September

Sharing Time Ideas



I Obey Jesus Christ Because I Love Him

Week 1- I show love for Jesus Christ when I keep the commandments.
I like the beginning of the suggested lesson. To help the children memorize John 14:15, draw a picture of a heart and a picture depicting the Ten Commandments. Divide the children into two groups. Hold up the picture of the heart in front of one group and have them stand and say, “If ye love me.” Hold up the picture of the Ten Commandments in front of the other group and have them stand and say, “Keep my commandments.” Repeat several times. Older children could learn the first part of John 14:21 (“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me”) in the same way.  Prepare some cards with some simple pictures- a mom, a dad, a grandma, a pet, a teacher, President Monson, and ending with Jesus Christ.  Turn the first picture over and ask the children how do you show your mom you love her? Ask them for each of the different pictures. When it comes to President Monson and then Jesus Christ, encourage the answer of obedience/ following/ listening to, etc.  Make a quick list on the board with the children of all the things they know Jesus Christ has asked us to do.  Then tell each class to think of one commandment they can come act out for the rest of the primary to guess.  (you decide if you want the whole class coming up or 1 or 2 children per class) You could act out another round if you have time.


Week2- I show love for Jesus Christ when I keep the commandments.
Ask the children, "Where would you look to find the things Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to do?" (Scriptures) "Yes, we can look in the scriptures, or to the prophets, and what about our church books?  Some of you may already have your Faith in God books."(hold up Faith in God book) Show them the My Gospel Standards page.When we follow these standards, we are showing Jesus that we love Him and want to be with Him again.  That we are grateful for what He has done for us.  He has given us some great examples in the scriptures of commandment keepers who loved Him.  Pick some of your favorite stories, like Nephi getting the plates, The Stripling Warriers, Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty.  You can have one child come up and hold a picture while you briefly tell how they kept the commandments. Then place a simple head band on another child with the name of the scripture example on it-(i.e.-Nephi, Captain Moroni, etc.).  Keep the children standing up front who are wearing the head bands.  Add children from your primary at the end to stand with these great examples. Let them say how they are trying to obey Jesus Christ.

Week 3- My love for Jesus Christ grows when I pray.
Role play, start your sharing time with you talking on a phone.  Pretend you are talking to your Grandma. It may be something like, "Hi Grandma!...I miss you to! ....I am great, how are you?...Is anything new?....You did what?!....You are so funny, Grandma! How is Grandpa?  He got a puppy?....I would love to come walk it...Well, school is pretty good.  But the other day I had a really hard day.  I had trouble with my spelling test....That would be great.  We could practice my words together!  Thank you Grandma!  I love you too!  See you later! Bye!"  Then look at the kids and say, "Sorry, I was talking to my Grandma.  I love her and she helps me so much."  You may ask them if they talk to family members or friends they love on the phone.  Ask them who. Then ask them "Who else loves you and cares about your day?".  Talk about how Heavenly Father and Jesus want to talk to us everyday.  Make a poster or write on the board the scripture 3 Ne.18:19-20.  Also, D&C 88:63-64.  Talk about how when we call and talk to our family or friends that we stay close to them and have a relationship...get to know them better/stay close to them. Read the D&C 88 about draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you, etc. talk about that promise, the help he gives us, and bear testimony of how your love for Him has grown through prayer.  You can share some personal experiences or ask others to share one.


Week 4- My love for Jesus Christ grows when I study the scriptures.

1-Hand out paper and a crayons to all the children.  Ask them to draw a picture of what they love about Jesus Christ.  It could be a story, something He can do, words He has said, etc.  Give them up to half of your time.  Then call on the children to bring them up and share as many as possible and give them back so they can take them home.  In closing, ask the children how they knew about Jesus.  Where did we learn those things. The scriptures.  Testify that our love for Jesus grows when we study the scriptures and know Him better.  Through the things we read and also through the Holy Ghost helping us to feel His love- and have our love for Him increased while we read the scriptures.

Ok, now that it is Saturday- I have a new plan:) This is what I am thinking. Please tell me if you have anything to add! Or help in my holes I haven't figured out yet.

2-I am going to go get a really large balloon.  I think I will actually go to the Dollar Store and get a punch balloon (they have a 3 pack for a dollar)- those are sturdier, you know, the ones that come with the big elastic and it ties on...any ways.  I am going to blow it up (not tie it yet) and write on it with a permanent marker: I Love Jesus Christ.  Then I am going to start by having them sing I know That My Savior Loves Me.  I will make sure I have a large picture of Jesus in the front.  I will ask a few children to tell me some of the things they love about Jesus. Just like above- suggesting things He has done, created, that He said, a favorite story, etc.  Then I will ask them where they learned all these things about Jesus. (scriptures)  Then I am going to pull out my scriptures.  I am making some pink or red strips of paper to be book marks.  I will draw a heart at the top of each one.  Then I am going to mark a bunch of things in the scriptures to share with them.  Examples about the Savior that help our love for Him grow.  Some will be a scripture I read, some I will just remind them of the story (because time and attention span).  Then after each example I will blow up a bit of the balloon until the end of sharing time when it should be large and full of "love" for the Savior.  I think I will use a good table to hold my scriptures so that I can hang on to the balloon that will not be tied the whole time.  **I have a bridal shower to go to, then later I will post all my examples I am marking.  If you would like to use them, don't worry, they will all be easy to share because they need to be good, quick, and direct so that they mean something to the kids.  And for the sake of time and filling the balloon!  I will definately share the scripture on the atonement-in Alma 7:12  stressing to the kids that in the Garden of Gethsemane He felt every hurt, sadness, sickness, loneliness, scared feeling and our sins while he was on the earth with his physical body, so that He would know exactly how we felt.  So that He would know how to help us, and what we would need.  Good Luck! add in anything you have or other ideas!

Here are some of the scripture reference ideas that I had, I will say something before I start the scriptures like- We can feel close to the Savior by reading about Him in the scriptures. Lets see how our love for Him "grows" as we learn about all the wonderful things He has done.
*Atonement, Alma 7:12-   And he will take upon him ^adeath, that he may ^bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccor his people according to their infirmities.

* Healing all of the Nephites, 3 Ne 17:7-  Have ye any that are ^asick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or ^bleprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will ^cheal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

*Blessing all the Nephite children, 3 Ne 17:21- And when he had said these words, he ^awept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and ^bblessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

*Raising Lazarus- that He has the power to do miracles, John 11:43- ...Lazarus come forth.

*Raising Lazarus- that He was/is a good friend.  Even though He knew Lazarus would be alive again, He cried with His good friends, Mary and Martha, because they were sad and He loved all of them.

*Helped create a beautiful earth for us, Genesis

*Died for us, John 19

*Was baptized to be an example and show us the way home to Heavenly Father

*Gives us peace, John 14:27  ^aPeace I leave with you, my ^bpeace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be ^ctroubled, neither let it be afraid.

*Did not judge, John 8- there was a woman who sinned.  The people were trying to trick Jesus into saying something wrong about how she should be punished.  verse 7 says, "and said unto them, He that is without ^asin among you, let him ^bfirst cast a ^cstone at her." then in verse 11, "And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I ^acondemn thee: go, and sin ^bno more."

*Forgives, Luke 23:34- Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do

Here is a start, I am going to think of what other topics I would like to share with the children and find a scripture to match.