Sharing Time is a wonderful opportunity to teach children gospel principles through song and activity. The 2004 Sharing Time theme is: My Family Can Be Forever. This year we get to teach our children about the importance of families and how God's plan provides a way for us to be together forever.

Mormonchic.com receives many emails from readers asking for help with sharing time ideas, so this month's Gospel Chic is full of some fantastic Sharing Time suggestions.

by Heather Hales, managing editor
 
Showing Love at Home
"Divide the children into groups. Assign each group a song or hymn about home and family. Give the children a few minutes to read or listen to the words of their song or hymn to find how its ideas help us to show love for our family. Have each group sing their song or hymn and then share their ideas. Have the children draw pictures of ways they can show love for their family members (such as helping a sister pick up her toys, helping Dad with yard work, giving Mom a hug). Have as many children as possible explain their picture to the Primary. Encourage the children to show love for family members during the week. Bear testimony that their families will be blessed when they show love for each family member. www.lds.org"

Family Service Charades
Divide the children into two groups, have each child take a turn drawing from a jar of service suggestions. Have the child act out the service and let the other children guess what the service could be. Then tell the children about King Benjamin's instructions to families (see Mosiah 4:14-15). Read the last half of verse 15 aloud together. It is important to show your love through your actions. Tell the children that there are many opportunities to serve family members every day.

House of Love

Draw a frame of a house on the chalk board (large enough to fit the six pictures described below). Pass out paper hearts to some of the primary children. Have the pianist play the melody of "Love is Spoken Here". As the music is played the children should pass the hearts around. When the music stops the children with hearts get to share kind words that they have said in their homes.

Have the following six pictures taped on the board to the outside of the house: family prayer, word strip that says "whispers," heart paper, and the Savior, father blessing a sick child, parents teaching in family home evening, heart paper, and Jesus Christ. After you sing each verse ask the children what they learned about other ways that love can be spoken in their homes. As they answer correctly, put the corresponding picture in the house. When you are done, your home will be filled with love.

The Circle of Love

Read Primary 6 Old Testament Manual (should be available in your ward library) lesson 10 activities 3 and 4.

Talk to the children about how Abraham included Lot and his family in his circle of love (see: Gen. 13:1-8; 14:8-16; 18: 16-33). You will need circle large enough for the children to see with a spinning arrow (attach a strip of paper with a brad to be the spinner). Draw 8 faces with corresponding titles on the circle (example: visitor, family member, bully etc.). Spin the spinner and ask the children to tell you how they can include that person in their circle of love.

Name that Temple
Talk about how families can be together forever through thesaving and sealing ordinances of the Temple (Doctrine& Covenants 138:47-48, Primary 3, Lesson 35). As an activity describe (or show only a portion of the picture) a particular Temple and let the children guess what Temple you are talking about. See how many Temples the children can identify.

Latter-Day Prophets
Cut out two pictures of all of the latter day Prophets. Tape them face side down on the chalk board. Allow the children to take turns turning them over, the goal is to find the matching pictures. As each match is found tell the children a little bit about each prophet (find info. HERE). Read Doctrine& Covenants 1:38 and discuss a topic from the conference issue of the friend.

What if Jesus...?
Tape questions to the bottom of random chairs in the primary room such as -What if Jesus came to your house (what would you do the same and what would you do differently)? What if Jesus came to your school (would you sit with him at lunch)? What if Jesus drove in your car (what would you do the same and what would you do differently)? Let all the children participate in answering the questions. Read Ether 4:12.

 

Do you have an idea for a great sharing time? Send it to us and we just might publish it!


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