Print and cut out the pictures. (The pictures are from an old Primary manual.)
Items needed: the same display methods used for verses one and two.
Presentation
The Lord gives us commandments and asks us to obey. – Put the “Obey Your Parents” sign on the display board, and underneath that put the picture of the child playing with toys and the picture of the mother asking the child to pick up his toys.
Sometimes I am tempted to choose another way. – Put the picture of the child leaving the toys on the floor and walking out the door on the display board.
When I am discouraged, and think I cannot try – Put the picture of the sad child consoling with the dog on the board. Explain that the child feels guilty for not obeying his mother, but thinks it is too hard to do what is right – face his mom, apologize, and try to fix the problem.
I will be courageous, and I will reply. – Put the picture of the child saying “I will go, I will do” onto the board.
Friend January 2019 “Seeds of Faith” The prophet Alma compared growing your faith to planting a seed (see Alma 32). When you pray, read the scriptures, and help others, your faith and testimony will grow! Try this experiment to watch a seed sprout.
Also, everyone’s testimony grows differently. Can you match each plant with its shadow?
Friend November 2018 “Building Blocks of Testimony” Use the four words on the right to fill in the blanks in the four building blocks of testimony.
Friend October 2017 “Elder Perry, Chickens, and Me” The pictures in this maze show things you can do to gain a testimony and keep it bright. Can you get to all five before you get to the end of the maze?
I changed the word “Grandmother” to the word “Father” so I could use this song for a Father’s Day song. It worked great!
Preparation
Print the flipchart visuals. (The images are from the church media library and from Microsoft Word clipart.)
Presentation
Post the flipchart pages for the first verse on the board. After singing the verse have the children think of actions they could do in to help remind them of the words. Have a child come up and take one of the pages off the board and demonstrate the action they chose for that page. Sing the song again. Continue in this manner until the verse is memorized.
After the children have the first verse memorized do the same activity with the other verses.
Print and cut out the story figures. Print and cut out the chorus visuals. Glue each of the chorus visuals to a popsicle stick, one picture on the front and one on the back.
Items needed: four popsicle sticks, a display board to put the story figures on (a flannel board, cookie sheet, white board, etc) and something to make the figures stick to the board (sticky tack, felt, fusible interfacing, magnets, etc). (I used a carpet board and sticky back hook velcro)
Presentation
Put each figure on the display board as you tell the children the song words. (On the part that says “they believed it would not float” turn the boat sideways and slide it down the board to indicate sinking.) You may wish to have the children sing the song after every couple of lines that are presented. After the words are presented have a child put the figures on the board as the children sing the song. (Have a new child do this each time you sing the song.) Go over any words they may have problems with before singing the song again.
Another option would be to provide simple items and props and have the children dress up and act out the song.
Chorus
There are several ways to use the popsicle sticks. One way is to have two children hold them and then lift them up at the appropriate times. Another way is to have the children pass them from person to person, and the child who is holding the visual aid lifts it up when everyone is singing that part. (That is why there are pictures on both sides of the popsicle sticks.
Visuals are from Microsoft Word Clipart and the Friend magazine.
Singing in sacrament meeting for Mother’s Day we put two songs together. We sang the first part of “Mother I Love You“, and then we sang “Mother Tell Me the Story”. At the end of that we sang the last part of “Mother I Love You” (Mother I love you, I love you, I do). I had the women teachers and primary leaders sing the mother’s part in the song, and I asked a violinist to play their part as they sang. We also did the combination of the mother’s and the children’s parts. It was beautiful.
Teaching the Song:
I used a visual aid idea that I saw several places on the Internet – I made the song into a story book. The children sang the song a couple of times as I showed them each page, then we started our memorizing activity. I had put the words on the pages with double-sided removable tape so I could remove them. I put black ribbons as bookmarks in-between each page. I had a child come up and choose a bookmark from the closed book. We opened the book to that page and I took the words off that page. They sang the song again. We did this until they had the song memorized.
Assembly:
I used four half sheets of poster board folded in half to make the book. After attaching the printed words and pictures, I laid the pages flat and poked two holes through the middle of all the pages, one towards the top of the pages and one towards the bottom. I put a shoe lace through the holes and tied the pages together. I taped the ends of the six black bookmark ribbons to the last page (which was blank) and then draped each ribbon bookmark in-between a page.
I gave copies of the song to the teachers after the children learned their part, and then we practiced everybody’s parts together. I let the teachers take the words home to memorize them.
Note: The pictures are from Microsoft Word Clipart and the Friend Magazine.
Print the regular visual aids or the crossword visual aids. Trim and glue together the baptismal font. Trim and glue together the arch. Trim the upper corners of the picture of heaven and glue it inside the arch.
Cut the arch into a puzzle, but make sure that each piece will fit behind a water drop or a picture (the water drops and matching pictures can be found in the first verse visuals). (I covered the arch with the water drops and pictures and then drew the puzzle underneath using the pictures and raindrops as guides to how big each piece should be.) After cutting the puzzle out, tape each piece to the back of its water drop or picture using removable double-sided tape. (I taped them face forward and then put a magnet on the back of the puzzle piece. That way the magnet held the water drop (or picture) on the board, and when the water drop was removed and the puzzle piece was put on the board, the magnet held the puzzle piece on the board. )
Presentation
This activity works the same as the first verse activity. The water drops go under the baptismal font with just a little showing. A child pulls down the first water drop and finds a picture to match it on the walls. When all the water drops have been pulled down, and the matching pictures found, then the children sing the song.
