Long time, no see. I still make these 1/2 page activity sheets to go with each Come, Follow Me lesson. I pass them out to interested kids, teens, and adults each week along with the sacrament programs. It didn't seem like they were generating much interest here on the blog, so I haven't taken the extra time it takes to share any for a while. The people in my ward like them enough though, that I am going to try again.
In addition to being great for a sacrament meeting activity, they're perfect for home use and introducing a CFM topic, as well for classroom use. I switch off between word searches and crossword puzzles created from words and phrases from the CFM reading that week, so they're geared for kids that can read pretty well, so probably 8+ in age. Many adults love them as well...especially when it's a word search week!
These
1/2 page activity sheets are designed to be printed
double-sided and cut in half. They're geared for ages 8-14, but littler
kids love the coloring pages and older kids/kids at heart often enjoy
the activities. They're perfect to use as attention getters or as
reviews in your classes or families. Our ward hands them out along with
the sacrament program each week.
TRIALS CAN STRENGTHEN US OBJECT LESSON:
To demonstrate how trials can actually
make us stronger, hold up a flat piece of paper and try to make if "fly"
through the air. Point out how poorly the paper flies. Now begin
folding and creasing the paper into an airplane. Explain as you fold
the paper that each crease represents a trial (mention possible {or
current} trials as you fold). With each fold (trial) the paper becomes
strong until eventually it can fly through the air gracefully. Our
lives are very similar. Just like the folds make the paper stronger,
trials make us stronger. Some of our trials may seem at the time, but
Heavenly Father is always mindful of us. Each trial that we endure
brings greater strength and experience into our lives.
ACTIVITY: Pass out paper to everyone and have fun making
paper airplanes. Have a contest to see whose plane flies the farthest,
fastest, highest, etc.
QUOTES:
The attributes of the Savior, as we perceive them, are not a script to be followed or list to be checked off. They are interwoven characteristics, added one to another, which develop in us in interactive ways. In other words, we cannot obtain one Christlike characteristic without also obtaining and influencing others. As one characteristic becomes strong, so do many more." "Becoming a Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ," Robert D. Hales, April 2017
"We comprehend more fully the exceeding great and precious promises and begin to partake of the divine nature by responding affirmatively to the call from the Lord to glory and virtue. As described by Peter, this call is fulfilled by striving to escape the corruption that is in the world.
As we press forward submissively with faith in the Savior, then because of His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, “a mighty change [takes place] in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”5 We are “born again; yea, born of God, changed from [our] carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God.” “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Such a comprehensive change in our nature typically does not occur quickly or all at once. Like the Savior, we also receive “not of the fulness at the first, but [receive] grace for grace.” “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom."" "Exceeding Great and Precious Promises," David A. Bednar, October 2017
"This experience helped me realize that although our lives may at times be relatively smooth, the time will come for each of us when we will face unexpected challenges and storms that will push the limits of our ability to endure. Physical, mental, family, and employment challenges; natural disasters; and other matters of life or death are but some of the examples of the storms that we will face in this life.
When faced with these storms, we often experience feelings of despair or fear. President Russell M. Nelson said, “Faith is the antidote for fear”—faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (“Let Your Faith Show,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 29). As I have seen the storms that affect people’s lives, I have concluded that no matter what kind of storm is battering us—regardless of whether there is a solution to it or whether there is an end in sight—there is only one refuge, and it is the same for all types of storms. This single refuge provided by our Heavenly Father is our Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement." "Finding Refuge from the Storms of Life," Ricardo Gimenez, April 2020
These
1/2 page activity sheets are designed to be printed
double-sided and cut in half. They're geared for ages 8-14, but littler
kids love the coloring pages and older kids/kids at heart often enjoy
the activities. They're perfect to use as attention getters or as
reviews in your classes or families. Our ward hands them out along with
the sacrament program each week.
OUR WORDS MATTER OBJECT LESSON (James 3):
Items needed: tube of toothpaste, bowl, spoon
Start off the discussion by talking about how big things can be controlled by small things (James 3).
Some examples: -Steering wheel helps the car go the right direction -A small seed can grow into a big tree -A tiny leak can be the start of a ship sinking -Little babies grow up to be adults that can do many righteous or evil deeds -Rudder of boat steers the ship (actual example from James 3) -Tiny spark starts a big forest fire (actual example from James 3)
This doesn't need to take long; it's just a discussion starter that will lead you into reading James 3:4-6.
Springboarding off the first part of the conversation and the scriptures you just read, ask why our tongues can be so powerful.
Now talk about how our words matter. We may have heard that "Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can never hurt us." Ask if they think that's true. Be careful here, as their parents may very well be teaching them this very message, but ask them how they feel when someone says something mean to them. Does it help if they say they're sorry afterward? Maybe, but those words can still hurt our feelings.
