If the Savior Stood Beside Me – Verse Three

Preparation

• Items needed: a large piece of white semi-transparent fabric, magnets, and a white poster board.
• For visuals on this verse I used items from OCD Primary Chorister  to match the visuals I used in the other two verses (or the above posted pictures can be used instead and can be found here). I copied, pasted, and cropped the pictures containing the scriptures, the parents, the boy praying, and one picture each of the boy and the girl doing the right things.  Copy and paste the pictures of the children choosing the right into these thought bubbles. You will also need enlarged individual pictures of the girl and boy that were used in the other verses. Print all the pictures and cut them out. Tape or glue the pictures of the individual boy and girl onto the bottom of the fabric. Put a magnet on the back of the other pictures of the fabric.
• Print the four parts of the large picture of the Savior. Cut and fit the pieces together using glue or tape. Also print the picture of the prophet and the heart. Cut them out and put a magnet on the back of each.
• Cut the fabric so that it is the same size as the completed picture of the Savior. Glue or tape magnets to the back, top corners.
• Print the word pages.

 Presentation

Remind the children that the first two verses consider whether we would do or say certain things differently if we could see the Savior standing next to us.  The third verse tells us that even though we can’t see the Savior, he is always near and is aware of what we are doing and saying.

Put the first line on the board.

He is always near me, though I do not see him there.  Put the large picture of the Savior on the board and the fabric over the top of the large picture as you say the words to the first line.  Cover the picture with the poster board and ask the following question:  Because we can’t see the picture does that mean it isn’t there? The picture is still there even though we can’t see it, which is similar to the Savior. Even though we can’t see the Savior, he is watching over us.

(Take off poster board covering and have the children sing this first line. After the children sing, put the next line on the board.)

And because he loves me dearly, I am in his watchful care.   Put the heart on the picture of the Savior and explain that because the Savior loves us he wants what’s best for us, so he wants us to say and do good things in life. He watches over us and provides help and guidance through the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, parents, the prophet, etc.  (Put up the pictures of the scriptures, family, prophet, and prayer on the board around the top of the large picture of Christ as each are mentioned, then have the children sing this line. After they sing, put up the next line on the board.)

So I’ll be the kind of person that I know I’d like to be   Knowing that the Savior loves us and is watching over us helps us try to be the kind of person that we should be. (Put the thought bubble pictures above the pictures of the children.)

Explain that the last line is the same as in the first two verses, but it is drawn out a little at the end. Have the pianist play it so they can hear how it sounds. Have the children sing these last two lines, and afterwards have them sing the whole verse.)

Take off one of the word pages, or cover parts with cardstock. Choose a volunteer to put up the visuals as the children sing the verse again. Continue in this manner, taking off word pages and having different volunteers try to put the visuals on the board correctly and at the right times in the song, until all the word pages are off the board.

Have the children sing all three verses.

If the Savior Stood Beside Me – Verse Two

Preparation

• Items needed: 18 feet of string or fishing line and two cans, two crayons (one yellow and one dark brown or black), and a small bag or bowl.
• Print the second verse pictures from the following website – OCD Primary Chorister. I copied and pasted the first picture of the girl onto Microsoft Word and then cropped and enlarged it. I printed two copies and cut out the pictures. I printed two copies of this picture of the Savior and glued on one picture of the girl to the right side of each picture. I used these page for the last line of the verse and for the line “if he were never far away.”
• Print and cut out the word bubbles.
• Print the word chart and word strips. Cut out the word strips. Fold them and put them into a small bag or bowl. The word chart is based on the one found in the February Ensign.
• Make a homemade phone by hammering a hole into the top of each metal can with a nail. Put one end of the string into the hole at the top of one can. Pull it through a little and tie the end into a knot. Put the other end of the string into the hole at the top of the other can. Pull it through and tie its end into a knot.

 Presentation

Explain that the first line in this verse is the same as in the first verse.  – If the Savior stood beside me. (Put up the picture of the Savior with the children (from verse one visuals) at the top of the board. )

Remind the children that the first verse was about the things we do. Explain that the second verse is about the things we say. Show the first word bubble and explain that word bubbles are used as visual aids to help remind them that the verse is about the things we say.

Put the first word bubble and picture on the board.

Would I say the things I say?   Discuss the picture by pointing out that the big sister’s words are making her little brother feel bad and cry. Ask the children if they think she would change how she is talking about her brother if the Savior was standing next to her.  Remind them that the Savior would like our words to be things that would lift and help people, not hurt or make them sad or tear them down.

