October 2013 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps And Ideas

Missionary Image from LDS Gospel Image Library

Monthly Theme: I will share the Gospel with all of God's children.
Monthly Scripture: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Weeks 1 and 2 Living the Gospel helps me to be a missionary now.

* Plan in advance to get some pictures of ward members as children, maybe some grandparent pictures, maybe even a current picture of the Bishop. Ask these members to share a fun missionary story they have from their life. Invite a child to guess who a picture is of and then share the story. Sing I want to Be A Missionary Now (CS 168) We have missionary experiences ALL the years of our life!
     “Regardless of our age, experience, or station in life, we are all missionaries.” Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Becoming a Missionary,” Ensign, Nov. 2005, 44.

* Have 5 numbered chairs in the front of the room in a row. Invite 5 children at a time to come up front. Sing a missionary song and have the children walk reverently around the chairs. When the music stops, they sit and have someone in the primary draw a number. You'll need a cup with the numbers 1 through 5. Ask the child whose number was called to share a way they can be a missionary now! If they need help, HERE is a great article from The Friend with ways listed!! You could cut them up and put in a cup for the child to draw out... again if they needed help!

* HERE  is a fun game from The Friend. You could make a few copies and divide into groups to play. After you play, invite a few children up front to share ways to be a missionary now!

* Bring in some flags of places people serve missions. Can we guess the countries of the flags? Everyone in primary is going to make a wonderful full-time missionary one day. We aren't sent to different countries right NOW, but there are still plenty of places to be good missionaries NOW!! Make some paper flags with pictures like school, home, grocery store, soccer game, church, friend's house... etc. Hide the flags and invite children to come find them as you sing Missionary songs. Once found, have them share several ways they can be a missionary NOW at that place!

* Have some paper for the children to draw on. Give them a simple step by step drawing of something. You will be up front modeling the steps of the drawing on the chalkboard. For example, the sun and beach... draw a circle, add lines for the sunshine. Add a straight line in the middle to separate the water and beach.... etc. Was it pretty easy when you had someone up front as an example to show what to draw? We need examples in life to show us the way! Living the gospel makes us examples and helps us to be missionaries NOW!!!
1 Timothy 4:12 " Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
     Have a couple other examples of things to draw, then invite a couple friends to share ways to be a missionary NOW in between each simple drawing example!

*For a simple handout idea- Now&Later Candy with the message "I can be a missionary NOW AND LATER!!" I'm not all about sugaring up our sweet children... but in moderation and with a good point, it can be fun.

Week 3 I can share the Gospel with my family and friends.

* HERE is an activity from The Friend that encourages Primary children to be missionaries now! They will draw pictures in the windows, cut out and glue to make a Gospel Sharing Home!

* Does anyone ever get a little nervous about sharing the gospel? Sometimes I feel like I might not know the right thing to say. Can we practice?? You bet!! Whether it's family or friends... I can share the gospel!!
Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
     Bring in about 10 different stuffed animals. These are our practice creatures! Have a post it attached to each creature with a different gospel subject. We're going to pretend that they want to know more about something in the gospel.... what would you say? For example- a stuffed bunny has the post-it "Prophets". What can we tell someone who wants to learn more about prophets? Have plenty of children share their ideas about that topic!! Next, a stuffed alligator has the post-it "Holy Ghost". What can we tell someone who doesn't know anything about the Holy Ghost??

*D&C 71:1 "...The time has verily come that it is necessary and expedient in me that you should open your mouths in proclaiming my gospel..."
     Have a poster board drawing of a giant head with a bid wide open mouth. The mouth will actually need to be cut out so it's a hole! Have a bag attached behind the mouth that primary friends can reach into and grab questions, scriptures, and songs about missionary work!
   Let's open our mouths this week and share the gospel with our family and friends!!

* Have children write their testimonies to give with a Book of Mormon to a friend or family member this week!

Week 4 My testimony is strengthened when I share the Gospel.

* HERE is a link to The Friend with a fun activity called a "Testimony Glove".

* Have a 7 piece puzzle of a paper flower. (You could have 1 stem, 2 leaves, 4 flower petals) Invite children to come up and put a piece of the puzzle together on the board. For each piece share a paragraph of this poem by Karen Kimball (The Friend Oct. 2007):

 

A Testimony to Share

 

I have a testimony

That has begun to grow.

Gospel truths I once believed

Now I can say, “I know.”

 

When I feel inside my heart

The Holy Spirit’s there,

I can help bless others and

My testimony share.

 

I testify of Jesus Christ,

Of Heavenly Father’s plan,

The power of the Atonement,

And eternal life for man.

 

I testify of Joseph Smith,

And priesthood power restored,

The fulness of the gospel

On earth forevermore.

