Category Archives: If I Listen With My Heart

Dec 23 2015

If I Listen With My Heart – Verse Three

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“If I Listen With My Heart” – Verse Three

Preparation

  • Items needed: light weight colored paper, clear stick glue, magnets, a page protector, clear tape, a lamp or lantern, a large envelope, and chalk and eraser.
  • Print the story pictures, stain glass pattern, and word pages (make sure and print the picture of Christ onto light weight white paper). Cut out the story pictures. Cut apart the word pages on the dotted lines. Put a magnet on the back of each item. (Optional: Put a black background paper on the word cards.)
  • Cut the stain glass pattern along the lines so that you have nine pieces. Using the pieces as patterns, cut out each piece from  different colors of light weight paper (or print Emilie Hanson’s pre-made version) Glue the pieces to the front of the picture of the Savior. Make sure the picture of the Savior doesn’t show through the colored paper, but try not to use dark colors over the face. Using the photo above as your guide, cut  the pieces into four parts. Cut out the labels and glue each one to a piece as shown above. Put the pieces into an envelope.
  • Cut strips of dark paper and tape them to the edges of the page protector to make a frame.

Presentation

Tell the children that they are now going to learn the third verse of the song “If I Listen with My Heart.” Explain that this verse is about the Holy Ghost being a way we can hear the Savior’s voice. The Savior communicates with us through the Holy Ghost. There are many different things that the Holy Ghost tells us that the Savior wants us to know.

Ask the children if they have ever seen a stain glass window. Explain that a stain glass window is many pieces of colored glass combined to make a beautiful picture. When light comes through the window, it’s beauty can fill us with joy and uplift and warm our souls. Explain that the Holy Ghost can also fill our lives with joy, warm our souls, and light up our life with beauty. Like the different colored pieces of stain glass, there are different things the Holy Ghost does. A few of those things are mentioned in this verse.

Put the page protector on the board. Explain that you have several colored pieces of paper inside the envelope that will make a pretty stain glass type picture on the framed page protector. Each of these colored pieces of paper has a label on it. The labels are things the Holy Ghost does that are mentioned in the verse.

Choose a child helper. Draw out the piece of colored paper from the envelope that says “teaches truth and right.”  Give the piece to the child and have him or her put it on the page protector using rolled pieces of tape. Tell the children that the helpers will need to try to put each piece in the right spot on the page protector. Disclose that the picture should form a heart when completed.

Tell the children that in the July 1997 Friend there is a story about a boy named Christopher. Christopher had been given the gift of the Holy Ghost, but he had become concerned because he had never heard the still small voice.  (Put the picture of  the upset Christopher on the board.) Christopher told his parents how he was feeling (put picture of parents on board), and they explained that the Holy Ghost can communicate in other ways besides a still small voice.  They reminded Christopher of the good feeling he had after telling the truth about spilling the red punch on the carpet. (Put the picture of the spilled drink on the board. Also put the word card next to it that says “I feel the Holy Spirit as He teaches truth and right”.) Read the card to the children and explain that it is the first line in the verse. Ask “Does the Savior want us to know truth and right?”

Choose another helper. Give that child the piece of colored paper that says “comforts”. Have the child put it on the page protector. Explain that  the Holy Ghost can comfort us when we are afraid, sad, or worried. Tell the children that when Christopher was lost in the mall and was afraid,  he prayed for help. He felt calm and reassured. He also felt he should sit on a bench and wait, (put on the board the picture of  Christopher sitting on the bench), and his parents were able to find him there. (Put the word card on the board that says “He comforts me in times of need” next to the picture of Christopher on the bench.) Tell the children that those are the words of the next line in the verse.  Ask, “Do you think Jesus wants to comfort and help us?”  Explain that in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus not only suffered for our sins, but he also suffered our pains, heartaches, and fears so he would know how to comfort and help us.

