snoooo---oh-ow. I liked how at the end of the story they wrote on some balloons and let it go. Have some balloons up front for the children to choose. On the balloons have questions/scriptures about forgiveness for them to answer or read.

 

* I love Boyd. HERE is an article entitled Peace in Forgiving. Have a bunch of broken paper hearts. (Almost like puzzles, you can have different zig zags to match the hearts broken in half) Invite children to match the different sides of the hearts and heal them with a band aid. While doing so, they can talk about something that comes to their mind about forgiveness. Perhaps a scripture story, a personal experience, or ways to forgive.

 

* SUCH A GREAT OBJECT LESSON!!!! Bring some pebbles to have the primary children try. HERE is the whole story in The Friend. I also really liked how the story of Joseph Smith and Brother Phelps is mentioned!

 

* THIS is one of my favorite talks. I love President Uchtdorf's analogy of the point of no return. God loves us. He wants us to repent and He will forgive us. We must make sure that we don't have "points of no return" with other people... "I'll never forgive...." cannot be part of our lives.

     "For our own good, we need the moral courage to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. Never is the soul nobler and more courageous than when we forgive. This includes forgiving ourselves.

      We will receive the joy of forgiveness in our own lives when we are willing to extend that joy freely to others. Lip service is not enough. We need to purge our hearts and minds of feelings and thoughts of bitterness and let the light and the love of Christ enter in. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord will fill our souls with the joy accompanying divine peace of conscience (see Mosiah 4:2–3).

        My dear brothers and sisters, my dear young friends, when the captain of a long-range jet passes the point of safe return, and the headwinds are too strong or the cruising altitudes too low, he might be forced to divert to an airport other than his planned destination. This is not so in our journey through life back to our heavenly home. Wherever you find yourselves on this journey through life, whatever trials you may face, there is always a point of safe return; there is always hope. You are the captain of your life, and God has prepared a plan to bring you safely back to Him, to your divine destination."

June 2011 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com byjlk Nov. 2009

Monthly Theme: The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel Make It Possible for Me to Live with God Again.

Monthly Scripture: “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:4).

Week 1 Faith in Jesus Christ leads us to love Him, trust Him, and keep His commandments.

* Whip out your Faith in God books! In it, it says, "An important part of faith in God is keeping your baptismal covenant and staying spiritually strong. To help you develop faith and resist temptation, do the following things:

• Pray daily to Heavenly Father.
• Read the scriptures regularly.
• Keep the commandments and live “My Gospel Standards” (see back cover).
• Honor your parents and be kind to your family.
• Pay your tithing and attend tithing settlement.
• Attend sacrament meetings and Primary regularly. "
Play a game of charades, acting out these things that our Faith in God books encourage us to do to build our faith! Under the learning and living the gospel section of the book, it has an activity to complete, "Tell a story from the Book of Mormon that teaches about faith in Jesus Christ. Share your testimony of the Savior." Have the children divide into small groups or pairs and do so!

* Bring in a fruit by the foot. Can we just eat this? If someone says yes, try stuffing it in your mouth with the wrapper. Doesn't work. What do you have to do to eat it? Unwrap it, unroll it, break it into pieces or roll around your finger or wad it into a ball, then of course throw out the trash.... Faith isn't just something that happens and bam, sweetness and yumminess! You have to work on faith. You have to open up your heart to faith, just like we opened the wrapper.... and you have to unravel it and work on it. Along the way of faith you will find love, trust and a desire to keep the commandments. Try to somehow hang the fruit by the foot up on the board. At the end of it, have a picture of Christ. Have the children brainstorm different ways to strengthen their faith and write it on the board, getting closer and closer to Christ. Ask the children if they can think of any stories from the scriptures that have faithful people in it. Always close your lesson with your brief testimony of what you have taught.

