FHE: Gospel Principle "Love"

Opening Activity: Have a picture of Jesus in the front of the room. Everyone choose a spot to stand in the room and strike a pose. Hold it for 5 seconds. Now choose another place to strike a different pose. One more time!

We saw many changes in that activity right? What was the one thing that never changed? The picture of Christ stayed constant!

Quote, "Love is like the north star. In a changing world, it's always a constant." President Gordon B. Hinkley

Jesus Christ ALWAYS lived and lives a life of love. We can too!

Sing the following songs:

I'll Walk With You CS 140
I had some leftover hearts from The Dollar Store and glue pictures from The Friend. I also use key words or phrases on the visuals:

(On I won't! I won't! we shake our fingers side to side. On I will! I will! we pump a fist in the air.)

Can everyone name one way that Jesus showed/shows His love for us and others?

As I Have Loved You CS 136

Pass around a bean bag and sing. When the leader holds up a heart we pause and whoever has the bean bag says something they love about another family member.
OR The Dollar Store has heart wands children can use to conduct the song while singing!

** TIP FOR SINGING- Don't recite/speak the words of a song. Sing them in small phrases to learn! **

End the lesson with the following scriptures:

Challenge: Like President Hinckley said, Love is a constant.  What can we do this week to constantly show our love for others??

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.

July 2012 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Image courtesy lds.org under abstract and patterns in multi-media library

Monthly Theme: I Choose the Right by Living Gospel Principles
Monthly Scripture: "Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord" 1 Nephi 3:16

Week 1 Fasting and prayer can strengthen my testimony

*4th of July Twist on this weeks theme:
During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress proclaimed July 20, 1775 as a national day of fasting and prayer in preparation for the war on independence.

Why would they need to fast and pray to get ready for war?

Ether 2:12 “Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.”

What happened in response to their prayers and fasting?

Have about 15 different pictures having to do with America- bald eagle, flag, George Washington, Declaration of Independence…etc. Have some basic questions on fasting and prayer (about 6) intermingled with some NEAT American President spiritual quotes, scriptures and patriotic songs . Let the children come up and choose pictures and then do what it says! (I will always make a numbered list of my questions, songs, quotes and scriptures to correspond to what picture/number the children pick... it makes life very simple)

American Presidential Spiritual Quotes: (Be sure the kiddos don't confuse the American Presidents with our Prophet/President of the Church!)
"I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side."
-President Abraham Lincoln, December 1862
"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under. We are all God's handiwork, and it is appropriate for us as individuals and as a nation to call on Him in prayer.""
-President Ronald Reagan August 23, 1984
"The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded."
-President James Madison
"At this moment, I have in my heart a prayer. As I have assumed my heavy duties, I humbly pray, Almighty God, in the words of King Solomon: 'Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad, for who is able to judge this thy so great people?' I ask only to be a good and faithful servant of my LORD and my people."
-President Harry S. Truman
"Without God, there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first, the most basic expression of Americanism."
-President Dwight D. Einsenhower

Bear testimony that we live in a choice land, a land that will stay choice if we fast and pray often to Heavenly Father!

*D&C 59:14 "Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer." The tip in the Sharing Time Outline says to "remember that younger children do NOT need to fast". However, they sure can rejoice! Interestingly enough, REJOICE has 2 definitions: to feel joy and to give joy to.

Pass out some paper. Have the children fold it in half. On one side let them draw things that help them feel joy. On the other side how they can give joy! Bear testimony that sometimes fasting and going without food can be a little hard, but it is a principle we should rejoice about!

* THIS is SUCH A GREAT STORY!!!!!!! I would definitely read the story and have children act it out while you are reading. You can have simple props like a handkerchief, grasshoppers on a popsicle stick, seagulls on a popsicle stick.

* This would be an AWESOME visual if you could bring in some pictures of redwoods and a small sapling tree.
From The Friend Dec. 2008 :
" Sometimes young people tell me, “I don’t really know if I have a testimony.” They are looking for a great, grand, glorious experience that’s like a lightning bolt. I ask them, “Have you ever seen a giant redwood tree?” It’s a magnificent tree. Redwoods are thousands of years old. They are gigantic. They are large enough that someone could carve a tunnel in one and drive a car through it. Some young people believe that their testimony is not a testimony at all if it isn’t like that giant redwood tree.