 

I testify of the prophet

And Twelve Apostles too,

Living in these latter days

To lead us safely through.

 

I testify of lessons learned

Through study and through prayer,

Truths in the Book of Mormon,

That I’ve discovered there.

 

I share my testimony,

Then reverently I end

Like a sacred prayer that’s said,

In Jesus’s name, amen.

Invite the children to draw a flower of their own and write down things they know are true! Make a book of these flowers for the missionaries to share with those who they are teaching!

 

* HERE is a bible video to share with the primary friends. It's very short. In it, Jesus asks who men say that He is? Peter shares His testimony. We learn from Jesus that a testimony comes from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost.

     Have the children find a partner. They'll have 15 seconds to share who Jesus is to them! Have them switch partners and do the same, about 5 times! After everyone is sitting back down, invite primary friends to come up front and share something another partner had said!

    One of the most important parts of our testimony is know who Jesus is! When we share the gospel our testimonies are strengthened!

 

* Bring in a little toy bulldozer. Share the following story from President Monson:

     "In 1959, I met N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982), who later would be a counselor to four Presidents of the Church. President Tanner was president of the Canada Calgary Stake. We discussed the cold Canadian winters, where temperatures can linger well below freezing and icy winds lower those temperatures even further.

     I asked President Tanner why the roads in western Canada remained intact during such winters, showing little or no signs of cracking or breaking, while road surfaces in many areas where winters are less cold and less severe developed cracks and breaks and potholes.

Said he, “The answer is in the depth of the base of the paving materials. In order for them to remain strong and unbroken, it is necessary to go very deep with the foundation layers. When the foundations are not deep enough, the surfaces cannot withstand the extremes of weather.”

     Challenges and difficulties can break us if our foundations of faith, our testimonies of truth, are not deeply embedded within us." (The Friend May 2009 3 Ways to Build a Strong Testimony)

     Have other construction type toys for the children to come up front and choose. Attach questions, scriptures and songs about testimony and missionary work on them. After each friend, have the children pretend like they are digging! They are making their testimonies deeper as we learn from this lesson!

 

* Tell the children you are going to sing a song and add some words that DO NOT belong in the song! After the song, have them share what was WRONG!!

Sing "I think my Father lives, and loves me too. The spirit whispers this to me and I think that it is true. I think that it is true." (CS 5 I Know My Father Lives)

What is the difference between think and know? When the spirit tells us something, should we listen?

     A testimony is "Knowledge and a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. A testimony can also be an official or legal declaration of what a person perceives as truth." (Guide to the scriptures)

     Have a couple children act out the story of Job. Even though he had a lot of hard things happen in life, he had a strong testimony.

     Job 19:25-26 "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God"

    We have many things that happen to us in life but what makes us stay strong? The gospel! When we share the gospel with others our testimony is strengthened. We no longer "think" things are true... but KNOW. When the spirit whispers to us, we listen and follow!

Happy Grandparents Day!

By Christina age 8 "In Hawaii"

 

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our grandparents!! We are so blessed to have a great Yaya and Papa who we play with often and enjoy good times together. We also have our Yaya Sofia, my grandmother, who in all my life, has always bought us toilet paper and laundry soap.

I know, pure awesomeness.

We really do have the best grandparents EVER!

 

 To celebrate this very fine day, we made some art! But wait, you might say, I'm not an artist!

That's fine!!!

But you are destined to create, so you might as well practice now!!!

 

Children draw a convertible, then a background of somewhere they'd love to go to or have been... with their grandparents! You then attach a picture to the convertible and write a note. I found the picture below on Pinterest with a bad link... so I'm sorry I don't know the source of this convertible drawing how to.

By Maria age 6 "In Yosemite"

I love my daughters' notes. To get their very best writing, I often ask questions or ask for descriptive words or phrases. Here are a couple excerpts of what they wrote-

Maria wrote: " In this picture we're riding to Yosemite. Yosemite is the place where there is a fire, but don't worry because our magical rainbow car will keep us safe. At the hotel we will make our own waffles for breakfast. They taste good but not as good as your salad dressing."

Christina wrote: " In this picture we are at beautiful fun Hawaii. It is fun because you get to go swimming all day long in the big ocean with dolphins! We are about to drive in the parking lot, next to a small fluffy palm tree. We are staying at the Hut Hotel which is orange like the sun when it's smokey! By the way, a volcano is about to explode! We better get out of Hawaii soon, maybe we can ask the dolphins to take us home."

We ended with- I'm so grateful to have you as my grandparent. No matter where we are, we will always have love and happiness together! Happy Grandparents Day!!