Now pull out the toothpaste and ask for someone to come squeeze it out into the bowl.
Now ask for a volunteer to come put the toothpaste back into the tube using the spoon.
Is this technically possible? Perhaps, but it would take a long time and be pretty messy. Tell the kids, that this is like when we say unkind things to another person. We can say we're sorry and try to be nice to them afterward and those are great things to do to heal the relationship, but we can't take those words back. Taking the time and going through the messiness is worth it, but it would have been much easier if we'd never said those unkind words in the first place.
Now relate this back to the power of our tongues. They can do a lot of good (ask the class for examples) when we bear our testimonies, speak kindly to others, and stand up for truth, but they have the power to do a lot of bad as well. And that's why we should be careful with how we use our tongues/words.
QUOTES:
"This pattern of dramatic change produced by small things is a pattern we see over and over again in the Book of Mormon. Please turn with me to Alma chapter 4 and look at verses 6-12. Here we find a description of a people descending into wickedness. It begins with small things, like the wearing of expensive clothes, and pride in “. . . all manner of precious things . . .” (verse 6), and gossip, and unkind words. Look at verse 8, “. . . the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful, one towards another . . .” (emphasis added).
Later in verse 11 Mormon tells us that wickedness in the Church led “. . . unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people” (emphasis added). This great wickedness did not happen all at once. It began with small things, but these small things grew into great evil in the space of a single year. We find this same pattern repeated many times. In the book of Helaman chapters 3 and 4, in Helaman chapter 6, in 3 Nephi chapter 6, we read of wonderful periods of prosperity and righteousness followed by a decline into wickedness that begins with small things. Describing the power of small things, Mormon writes that wickedness “. . . did grow upon them from day to day” (Helaman 3:36) until it hit a critical point and then, in just a few months, great evil almost exploded into the society.
The Book of Mormon also shows us how these epidemics of wickedness and evil may be stopped. Some are stopped by war and great destruction. But in some, intervention by the prophets of God works through small things to bring about great and dramatic repentance and righteousness, also in a very short time. (See, for example, Helaman 5:50-52.)" " Out of Small Things Proceedeth That Which is Great," Kim Clark, BYU-Idaho Devotional, January 2006
"We observe vast, sweeping world events; however, we must remember that the purposes of the Lord in our personal lives generally are fulfilled through the small and simple things, and not the momentous and spectacular.
Alma, teaching his son Helaman about the importance of the record written on the plates of brass, said: “Behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. “And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.”(Alma 37:6–7.)" "Small and Simple Things," M. Russell Ballard, April 1990
These
1/2 page activity sheets are designed to be printed
double-sided and cut in half. They're geared for ages 8-14, but littler
kids love the coloring pages and older kids/kids at heart often enjoy
the activities. They're perfect to use as attention getters or as
reviews in your classes or families. Our ward hands them out along with
the sacrament program each week.
GAME: FAITH CHARADES AND RELATING IT TO OUR LIVES
Have some strips of paper prepared with names of several well known people who acted in faith. Make sure they are names that your class will be familiar with. Some examples could include, Moses, Noah, Joseph Smith, your Mom, President Nelson, Nephi, your Bishop, Moroni, Mary, Alma, King Benjamin, David, etc.
Start off the lesson talking about what faith is
(Hebrews 11:1) and the people of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 ( Abel,
Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Isaac, Jacob Joseph, Moses, etc).
Introduce the game and tell them that you're going to talk a little bit more about some people of faith...some mentioned in Hebrews, some not. Have the kids take turns picking a name and acting it out while the others try to guess who it is. Give a little recap after each person is guessed on how that person acted in faith. THEN ask what we can learn about faith in our modern day from that person. This is the most important part of the lesson, so don't skip over this.
What are some modern lessons we can learn from these people of faith?
Noah: live your life in a way that you can hear the warnings from God. That might be a prompting to stop doing something or to start doing something you've been neglecting. Joseph Smith: Make sure you're seeking truth in the right places. There is a lot of false/misleading information out in the world (especially on the internet) and you want to make sure that you're looking for truth in places where God can inspire you. Moroni: Don't be afraid to stand up for truth and righteousness, even when the world around you seems to be confused. There are things that matter (our families, our testimonies, our faith, our covenants) and there are things that distract from the things that matter. Those distractions are not necessarily bad things, though they can be, but anything that keeps us from doing what's right. David: Sometimes the problems ahead of us look big and scary, but trust in God and He will help you through them. Mary: Just because we aren't considered important in the eyes of the world, doesn't mean we don't have a great work to do. Humble yourself and live so that God can help you reach your full potential.
