Showing posts with label sunday school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sunday school. Show all posts

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Printable Activity Sheet for Deuteronomy 6-8; 15; 18; 29-30; 34 {May 17}

  These original activity sheets that align with the Come, Follow Me lessons each week are totally free and easy to print from a Google Doc file. They're designed to print double-sided 2-to-a-page and are perfect for introducing or reviewing the concepts from the Come, Follow Me lesson. Our home ward hands them out along with the sacrament programs on Sundays, others use them in their family or Sunday School lessons. I hope they add an element of fun to your gospel learning and help to engage even the most reluctant learners. Make sure to come back each week for the latest!

This activity sheet is based on the CFM lesson for May 17th and contains a coloring sheet, word search, and fill-in-the-blank scripture. {These pages are 100% free and totally original.}

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FREE PRINTABLE COME, FOLLOW ME ACTIVITY PAGE 

Click here to access this free printable activity page on Google Drive (in case it's not showing below):  



Sunday, April 5, 2026

Printable Come, Follow Me Lesson Ideas and Activity Page for Exodus 14-18 {April 19}

 HAPPY EASTER!

Below you will find some teaching ideas and an original, completely free 1/2 page activity sheet that aligns with the Come Follow Me reading for Exodus 14-18.   The crossword and/or word searches are a great way to review or introduce the concepts from the reading for Primary, Sunday School, or families.   Our home ward hands them out along with the sacrament programs, so that people of all ages can enjoy them.   I hope you enjoy this fun way to learn the gospel together.  


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"Stand Still, and See the Salvation of the Lord" 

Guess the word game:   Using a hangman style game (I recommend drawing a snowman piece by piece, instead of drawing a hanging man), have your class guess the word,   DELIVERANCE.  (11 letters) 

Talk about the deliverance of the Children of Israel (after they experienced great fear) and relate it to ways that the Lord delivers us in modern times.   I love how the CFM manual talks about the Lord doing a "great work" in our lives.  What are some of those great works?     

Discuss some of the symbolism found in these chapters: 

Manna:   I think manna  symbolizes divine providence, daily dependence on God, and spiritual sustenance. It represents God’s grace in meeting immediate needs, a test of obedience, and a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the "Bread of Life".  Discuss some ideas of ways we can turn to God daily.  

Wilderness:  I think it's interesting that the Lord didn't lead the Children of Israel directly to the promised land, but had them wander in the wilderness first.  Ask your class for some other scripture stories where people end up in the wilderness  and discuss how God meets each of them where they are in each story.   What is the symbolism of the wilderness in our modern lives? A place where we must walk by faith rather than sight, relying on the Lord to "prepare the way"

The Israelites’ 40-Year Journey (Exodus/Numbers): After escaping Egypt, the Israelites wandered the wilderness of Sinai. It was a period of preparation, where they learned to trust God for daily survival (manna, water) rather than relying on human strength.
Jesus’ Temptation (Matthew 4:1-11): Following his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the Judean wilderness. There, he fasted for 40 days and overcame temptation by the devil, relying on scripture to remain obedient, serving as a direct contrast to Israel's disobedience in their own wilderness.
Moses at Mount Sinai/Horeb (Exodus 3): After fleeing Egypt, Moses tended sheep in the wilderness of Midian. God met him at the burning bush in this barren place, turning a moment of exile into his calling to liberate Israel.
Elijah’s Desert Journey (1 Kings 19): Exhausted and in despair after fleeing Queen Jezebel, Elijah traveled into the wilderness. God provided for him and met him in a "still small voice," strengthening him for continued prophetic work.
Hagar in the Wilderness (Genesis 16/21): After escaping abuse, Hagar found herself in the desert, where an angel met her at a well, providing hope and promising a blessing for her family.
John the Baptist (Matthew 3): John preached repentance in the wilderness of Judea before Jesus' ministry, symbolizing a place of preparation and return to God.
Lehi and Sariah’s Family (1 Nephi 2–18): Leaving Jerusalem, they face trials, find sustenance, and receive the Liahona, learning that God will light their path in the wilderness.
The Brother of Jared (Ether 2–3): The Lord directs them in a desert, commanding them to build barges and speaking to them in a cloud.
The Sons of Mosiah (Alma 17:9): They fast and pray for strength in the wilderness to prepare for their mission among the Lamanites.