Choose another helper, and give that child the piece of colored paper that says “Testifies of Christ”. Have the child put it on the page protector. Tell the children that in the story about Christopher, his parents also reminded him of the time when he was reading the scriptures, and he suddenly understood a parable that Jesus taught. (Put picture of Christopher and the scriptures on the board.)  Explain that the Holy Ghost can testify to us that Jesus is the son of God and that His words are divine truth. The Holy Ghost can also help us understand His words.   (Put the word card on the board that says “He testifies of Christ”  next to the picture of Christopher with scriptures. Tell the children that is the next line in the verse.)  Explain to the children that the Holy Ghost also testifies that Jesus is our Savior and redeemer,  and that because of His sacrifice and atonement we can repent and be forgiven of our sins. Ask, “Why does Jesus want us to know this?”

Draw out the last colored piece of paper that says “Fills with peace”. Put it on the page protector, and then put the word card on the board that says “He speaks to me in quiet ways that fill my soul with peace”.  Point out to the children that Christopher didn’t even realize that the Holy Ghost was speaking to him because it was in quiet ways such as warm feelings and thoughts that came to him. But those thoughts and feelings filled Christopher with peace.

Put the stain glass picture in front of a turned on lamp or lantern so that the children can see the picture of Jesus.  Explain that we learn in this verse that if we listen with our hearts, we will realize that the Holy Ghost is telling us the things that the Savior wants us to know.

 The chorus pages will not be needed. Hopefully by this time they know that part, but the stain glass picture can be used to help remind them of the words of the chorus.

(In Junior Primary you may want to sing each line of the verse as you put it on the board, and then review the lines at the end and try to sing the whole verse.)

To help the children memorize this verse, take off the first word card. Write its words on the board, but leave the main words blank except for the first letter. See if the children can remember what those words are, and then sing the verse. Do the same with the next word card. Continue in this manner until the children have each line memorized. Many junior Primary children know letters, so prompt them with the sound of the letter to help remind them of the word.

Safety Reminder: Use only battery powered lanterns. If you use a lamp, put the paper on the lamp shade using a straight pin. Do not put the paper near the hot light bulb.

Dec 23 2015

If I Listen With My Heart – Verse Two

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If I Listen With My Heart – Verse Two

Preparation

  • Items needed: two hinged rings or two pieces of ribbon, a marker, strong magnet strips, a hole punch, and a lamp or lantern. You will also need the chorus cards, the black and white picture of the prophet, and the picture of the Savior from the previous week’s lesson. Put the black and white picture of the prophet into a page protector, and slip the picture of the Savior behind it. Print the pictures and word cards onto cardstock. Cut out each picture around its subject’s outline. Attach a strong magnet to the back of each picture. Cut out the word bubbles. Glue the word bubbles that say “Love & Serve” to the picture of the prophet and to the picture of the Savior. Attach a magnet to the back of the rest of the word bubbles.
  • Cut the word cards in half on the dotted line. Stack the word cards in order with the start of the song on top. Attach strong magnets between each card (on the top, middle of the cards) so the cards stick together.  Hole punch the bottom of each card on the corners, and connect the six cards together with the rings or ribbon. Put a long strip of a strong magnet onto the top back of the last card.

Presentation

Tell the children they are now going to learn the second verse of the song “If I Listen With My Heart.” Remind them that it is about the prophet’s words being a way to hear the Savior’s voice. Put the black and white picture of the prophet in front of the lantern, and turn on the lantern. Put the flip chart on the board with the first lines of the verse showing. Go through the words of the flip chart with the children, and put the following corresponding pictures on the board for each page.

 I hear a living prophet speak – Put the picture of the prophet and the podium on the board.

the things that Christ would say –  Put the picture of the Savior to the left of the picture of the prophet.

if He were here upon the earth – Put the picture of the Savior over the picture of the prophet.

to talk with me today – Put the picture of the children to the left of the podium.

Put the word bubbles on the board to the left of the the picture of Jesus, and ask the children what the Savior would tell them to do if he were here upon the earth today. Write a response with the marker in each word bubble.

The prophet teaches how to live – Take off the picture of the Savior so that the prophet is showing, and explain that the prophet tells us the same things because he tells us the Savior’s words–the things the Savior wants us to know.

in righteousness and peace – Explain that the Savior wants us to live in righteousness and peace, so the prophet teaches us the Savior’s words on how to do that. Point out the word peace, and remind the children that the word peace is in each verse of the song. This is to help remind us that if we listen to and obey the Savior’s words, we can have peace in our lives. (When singing the song, put the labeled word bubbles up during this line of the song.)