     On the other hand, I also ask them, “Have you seen a baby tree, a little sapling, only five inches tall?” It’s a tree too. Some testimonies are big like a giant redwood; some are small like a sapling. But big or small, they are both testimonies. If you are wondering if you have a testimony, I would ask you—Do you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet? Do you pray? Do you feel peace when you do? Do you believe the Book of Mormon is true? Do you believe you have a Father in Heaven? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? If you say yes to any of these questions, then you have received a witness of the truth. You have a testimony. Just nurture it!

      Our testimonies are nurtured and grown in simple ways. When you get out of bed in the morning, pray on your knees to your Father in Heaven, and listen. When you get up off your knees, go about the events of the day trying to live the gospel and be good to others. When the day ends, have another word of prayer, express love to Heavenly Father, thank Him, and ask for His help. Sometime between those two prayers, take time each day to read and think about the scriptures. Be sure to fast on fast Sunday and attend church every week.

      If you’ll just live like that, in time your testimony will grow from a little sapling to an eight-foot-tall tree to a giant redwood. That is how a testimony is nurtured and grown."

Week 2 Being kind is doing and saying nice things to others.

* KIND-DO! Just fancy for Kindness Jeopardy. It's easiest if you just use the chalkboard and chalk. I made a visual because we'll play it at home for a FHE. A lot of the squares you can use to fill in with SHORT personal stories of the children being kind! You can call up parents the week before to get the stories! (For example: This primary friend always helps clean up the playroom without being asked.... Who is it? Suzie!!) I never turn games into competitions, because I'm weird like that. Instead I'd tell the kiddos that we're working together as a Primary and let's see how many points we can earn together! Children can cross off the square they choose. HERE is the fantastic talk I quoted Elder Wirthlin. It's a must read! It is honestly one of the very BEST talks I've ever read in my life.

K
100 Personal Primary Friend Story
200 Personal Primary Friend Story
300 Personal Primary Friend Story
400 Sing I Want To Be Kind To Everyone (CS #145b)
500 How can we be kind to mother earth?
I
100 How can you show kindness to elderly people?
200 Personal Primary Friend Story
300 Personal Primary Friend Story
400 Name 2 kind people from the scriptures and what they did to be kind.
500 Please say something nice about someone in the room.
N
100 Personal Primary Friend Story
200 How can we show kindness to animals?
300 Please DO something kind for someone in the room. (Stumped?? How about a high five or a smile!)
400 Personal Primary Friend Story
500 Personal Primary Friend Story
D
100 Name 2 kind people from the scriptures and what they did to be kind.
200 How can we show kindness to teachers?
300 Please say something kind about someone in the room.
400 Name 2 kind people from the scriptures and what they did to be kind.
500 Please read this quotes, "Kind words not only lift our spirits in the moment they are given, but they can linger with us over the years." Elder Wirthlin (Ensign April 2005)
DO!
100 Sing I Want To Be Kind To Everyone (CS #145b) Repetition is a good thing!!!
200 Please say something kind about someone in the room.
300 Please read 3 Nephi 22:10 " For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."
400 Personal Primary Friend Story
500 Please read this quotes, "Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes." Elder Wirthlin (Ensign April 2005)

Week 3 Reverence is deep respect and love toward God

* What is the key to reverence?
Have about 6 different keys hidden throughout the room. Attach the following to the keys. After we gather all the keys together perhaps we can figure out what the key to reverence is! Let one child at a time find a key and answer the question. If they need help, let them call on another primary friend.
1. How can I show reverence at Family Home Evening?
2. When I read my scriptures with my family, how am I showing reverence?
3. Why should I bear testimony at Family Home Evening?
4. How can I help the Holy Ghost be a constant companion of my family?
5. What do I do at home to show love to Heavenly Father?
6. Sing Love at Home (Hymn #294)
7. Why should I be reverent? What will I get in return to being obedient to this commandment?

"The home is the key to reverence, as it is to every other godlike virtue." Spencer W. Kimball, We Should Be a Reverent People, 4–5 When we are reverent, we turn the key to happiness!

Ideas are recycled from a previous post:
* Make a giant Venn diagram (2 circles overlapping in the middle) On one side brainstorm all the different ways to show love and on the other side ways to show respect. Ideas that are the same for both go in the middle!