Put up the next word bubble and picture on the board. (After discussing this line, continue in this manner–putting up the word bubble and matching picture and then discussing it–for the rest of the lines in the verse.)

Would my words be true and kind   Explain that the word “true” in this sentence means sincere and loyal. In this picture it looks like the girl changed her words to be more kind and loving toward her brother. Point out that he is now smiling and looks happy.

 If He were never far away?  Put up the picture of the girl standing by the Savior.  (Have the children sing all of the song lines up to this point.)

Would I try to share the gospel?   Explain that the girl in the picture is telling her friend about the Book of Mormon. Ask the children if they think talking about the gospel would be words that would help and lift others.

Would I speak more reverently?  Point out that the girl in the picture has her arms folded.  Remind the children that when we speak to our Heavenly Father we fold our arms and bow our heads to show reverence. Explain that we should also speak reverently when we talk about the gospel, or about sacred things, or when we are in the Lord’s house. (Though we don’t necessarily need to fold our arms in the process.)

Put up the last picture and explain that the last line is the same as the first verse. Have the children sing these last three lines of the verse, and then have them sing the entire verse.

Memorizing Activity

Tell the children they are going to do an activity as they memorize the verse. The activity will help remind them that our words affect people. Explain that in a recent Ensign article, President Uchdorf said our words should be a “light to others”.  A word chart activity was included in the article (show the word chart and put it on the board) to help children think about different kinds of words and how they can lighten up and brighten someone’s day or make a day dark and dreary.

Get two volunteers, preferably children who have been putting effort into singing the song. Show the children the homemade can phones. Explain that you will choose one of the words from the bag, which contains the same words that are on the chart. You will show it to one of the volunteers. That volunteer will speak the word into the can. The other child will plug one ear and hold the can to the other ear and listen. That child will tell everyone what word was spoken. If the child is correct he/she gets to draw a bright smiley face or dark unhappy face over the word on the chart, depending on how it would make someone feel. The other child will choose one of the word bubbles to take off the board. Have the children sing the song again. Continue in this manner until all the word bubbles are off the board. The pictures can be taken off next using the same activity.

Note: The string should be taut between the two cans while they are doing the activity.

If the Savior Stood Beside Me

 Preparation
• Items needed: five pages of different colors  of construction paper (not blue or black), three pages of blue construction paper, tape, a black marker, magnets, and a metal chain.
• Print the word strips. Cut the word pages in half. (Trim off any extra paper if desired.)
• Print pictures for the first verse. (Look on Sugardoodle.com.) I used the pictures from the OCD Primary Chorister website. I really appreciated these pictures because they tell the verse in story form. But the pictures of the Savior didn’t portray him as I wanted, so I used this picture for the first line, and I copied, pasted, and enlarged her first picture onto Microsoft Word, and then I printed and cut out the picture of the boy and glued him onto the right side of this picture of the Savior. I used this page for the last line of the verse.
• Cut the construction paper into 1 ½ inch strips. (widthwise)
• Cut pieces of tape and hang them on the bottom rim of the chalkboard.

Presentation
Put the picture of the Savior with the children at the top, middle of the board and put the song title below it. Explain that these words are the title of the song and they are also the first line of the song.

Next explain that there are five questions that go with this first line. Put the first question on the board with its matching picture above it.

Point out that the child in the picture isn’t being kind. Ask if they think the child would be less likely to do something like that if the Savior was standing next to them. Ask what other kinds of things a person might try more carefully not to do if the Savior was standing next to him. Write each of the children’s responses on a colored strip of paper. After each response, have that child come up and make a chain link with their response(using the tape). Add a blue strip after each response. The answers will form a chain. Make sure their links face forward so people can see their answers. Using the magnets, hang the chain under the question. (Do the same chain activity with each question, taking only three responses per question.)

1. Would I do the things I do?  (After discussing this question have the children sing the first two lines of the verse.)

2. Would I think of His Commandments  Point out that the child in the picture is thinking about the Ten Commandments. Where are the commandments found? In the scriptures. What are some of the commandments Jesus has given us?

3. Try harder to be true? (There is not a picture for this line.) To be true means to be faithful and trustworthy. In what ways can we try harder to be true to the Savior? (Have the children sing these two lines.)

4. Would I follow His example? What is happening in this picture? The boy is trying to be like the Savior and be kind.. What other things did the Savior do that we could follow  and do?