* I know I'm going to have some whack job tell me this idea is nuts, but here's what I have to say- If you don't like it, don't use it. I pray over everything I write, but I am not a prophet nor claim to be one. I don't have inspiration about what exactly you should do to teach your group of spectacular children. :) With that said, get out the transformer toys!! This will catch the children's attention. What do transformers do? They change from big hairy robots into cars. It almost seems impossible that a robot as tall as a building could change into a small little Camero, but it does. We know transformers aren't real. It's just a movie. But what we'll talk about today is very real. It is something that helps to change a person too.... does anyone have any ideas?? What helps change us?? (Remember, be supportive of all ideas given, even if it's not what you are looking for. For example, someone might say Baptism... to which you can reply, "You are absolutely right! Baptism does change people, what are some other ideas?") In general conference last year, Elder Scott said, "When faith is properly understood and used, it has dramatically far-reaching effects. Such faith can transform an individual’s life..." Then have questions, scriptures (Look at such examples like Alma the younger and Paul), and songs about faith attached to about 10 different transformer toys. Let the children come up and choose one. End with this quote by Elder Hales, "The first step to finding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is to let His word—spoken by the mouth of His servants, the prophets—touch your heart. But it is not enough merely to let those words wash over you, as if they alone could transform you. We must do our part. Or as the Savior Himself said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” In other words, hearing requires an active effort. “Faith without works is dead.”

* Watch part of Finding Faith in Christ, HERE is a link to it. The whole video is 30 minutes. It's a really good one. I especially like the beginning, because Jesus just wakes up and calms the storm... He doesn't complain, or say give me 5 more minutes, He just up and does it.

* Here is a Bible Crossword Puzzle (from The Friend) of people of great faith.

* Here is a great sharing time from the Friend focusing on Alma 32:21.

Week 2 Repentance brings forgiveness.

* Pass out some hearts to the children and let them make a quick note to the Bishop. Have them bring up to a box. Tell the children you are going to wrap it now. Do a really bad job, put the bow on your head!! Is this gift wrap worthy to be given to the Bishop? He deserves better right? And so it is with us and Heavenly Father. We don't want our lives to be messy and full of sin, we want to be neat and clean when we present ourselves to him.... and the way to do this is by repentance!! Read 3 Nephi 27:19 "And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." Have a child unwrap the messy paper. Have 6 pictures of people in the scriptures who were good examples of repentance and forgiveness... invite a child to come up and tell the story, then help wrap a part of the present. And of course, have a couple children deliver the present to the Bishop after church!

* Have a child come up to the front and hold a "Can Not Enter" sign. Tell the primary you are going to whisper a special word in their ear. Happiness, heaven, and progress is to the right side of them. They can't let anybody past them unless they come up with that special word. Invite a few children to come up and say a word. Each time the child holding the sign can say, Sorry, that's not the word.
"Every principle and ordinance of the gospel of Jesus Christ is significant and important in contributing to the progress, happiness, and eternal life of man; but there is none more essential to the salvation of the human family than the divine and eternally operative principle, repentance. Without it, no one can be saved. Without it, no one can even progress." (President David O. McKay, Man may know for Himself: Teachings of President David O. McKay, 43)

* Never underestimate children. You can ask them hard questions and often be edified by their wisdom.
Why do we need to repent? Why can't we just repent right before we die? Why can't we repent after we die and just make sure someone has our name to do temple work for us? What does it take, what do we need to do to repent?

A quote I've often used to show how important our bodies truly are is this, "It is my judgement that any man or woman can do more to conform to the laws of God in one year in this life than they could in ten years when they are dead. The spirit only can repent and change, and then the battle has to go forward with the flesh afterwards. It is much easier to overcome and serve the Lord when both flesh and spirit are combined as one. This is the time when men are more pliable and susceptible. When clay is pliable, it is much easier to change than when it gets hard and sets." (Elder Ballard, in Bryant Hinckley's Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin Joseph Ballard, 241) Give the children some play dough and let them create something for a few minutes.Then invite some children forward to share their creation and say something they know about repentance.