* Million Dollar Question Minus the Million Dollars.... When was the only time we see Jesus get really upset in the scriptures? When people weren't showing REVERENCE for His Father's house, the temple! Have 6 children come to the front. Ask the children questions having to do with the story, when they answer correctly hand them a fake million dollar bill. BUT... is money everything? What do we learn from the story?!?! Let them crumple up their bill and try to toss it in the garbage can naming a blessing that comes from being reverent. (E.g. Peace, Happiness, Eternal Life, Holy Ghost will be close...)

* Have a mother bring in a young baby if possible. When we see a beautiful baby who is sleeping, how should we act around it? Are we loud? Do we jump up and down and poke the baby? Ask the children what we do with young babies and how do we show them love? There are some things in life where we just slow down, are a little more soft, a little more quiet and little more peaceful. Just like we show love and respect for a young baby with gentleness we can do so with Heavenly Father. Have 6 different items for the children to choose and show how we treat that item with respect and love. For example, you could have scriptures. We don't throw them or rip the pages. When we treat our scriptures right are we showing reverence for Heavenly Father? Another example could be a picture of the temple. Have the primary child show whether we walk or run around the temple grounds. More items could include: hymn books, a paper doll with modest clothes on, sacrament cup, a primary chair, a Family Home Evening packet, a country's flag.

* Reverence races!! Invite 4 children to come up front. Who can be the most reverent? Invite them to go to the other side of the room... Speed is not the key to winning the race! Once they cross the finish line, invite them to share a reason why they love their Heavenly Father. Invite a couple teachers to race too!

Week 4 Honesty is telling the truth regardless of the consequences

All quotes following come from the 2nd chapter of President Gordon B. Hinkley's Standing For Something. If you haven't read it, it's quite an amazing and inspiring book!

*What is the very first principle mentioned in the 13th article of faith? Being HONEST!!!

This is a rock formation in Bolivia that has been eroded by wind through time.

President Gordon B. Hinkley has said, "Leadership- of the family, an organization, our society, or even the nation- ERODES AND EVENTUALLY FALLS APART WITHOUT HONESTY & INTEGRITY."

Could you imagine this rock being your family? Lies chip away at it until eventually it will crumble and be nothing.

* Do you have a set of trains? We have a small set that attach by magnets. If you have about 7-8 trains this would be the time to use it and bring to primary.

" Why is honesty so vital? Because where honesty and integrity are present, other virtues follow."

(President Hinckley)

Have the children talk about being honest. What are some experiences they've had about telling the truth. How did it feel? The first train, our engine will be honesty. What will follow when we're honest? Let children label the following trains (a simple post it note would do) and attach them to the honest engine.

Gratitude. Will mom be happy when she can trust you'll do what you say?

Happiness. Is life easy when everyone tells the truth? How would you like it if your Grandparents said Hey! We're going to Disneyland! and then took you to Battle Mountain, Nevada. Not that there is anything wrong with Battle Mountain. I know I've referred to it as BM before but that's just because I'm a snot. And I need to repent. Have I missed the point because of my snootiness in preference of Disneyland over other I-80 gas stops?

Obedience. Do honest people do what the scriptures say?

Love. Would you rather be friends with a person who is up front or someone who talks behind your back and gossips?

Pray and figure out other virtues that follow! At the conclusion of the lesson, sing I Believe in Being Honest (CS #149) and let the children reverently drive the train to the person sitting next to them as you sing. Make sure everyone gets a chance to drive the train just a little bit, so if you need to sing the song a few times, all the better!

* Have a bag of oreos on a small table in front. Make sure you have the children's attention and carefully take a couple out and put them on a small plate. Invite a small child to come up front. You need to go outside the door for a second, will the child watch the oreos and not eat them please? Leave briefly. Come back. Did the child eat the oreos with everyone watching? What do you think would happen if you left for a longer time? Thank the child. Tell them the following story. It's not exactly a plate of oreos, but about the importance of doing what we say. Having honor in our words.

"Karl G. Maeser, an educator from Germany, served as the first president of Brigham Young University (gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cougars!!! personal insert,not part of the quote....), now the largest private church owned university in the United States. More than a century ago, he said this to his students: "I have been asked what I mean by 'word of honor'. I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls- walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground- there is a possibility that in some way or another I might be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I'd die first." And of course, pass out the oreos to all our honest primary friends.... which is everyone!