Rock:   Helaman 5:12  would be a great scripture to use alongside Exodus 17 and your discussion about how Christ can be our rock.   Discuss what it looks like to have Christ as our foundation in modern times.    


Click here to access the printable activity sheet on Google Drive.



Sunday, March 29, 2026

Original Come, Follow Me Activity Sheet and Teaching Ideas for Exodus 7-13 {Apr 12}

 Below you will find some teaching ideas and an original, completely free 1/2 page activity sheet that aligns with the Come Follow Me reading for Exodus 7-13.   The crossword and/or word searches are a great way to review or introduce the concepts from the reading for Primary, Sunday School, or families.   Our home ward hands them out along with the sacrament programs, so that people of all ages can enjoy them.   I hope you enjoy this fun way to learn the gospel together.  

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"Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt."  


SOME TEACHING IDEAS: 
Plague charades or pictionary:   have each of the plagues written on a piece of paper and have members of the class either act out or draw it, while class members guess

Hard/soft heart demonstration (from here):  




Latter-Day Kids:  Soft Heart Video 



Click here to access this printable activity page on Google Drive..




Sunday, March 1, 2026

CFM Printable Activity Sheet for Genesis 37-41; Joseph of Egypt LESSON PLAN (Mar 15)

  These original activity sheets that align with the Come, Follow Me lessons each week are totally free and easy to print from a Google Doc file.   They're designed to print double-sided 2-to-a-page and are perfect for introducing or reviewing the concepts from the Come, Follow Me lesson.  Our home ward hands them out along with the sacrament programs on Sundays, others use them in their family or Sunday School lessons.  I hope they add an element of fun to your gospel learning and help to engage even the most reluctant learners.  Make sure to come back each week for the latest!   

This activity sheet is based on the CFM lesson for March 15th and contains a coloring sheet, word search puzzle, and fill-in-the-blank scripture.   

*NOTE:  See the post for March 22nd with another coloring sheet and activity page to go with Joseph of Egypt.   
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"THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH"

Last time we studied the Old Testament for Come, Follow Me, my husband and I were youth Sunday School teachers.  It was the first time we'd had a calling that we did together and we enjoyed the opportunity to study and teach together.  We worked really hard to keep the focus of our class on Christ and how the lessons applied to us in modern times.   What worked for our class may not work for yours, but I encourage you to not get caught up so much in the story or history, but find a way to make it mean something.   This lesson plan was one I've adapted from that time here for the blog.   

LESSON PLAN IDEAS 
We taught the youngest class of 12-13 year olds, so we always threw in some games and light-hearted aspects to the lesson, to keep them engaged.  (ITEMS NEEDED:  scriptures, slips of paper, writing utensils) 

SNOWMAN OR OTHER WORD GAME TO INTRODUCE MAIN TOPICS FROM LESSON
{or spotlight them from the word search below}
(Snowman is a politically correct version of "hangman" where you'll add a part of the snowman for every wrong guess and the goal is to guess the words before it's complete )  

 
Set up the chalkboard with SNOWMAN with these 4 words:

1. FORGIVENESS (11 letters),
2. TEMPTATION (10 letters),
3. PRAYER (6 letters),
4. CHRIST (6 letters)

After they guess the 4 words, talk about how today's lesson is going to be about Joseph's story from the Old Testament and then you'll find a way to connect each of those words from the story with a modern day application. 

Take turns having members of the class pick the next word to discuss.  Below I've included some potential questions to ask, activities, and scriptures to read for each word.  If you're running low on time, prioritize talking about Christ. 

PRAYER

What kind of person was Joseph? Faithful. What do you think Joseph did when he was thrown into a pit by his own brothers? What about when he was sold? What about when he was a servant? When he was falsely accused and imprisoned for doing something he didn’t do? Joseph prays for deliverance.

What would have happened if God had answered Joseph’s prayers the way that he had expected?

Share story of praying to find out the right thing for our family. It really seemed like the right thing, but I got an unexpected NO answer. 

