October

Sharing Time Ideas


The Mission of the Church Is to Invite All to Come unto Christ

Week One-

Week Two- Sharing the gospel helps others come unto Christ.
idea #1:  Invite the full time missionaries to come do sharing time on this subject! They could share stories and their experiences and testimonies.
idea #2:  Invite a couple converts from your ward to come and share their conversion stories and how they were introduced to the gospel.
idea #3:  Attention getting story/thought:  How many of you guys like to eat dessert?  What if I told you there was a really cool place that makes the best desserts!  Every kind of ice cream you can think of!  The place is really neat too. They have cool squishy chairs to sit in and a music player that you can pick songs to listen to. Would you want to go there?  Would you tell your friends to come too?  When we share things we know with other people, it may make them want to do something too.  Hold up a picture of a missionary and say, "That is what missionaries do.  They share what they know about the gospel- the good news of Jesus Christ- with people, so that they will want to come unto Christ."  I like the idea from the book, but I think I will start with it here. In a container, place objects that will remind the children of ways they can prepare to serve a mission, such as scriptures, Sunday shoes, a tithing slip, and a paper heart. Have a child choose an object from the container and share how doing what it represents can help them prepare to be missionaries.  Do we have to be on a mission to be a missionary?  Lets make a list of things that you can do that might help others to want to do good and come unto Christ.  (be honest, share, be kind to everyone, stand up for what is right, help others, secret service, tell them how happy you are when you go to church or learn about Jesus and Heavenly Father, share when you have had answers to prayers, how you were blessed from being obedient, etc) Read D&C 133:37 And this ^agospel shall be ^bpreached unto ^cevery nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.  To end, have a sentence written on the board that says:  We are all God's _____________.  He ________ us and wants all of us to come _____________ and live with Him again.  When we do ___________ work, we help more of God's _____________ to find their way __________ to live with Him again.  For Senior primary, I will write the words: children, loves, back, missionary, children and home on word strips that  can fit into the spots you leave blank.  For Junior primary, I will draw pictures to represent the words.  Either mix them up and ask children to pick where they think they should go- or hide them around the room and then have them try to put them in the sentence. Remind them that sharing the gospel helps others to want to follow Jesus.
*****So, I am trying to think of how to tie in making a poster board with a girl missionary on one side and boy missionary on the other that line up. I am cutting a face hole so kids can look through it.  My thought is while the kids are pulling out the things from a box about missionaries I will have them stand behind it.  Other idea is time permitting- sing I hope they call me on a mission with a few kids getting to stand with it while we sing.  Any thoughts?

Week 3: We come unto Christ by repenting when we make a mistake.

Display a picture of Jesus Christ on the board. Write the scripture under it: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32).  Have the children repeat the scripture.  Ask, "do you know what it means to Come unto Christ?"  After they answer, say yes, to come unto Christ means to: have faith in Him, to keep His commandments, to make covenants, and to repent when we make mistakes. (place a prepared word strip up for each of those 4 phrases)   Explain that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can repent when we make a mistake. Cut four more word strips that say  the parts of repentance: (1) feel sorry, (2) ask forgiveness, (3) right the wrong, and (4) don’t repeat the wrong. Place the word strips on the board on the other side of the  picture of Jesus Christ. Show them to the children.  Also prepare a rope with knots it.* Divide the children into groups and give each group a case study describing something a child might need to repent of.  (*The rope will need to go up to the front to the picture of Christ.  Make as many knots as groups you will have. For each knot, just loosely tie 4 times) Then have them share their case study with whole group.  Holding the  knot on the rope, have them go through each step of repentance- untying one tie of the knot for each step of repentance.  When they have answered all 4 parts- the knot will be out.  They can lay the rope back down and the next group come up, tell theirs as they untie the next knot.  (have the first group start with knot at the end.)  When the final group unties their knot and the rope is perfectly straight,  hold the rope and explain- the rope is like or path to come unto Christ. Jesus Christ has shown us the way by His example.  Sometimes we make a mistake and we get knots in our path.  Through the steps of repentance we can untie the knots, be clean again, and have nothing standing in the way on our path to come unto Christ. 
Some case study examples,
“Jenny disobeys her parents by kicking a ball in the house, and she breaks something.”
"Bryan took his friend's colorful pencil home from school, and said he did not know where it was when his friend asked if he had seen it."
"Carrie told her mom she would not eat that gross dinner because she did not like that kind of food- and hurt her mom's feelings."