September 2013 LDS Primary Sharing Time Ideas and Helps

Mormon Helping Hands Alabama from LDS.org Image Gallery

Monthly Theme: I will serve God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength.
Monthly Scripture: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him” D&C 59:5

Week 1 Jesus Christ taught us how to serve others.

* "Jesus Christ taught His followers to give meat to the hungry and drink to those who thirst. His is a gospel that includes taking in the stranger, loving neighbors as self, and visiting those who are sick or imprisoned. He taught that we are to love and care for each other, visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and lift up those whose hands hang down and whose knees are feeble."

This quote is taken from The Humanitarian webpage of lds.org. found HERE. There are quite a few good videos about the service The Church gives throughout the world. It is very humbling to be a part of this great organization. You could easily share a video (watch beforehand!!) and ask the children why we do so much to help others? Because Jesus Christ taught us how to serve others. Read the previous quote to the children, have plenty of pictures, and pause between sentences. What stories do they think of when they hear that sentence? When they mention a story that you have a picture of, have a child come up front and hold it. How does that story make the child feel?

* Matthew 20:27 "And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant."
     The words of Jesus, Himself, say that even the greatest must be a servant. The greatest person to ever live was Jesus Christ. Show a picture of Him washing His apostles feet. How was He a servant? How did He serve? Write down short descriptions of stories of Christ serving on post-it notes. Have 3 post-its (or more depending on your primary size) with the same description (for example Jesus heals a blind man or Jesus feeds 5,000) so primary friends can be in small groups. After you pass out the post its, have them find their groups and discuss what happens in the story. You can definitely include scripture references!! After a few minutes, invite the groups up to share how Jesus Christ taught us to serve others. Have pictures children can hold while retelling the story.

* BIBLE VIDEOS!! The Church made them for a reason, so let's use them!! There are many videos about the service Christ gave. Ask the children- How do these events make you feel? Why do you think Christ served others? Can we perform miracles too? Challenge the children to go home and make a list with their families of 20 different ways Jesus served others. If they bring that list next week to primary they can get a surprise!!

* Have the children make paper bag puppets of different people who Jesus served. Brainstorm and list ideas on the chalk board for the children! They could even make a puppet of themselves! Jesus served us by living a perfect life and then sacrificing it for us. Have the children come up front and share as time permits!

* HERE is a link to The Friend of a seek and find picture all about service. I found about 9. Have 9 different scriptures, songs, or questions about Jesus serving others for the children to do after they find a service opportunity in the picture.

Week 2 Prophets and Apostles show us how to serve.

* Invite a special guest, who's dressed for the part, to come in and read Mosiah 2:17-19. Thank King Benjamin for teaching us how to serve!! Next have King Benjamin's garden! It could be a basket of produce or paper pictures of things in a garden. Pass out a couple different garden items to groups of children. Have scriptures or stories about prophets and apostles that served. Have them make a group drawing to illustrate the story, then come up front and share!

* Have a panel of prophets! Moses, Joseph Smith, Peter, and President Monson. Invite 4 men to dress the part and come into primary to share a story or stories of how they served others. Each man will have 2-3 minutes to share! Afterwards, invite the children to ask them any questions they'd like to... the men will have to respond in character! Challenge the children to find at least 10 opportunities to serve others this week.

* Share a few stories of service from the life of President Monson. Then have the children make him a card to brighten his day. We who have been baptized covenant to mourn with those who mourn. Even though it's been a while since his dear wife has died, his heart and life will always be a little sadder until they are together again.
      Here's the address:
President Thomas S. Monson
The Office of the First Presidency
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
50 East North Temple Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150

* In the last general conference, April 2013, Elder Christofferson said, "The greatest service we can provide to others in this life, beginning with those of our own family, is to bring them to Christ."
HERE is the complete talk.
     Have the children write down their testimony to give to a family member who perhaps doesn't know about Christ. If all their family members believe in Christ, then expand to our friends or neighbors. For smaller children, they can draw a picture and an adult or older child can write for them. Have a special envelope the children can decorate and then write the person's name on they want to give it to.

* In the last general conference- priesthood session, April 213, Elder Uchtdorf said, "As priesthood leaders, we are healers. As fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands, we should be committed and dedicated healers. We carry in one hand a vial of consecrated oil for blessing the sick; in the other we carry a loaf of bread to feed the hungry; and in our hearts we carry the peaceable word of God, “which healeth the wounded soul.” HERE is the complete talk.
   While this quote talks about Priesthood, it can also apply to women. The prophets and apostles show us how to serve! Especially in their talks during general conference! What is a committed and dedicated healer? Someone who serves! Have the children trace both their hands on a piece of paper. Elder Uchtdorf talked about carrying in one hand consecrated oil and in the other a loaf of bread. Have the children draw or write on each hand something they can hold to heal, help, and serve others.

