I Am a Child of God – Song

Preparation

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

Verse One

Nursery Manual: Lesson Two

Friend January 2018 “Lead Me, Guide Me, Game” Heavenly Father has given us some special things to help us find our way back home.
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”.