*Have a couple children act out this brief story as you read. (bring in a couple simple props) Honesty will not only bless your life but others too.

"   An older boy and his young companion were walking along a road that led through a field. They saw an old coat and a badly worn pair of men's shoes by the roadside, and, in the distance, they saw the owner working in the field. The younger boy suggested that they hide the shoes, conceal themselves, and watch the perplexity on the owner's face when he returned. The older boy, a benevolent lad, thought that would not be so good. he said the owner must be a very poor man. After discussing the matter, they concluded to try another experiment. Instead of hiding the shoes, they would put a silver dollar in each one and, concealing themselves, see what the owner did when he discovered the money.

     Soon the man returned from the field, put on his coat, slipped one foot into a shoe, felt something hard, took it out, and found a silver dollar. Wonder and surprise showed in his face. He looked at the dollar again and again, turned around and could see nobody, then proceeded to put on the other shoe where, to his great surprise, he found another dollar. his feelings overcame him and he knelt down and offered aloud a prater of thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife being sick and helpless and his children without bread. Then he fervently thanked the Lord for this bounty from unknown hands and evoked the blessing of heaven upon those who had given him this needed help. The boys remained concealed until he had gone. Then they quietly walked along the lane and one said to the other, "Don't you have a good feeling? Aren't you glad we didn't try to deceive him?"



Baptism & Children Under the Age of Accountability

This is my Maria. My beautiful and lovely Maria. She is my 2nd child out of 4. I love this picture. We had just had an "artground". It was our backyard as a playground but with tons of fun art to be messy with. And boy! Did my kiddos get messy... but I suppose that's why God inspired someone to make hoses.

My Maria can get dirty. Understatement. But she is not dirty. It's something you can just feel and know, children ARE pure. Children ARE clean. Children are without sin.

Recently I posted some song helps for When I am Baptized. I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to comment and express their thoughts. I think we all can agree that it's good to discuss doctrine and learn and understand truth. So I really hope that this post isn't misconstrued as me trying to argue or be contentious. I've studied a lot the topic of little children, baptism, atonement, and death because I have a baby that died and wanted to know all I could possibly know! There is so much knowledge out there thanks to our prophets and apostles and thanks to a loving Father in Heaven who has blessed us with the avenue to search, ponder, & pray and then in return give us answers.

Here is the backdrop. I have a simple qualm with the words from the song, "I know when I am baptized my wrongs are washed away." It's nothing to go inactive about, it's nothing really that has blown my world to bits... it's just something my 7 year old brought up, "Mommy, why am I singing this if I don't have sin?". At that moment and even more so now, I know the importance of teaching our children that they are pure and loved by their Heavenly Father.

Misconceptions & Explanations:
- A recently turned 8 year old doesn't have many "wrongs" to wash away
Children do not have any wrongs that are washed away.

- Children are not without wrongs. When they yell at each other, hit, disobey parents, etc. they are obviously wrong for doing those things.
Children make choices. Always they are in a process of learning. Under the age of 8, they do NOT commit sins that are washed away by baptism. They are pure. We are responsible to teach them properly.

- They (children) do commit wrongs, but because of the atonement, those wrongs are washed away without the child having to repent.
The atonement brings children who have died under the age of accountability back into the presence of God and redeems them from physical and spiritual death. Children do NOT have sin.

- The atonement doesn't automatically wash away our sins anymore like it did before we were eight.
Children do NOT have sin before the age of 8.

- God doesn't hold children accountable for their wrongs because they have not yet reached the age of accountability, therefore Christ's atonement makes up for those wrongs.
"The whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore little children are whole." (Moroni 8:8) The atonement for children under the age of 8 is the means by which they are redeemed from physical and spiritual death, and by spiritual death it is not because they are wicked, but because they were separated from God, the Eternal Father.

- That would assume that Christ's atonement couldn't wash away the sins of the little child
Little children do NOT have sins.

-  She is absolutely right, and it is important that we teach our children that we do have "wrongs" that need to be washed away.
Little children do NOT have sins that need to be washed away.

- These children, who are not yet 8, are not perfect, and therefore do need to understand where they can improve each day
We as parents need to teach children in correct paths, but should one die before they reach the age of accountability, children ARE perfect through the grace of Christ.