Put the chorus pages on the board, and remind the children that they sing the chorus at the end of each verse.

Note: You may wish to teach Junior Primary a couple of lines of the verse at a time, and then have them sing those lines before teaching the next two lines.

Prepare to have the children sing the verse by resetting the flip chart and taking off the pictures.  Have a child helper put the pictures on the board at the appropriate times as you turn the pages of the flip chart. Go through the words and visuals again before singing the verse to make sure the helper knows how they go. Have a different child help with the visuals each time you sing the verse.

Tell the children they are now going to memorize the second verse. Review the words on the first flip chart card. Put it down so it isn’t showing, and have the children sing the song again. Do the same with the second card in the flip chart, then have them tell you what the first line is again. Sing the song again without the first and second cards showing. Continue in this manner until they can sing the song without the flip chart.

Note: To help the children review lines, tell them the line, but stop at certain points and see if they can tell you the next word or words.

Safety Reminder: Use only battery powered lanterns. If you use a lamp, put the paper on the lamp shade using a straight pin. Do not put the paper near the hot light bulb.

Dec 22 2015

If I Listen With My Heart

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 If I Listen With My Heart – Verse One

 Preparation:


  • Items needed: a lamp or lantern, and a large display board (dry erase board, or poster/foam board). Optional item: a recording of the song from http://lds.org/cm/display/0,17631,7206-1,00.html

  • Print all the verse one pictures and words, pictures of Jesus with the children, and a child reading the scriptures. Note: Be sure to print the three black-and-white pictures, and the large picture of the Savior onto light weight paper. Put all the pictures in page protectors, and slide the picture of the Savior behind the picture of the scriptures. Cut out the two sets of the song words, and cut out the round song notes. Tape the three pictures from the flipchart onto the display board and a set of the cut out words next to their corresponding  picture

  • Tape one set of the song words, in random order, under  the children’s chairs before Primary starts. Put a few in each row. Count how many rows there are, then put a number in a container for each row you have.

  • (Optional idea is to put the words that go under the chairs on hearts, and put magnets on the back of each one to make them easier to attach to the chairs.)

Introduce the name of the song, and then tell the children that the song has three verses and a short chorus. Post the two chorus picture pages on the board. Explain that each of the three verses of the song tells a way we can hear the Savior’s words if we listen with our hearts (with the spirit and with love in our hearts). Verse one tells us that even though we weren’t on the earth when Jesus was, we can still hear his words through the scriptures. (Put the picture of the scriptures on the board.)  The second verse explains that the living prophet tells us what the Savior wants us to know. (Put the picture of the prophet on the board.) In the third verse we learn that the Holy Ghost also tells  us what the Savior wants us to know. (Put the words “Whisperings of the Holy Ghost” on the board.)

Tell the children that when we read the scriptures, listen to the prophet, or listen to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost we can imagine that the Savior himself is telling us those words because they are his words and what he wants us to know. (Put the picture of the scriptures  in front of a lamp so the picture of the Savior can be seen through the scriptures.) Explain to the children that they are going to learn the first verse of the song which is about the scriptures being a way we can hear the Savior’s voice. (Take down the other two black and white pictures from the board.) Show the display board, or put it to the left of the chorus pages on the board.

Go over each line of the verse with the children and explain the words “search” and the word “peace”. Also tell the children that the word peace is in each verse. Play a recording of the first verse for the children, or sing the verse for them so they can hear how it sounds. Have the senior children sing the verse (you may have to review and sing one line at a time with junior primary). Point out that the melody in the third phrase builds up to emphasize the word peace. Also point out to the children that there are a lot of words in the song where they have to slide their voices up or down a note. (Put the eighth notes under or above the words that do this. Angle them up or down slightly for more emphasis.) (Personal note: I do realize that some of the notes are backward. I didn’t have time to make new ones. Sorry.) Have the children sing the song again, and have them pay attention to how their voice slides up or down as they sing those words.