Moses: We all have weaknesses. Don't let those weaknesses discourage you or get in the way of doing the right thing.
Plus a million more. What did you come up with?
QUOTES:
"It matters not where we live or what our individual circumstances may be. Each day our righteous living can demonstrate a faith in Jesus Christ that sees beyond mortal heartaches, disappointments, and unfulfilled promises. It is a glorious thing to possess a faith that enables us to look forward to that day “when all that was promised the Saints will be given.” "Seeing the Promises Afar Off," Anne Pingree, October 2003
"My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the “light that is endless, that can never be darkened.”3 It is the very Son of God Himself. In loving praise far beyond Romeo’s reach, we say, “What light through yonder window breaks?” It is the return of hope, and Jesus is the Sun.4 To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His “more excellent ministry” with a future of “better promises.” He is your “high priest of good things to come.”" "An High Priest of Good Things to Come," Jeffrey R. Holland, October 1999
"When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, which President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”9 And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!" "Joy and Spiritual Survival," Russell M. Nelson, October 2016
These
1/2 page activity sheets are designed to be printed
double-sided and cut in half. They're geared for ages 8-14, but littler
kids love the coloring pages and older kids/kids at heart often enjoy
the activities. They're perfect to use as attention getters or as
reviews in your classes or families. Our ward hands them out along with
the sacrament program each week.
OBJECT LESSON: JESUS IS ABOVE ALL
ITEMS NEEDED: tall clear glass, honey, milk (almond milk works great too), liquid dish soap, vegetable oil
Start off with a little discussion of "What's Better?"
You can anywhere with this....ice cream vs. cake, football vs. soccer, red vs. blue, winter vs. summer, Lucky Charms vs. Captain Crunch, pancakes vs. waffles, strawberries vs. pineapple, etc.
It doesn't really matter what you compare and how they answer. The point is that everyone will have their own opinions and that's okay. After doing that for a minute, ask them their answer for this comparison:
Jesus vs. anyone/anything else in the world
Use their answer (which "Jesus" is the only with a truly right answer) to launch your discussion about the book of Hebrews.
Read Hebrews 1: 1-4 and talk about how Jesus is perfect and is "above all"...even the angels.
Now onto the OBJECT LESSON to illustrate this point. Here's a little video I created to illustrate it (don't laugh!)
Set the tall clear glass at the front of the class and pour in a couple tablespoons (no need to measure, but enough to partially fill the glass) of each ingredient in any order (honey, milk, colored liquid dish soap, and vegetable oil). The ingredients will separate into layers, with the vegetable oil at the top...no matter what order you add the ingredients.
For fun, if you wish, you can even have a second glass to allow them to change the order of how you add the ingredients and show how the vegetable oil is always on top.
Compare that vegetable oil to Jesus Christ and how His perfect life and love means that we should make Him the most important thing in our lives. We need to make sure that we aren't letting distractions and other "good things" get in the way of making time to connect with God each day. Jesus should always be on top!
QUOTES: "True worship begins when our hearts are right before the Father and the Son. What is our heart condition today? Paradoxically, in order to have a healed and faithful heart, we must first allow it to break before the Lord. “Ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit,”7 the Lord declares. The result of sacrificing our heart, or our will, to the Lord is that we receive the spiritual guidance we need.
With a growing understanding of the Lord’s grace and mercy, we will find that our self-willed hearts begin to crack and break in gratitude. Then we reach for Him, yearning to yoke ourselves to the Only Begotten Son of God. In our brokenhearted reaching and yoking, we receive new hope and fresh guidance through the Holy Ghost.
I have struggled to banish the mortal desire to have things my way, eventually realizing that my way is oh so lacking, limited, and inferior to the way of Jesus Christ. “His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.”Can we love Jesus Christ and His way more than we love ourselves and our own agenda?" "Yielding Our Hearts to God," Niell Marriott, October 2015
"For anyone today with pains so intense or so unique that you feel no one else could fully appreciate them, you may have a point. There may be no family member, friend, or priesthood leader—however sensitive and well-meaning each may be—who knows exactly what you are feeling or has the precise words to help you heal. But know this: there is One who understands perfectly what you are experiencing, who is “mightier than all the earth,” and who is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that [you] ask or think.” The process will unfold in His way and on His schedule, but Christ stands ready always to heal every ounce and aspect of your agony." "The Exquisite Gift of the Son," Matthew Holland, October 2020
VIDEOS:
Bible Project: Book of Hebrews Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (the first half is most applicable for this week) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fNWTZZwgbs&t=29s(this video is not created for an LDS audience, but I found the doctrine sound and I found the summary very helpful for understanding a bit more about the Book of Hebrews)
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