TEMPTATION
What are some of the temptations that Joseph faced? What did he do?

What kinds of temptations do we face today? HAND OUT PIECE OF PAPER AND PEN and have everyone write one thing that tempts them 

Go through each item (anonymously) and talk about ways to avoid that temptation .

Not just get away from temptation, but sometimes we need to fill our lives with good things

Have someone recite the 13th article of faith and relate it to temptation

FORGIVENESS

ASK FOR A VOLUNTEER: 
to recount some of the wrongs that had been committed against Joseph 
(sold into Egypt, coat was stolen, accused of wrongdoing and thrown into prison, etc) 

SOME SCRIPTURES TO READ/DISCUSS: 
Genesis 37:3-4 – (Joseph’s family before forgiveness)
Genesis 45: 9-10, 14-15 (Joseph’s family after forgiveness)
45: 7-8 (Joseph recognizes that God’s purposes were at play)
50:20-21 (Joseph recognizes that God’s purposes were at play)

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:  
What role did forgiveness play in the change in Joseph’s family?
How might things have turned out differently if Joseph had not been willing to forgive?

You might invite class members to suggest ways this story could help families today overcome contention and jealousy.

What are the benefits of forgiveness? 

If inspired, share a personal story of forgiveness: 


CHRIST
Joseph becomes a TYPE of Christ.  Explain what a "type of Christ" is if they don't know. 

Joseph is a type of Christ in 7 ways:
 1. 1st born of his mother
2. beloved by his father
3. betrayed
4.  avoids temptation
5.  gets accused of things he didn’t do
6. washes feet of brothers (Genesis 43:24)
7.  both end up being deliverers (Genesis 45: 4-5)


INTERESTING FACT:
  
It was about 22 years between when brothers sold Joseph to when they saw him again.

QUESTION TO PONDER:
How have I seen God’s purpose in my life? 

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AN ORIGINAL PRINTABLE ACTIVITY SHEET

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITY SHEET ON GOOGLE DRIVE (in case it's not showing below):  



Enjoy learning the gospel together.   

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Come, Follow Me Original Printable Activity Sheet for Genesis 24-33; The Story of Jacob with Lesson Ideas{Mar 8}

  These original activity sheets that align with the Come, Follow Me lessons each week are totally free and easy to print from a Google Doc file.   They're designed to print double-sided 2-to-a-page and are perfect for introducing or reviewing the concepts from the Come, Follow Me lesson.  Our home ward hands them out along with the sacrament programs on Sundays, others use them in their family or Sunday School lessons.  I hope they add an element of fun to your gospel learning and help to engage even the most reluctant learners.  Make sure to come back each week for the latest!   

This activity sheet is based on the CFM lesson for March 8th and contains a coloring sheet, crossword puzzle, and fill-in-the-blank scripture.   

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"Let God Prevail" I
I love President Nelson's talk, "Let God Prevail," and have found myself pondering over what that means in my life many times since he delivered it.  As with most concepts, it's easier said than done, but in retrospect I have to admit that God's plan is always better than my own.   

If you're looking for some ideas for teaching a lesson, here are the lesson notes I have from when we taught it to a youth Sunday School class back in 2022.   It's a very loose plan, so forgive any errors, but perhaps it can be helpful.  


LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM JACOB'S STORY:  

1.  God keeps his promises
2.  We are better with Christ than on our own

LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM JACOB'S LADDER: 


Lesson #1: GOD USES IMPERFECT PEOPLE TO ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS 
God sees us where we are, meets us there, and lifts us to be better 
1 Nephi 11:16-22 - Condescension of Christ

Lesson #2: God’s Purpose and Plan Is Always Better than Ours

Lesson #3: God Wants to Get Our Attention

Lesson #4: God Wants Trust and Obedience

QUESTIONS TO PONDER
1.  Why is it important that we are of the House of Israel?  (We are participants in the Abrahamic covenant, Our posterity will continue to be blessed, We are walking with Christ and can help others be blessed)
2.  What does it mean to let God prevail in your lives? Think of specific examples.

