November
When We Serve Others,We Serve God
“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).
Weeks 1 and 2: Jesus Christ taught us how to serve others
Week1- dramatization): Tell the children that one day a man asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus
answered him by telling a story that teaches us how to serve others. Invite a few children to dress up in simple costumes to portray characters from the parable of the good Samaritan: a traveler, some thieves, a priest, a Levite, a Samaritan, and an innkeeper. Tell the story in your own words (see Luke 10:30–37) and then help the children act it out. Ask the children: “What does this story teach us about who our neighbors are? Whom should we serve?” Point out that our neighbors can be anyone in need. Explain to the children that they can serve their friends and family members all the time, but they should serve people they do not know only if they are with a parent or another trusted adult. Testify that Jesus Christ loves everyone and wants us to serve everyone. (planning service for family): Tell the children that Jesus wants us to serve others, including members of our families. Cut out small paper circles and give a few to each child. Have them draw a smiling face on each one to make “Service Smiles.” Encourage the children to perform small acts of service for members of their family during the next week. Brainstorm together tasks they could do (such as leave a kind note, pick up toys, or make a bed). Have the children leave a “Service Smile” where the act of service was performed. Invite them to ask their families to participate in this activity with them. Encourage the children to be ready to share with the Primary next week how their service helped bring smiles to their families.
Week 2- (reporting on service): Invite the children to retell the story of the good Samaritan in their own
words. Use the same costumes you used the previous week to help them remember. Then give the children an opportunity to report on their “Service Smiles” from last week. One way to do this is to create a wheel like the one shown here, with each class in your Primary listed. Spin the wheel and invite one or two children in the class indicated to report on their service and how it helped them and others feel happy. Repeat as time allows
Week 3- Idea #1 Fishing Charades --Tell the story, Clean Up Claire from the 2008 friend:
Claire stomped her foot and glared at her closed bedroom door. Then she collapsed on her bed in tears. It was so unfair! Claire had two younger sisters and one younger brother. All she ever did was clean up after them! At least that’s what she had told Dad five minutes ago.
Claire had been reading a book, her favorite thing to do. Danielle was at the kitchen table making an art project. Liberty was playing with her blocks and dolls, and Hyrum was playing with his farm set.
“Guess what?” Mom said as she walked into the room. “Dad checked out a fun video at the library. Please clean up quickly so there will be time to eat dinner and watch the video before bedtime,” Mom said. “Claire, please help Hyrum clean up his farm set.”
As Claire set her book down, she heard her sisters complaining. Danielle said she wasn’t done with her art project and Liberty said she was too little to clean up her toys. Claire smiled. Liberty always said she was too little when she was asked to do something.
“I have to clean up Hyrum’s toys and I’m not complaining,” Claire thought. She scooped little farm animals into the toy barn and then put the barn on the shelf in Hyrum’s room. Then she went back to the couch and opened her book.
Dad came into the room. “Claire, could you please help Liberty clean up the blocks and dolls?” he asked. “Mom and I will be busy making dinner.”
“But I didn’t play with them, Dad,” Claire said. “Mom said we needed to clean up what we were playing with. I already cleaned up Hyrum’s mess.”
“Claire, we need to work together or we won’t have time to finish the video before bedtime,” Dad said. “Please go help Liberty.”
Claire was upset. She saw all of the blocks scattered throughout the family room. They had been made into little houses for Liberty’s dolls and stuffed animals. What a mess! She stomped her foot. “All I ever do is clean up after little kids!” she said.
“Let’s go to your room,” Dad said. He walked with Claire to her room. When they got there he said, “I know you’ve already cleaned. But we are a family and we work together. We all want to watch the video, so we all need to help. Danielle is cleaning up her art project, and Mom and I are making dinner. Liberty made a big mess but she’s only three. She needs help. Can you please be more willing to help?”
Now Claire lay on her bed crying. She felt awful inside. Did her parents think she was a maid? Maybe they should call her “Clean-up Claire.” Claire felt like a dark cloud was hanging over her head. She felt angry and alone. She took a deep breath. “I’ve got to stop feeling like this,” she thought. “What can I do to feel better?”
She knew what would make her feel better. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and knelt by the side of her bed. “Heavenly Father,” she prayed, “I’m sorry for the way I’ve acted. I’m sorry that I didn’t obey and that I complained to my parents. Please help me to feel better. Please help me feel the Spirit.”
As she said those words, the dark feelings left her. She felt warm and peaceful. She stayed on her knees and enjoyed the good feelings in her heart. Then she stood up. “This won’t be so bad,” she thought. She opened her door and quickly found the bucket that the blocks went in. She scooped them up as quickly as she could. “Liberty,” she called, “come and help me put these dolls and stuffed animals away.”
“I can’t help,” Liberty said as she walked into the room. “I’m too little.”
Claire smiled at her. “No, you’re not,” Claire said kindly. “Come on, I’ll help you.” Together the girls picked up the family room. Then Claire went into the kitchen where Mom and Dad were setting the table.
“I’m sorry I complained,” Claire said.
Mom and Dad smiled at her. “Thank you, Claire,” Dad said.
As the family gathered around the table, Mom said, “I never realized how much effect one person can have on the feeling we have in our home. A little while ago, it didn’t seem like the Spirit was here. But now, I know that it is. Thank you for doing your work happily, Claire.”
Claire smiled. She knew she had helped her whole family.
Then play Fishing charades. Prepare paper fish that say different ways to serve in our homes and have the children fish for them and act out the idea for the primary to guess.
idea #2-using the idea from the manual about serving inside your home, here are some printables that might help- cut out the little hands to make a clock with movable hands. Fasten with a brad.- Their teachers can help them to think of what is going on during the different times of the day. Like meals, chores, helping siblings get ready, reminding about scriptures or prayer, being obedient, prompt, etc.
clock
times
***I am still trying to figure out easy viewing and printing. If you have a problem printing- right click on the image and click view image, then print. If something prints small, it may be horizontal- go to page set up and change the page layout to horizontal.
idea #3- Read the Clean Up Claire story above then play pictionary. Assign different times of the day to the classes and have them come up and do a pictionary- drawing their idea and having the rest of the primary guess.
idea #4- Make a big turkey on a poster board- without the tail feathers. Cut out different color feathers- or just white- after you tell the story above, have the children write on their feather how they can serve in their family. They can decorate the feather and then come stick it on the turkey.
If you need help making a turkey, there are good printables on this website. Look under Holiday Crafts or printables for turkeys. It is a great site that has awards, book marks, certificates, chore charts, etc that you can customize and print too! Dltk- Kids Web site
*You can encourage the children to continue to serve in their homes and perhaps make their own family home evening lesson with this activity.
Week 4- idea #1 Using the idea from the manual about serving others outside our homes, I have decided to have my family do a service challenge. Starting tomorrow I am having them try to serve someone outside our home everyday and then write about their experiences at night and then have them come share them in my sharing time next week. Encouraging them to pray about it each morning. Each morning I would like to have each family member wake up to a reminder by their bed. Here is for tomorrow, Day 1
Service reminder Day 1
idea #2 Make a big turkey on a poster board- without the tail feathers. Cut out different color feathers- or just white- after you tell a story about service outside the home, have the children write on their feather how they can serve. They can decorate the feather and then come stick it on the turkey.
story ideas: All Can Give Same-Size Service The Yellow Dress
If you need help making a turkey, there are good printables on this website. Look under Holiday Crafts or printables for turkeys. It is a great site that has awards, book marks, certificates, chore charts, etc that you can customize and print too! Dltk- Kids Web site