5. Would I live more righteously? Point out the CTR shield in the picture and explain that when we are choosing the right we are living righteously. What things can we do to in order to live more righteously? (Sing these two lines.)

Explain that the last line of the verse is -“If I could see the Savior standing nigh watching over me.” Put the picture that goes with this line on the board. Put half the line above the picture and half below the picture. Explain that the word “Nigh” means close or near.

Show a metal chain and explain that the links help make it stronger than having just a single strip of metal. A single strip of metal might bend and break. Point to the chain the kids made and explain that the blue links represent the Savior standing near to them. Remind them that being near to the Savior makes us more likely to do right things, which makes us spiritually stronger. Explain that in the third verse of the song we will discuss more about the concept of the Savior being near.

Have the children sing the entire verse.

To memorize this verse, take off a couple of lines  at a time (not the pictures), and then have them sing the verse again. Continue in this manner until all the lines are gone. After that remove a few pictures at a time.

My Heavenly Father Loves Me – Verse Two

Preparation

• Items needed: Colored chalk, timer, eraser
•  Print the word strips onto heavy paper. Cut them out and fold each one in half so the words are hidden. Label each with its correct number.
•  Draw on the board a large paper doll shape.

Presentation

Explain that the second verse of the song tells of additional blessings Heavenly Father has given us, and the children are going to draw them on the board as they do an activity to help them learn the verse.

Have a volunteer come up. Give the child the first folded word strip that says “Eyes”. Tell the child to draw it where it goes on the doll figure. Explain to the children that they are going to guess what the person is drawing. Give the child a time limit to draw the item. When the time is up have them choose someone to tell what the item is. When the correct guess is made explain that the first words in the second verse are “He gave me my eyes that I might see.”

Have another volunteer come up. Give that child the slip of paper that says “Butterfly (with colorful wings)”. Have them draw it next to the doll shape. When the correct guess is made, tell the words that go with this part. “the color of butterfly wings”. Have the children sing these first two parts.

Do the same thing with each word, going in order. Be sure to tell the song words that go with each item, and sing the lines after every few that are introduced. When you come to the word “body” have the child draw around the outline of the doll figure, or draw arrows pointing to the doll figure. When the correct word is guessed explain that the words that go with this are “He gave me my life”.

For the words “brain” and “heart” have them draw those items where they go on the doll figure. For the word “prayer” have the child erase the arms and redraw them folded (if that doesn’t work have the child draw the eyes closed or the knees bended.)

For the word “creations” you may need two or three children to draw. Have them draw the items around the doll figure. (You can put a smile on the doll when you mention the words “of which I’m a part.”)

For the word “love”, have the child draw a huge heart around the doll figure. The heart is for the words “Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.”

After all the lines have been introduced, have the children sing the whole verse. Point to the items as each part is sung. Then have the children begin to memorize the verse by erasing items on the board each time they sing the song.

(I know one of the above pages has a word wrong, but I changed it in the printable file.)

My Heavenly Father Loves Me – Verse One

Preparation

• Items needed: tape, magnets, items to make a large Valentine card, 15 sheets of pink heavy paper.
• Print and cut out the visual aids. Put a magnet on the back of each item, but first tape together the word “rushes” with the picture of the woman rushing, and tape together the words “walk by” with the girl walking. Put the words on a word strip chart or tape them to a posterboard. Before Primary begins, hide the six hearts under the children’s chairs.
• Make a large Valentine card (I taped two sheets of pink construction paper together and added some paper doilies and a glittery heart.) Print these pages  and tape or glue the first two pages inside the card.
• Cut out about 15 large hearts. I used pink construction paper.

Verse One   (The following is exactly what I said to the children as I taught this song. The items in parenthesis are directions concerning what to do at certain parts.)

* What holiday do we celebrate in February? Valentine’s Day. On Valentines we celebrate love.

This month’s song is about love – our Heavenly Father’s love for us.

* What do people give to each other on Valentines to express their love for each other? Candy, cards, flowers…

Our Heavenly Father has given us many things that demonstrate his love for us. Look under your chairs to find some of those things. There are six items. If you find an item put it on the board.

All these items are mentioned in the first verse of the song. Our Heavenly Father has given us….(Shortly discuss each one of the items with the children.)

In the song these items are in pairs. Can you guess which items go together? (Have children come to the board and put the items in pairs. Discuss why the pairs go together and put them in the right order on the board– each pair about a foot apart from the other pairs.)

