Friend October 2020 “I Can Play It: Come Follow Me” Also includes a Sing-Along video.

Teaching Idea: Walking in His Footsteps Activity

To introduce the song “Come Follow Me”, I did the song “Do As I’m Doing” with the children.  We did cleaning (washing windows and dishes), and we did praying (folding arms, bowing head, closing eyes). We also did jumping jacks, but singing the song three times was a little much.

I had the children guess what action we were doing. After they guessed, I asked if it was important that we do that thing and why? After the song, I pointed out that they had followed my actions during the song, doing important things we should do every day. Then I explained that following Jesus’ example (July’s theme) means doing the same things Jesus did. I asked the children, “What things did Jesus do when he was on the earth?”.

I had made copies of the footprints found on page fifteen of the 2010 Outline for Sharing Time (click on blue words under the footprints). On the blank side, I had put one of the following labels on each footprint: forgave, prayed, loved, was baptized, taught, obedient, served, humble. We talked about the ways Jesus did each one of these things. 

I used the flip chart from Primary Singing Ideas  to introduce the words to the song. We talked about how “following in Jesus’ footsteps” meant to follow him and to do the same things he did.

We also discussed the part where it talks about being one with the Savior. I explained that being one with the Savior means having the same purposes, desires,and goals he has. I asked the children what his main goal is. They responded that it was to help people return to Heavenly Father’s kingdom.  I expained that as we do the same things Jesus did, our hearts gain that same goal, and that it was the only way (for thus alone) to become one with the Savior.  

Activity                                                                                                                                                                                                                               After we were done reviewing the words to the song, we sang the song once, and then we did the activity that would help them learn the song. I put the footprints on the floor in a circle, with the words of the song facing down and the labels of things Jesus did facing up. I picked four volunteers. I had them walk around the footprints while everyone sang the song.  The pianist stopped playing half way through, and the kids stopped walking. I had folded papers in a small bowl with the same labels that were on the footprints. I picked one out and whoever was standing on that footprint picked it up. That child then told how they could follow Jesus by doing the thing that was on the footprint. Sometimes they had a hard time thinking of things, so I told them they could call on someone else to answer.

The child then showed the words that were on the bottom of the footprint, and we took those words off the flip chart. (In order to make the words removable, I had cut the words off the flip chart pages and had put the pictures into page protectors. I taped the words to the outside of the page protectors so they could be removed.)

After we took those words off, I had that child stay and pick the next word from the bowl when we stopped singing again.  When there were four footprints left, I had another four children come up. This group could only walk on one foot print at a time.

The activity was an effective way to teach the meaning of the song and have repetition so they could learn the song.

Note: The children do have a hard time singing at first when they are watching the other children walk around the footsteps. Tell the children you are watching for good singers to be the helpers in doing the footstep activity. This well help them sing.