I'd like to take an in depth look at each misconception and hopefully the spirit will bear witness of truth spoken by latter day apostles and scripture.

What is the purpose of baptism?
As defined in the Bible Dictionary, " Baptism in water has several purposes. It is for the remission of sins, for membership in the Church, and for entrance into the celestial kingdom."

Notice there are 3 purposes. Joseph Smith also taught an additional purpose, obedience. " Do you believe in the baptism of infants? asks the Presbyterian. No. Why? Because it is nowhere written in the Bible. Circumcision is not baptism, neither was baptism instituted in the place of circumcision. Baptism is for the remission of sins. Children have no sins. Jesus blessed them and said, "Do what you have seen me do." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith pg. 314)

Children have no sin. Children cannot be tempted by the devil. Children are pure. Children are innocent. See Moroni 8. See D&C 29:46-50.

What then of the atonement and children? We need to understand the basics, so we turn to Gospel Principles:

" The Fall of Adam brought two kinds of death into the world: physical death and spiritual death. Physical death is the separation of the body and the spirit. Spiritual death is the separation from God. If these two kinds of death had not been overcome by Jesus Christ's Atonement, two consequences would have resulted: our bodies and our spirits would have been separated forever, and we could not have lived again with our Heavenly Father (see 2 Nephi 9:7-9).
But our wise Heavenly Father prepared a wonderful, merciful plan to save us from physical and
spiritual death. He planned for a Savior to come to earth to ransom (redeem) us from our sins and from death. Because of our sins and the weakness of our mortal bodies, we could not ransom ourselves (see Alma 34:10-12). The one who would be our Savior would need to be sinless and to have power over death."

The atonement DOES NOT wash away the sins of children because CHILDREN DO NOT HAVE ANY SINS OR WRONGS to be washed away. They are clean and pure. The atonement provides a means for children under the age of accountability to overcome physical death and spiritual death, which wasn't because of sin, but simply because they were separated from Heavenly Father because of the weaknesses of mortality.

If it still seems confusing, further clarification is given by Bruce R. McKonkie in a talk entitled The Salvation of Little Children (Ensign April 1977) quote: (I highlighted words that especially meant a lot to me personally)

“How and why are they (little children) saved?
They are saved through the atonement and because they are free from sin. They come from God in purity; no sin or taint attaches to them in this life; and they return in purity to their Maker. Accountable persons must become pure through repentance and baptism and obedience. Those who are not accountable for sins never fall spiritually and need not be redeemed from a spiritual fall which they never experienced. Hence the expression that little children are alive in Christ. “Little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten,” the Lord says. (D&C 29:46.)

Why do some children die and others live? Are those who die better off than those who remain in mortality?

We may rest assured that all things are controlled and governed by Him whose spirit children we are. He knows the end from the beginning, and he provides for each of us the testings and trials which he knows we need. President Joseph Fielding Smith once told me that we must assume that the Lord knows and arranges beforehand who shall be taken in infancy and who shall remain on earth to undergo whatever tests are needed in their cases. This accords with Joseph Smith’s statement: “The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth.” (Teachings, pp. 196–97.) It is implicit in the whole scheme of things that those of us who have arrived at the years of accountability need the tests and trials to which we are subject and that our problem is to overcome the world and attain that spotless and pure state which little children already possess.

What is the age of accountability?

Accountability does not burst full-bloom upon a child at any given moment in his life. Children become accountable gradually, over a number of years. Becoming accountable is a process, not a goal to be attained when a specified number of years, days, and hours have elapsed. In our revelation the Lord says, “They cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me.” (D&C 29:47.) There comes a time, however, when accountability is real and actual and sin is attributed in the lives of those who develop normally. It is eight years of age, the age of baptism. (D&C 68:27.)

This principle of accountability has been twisted and perverted and even lost at various times. It was at the root of Mormon’s inquiry to the Lord about infant baptism. (See Moro. 8.) One of our most instructive passages on the point contains the words spoken by the Lord to Abraham. “My people have gone astray from my precepts, and have not kept mine ordinances, which I gave unto their fathers,” the Lord said.

"And they have not observed mine anointing, and the burial, or baptism wherewith I commanded them;
But have turned from the commandment, and taken unto themselves the washing of children, and the blood of sprinkling.” (JST, Gen. 17:4–6.)