There are words that go with each of these items too. (Show the children the word strip chart or posterboard) For example, which of these things can make musical sounds? The bird ( Put the song notes near the bird.)  All these things (point to wordstrips) are also things Heavenly Father has given us and demonstrate His love for us. (Quickly read and discuss each word)

Raise your hand if you think you know where one of the words go. One to two words go with each item. (Have the children take turns putting a word strip next to the item that it goes with. If an item gets put in the wrong spot, another children can move it during their turn. Make any necessary corrections after all the words have been placed.)

(Tell the children the words of the first two lines of the verse, pointing to the pictures and wordstrips when you come to those parts, then have them sing the first two lines. Do the same with the other two pairs. Afterwards have them sing everything together.)

(Show the children the homemade Valentine card and ask the following question: )

• If you were to make Heavenly Father a Valentine card what would you say in it? Answers might include:  I love you. Thank you for all the wonderful blessings.

(Open the card, read the inside, and explain that they might say something like that. Put the card on the board.)

In the last part of the verse we express our appreciation for this wonderful world Heavenly Father created. (Put the last page on board.)

(Have the children sing these last two parts of the song, and then have them sing the whole verse. Point to the pictures as they sing to help the smaller children.)

That is the first verse of the song. Now let’s memorize this verse.

When someone cares about another person they sometimes do a fun activity for that person called a heart attack. They cover something that belongs to that person with hearts such as their bedroom, their car, their house door, etc.

Today we are going do a heart attack and cover the song with hearts –as a way to show our love (for music time, Heavenly Father?) by memorizing this song.

While we sing the song I’m going to go around and see who is singing really well. If I give you one of these hearts (show them the big cutout hearts), you will go to the board and cover a part of the song with it.  I will only give out 2-3 hearts each time we sing the song.  (Attach a piece of tape to each heart as you give them out.)

(After singing the verse, discuss which parts of the song were covered up. Sing the verse again while giving out more hearts. Continue until the verse is memorized. )

I Am a Child of God – Song

Preparation

• Items Needed: balloons, and a bag or container.
• Print the flipchart pages.

Verse Two

Most of the children in primary know the first verse, so I started with the second verse.

I started off with some questions:

• If each of us has an earthly father, how is Heavenly Father also our father? He is the father of our spirits.
• What traits did you inherit from your earthly father? (Not just physical characteristics, but also things like temperament, intelligence, talents or abilities, etc)
• Did you also inherit the ability to become like your Heavenly Father? Yes!

Show the children a balloon, and explain that just like a balloon grows with each breath of air we put into it, we also can grow and develop (spiritually) as we receive the words of God and take them into our lives.

Put the flipchart pages on the board for the second verse, and explain that we need to learn how to become like our Heavenly Father. His words in the scriptures tell us what we need to do in order to become like him, and we have a limited amount of time to study and learn them (our earth life).

Sing verse two.

Take the flipchart pages off the board.

Tell the children they are going to sing the second verse again, but this time they are going to pass a little container of balloons around as they sing. When the pianist stops playing, the child that is holding the bag needs to tell what the next words are in the verse. (They can get help from the children sitting next to them if needed.) After they tell what the words are, they get to take one of the balloons out of the container.

Tell the children you are going to ask them a question, and for every answer they give, the child holding the balloon gets to put a large breath of air into the balloon. (Take only enough responses to get the balloon filled up.) Once the balloon is filled, have the child tie it off and bring it to the front of the room. (They can have a teacher help them tie it if needed.) The question is:

• What is something we need to do in order to become more like our Heavenly Father, and what characteristic do we develop when we do that thing?

Start the verse again from the beginning. Continue singing and doing the above activity until the children have the words to the second verse memorized. (No need to sing the chorus.)

Verse Three

Show the children one of the filled balloons.

• What happens to a balloons ability to stay afloat after it has been inflated with air? (Throw an unfilled and filled balloon into the air to see what happens.) The balloon has increased in its ability to stay afloat. The balloon filled with air also has increased in usefulness and enjoyment.
• What happens to our abilities and eternal posibilities if we take in God’s words and do them? They increase.

Put the flipchart pages on the board for the third verse. Explain how the words relate to the above concept, then sing the third verse.