Optional Activity: Use the visual aids with the crossword puzzle on it. The words represent some of the blessings we enjoy after baptism: the gift of the Holy Ghost, being clean of sin, being a member of the church of Jesus Christ, and being on the path towards eternal life. The words are: Holy Ghost, Clean, Member, and Path. Laminate the font, or cover the puzzle parts with pieces of clear packaging tape, or use page protector plastic and removable double-sided tape. Have the children write in the words with a dry erase marker. If a child gets a word right they get to pull down a water drop and find the matching picture.
Memorizing
Have a child choose a water drop to take off the board. Have the children sing the verse again. If the children can remember and sing the missing words, the child can take the puzzle piece off the back of the water drop and put it on the board. (The arched entry to the path to eternal life is supposed to remind the children of the symbolism of looking for rainbows after rain, or in other words the blessings we enjoy after baptism. Remind the children that after they are baptized they have entered the gate and are on the path that leads towards eternal life. See 2 Nephi 31:17-18 )
Have another child choose a water drop to take off the board. Continue doing the above memorizing activity until each of the water drops and pictures are off the board and the arched entry path to heaven is complete.
Have the children sing the chorus with the second verse and point out that the chorus tells them that if they can keep their life clean of sin after baptism (by repenting when they make mistakes) they can one day gain eternal life and live with God again.
Note: The picture of the baptismal font comes from the May 2011 Friend. The arch comes from the Book of Mormon seminary teacher manual, and the temple picture comes from churchofjesuschrist.org/study media library.
Friend January 2022 “Family Treasure Hunt” Make a treasure box, then go on a treasure hunt and learn about your family! Each month there will be a new challenge and a badge to add to your treasure box.
Friend February 2022 Find something about music to put in your treasure box or on FamilySearch.org.
Friend March 2022 Find something that builds your testimony to put in your treasure box or on FamilySearch.org.
Friend April 2022 Add something to your treasure box that reminds you of a favorite place.
Friend May 2020 “Family History Time Machine” Make a time capsule. Take turns writing or recording your family’s answers to the questions. Then make a time capsule to keep the answers safe (see article for ideas on how to make a time capsule) When you read or listen to the answers in the future, it’ll be a blast from the past!
Friend March 2018 “A Family Timelime” On cups, put pictures that represent each year of the family. Mix the cups up and see if family members can put them in the right order.
Friend November 2021 “Family History Match-Up” Draw or print two pictures of each family member—one when they are younger and one when they are older. Glue the pictures on heavy paper. Now play a matching game!
Finding & Taking Family Names to the Temple
Friend October 2019 “The Temple Challenge” Temple Scramble: This girl has taken a family name to the temple. Can you put the pictures in order?
Friend January 2018 “Ready, Set, Go” Do the activity and earn a badge each month. First activity is to decorate a file, binder or box to put family history items in. Also, sign up for familysearch.org. This activity could be used for a Personal Progress or Faith in God project. Additional stamps and badge keepers can be found here,
Friend June 2018 “Watch and Listen” Write family names on Bingo board and then look at family pictures or videos and mark when you see that person. Try to get three in a row. Also, record a family member’s story and put it on familysearch.org.
Friend July 2018 “Find the people in your family tree who were pioneers, such as the first person to join the church or the first to graduate from college.
Friend August 2018 “Temple Tracker” Some of your ancestors might need ordinances done for them in the temple. Use the chart below to keep track.
Friend September 2018 “Learn To Index” Indexing is looking at handwritten records, like birth certificates, and typing the information into a computer program. Practice indexing by doing this activity.
Friend October 2018 “Temple Time” Look through your family tree on FamilySearch.org and find as many temples as you can in your family history! Also, make a temple puzzle. (Activity Idea: For each temple you find in your family tree, put a piece of the puzzle together. Add more puzzle pieces by having family members (or friends) do the work for your ancestors in the temple.)
Friend November 2018 “Grow a Family Gratitude Tree” You know about a family tree, and maybe you’ve heard of a gratitude tree. This month, squish the two together and make a family gratitude tree! Put a paper tree trunk and branches on your wall. Then cut out lots of paper leaves. On each leaf, finish one of these sentences:
I’m grateful for my family because … I’m grateful for family history because … I’m grateful for temples because … You can also add leaves throughout the month about anything else you’re grateful for!
Friend December 2018 “Quest Complete” Write down a favorite family recipe and add it to your folder. Afterwards, print the quest completion certificate and celebrate what you’ve learned this year.
Friend January 2021 “Find It” These Primary children in Germany had a family history day! Find 5 old photos and 10 pairs of scissors. Then find the other hidden objects.
I just set up a facebook page for Teaching LDS Children. Check it out here. If you click on “Like” it will let you know when I post new things or update stuff such as the Book of Mormon Stickers. If you would like to encourage others to check out this site don’t forget to “like” or “share” posts.