Infant baptism was practiced by some even in those early days. The reason? Men no longer understood the atonement. For, as the record continues, those ancient peoples “said that the blood of the righteous Abel was shed for sins; and have not known wherein they are accountable before me.” (JST, Gen. 17:7.)

Then the Lord made this promise to Abraham: “I will establish a covenant of circumcision with thee, and it shall be my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations; that thou mayest know for ever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old.” (JST, Gen. 17:11)

*******

I always turn to the words of the Lord when a question arises. I always go with what the Spirit whispers to my heart. As I look at my children I do understand perfection, I do understand what the Savior is like. Elder Boyd K. Packer, whom I love, love, love - understatement- gave a wonderful discourse on the beauty of children in this last General Conference, found HERE. A quote I particularly felt touched by was, "Fathers and mothers, next time you cradle a newborn child in your arms, you can have an inner vision of the mysteries and purpose of life."

Our children are what heaven is. Plain and simple. The are pure. They are clean. They have no "wrongs" needed to be "washed away". We should enjoy them, teach them the best we can and love them with all our souls. Christ knows all. God knows all. And They love us more than words can say. This I bear testimony of in the Name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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.

May 2010 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." Benjamin Franklin

May Theme: Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel Lead Me to Jesus Christ.
May 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)

Ways to help memorize the fourth article of faith:

* Sing the song!! CS page 124

* Divide the Article into 5 phrases. Hide those 5 phrases (add a little picture for those who can’t read) under 5 children’s chairs and let them come put on the chalkboard in order. Have the primary say the Article of Faith as they put in order.

* While saying the Article of Faith have the children draw a square with their fingers in the air- on the points of each square will be each principle or ordinance. You can have a child come up to front and point to a corner in their square and have another child say what principle or ordinance it is.

* Have a set of 3 sequencing pictures for 3 children to hold. (For example, I’ll have a picture of a girl planting a seed, a stem growing with leaves, a full flower) Let a child put them in the right order. Can you get the flower before you plant the seed? (Be prepared, you will have someone say, “Yes, just buy one at the store!” to which you can respond, “Good thought, but someone had to plant a seed before the store could get it!” This is like the Gospel, you have to do things in order before you can get the full result of returning to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Have signs with pictures for faith, repentance, baptism and the laying on of hands for children to hold. Invite a child to put them in the right order as you all say the Article of Faith out loud.

* Bring white out! Print out the Article of Faith on a 8X10 piece of paper. Let a child white out a few words (like 6 total), you say the Article of Faith but stop at white out words and let the primary fill in the blank!

* Have words from the Article of Faith cut out and attached to paper clips. Let a child come and fish 3 words out. (Using a small stick with a string and magnet on the end of the string) Repeat the Article as a primary but leave out those 3 words!

The key with helping to learn and commit to memory is this: keep it short and simple. LESS talk from YOU and MORE participation from the CHILDREN. And don’t spend more than a couple minutes doing these activities, just do them often with the children perhaps every week during opening exercises.

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

* Reader’s Theatre! See Here.

Week 2 I can repent.

* The Lord told Adam, “Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence.” (Moses 6:57)
Have a dirty penny and a small cup of ketchup. Let’s see what will happen. Put the penny in the ketchup and go on with your lesson. At the end, take it out and wipe it with a wet wipe. Bear testimony that through repentance and the Atonement we are able to be clean!

Have a clothesline with dirty clothes clipped on. Divide into groups and give each group a question: How do we repent? What does it mean to forsake and confess? When do we repent? How does repentance help us? (All answers can be found in Gospel Principles pg.122-127-- highly recommend making little copies of sections that match questions to be read in groups, give 4 minutes time for the group to talk or just watch to see when most are done) Let a child from the group come up and share their answers and exchange a dirty piece of clothes for a clean one.

* Point to a child and ask them what is something they can do. Try to involve lots of children! I can jump. I can sing. I can name all my state capitals. Ask other friends to listen and if they can do that too, then stand up also! Say, I can repent. Can everyone else do that too?