QUOTES FROM "LET GOD PREVAIL"                                                                                                

QUOTE #1–“If you have sincere questions about the gospel or the Church, as you choose to let God prevail, you will be led to find and understand the absolute, eternal truths that will guide your life and help you stay firmly on the covenant path.

When you are faced with temptation—even if the temptation comes when you are exhausted or feeling alone or misunderstood—imagine the courage you can muster as you choose to let God prevail in your life and as you plead with Him to strengthen you.

When your greatest desire is to let God prevail, to be part of Israel, so many decisions become easier. So many issues become nonissues! You know how best to groom yourself. You know what to watch and read, where to spend your time, and with whom to associate. You know what you want to accomplish. You know the kind of person you really want to become.” President Nelson


QUOTE #2–”Now, my dear brothers and sisters, it takes both faith and courage to let God prevail. It takes persistent, rigorous spiritual work to repent and to put off the natural man through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.19 It takes consistent, daily effort to develop personal habits to study the gospel, to learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and to seek and respond to personal revelation.” President Nelson

SCRIPTURE LIST:

Proverbs 3:5-6– Trust in the Lord

Genesis 27:41-43– How Esau felt about Jacob

Genesis 28:10-15 –all about Jacob’s dream with the ladder

Gen. 32:28-30–Jacob’s name is changed

Gen. 33:1-4, 8-10–Jacob and Esau are reunited!

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PRINTABLE ACTIVITY SHEET 

Click here to access the activity page on Google Drive.  



Have fun learning the gospel together!  

Sunday, January 25, 2026

CFM Printable Activity Page for Moses 7 (Feb 8)

  This blogpost features a half-sheet activity page to complement the Come Follow Me (CFM) reading for February 2-8.    Click here for an index and links to my CFM blogposts for other weeks.
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I've always been fascinated with the concept of Zion.   Because of the weaknesses that so easily beset us as humans, I don't think we will ever attain it in our natural lifetimes, but it's something to look forward to someday.   I enjoyed reading through this chapter and imagining, through Enoch's people, what that might look like someday.  Perhaps having your class/family brainstorm some features that might be present in Zion could be a great way to launch this lesson.  And there are no wrong answers, so let them dream!   

PRINTABLE ACTIVITY PAGE FOR CFM

THIS WEEK'S ORIGINAL PRINTABLE ACTIVITY SHEET LINK (in case it's not showing below)


Enjoy learning the gospel together!  

Sunday, June 29, 2025

Come, Follow Me Study Resource Page for D&C 76 (July 13)

 This blogpost features a study guide and a half-sheet activity page to complement the Come Follow Me (CFM) reading for  July 7-13,  which includes Doctrine and Covenants 76.    Click here for an index and links to my CFM blogposts for other weeks.  

(This blogpost was written and  compiled by my daughter, Emma, who is a recent graduate of BYU. )


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STUDY GUIDE FOR DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS SECTION 76:  JESUS IS OUR SAVIOR

Section 76 is full of a lot of fundamental doctrine, but my daughter (the author of this post) decided to focus on the most fundamental of all--that Jesus Christ is our Savior.    

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 121).

Learning about Jesus Christ and His Atonement helps us recognize the deeply personal aspect of it. He died, was buried, and rose again the third day for me. Jesus Christ is My Savior.

D&C 76:41-42

He came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him;

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

  • How has Jesus Christ saved me personally?
  • How does knowing that Jesus Christ bore your sins change the way that you live your life? Is there anything you feel inspired to change?


GO A LITTLE DEEPER :

“What has Jesus Christ done for me?”... Under the plan of our Heavenly Father, He “created the heavens and the earth” (Doctrine and Covenants 14:9) so that each of us could have the mortal experience necessary to seek our divine destiny. As part of the Father’s plan, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ overcame death to assure each of us immortality. Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice gives each of us the opportunity to repent of our sins and return clean to our heavenly home. His commandments and covenants show us the way, and His priesthood gives the authority to perform the ordinances that are essential to reach that destiny. And our Savior willingly experienced all mortal pains and infirmities that He would know how to strengthen us in our afflictions.”  What Has Our Savior Done For Us President Oaks, April 2021


"To be saved—or to gain salvation—means to be saved from physical and spiritual death. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected and saved from physical death. People may also be saved from individual spiritual death through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, by their faith in Him, by living in obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel, and by serving Him.