Week 3 and 4 When I serve others, I serve God.

*In the October 2011 general conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “Too often we notice the needs around us, hoping that someone from far away will magically appear to meet those needs. … When we do this, we deprive our neighbor of the service we could render, and we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to serve.” HERE is the complete talk.
     Have a black hat with a bunny rabbit. Sometimes people can wave a wand and make the rabbit disappear. But something more magical and more amazing is service!!! In the black hat, have little acts of service that the children can perform right then and there! Have them come up and choose a paper from the black hat.
     Examples could be smile at someone, say thank to a teacher, tell the primary pianist your favorite song they play so well, give the Bishop a hug, compliment a Primary friend... you could intersperse with scriptures, songs, stories and/or questions about service in the hat too!

* “We are surrounded by those in need of our attention, our encouragement, our support, our comfort, our kindness. … We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.” President Monson “What Have I Done for Someone Today?” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2009, 86
     Bring in a picture of The Savior with His arms outstretched. We are the Lord's hands here upon the earth! Have cut out construction paper hands. Invite the children to draw or write ways that they can serve others, and thus serve God! Invite them to glue in the shape of a wreath and hang somewhere to remind them this week of all they can do!

* "While driving to the office one morning, I passed a dry-cleaning establishment which had a sign by the side of the front door. It read, “It’s the Service That Counts.” I suppose in a highly competitive field such as the dry-cleaning business and many others, the differentiating factor which distinguishes one store from another is, in actual fact, service.

     The message from the small sign simply would not leave my mind. Suddenly I realized why. In actual fact it is the service that counts—the Lord’s service." President Monson Oct. 2009 The Joy of Service

     Have 2 chairs with a string hanging between each. Have wooden clips and some laundry hanging from the line. What is a dry cleaners? Somewhere they make clothes clean. Invite the children to name ways to serve someone who those clothes on the laundry line would fit... you could have a little sweater for Fido the dog, a baby sleeper, a granny dress, a man's tie, a woman's blouse...etc! Reread the quote at the close of your lesson. It's the service that counts! When we serve others we serve God!

Maybe someone could even help mom with the laundry this week!!

 

* Are you a BYU alumni? Whip out the old college photos and cougar t-shirts. Briefly tell the children about why you loved going to BYU and some of the blessings of a church education. Share the motto of BYU with the children, "Enter to learn, go forth to serve." What do the children think that means?

    Have pictures of certain jobs. Invite a child to come up front and close their eyes. Invite primary members to give them hints about that job so they can guess. Talk about ways a person in that job would serve. The last one would be a mirror that you reflect on all the children. Their job is to be a special friend and happy soul. We enter school, home, church and many other places to learn... what do we do today to go forth and serve?

* The Apostle Paul admonished, “By love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

Have hidden hearts throughout the room. On the hearts have questions, scriptures and songs about service. Do we serve others with happy hearts or with a sour attitude? Have hearts for children to write or draw messages on for someone who needs a little love. Invite them to hide the hearts where that person can find them!! You could even heart attack the bishop's door quietly if you had time!

 

* “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:21

     There is so much going on in the world right now! There are plenty of ideas for service.

      Have the children make thank you cards for all the brave fire fighters who are trying to put out the rim fire.

Tuolume County Fire Department

18440 Striker Ct  Sonora, CA 95370

     Send a letter to a soldier!! For more info click HERE

A Million Thanks
17853 Santiago Blvd. #107-355
Villa Park, CA 92861

     Send a note to ward missionaries who are out serving!!

     Are there widows in your ward? Put together a beautiful art portfolio from the kids!

     Is there someone sick in your ward? Have the children write down their favorite jokes or happy thoughts to send to the person!

Remember to be careful, children don't need to sign their full names EVER on notes!!

Faith In God... A learning/reflection packet for those new to the program

I love the Faith in God program!! There are great ideas for activities, yet room for creativity and individuality. Everything about it is inspired. On the cover of this packet children can put a picture of themselves.

I've thought very carefully about how to track progress. In the book there are small boxes to check, but those boxes don't tell us what the children did, how the children felt and when they accomplished their activity.

Is tracking that important? I don't know. But I do know that we underestimate the power of reflection. It could be just a few sentences, "I taught a family home evening on prayer. It was fun because we posed my dad in a way NOT to pray and he fell over. It felt nice." Having that record is precious.

The Articles of Faith are meant to be understood. If children take the time to write on Sunday and discuss with family vocabulary, then they are going to get it. Writing is that extra step in confirming what they know. In this program children aren't just supposed to memorize!