Senior Primary – Explain to the children that they are going to start memorizing the verse. Tell them that the words of the verse are under some of their chairs, but they can’t get them yet. Number off each row, and then have a child reach into the container of numbers and pull one out. Have all the children in that row look under the chairs and find the words. Have the children take their words off the display board. Go over the words of the song again, and see if the children can remember what words are missing. Sing the song again. Have another child pick a number from the container, and do the activity again. Continue in this manner until all the words are gone and the children have the song memorized.

To review the song the following week, show the bulletin board with the words. Cover the first line and give a child the magnet words of the first line to put in order on the board as everyone sings the song. Tell the child that he/she has until the song is finished to put the words in the right order. Do the same with the other lines in the song until you feel they have reviewed the song sufficiently.

Junior Primary – Use the following actions to help teach the song:  If I (point to self) had been a little child (put hand out, palm down, as if to measure the height of a small child)  when Jesus (point to a picture of Jesus) lived on earth (point down as if pointing to the earth), I (point to self) would have liked (smile and nod) to walk with him (walk in place) and listen (hand cupped around edge of ear) to his words (point to mouth). But as I (point to self) search the scriptures (one hand stretched out with palm up, like a book, and the other hand pretending to turn the pages) I can hear (hand to ear)  his words (point to mouth) of peace (wrap arms around self  and have a contented, peaceful expression on face).  And if I (point to self)  listen (hand to ear) with my heart (hands over heart) I can hear (hand to ear) the Savior’s voice (point to picture of Savior).

Have the children do the actions as they sing the song. Review by saying the words of the verse and stop at the words with actions and just do the action. See if children know what that word is.

Safety Note: Use only battery powered lanterns. If you use a lamp, put the paper on the lamp shade using a straight pin. Do not put the paper near the hot light bulbs.

Feb 18 2011

Handout for “If I Listen With My Heart”

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Valena Kisner emailed me a wonderful handout she had made to go with the song “If I Listen With My Heart”. She wanted to reinforce the ideas presented in the third verse lesson, so she created a 4×6 photo representation of the stained glass window for each of the kids to take home. Click on If I Listen With My Heart handout if you would like a copy. I reduced it a little and put four of them on one page, so it can be printed onto 81/2 x11 sheets of glossy photo paper.

Thank you Valena for sharing your idea and talents with us!

Jan 29 2011

Review of “If I Listen With My Heart”

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  Review of “If I Listen With My Heart”

Senior Primary Review of the Third Verse

I printed off the two pages of the words to the third verse onto light weight paper. (You can find the words in last week’s posting.) I put a piece of light weight blue paper over the top of each page. I used double sided tape at certain points near the words so the two papers would stick together well. I pinned the two pieces of paper onto a lamp shade. When the lamp is on, the children will be able to see the words to the third verse. Tell the children that this activity is to help remind them that the light of the Holy Ghost shows and tells us the things we need to know.

Have a volunteer turn the lamp on and off (not too fast) while the children sing the song. Watch to see if the children can sing the verse when the lamp is on or off. If they have problems with any area, review the pictures and words from last week’s lesson for that part. After that, choose another volunteer to turn the lamp on and off while the children sing the verse again. Continue in this manner until you think they have the words completely memorized.

Senior and Junior Primary Review of all the Verses.

Print the lines from the verses.  Cut them out and put sticky back hook velcro on the back of each one. Put them each into an envelope.  You will need a headband. See if the hook velcro will stick to your headband. If it won’t stick, sew a piece of pad velcro on it.

Choose a volunteer who thinks they know the words to every verse. Have the volunteer put the headband around the top of their head. Have the volunteer then choose an envelope. Put the card that is in that envelope onto their headband (on their forehead) without the volunteer seeing what it is. (For junior Primary, send the volunteer outside the room while you tell the children what the words are that are on the card.)  See if the children know what verse the words are from. Tell the children they are going to sing that verse; they are to sing all the words, except for the words that are on the card. The person who has the card stuck to their head is supposed to listen, and think of the words that the children don’t sing, and then tell what words are on the card.

You could also use a headband that has a light on it for this activity. The words would have to be printed onto light weight paper. Tape it to the light and turn on the light.