To be exalted—or to gain exaltation—refers to the highest state of happiness and glory in the celestial realm. These blessings can come to us after we leave this frail and mortal existence. The time to prepare for our eventual salvation and exaltation is now."
  Salvation and Exaltation by President Nelson, April 2008


“When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him—when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life—you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do.

When you spiritually stretch beyond anything you have ever done before, then His power will flow into you.”
   Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives President Nelson, April 2017


Mosiah 3:4-12

Mosiah 4:6-8


FOR KIDS:


Jesus Christ Is My Savior and Redeemer from the Friend, April 2011

Jesus Christ Is Our Savior from the Friend, March 2013


FOR TEENS:

Christ Saved Me When I Was Drowning from For the Strength of Youth (Digital Only), June 2025

Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet video from a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2015

A SONG: He Sent His Son

PRINTABLE ACTIVITY SHEET 

These activity sheets are designed to print double-sided and cut in half.  They're perfect for reviewing or introducing the content found in the Come, Follow Me reading each week and would be great used in a classroom or home setting.   I have no children at home, nor do I have a calling working with youth, so I copy these to be handed out with the sacrament programs each week.  Kids, teens, and adults enjoy them...and I'm mixing things up here this week with a dot-to-dot instead of a crossword puzzle or word search!  

THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITY SHEET LINK (in case it's not showing below)

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Be sure to come back every week and find the latest Come, Follow Me lesson plans, resource pages, and activity sheets!  
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Sunday, April 6, 2025

EASTER Teaching Ideas/Resources and a CFM Activity Sheet (Apr 20)

 This blogpost features some resources, teaching ideas, and an original half-sheet activity page to complement the Come Follow Me (CFM) reading for  April 14-20, which is EASTER themed.    Click here for an index and links to my CFM blogposts for other weeks.

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 EASTER RESOURCES AND TEACHING IDEAS

Here is a collection of some of the best ideas I've found for teaching about the true meaning of Easter with your families or classes.  Most of these are tried and true  (with the Redheaded Hostess kit being the only exception).   Let me know if you use any of them or if you have any resources you'd add to the list!  I'd love to hear how your lessons go. 

1.  This takes a good deal of prep work and effort, but having an Easter Seder with your family or class would be a unique and powerful way to talk about the Atonement.  We did this as part of an adult Sunday School class a few years ago and loved how visual and hands-on it was. 

 https://powerofmoms.com/easter-seder-a-new-spin-on-an-old-tradition/


2.  This Easter Walk with Jesus requires much less prep than the aforementioned Easter Seder and it was something my kids loved when they were young.


3.   A Special Easter Message for 2025


4. Lessons on the Atonement (#1 {better for kids}, #2 {good for older kids/teens})

5.  a fun Symbols of Easter lesson, an Easter coloring book

6.  Easter Tree Activity:   I found this activity in a 2004 Friend Magazine and thought it would make for a great hands-on activity for either a family or a church class. 


7.  Red-Headed Hostess Easter Kit (for purchase):  If you're just looking for an all-inclusive printable pack that includes study guides, activities, visual aides, teaching ideas...this is a great resource.  It costs $5.50, but it could potentially save a lot of work if you are looking for something ready to go.  

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PRINTABLE CFM ACTIVITY SHEET
These activity sheets are designed to print double-sided and cut in half.  They're perfect for reviewing or introducing the content found in the Come, Follow Me reading each week and would be great used in a classroom or home setting.   I have no children at home, nor do I have a calling working with youth, so I copy these to be handed out with the sacrament programs each week. 


 HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE ACTIVITY SHEET IN CASE IT'S NOT SHOWING BELOW:


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Be sure to bookmark and come back each week for new teaching ideas and activity sheets to go along with the CFM reading.  

Enjoy learning the gospel together! 

Friday, May 19, 2023

CFM for May 29 - June 4, 2023 Teaching Resources {Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13}

 This blogpost features some learning resources to complement the Come Follow Me reading for May 29-June 4, 2023.    Click here for an index and links to my CFM blogposts for other weeks.