"Josh pushed his little brother down because he found him playing with his new airplane in his room."
"Laura earned $5 in babysitting money, but only paid 5% tithing because she wanted to buy a toy."



Week 4: Temple work helps me and my family come unto Christ.

Remind the children what it means to come unto Christ. You may do this by asking them if the remember. (have faith in Him, to keep His commandments, to make covenants, and to repent when we make mistakes.) 
Place picture of Jesus on center of board.  Cut many pieces of yarn.  you will know how many when you have decided which ideas you want to include:). Tape each piece of yarn under the edge of the picture of Christ, so that strings are fanning out all around Him.  On the end of each yarn, have a piece of paper that can be turned over to show a way temple work helps me and my family come unto Christ.  Let children come and turn one over -(keep in its place on the board now facing up) -then discuss.- Remember, some words may need simple explanations- like ordinance: our ordinances are special steps, like baptism, that we take to come back to Heavenly Father. I got lots of these from the church website under Temples. Here are some ideas using quotes, sentences, songs, pictures:

*Sing Families Can Be Together Forever
*Picture of Grandparents or pioneers to talk about work for the dead
*the word HELP
*the word peace
*the word answers
*a heart for our love for family and/or Heavenly Father grows
 *Picture of steps- our ordinances are our steps back to Heavenly Father
* picture of a gift -We receive gifts and blessings as we are endowed and go to the temple

*“As we go to the holy house, as we remember the covenants we make therein, we will be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation." Pres. Monson
*The temple provides purpose for our lives.  Pres. Monson
*It brings peace to our souls.  Pres. Monson
*One ordinance we receive in the temple is the endowment. The word endowment means “gift” or “bestowal.” As part of this ordinance, we are taught about the purpose of life, the mission and Atonement of Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father’s plan for His children.
*Another temple ordinance is the sealing ordinance, in which husbands and wives are sealed to each other and children are sealed to their parents in eternal families. This means that if we are faithful to our covenants, our family relationships will continue for eternity.
* We can feel the spirit, and receive answers to our prayers.
* We can do the work for our family members who have already died without the chance to go to the temple.  So that we can all be sealed together and so that they can receive the Lord's greatest blessings too.
* We receive blessings for being obedient and going to the temple.
* When we learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ our love for them grow.
* We are blessed when we keep the promises we make to Heavenly Father in the temple.
* Sing I love to see the Temple.
* We set an example for others when we go to the temple.- parents show their children how important and special the temple is when they go.




Games for review or any subject

Think board games!

Guess Who?-  I made a prophet Guess Who game. I printed 2 copies of the prophets from this link: http://christysclipart.com/wwwroot/prophets_art.html .  Then I colored, their ties, eyes, hair, suits, etc different colors. (some with blue eyes, some with green...).  Then I used a big chalk board on wheels- put one set of pictures on each side.  I had the children turn and face them middle of the room and put the board in between them. (The game works by each team secretly picking one prophet picture and then tries to guess the other team's prophet.  Using questions like- does your person have blue eyes? If yes, take down all the prophets on your side who do not have blue eyes.  If they say no, take down all the blue eyed prophets. You keep going back and forth until you know who the other team's prophet is.)  I would ask a review question to one team, if they got it right they got to ask a question to the other team to try to guess which prophet they had picked.  If they got their question from me wrong, it passed to the other side.  Very fun!

Jeopardy is always fun with columns across they can pick from like maybe- Latter Day Revelation (that might have questions about what the prophets have said) Songs (songs they have to tell you words to about the subject, sing to you, say the next line, think of a song, think of the title of a song you play the tune of...)  and any other topics that go with your subject.  Then Just make papers with 100, 200, 300, 400 underneath each column.  I kept a list of my questions that coordinated with the board so I didn't even need to worry about writing them on the back of the papers on the board.  What ever is easier for you!

A chutes and ladders type game with questions.