* Again, the white out. Bring in a piece of paper and pen. Write down something like I love my primary friends a lot! Whoops! I made a mistake, I wanted to write I love my primary friends more than a 25 scoop ice cream sundae with whip cream and nuts and a cherry on top. How will I fix my mistake? White out! The atonement of Christ white’s out our sins when we repent. Isaiah 1: 18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Let the children write down words or small pictures of mistakes we might make. Invite them to come up and share their words, then let them white out the words. Ask questions like: How do we repent? Why should we repent? What do you think it feels like after you have repented? Can you think of anyone from the scriptures that repented or didn’t repent? After a child answers a question, invite them up to white out a mistake.

* What would you do if you had 20 minutes to spend at Disneyland? What about if you had 2 minutes to play at a park? What are you doing with the time you’ve been given to live this earthly life? Alma 42:4 “And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.”

Have a large poster board clock with detachable numbers and hands for the children to turn. Let the children come and turn it to a certain hour and have corresponding (on the back of each number) scenarios for them to answer what they would do. For example, child turns it to 4, take off the number and read the scenario: You are at school and having an important test. You don’t know the answer to one of the questions but your friend does and you can see their test. Should you cheat? Now you find out that a person was looking off your test, what should they do?” You can also have the primary children point to their wrists (like a watch) if they think it’s time to repent!

* Have a picture of Christ. Would you rather be close or far away from Christ? Have a child come up and walk toward Him, what are some things that bring us closer to Christ? What are some things that turn us away from Him (have the child turn and walk away)? If we make mistakes, is that it? We’ll just be really far away from Him, end of story? Helaman 7:17 “O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God…” Repentance can turn us back!

“The invitation to repent is rarely a voice of chastisement but rather a loving appeal to turn around and to ‘re-turn’ toward God.” (Neil L. Andersen, Repent . . . That I May Heal You,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 40)

Re-Turn the child and have them walk to Christ’s picture!

*"We have felt [the Lord's] forgiveness, His love and comfort. [He] has said, 'I am he [who] comforteth you' (2 Nephi 8:12). The Lord's desire that we come unto Him and be wrapped in His arms is often an invitation to repent. 'Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you' (Alma 5:33)."(Neil L. Andersen,, "Repent . . . That I May Heal You," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 40)

Have little cards folded in half. Make invitations to repent! Have the children decorate the cards with pictures of Christ. Have them put on the envelope… If I’ve made a mistake, what can I do? (For children that can’t write, have this already written for them) On the inside you can have them write You’re invited to say sorry, pray for forgiveness and do better! The children can make as many invitations as they want! They can put these by their bed as a reminder what to do if they make a mistake. Encourage them to share with their families what they have learned about repentance!

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

*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 When I am confirmed I receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

* Have 5 different gifts that you’ve received. Let the children put them in order of what is the least to most worth. What is one of the greatest gifts we’ve been given? "John the Baptist said that while he baptized with water, Jesus baptized 'with the Holy Ghost' (John 1:33). Nothing in this life is of greater worth than the supernal gift of the Holy Ghost." (Lawrence E. Corbridge, "The Way, Ensign," Nov. 2008, 35)

* Have different hand prints on the board for the children to come up and choose. On those hand prints have questions, songs and scriptures having to do with the gift of the Holy Ghost. Remember, we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the “laying on of hands”!

* Lesson 13: The Gift of the Holy Ghost Can Help Me,” Primary 2: Choose the Right A, 61 found HERE is an excellent resource with activities for the children. When I taught this I told the story of Sara Jane and hid different rocks throughout the room. I let a child search for a rock and then we whispered/directed where that person should look. We talked about how the spirit whispers to us, guiding us and directing us.

There is a story at the end about a girl’s confirmation that could be made into a flannel board! (Flannel Board Tip: Let the children come up and put the picture on the board!!) We’ve also used this lesson for FHE! It’s a good one!

* The outline said the “focus of the sharing time in week 4 should be on the children sharing how the Holy Ghost has helped them”. Sit in a circle (have the room set up BEFORE sharing time, as the come in the room DIRECT them where to sit) and have the children pass around a bear and small blanket. The Holy Ghost comforts us, guides us, helps us to be happy. Just like the warmth we feel when we’re in a blanket, the Holy Ghost fills our hearts with joy and peace. Let them pass around the bear and blanket. If they’d like to share something they know about the holy ghost, they can do so when they have the bear and blanket. If not, they can hug the bear and talk about anything that makes them feel happy or just pass! Give the children 15 second warnings if they are telling an overly long story…