I also like a bigger space to write testimony. Usually children's handwriting isn't the neatest and at least with more space it won't be as hard.

I printed and made copies (WATCH THE END!!! The last 6 pages are EITHER for BOYS or GIRLS!!!)

Hopefully, the things the children write will inspire and help them in the years to come. Feel free to mouse over the right corner below, then print. Please do not use for commercial purposes.

Junk you never knew you needed!!! Sing for Junk Singing Time

Summer is full of many fun activities.... one being garage sales!!!!! With garage sales you discover junk that you never knew you needed... for CHEAP!!! The excitement of a bargain!! The thrill of finding!!

True story: 8AM my good lookin' hubby sees a George Foreman grill. This baby could get 10 steaks on it! It was huge!! I didn't know where on earth we would put it. They wanted $7. My husband only had $5 left of his money for the day. Was I willing to spare him $2? The problem is he gets junk fever!! He gets the junk and we end up selling it a year later at a garage sale at our house!! We drove away. 30 seconds later, being the compassionate/enabler wife I am, we went back.... but to our dismay it was gone. Sigh. Live life without regrets!! Today we sing!! Today you get junk!!

Clean out your house (and I had many teachers tell me they wish they would have known so they could have brought junk too!) and bring your junk that you're willing to give away. Set up with a sign that says "Sing for Junk".

Preface that at garage sales you have to be quick. What happens if you just stand there thinking... hmmm.... do I really need this? Someone is going to come and snatch it up!! Before we start, I need everyone to commit to a 5 second rule. You're at the Sing for Junk table 5 seconds, grab and go! Also, once you have your junk it goes UNDER YOUR CHAIR, in class too!! They can show their commitment by wiggling their nose, pulling their earlobes 3 times and clicking their heels 4 times.

Have a jar with all the names of the primary friends. After you sing a song, draw a few names to visit the table.

This is free junk!! All you have to do is sing with a smile!!

The children loved this activity. A boy got a barbie back pack and the children giggled but were humbled when he said his baby sister might really like it one day when she grew up! I also had one boy who was completely utterly disappointed with what he got. Ugh, crayons!! Major melt down. He was the only one in a primary of 70 who had a problem. I had some spare junk in another bag and let him rummage around AFTER singing time was over. I told him to cheer up, Jesus loves him and not to let small stuff make him feel bad.

Back To School Singing Time

*Recycled Post*

School's back in session!!!

Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do well..." and sing to learn!!

Poster board makes great puzzles. Just draw, color, cut & add cheapo magnets to the back that you get in your junk mail with hot glue. On the back of your puzzle add the songs you want to sing and the page number for a handy reference for your fabulous pianist.

I like to over-prepare. I'd rather have too much than not enough.

After a primary friend chooses a puzzle piece we have activities to do while singing or after singing, depending on the song! You be the judge of the fine line that runs between showing reverence and having fun too!

Activities:

Balance an apple on your head or back of your hand

Art! Art! Art! Draw a picture on a piece of paper on your forehead of a cat.

Solve math problems on a calculator- as a  side note, the Holy Ghost is like a calculator! Yup! It's true, He just makes solving problems easier!

Book stacking & balancing into towers

Write the words of the song in the air with your finger pencil

Eraser toss into a pencil case

Pass the pencil using your elbows

And of course you can't forget P.E! Jog in place, knees high!!

August 2013 LDS Primary Sharing Time Helps and Ideas

Christus am Olberg by Josef Untersberger (date not known)

 

A good tool to use as you prepare for this month is the Prayer Scale in Preach My Gospel (Page 95!!) Just take the quiz and see how you personally are doing when it comes to prayer.

Monthly Theme: Heavenly Father hears and answers my prayers.
Monthly Scripture: "Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers" D&C 112:10

Week 1 The scriptures teach me how to pray.

* I looked in the Bible Dictionary and decided to do 4 short Reader's Theaters based on examples of prayer from it. The examples/stories include: Hannah, Samuel, The Brother of Jared and How NOT to pray!! If your primary has children who can't read, you could easily have a few adults act it out.
If your primary does have good readers, you could have 4 groups and rotate the scripts between groups. If you need me to email PDF versions, feel free to contact me!

Is there time for all 4 in 15 minutes? Probably not, so pick and choose!

Simple costumes would be extra fun!! Make sure there are scripts for each part and that it is highlighted!!!

LDS Reader's Theater: Prayer by chulbakera

* HERE is a fun color by number prayer picture with other examples of prayer from the scriptures, with references, from The Friend.

Week 2 Heavenly Father wants me to pray to Him often- anytime, anywhere.