Marshmallow Shooters.  Make as many teams as you would like to make marshmallow shooters for.  Even splitting the kids in half works great.  Get mini mallows and some 1/2 inch plastic pipe from the hard ware store.  Cut the pipe in about 10 to 12 inch lengths.  Make a target for your mallows.  It could be a ring for it to go through- like a small hoola hoop- or even a paper bullseye it has to hit.  Have a teacher represent each team.  If the kids answer the question right, win a scripture chase, sing a song well, etc then their teacher representing them gets 3 chances to stick a marshmallow in the pipe and blow it at the target.  Giving them a chance to earn 3 points per turn.  The team with the most points wins.  Very fun!

*

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.

August

Sharing Time Ideas

Jesus Christ Is The Son of God, and He Is a God of Miracles

Week 1- Jesus Christ is a God of Miracles.
Prepare letters that spell MIRACLES on half sheets of paper. (print, cut apart, color or post on colored paper if desired) Attach an activity to the back of some letters. (i.e.-story of Jesus calming the storm Mark 4:36-39, Jesus filling the nets with fish Luke 5:1-11, personal story from yourself or someone in the ward, a primary song- you may choose to add more stories or songs if you feel you will have more time) Place letters all around the primary room.  Call on children to pick a letter  (for Jr. primary you may want to do them in order to spell "miracles").  If the letter has an activity on the back- tell the story or sing the song. Otherwise just put on the board in front.  Sr. primary can unscramble the word "miracles" at the end. Testify after each activity how it shows that Christ has power over the earth- you can discuss how miracles help people.


Week2- Jesus Christ can heal the sick.
Prepare to tell the story when Jesus healed the Nephites (3 Nephi 17). Ask the children to raise their hand if the have ever been healed or knew someone who had.  Ask them if Jesus came down and healed them.  Tell them that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ gave us 2 gifts- Prayer and Priesthood Blessings so that we can be healed.  I used gift bags and cut a square out- put a gift bow on the top and labeled on Prayer- one Priesthood Blessings.  In the center of the board I hung a picture of Jesus healing the Nephites. The labeled gifts one on each side.  Then I made a couple more gifts with bows with a story on the back.  I held up all the gifts and had a child pick one, I read the story and asked them if they were healed through prayer or Priesthood Blessing and they hung it on that side.  I used one personal story of a child in the primary, one of George Albert Smith (As a young boy, George Albert Smith was very ill with typhoid fever, a disease that killed many people at that time. The doctor advised his mother to give him coffee to drink, but George refused it. Instead, he asked for a priesthood blessing from their ward (home) teacher. The next morning, when the doctor arrived, he found George Albert in the yard, playing. “I was grateful to the Lord for my recovery,” he said. “I was sure that He had healed me.”)  A story from the friend called Nora's Blessing, and one called Mimi's Testimony- I only told the 2nd half of that one.  That filled all the time exactly.

Week 3- Jesus Christ has power over death.
Start by having the children list the things that they know that Jesus Christ can do. ( heal, teach, love, make the earth, etc) Talk about how He raised the dead.  That Christ has power of death.  Bring some simple costumes (scarf, robe, etc) for teachers to wear as they read the following stories or others you pick: raising of Lazarus (John 11:1–45); the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:21–24, 35–43); the raising of the widow’s son (Luke 7:11–16); and the Resurrection (John 20:1–18). The other thing you could do is have children dress up instead of teachers.  Testify that Jesus Christ has power over death and that each of us will be resurrected.

Week 4- Miracles come to those who have faith.

Write on the board Doctrine and Covenants63:9: “But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.” Explain that the word signs in this scripture can also mean miracles. Have the children stand and read the scripture aloud together. Point out the word faith. Explain that miracles are not always dramatic events and that we must first have faith, and then we will recognize miracles in our lives. Also
explain that even though we have faith, we will still experience sorrow, pain, and suffering, but God is aware of our needs and will care for us. Make a simple matching/memory game to introduce each scripture story, by preparing 2 cards that say- MOSES, WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH, DANIEL & LION'S DEN, BROTHER OF JARED, NEPHI & LEHI (in prison)  As a match is found, tell in your own words the story. You can again include families in your own ward with personal experiences. Testify that as we have faith, we will see miracles in our lives.