* "God is good. He is eager to forgive. He wants us to perfect ourselves and maintain control of ourselves. He does not want Satan and others to control our lives." (Spencer W.Kimball, The Gospel of Repentance, Ensign, Oct. 1982, 2) Have a picture of a remote control car cut into a 8 pieces. On the pieces have 8 questions, songs and scriptures having to do with repentance. As the children take down pieces of the controlled car, have the words "I WILL REPENT!!!" written, so it will be slowly revealed.

* Here is a rollerbox story about repentance you can prepare and share from the Friend.

* Here is the story of Miriam and her process of repentance. You could easily have a few children act it out. I always like to use fruit leather as edible leper spots.

Week 3 When I am baptized, I make a covenant with God.

(These have been recycled from a previous post)

*What is a covenant? A binding agreement or promise between God and a person or group of people.

Play Wheel of Covenants! Bring in a spinner with different values and earn points as a primary! Phrases to be solved: (Take out 2-3 words or have them fill in the word or guess a letter….) Have pictures to accompany the phrases once solved!
Take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ
Stand as a witness for God
Keep the Commandments
The Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands
Enter into the Kingdom of God
Have children come up at the end and hold the pictures. Bear testimony if we do these things like take upon us the name of Jesus, keep the commandments and stand as a witness for God by being baptized then He will keep up His part of the covenant and bless us with the Holy Ghost and let us enter into His kingdom.

* Bring in a large blue shower curtain (Dollar store!) or large piece of blue butcher paper or old blue sheet. Have tape!!, glue sticks, coloring crayons and plenty of sheets of paper. Make a primary mural depicting the story of Alma and the Waters of Mormon! (Mosiah 18) Show GAK picture 309 and BRIEFLY tell the story of what happened there. Invite the children to share what they know about the story. Children can draw people being baptized, Alma, plants, flowers, clouds…. Invite older children to find out…. Things We Covenant: and Things Heavenly Father Covenants when We are Baptized: (Gospel Principles outlines these perfectly… have them write down and add to the mural!) And voila! You have a great visual to use for other lessons on baptism!!

*Here is a great resource with ideas from Cheryl Esplin! The kids could do the mazes together in partners for Senior Sharing time.

*Here is a flannel board baptism story from the friend magazine.

* Here is a wonderful roller box presentation on covenants with additional ideas from Ann Jamison from the friend magazine.

* Here is a super duper board game you can enlarge and play called “Keeping My Baptismal Covenants” by Jennifer Rose and Beth M. Whittaker.

Week 4 The Holy Ghost comforts and guides me.

* "The gift of the Holy Ghost operates equally with men, women, and even little children. It is within this wondrous gift and power that the spiritual remedy to any problem can be found. 'And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned' (Alma 32:23)." Boyd K. Packer, "Prayer and Promptings," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 45

Have a first aid kit. Invite the children to come up and choose items from the kit that have questions, songs and scriptures about the Holy Ghost on them.

* Have the word “Holy Ghost” written in about 10 different languages on the board.
“In every language, the Spirit of God—the Holy Ghost—guides, or can guide, every member of the Church.” Boyd K. Packer, "The Cloven Tongues of Fire,” Ensign, May 2000, 7

Have a globe with small numbers attached. Invite a child to come up and spin the globe, using their finger to stop it. Have the numbers correspond to questions, songs and scriptures having to do with the Holy Ghost.

* Hold up a blankie. Does anyone have a special blankie that they love, that gives them happiness and comfort? After Jesus was crucified, the apostles were very sad. Do you think Heavenly Father dropped blankies from the sky to help them feel better? Read John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

* Has anyone ever stayed at a hotel when they've gone on vacation? What was it like? There is a hotel called The Comfort Inn... do you think if you stayed there forever you would have comfort forever? Maybe, maybe not. There is only one real way to have comfort all the time, and that is by having the Holy Ghost with you. He is the true comforter!!  Have a hotel drawn on the board with the words, The Holy Ghost Comforter Inn. Have different pieces of furniture the children can add to the hotel with questions, scriptures and songs about the Holy Ghost.