Have the children sing the third verse again, but this time give them a filled balloon (possibly one on each side of the room). Explain that they are to keep the balloon aloft by gently tapping on it as they sing. When the pianist stops playing, the person who the balloon lands on tells what the next line is in the verse. They also answer the following question: (They can choose someone to help them if needed.)

• What blessings will we enjoy if we become like our Heavenly Father and return and live with him again? Answers might include the following: eternal families, a fullness of love, a fullness of knowledge and wisdom, eternal happiness, inheritors in his kingdom, etc. (You may need to provide hints to help them answer this question.)

After the answers have been provided, begin the song and activity again. Continue in this manner until the verse is memorized.

Review

Have the children sing all three verses. Help them to realize that the song is about them, and that they are each a child of God, by having them quickly stand up (and sit down) each time they sing the words “me, my, I, or I’ll”.

Lesson 2: Lehi and His Family Leave Jerusalem

Lesson 3: The Brass Plates

Lesson 4: Tree of Life Vision

Lesson 5: The Liahona

Lesson 6: Nephi Builds a Ship

Lesson 7: Crossing the Sea

Lesson 8: Jacob’s Encounter with Sherem

Lesson 9: Enos Prays

Lesson 10: King Benjamin

Lesson 11: Abinadi and King Noah

M

• Mother I Love You
• Mother Tell Me the Story
• My Heavenly Father Loves Me

N

• Nephi’s Courage 

P

• Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked
• Praise to the Man

S

• Stand for the Right
• Scripture Power

T

• Teach Me to Walk in the Light
• Teacher/Mother Do You Love Me?
• The Handcart Song
• The Holy Ghost
• The Lord Gave Me a Temple
• The Shepherd’s Carol
• To Be a Pioneer
• The Wise Man and the Foolish Man

W

• When I Am Baptized

I used this activity to review the primary program songs. It was meant to emphasize that we were working on getting the bugs out of the songs (getting rid of and fixing any problems).

Preparation

• Items needed: 1 poster board, eleven sheets of cardstock, plastic bugs (spiders, flies, and beetles), double-sided removable tape, magnets, eight wide mouth jars, Metamucil, food coloring, a cookie sheet, a container of soapy water, and a towel.
• Using a black marker, divide a poster into squares – nine squares across and seven down. Each square should be a little under three and an eighth inches on each side.
• Print and cut out the bug squares. Glue the bugs onto the poster, making sure to put each set of three bugs in a row. (Here is a copy of Microsoft Word bug squares in case you need to change the bug types.)
• Print the cover squares onto cardstock and cut them out. Using double-sided removable tape, place each cover square on a poster square. Put the letters spelling “Get the Bugs Out” in the middle of the poster.
• Change the song titles to whatever songs you are working on and then print and cut them out.
• Make some colored jars of slime - red, yellow, dark blue, light blue, green, purple, pink, and orange. The recipe can be found here. Put three bugs in each wide mouth jar – a spider, fly, and beetle.  Put a different colored slime in each a jar and tape the matching colored song titles to the jar lids.  (The slime will stay good for several weeks if stored in the fridge.)

Presentation

Put the poster on the board using strong magnets.

To play this game the children take turns taking off the top cover cards on the poster. When a child finds a bug, that child gets to judge whatever the bug represents such as: Spiders – Words, Beetles – Projection, Flies – Presentation. The color of the bug on the poster determines what song they are judging. When the child thinks the song is free of problems in the area they are judging they get to reach into the song jar and pull out the bug they uncovered on the poster. Afterwards they wash their hands in the soapy water and dry them on the towel.

Be sure to place a cookie sheet under the jar  to catch any drips as the bug is removed. Also push up the sleeves on the child if needed.

When the children find three bugs in a row they get to do a fun activity song as a reward. We did the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” with these visual aids. I put magnets on the back of each picture and put the pictures on a metal cookie sheet. The child who pulled the third bug out of the jar got to mix up the pictures in each column. The children had a blast trying to do the new order. They sang the song one time for every three in a row they got. I started off with the pictures in two columns, the first part of the song in one column and the second in the other column. After doing the song a few times that way, I then let the children take pictures from either column and mix them.

 I did this activity for primary music time for four weeks (until we had finished reviewing all the songs) and the kids never got tired of it. They loved it!

Note: The inspiration for this idea came from other music websites that posted ideas for the theme of getting the bugs out of the songs. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

For those of you looking for lesson aids, the church has a new site that has stories, activities, and visual aids that go with each lesson -  http://www.lds.org/children/resources  I hope this helps. I wish you all the best!