* Have a bunch of pictures from places all around the world. Whether it's Disneyland or Canada or Brazil.... You could even have pictures of places in a home, like the kitchen or bedroom. Is there any dream place a primary friend would like to go to say a prayer? While we might not be able to head to Jamaica and say a prayer of Thanksgiving on a white sand beach... sigh... we can say our prayers anywhere and anytime!! Have the children draw a picture of a place they can say prayer. If they can write, have them make a list of things they can give thanks for and pray for! Have a couple primary friends come up front and let other children guess where their place is. Have children share their thoughts.

*   Have a small apple and cut it into a few pieces. When you have everyone's attention, taste one and say how delicious they are. These really are great apples. Nice and crunchy, full of flavor.... invite a child up front to see the apple. Isn't it nice? You might stand there for a second. don't you think they'd taste great?? What we're trying to do is get the child to ask for an apple slice. All they have to do is ask!! 
     In the Bible Dictionary, under prayer, it says, " The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."
     Have a picture of an apple tree. What type of work do you need to do to make sure the tree grows? Have paper apples with questions, songs and scriptures about prayer. Let children come up and choose, then answer. When you have a minute left, conclude by going back to the demonstration. Sometimes all we have to do is put in a little work and ask! Bear testimony of the power of prayer.

* Tell the children you have a funny joke for them. It goes, "Knock Knock". They say, "Who's there?" You say "Banana." They say, "Banana who?" You say, "Banana." They say, "Banana, who?" (Do that about 5 more times....) Finally you say, "Orange." They say, "Orange, who?" and you end with "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"
Is this a repetitive joke or what! What does it mean to repeat? Can anyone think of what commandment has been most repeated from the dawn of time?
      “No divine commandment has been more frequently repeated than the commandment to pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 20; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 16).

* Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."

         Have a cell phone up front. Have an adult sitting by a cracked open Primary door. Prepare that adult before hand with some sort of signal that you're ready for them to call your cell phone... like you scratch your head or say loudly, "Thanks!! On to our next idea." They will call your phone and a primary child has to answer it and answer the question they ask over the phone. Give that person a list of 10 different questions. For example, How does Heavenly Father answer our prayers? Can you name a time Heavenly Father has answered one of your prayers? Please give an example from the scriptures of someone who prayed and was heard. Can you please tell the primary to sing A Child's Prayer (CS pg. 12)

* Bring in a lock and a couple different keys to try to open it. Have a child try the different keys and figure out which one works. "Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil. And I have learned to conclude all my prayers with ‘Thy will be done’ (Matthew 6:10; see also Luke 11:2; 3 Nephi 13:10).”Elder Boyd K. Packer, “Prayer and Promptings,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 46
      Hand out different hearts with questions on prayer and keys with answers. Let the children walk around and find the matches, then have them share with the Primary. Our love for Heavenly Father and Jesus will grow when we pray often!!

* Ask for 2 volunteers. Have one stand outside the door and knock so we can let them back in.
Have the next one go out but tell them not to knock. Stand there for a 30 seconds or so. How would we know they were even there if they aren't knocking?
Matt. 7: 7 : "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you"
     You could have different GAK (Gospel Art Kit) pictures and scriptures having to do with prayer on different doors around the room. The children could pick them and you ask questions or direct conversation about what they've chosen.
* President Monson has said, "Pray with purpose. With God, all things are possible. Remember the prayer of the Prophet Joseph, offered in that grove called sacred. Look around you and see the result of that answered prayer. Prayer is the provider of spiritual strength. Prayer is the passport to peace." (Thomas S. Monson, “Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice: Follow the Signs,” Friend, May 2006, 2–3) 
       Have a large map with prayer cut outs (like a clip art of a little boy and girl kneeling in prayer). On the back of the cut outs can be scriptures, songs, quotes, situations or questions having to do with prayer. (E.g. Can you say more than one prayer at meal time? Can you say a prayer on an airplane if you are scared of flying? What is the difference between a sincere prayer and a repeat prayer?) Have the children come up and choose the cut outs. Also, make some paper clocks with different times and put prayer cut outs by those too... to reinforce the weekly theme.
       Make passports for the children to stamp with their family at home as they read scriptures together about prayer.

*    Have a bell. Bring one child to the front turned away from the primary, covering one ear with their hand. Choose a child to ring a bell from a corner of the room. Have them sit down and have the child in front point to where they were ringing the bell. Repeat a couple times. Tell them that no matter where we are, God always hears our prayers and knows where we are and what we need.
       Matt. 6: 8, "For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." He never makes a mistake, he always knows where the bell is ringing.
     Have questions, scriptures and songs about prayer. Invite a child to ring the bell after each turn where they pick a question, etc. and have another primary friend who was closing their eyes guess where the sound came from.

Week 3 and 4 Answers to prayer come from Heavenly Father in many ways.

* HERE is a great sharing time from The Friend. It has step by step pictures on how we can receive answers to prayers then gives many case studies/examples for children to decide what step was used.

* If I have an important decision, for example who I should marry, should I do this? Invite a friend to come up and hold up a fist. You also hold up a fist and then use your other hand to point to each hand back and forth as you say, "Engine Engine Number Nine, going down Chicago line, if the train should lose it's track, do you want your money back? Yes, No, Maybe so."
     Important decisions need prayer!! Just like our rhyme, Heavenly Father can answers our prayers with a Yes, No, or Maybe So.
     "When He answers yes, it is to give us confidence.

       When He answers no, it is to prevent error.

       When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act." Elder Richard G. Scott Oct. 1989 General Conference Learning To Recognize Answers Prayer

     Share some experiences and let the children share experiences of when they have received a yes, no or maybe so. What were the feelings they had?  If you need experiences, click on the above talk!!

 

* Have 2 children come up front. Invite one to say Hello to the other. Could they hear that? What if the child went to the back of the room and said hello? What if they left the room? Our ears are pretty good, but definitely not as good as Heavenly Father's!! Where and when can He hear us? Have about 5 different paper ears with scriptures having to do with "how" Heavenly Father answers our prayers. Divide into groups and read the scripture and share experiences. Then after 3 minutes invite a group leader to come up and share what they talked about.

* Invite to children to come up front and have a conversation about how their day is going. Give them a secret instruction that you're going to try to get in the conversation too, but they are to IGNORE YOU!!

Has anyone in the room ever been ignored by raise of hands? How does it make you feel? Do you think Heavenly Father is pretty busy and maybe sometimes ignores us?

     1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us"

      Point out that God always will hear our prayers, but He might not answer the way we want. He's NOT ignoring us. He just knows more than we do, and that's a good thing!

* Divide the children into groups of 3 or 4. Ask them to find out some interesting things about each other. Then have them come up to the front, introduce each other and say one thing they learned about each other. Ask them if they know each other better now? After everyone has shared, ask them if they think they know someone in the room really well... perhaps a brother knows his younger brother really well.
     How do you get to know a person? You need to talk to them and spend time with them. Heavenly Father has done this and knows each one of us better than we know ourselves!! When we talk and spend time praying to Him, He will answer our prayers in ways that are best for us.
      Read Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

* If I cut some strawberries, is that a fruit salad? Not really. What if I just put some bananas? Hmmmm..... We have to have a bunch of different fruit for a fruit salad!!! Like a fruit salad has more than one fruit, Heavenly Father answers prayers in more than one way. He answers in many ways. Make a fruit salad for the Bishop. Invite a couple children up front at a time to answer questions about prayer, or read scriptures... then have them carefully cut up the fruit to put in the bowl. Please be aware of food allergies!!

Some personal thoughts of late.....

I'm the wife of an African American man. I’m the mother of 4 Black children. They have medium toned skin, a deep golden color that never burns... 2 have green eyes, 1 has brown and 1 had bright blue eyes. I’m the mother of 4 Greek children. My youngest requests Feta cheese with anything, at anytime and any place. We get weird looks at restaurants sometimes.

I don’t define my children by their earthly heritage and race. They are children of God. I define them by their kindness, their compassion and their diligence to our Heavenly Father. With that said though, I am also so very grateful for their rich earthly heritage and race. It’s part of who they are and there are deep traditions and histories to be found to benefit them as children of God.

Recently, so much strife has been resurfaced in our nation because of the media and the trials they choose to focus on. I’m not trying to be political and I don’t care to hear your opinion on the trial. Sorry. That’s why I’m not on Facebook. Comments will be deleted that aren’t Christ centered because this may be America, but it’s my blog. I’m not trying to be a brat, I’m trying to be a missionary. I also received a comment in July about a story that I posted by one of the apostles. In the story, the hard topic of history and racism was center to the story as well as priesthood blessings. I’m a firm believer that children are close to the spirit and are quick to understand. I’m a firm believer in talking with our children and helping them discover right and wrong. I shared the story with my children at home and enjoyed a spirit filled discussion. Their insight was uplifting. We bore testimony to each other and were edified by the experience. Are there some topics that are a little delicate, absolutely? I’ll be frank. Blacks and the priesthood and polygamy are subjects we don’t delve deeply into. Milk before meat as my eldest is only 8. I never post things on this blog that I feel are too complicated for young minds. Talking about racism with children can be a very positive experience.

But what I really want to talk about is love and respect because those 2 principles are paramount to defeat racism. If we can’t learn from history, our tomorrow will be beyond bleak. We all have family ties to greatness. The spirit of Elijah turns us to our beloved ancestors and helps us to see history. Sometimes history is full of pain. Sometimes history is full of wrongs. Always history shows us of examples who were willing to persevere, to have faith, to sometimes fight, and who trusted in their Maker. We should share with our children these examples of courage and truth, and encourage our children to appreciate righteous individuals who helped to make the world a better place. These individuals came from many different cultures, many different countries, many different races and religions. How many of these history makers do our children know?

God doesn’t want His children to hate each other. God doesn’t want us to fight. God doesn't want us to put others down. And yet, so many people use filthy words to be condescending, judgemental and to "prove a point". Do you sometimes look at people's facebook posts or letters to the newspaper editor and wonder why? We need to carefully heed the words of the scriptures:

Job 6:25  “How forcible are right words!”

Colossians 3:8  “Put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.” 

James 1:19–20 “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:“For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”

James 3:2 “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” 

Mosiah 2:32 “Beware lest there shall arise contentions among you.” 

Alma 12:14 “For our words will condemn us.” 

3 Nephi 11:29 “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention.”

Doctrine and Covenants 20:54 “And see that there is no iniquity in the church, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor evil speaking.”

The world was created by God’s word. Undeniably, words are of great importance. God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. How carefully do we watch and monitor our speech? How much time is taken to think before our lips move or perhaps before the keys are typed?

Life is sacred. We’re commanded to mourn with one another. I’m not aware of any baptismal covenant that commands us to shoot off our mouth, put others down, discriminate, be rude, be offensive, be uncaring and unsympathetic and deny our fellow brothers and sisters of love or respect. People die and it’s sad. It’s one less person in this world who had a chance to make it a great place.

We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. God is our only judge. Be careful of blanket statements. Not everyone is a certain way for the most part. When we speak, let us follow the example of The Savior. Let us think, is this something He would say?

Blanket statements like “All blacks are…. Or all whites are…. Or All Hispanics are….” Or even “Blacks are…. Whites are…. Hispanics are….” are lies. Yes, that’s a strong statement but I stand by it. Not 100% of everyone can be defined in one lump sum or phrase… for the most part. If we want to make blanket statements, we can say that we’re all beggars upon God’s mercy. We’re all in need of the atonement. We all will kneel before our Savior and confess He is The Christ. Stereotypes are blanket statements, so beware. I find it interesting that in the dictionary a synonym for stereotype is vulgarize.

 My plea is that we will love each other a little more each day. That we’ll watch what we think and say. That we’ll strive to be compassionate and less critical of each other. My plea is that we’ll teach our children of Christ, of Christ like people, and how our children too can strive to be like The Master. There are many who make incorrect blanket statements about us, as members of The Church. There are blanket statements that say we’re racist, that we’re ignorant about other cultures, that we’re judgemental… these blanket statements are lies. Let us not fuel falsehoods by saying things that we haven’t really thought about.

 
I bear testimony I know Heavenly Father loves us. I know that Jesus Christ is our best friend. They want us to return to them and I know that the only way back is because of The Lord’s great sacrifice and through our own personal obedience to His great commands. I know that love, respect, and understanding of one another are essential to our joy. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Ice Cream Family Themed Summer Singing Time

 

Since July is all about families in Primary, I decided to do this simple singing time. You could easily adapt to have children choose songs from the popsicles instead of answer questions. We also enjoyed this activity as a family home evening!

 

If you have a cereal box, cover it (glue guns are your best friend) with a paper bag from the grocery store then embellish with scraps you have. The box is just a fun prop to look at or you could have a child "drive" (hold it and pass it to another friend) who was also a fabulous singer.

 

On the back of the popsicles I had these questions:

What is a favorite family vacation you've taken?

What is a fun holiday tradition you have in your family?

Why do we want our families to be eternal?

Can you think of 5 families from the scriptures?

What is your favorite family game to play?

How can you show love to someone in your family?

What are choices you have when someone is bothering/annoying you in your family?

Name 3 reasons/things you love about someone in your family.

 

Ask the children if they've ever been in this type of pickle. The ice cream man is coming, you hear his wonderful music playing, you look in your piggy bank and there is no money!! You ask your mom and she says she doesn't carry cash!! BUMMER!!! Well, today we don't have to worry about that. All you need is excellent singing to buy these delicious popsicles. What?? you say?? But they are made out of paper!! (take a fake lick of a popsicle) They taste dreamy to me! When we sing, I'm looking for the following:

1. Bold singing - not shouting!! Just nice and loud!!

2. Smiles!!

3. People actually singing!! Moving mouths with sound coming out!!