PRINTABLE ACTIVITY PAGE :  I create these activity pages to go along with the CFM reading each week.  They're best printed double-sided, so you get two to a page.  They're perfect for handing out along with the programs in sacrament meeting or as an attention activity in your classes or families.   The activities are geared for older kids (8+), but the coloring sheet is for all ages.  


TEACHING IDEA:  This video has lots of good ideas for talking about the Last Supper.  I love the idea of letting the kids eat a Last Supper (with the unleavened bread) and talking about the symbolism and the story of what happened and relating it to the partaking of the sacrament today.  I also love the idea of playing the song, "Gethsemane," as part of the lesson and brainstorming ways that they can remember Jesus when they take the sacrament.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE4vP2gdGeo



QUOTE:

"My beloved friends...ask yourselves, “Where is my treasure?”

Is your heart set on the convenient things of this world, or is it focused on the teachings of the diligent Jesus Christ? “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Does the Spirit of God dwell in your hearts? Are you “rooted and grounded” in the love of God and of your fellowmen? Do you devote sufficient time and creativity to bringing happiness to your marriage and family? Do you give your energies to the sublime goal of comprehending and living “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height”  of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ? Brethren, if it is your great desire to cultivate Christlike attributes of “faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, [and service],” Heavenly Father will make you an instrument in His hands unto the salvation of many souls." 
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Lord, Is It I?", October 2014

VIDEOS:  

John 13:  The Last Supper   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=997ni1xcmKw



What was the significance of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples? 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L11aniUYocw    This video is not written from an LDS perspective, however it is full of great information about the significance of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples.  I recommend previewing it first before showing it to a class or family. 


Enjoy learning the gospel together!  💗


Friday, August 26, 2022

A Youth Lesson about Psalms

 It's been a while!   Frankly a lot has happened since I last posted here, so here's a little personal update before I get into this lesson on Psalms:     

We've moved twice since my last post.  In case you're keeping track, that was 3 moves in 2 years that put us in 4 different wards.  {Yes, we are tired of moving and have no intention on moving again for a very long time}   We currently live in Alpine, Utah.  I never really had a desire to live in Utah, but a lot of little miracles led us here and we feel that we are exactly where we are supposed to be for now, so we are trying to bloom where we have been planted.  We became grandparents this past year and we are loving this new stage of life, though we wish she (and her parents) lived closer!  My Dad recently passed away and we've felt very blessed to have lived close to my parents for the last year.   We welcomed home a missionary in January and sent another one off to the Portland, Oregon mission this past week.   We have one daughter (a senior) who's still living at home with us. Empty nesting here we come! 

In church we teach a Sunday School class to the 11-12 year-olds.  We've found it a challenging age to teach, as they are fresh out of primary and feeling very grown up, but very much struggle with too much talking or scripture reading during a lesson.  We try to throw a creative/engaging activity into each lesson to make it more memorable for them.    I'm back today to share a successful lesson we had teaching them about the Psalms this past Sunday.  

LESSON ABOUT PSALMS: 

We talked a little about what the psalms were and some of the overarching themes of them.  The themes we picked out were:

1. Repentance/ sorrow/ coming back to God (READ THE HEADINGS OF PSALM 6 & 7)
We talked about who David was and had them try to guess how many of the Psalms David wrote. The answer is 73 of the 150 Psalms.  We also talked about some of the reasons why David felt sorrow and the need to repent.  We discussed about how God always wants us to turn back to Him and that there's no way to mess up badly enough that God won't welcome us back.  

2. Praising God (READ PSALM 111:1-5) 
We talked a little about how the root words of psalms in Hebrew is Tehillim, a word coming from the Hebrew word halal, “to praise” The same root forms the word hallelujah, meaning “praise to Yah” (Jehovah). Unlike some modern songs that tend to depress the spirit, the psalms have the power to lift one toward God. The psalms are full of praise to God!   

3. Proclaiming God and helping others come to Him – (READ PSALM 66:16)
we sent  off a missionary to the MTC this week, so we talked about why missionaries sacrifice to serve missions. What is the message that missionaries share?   Then we talked about ways we can be missionaries in our daily lives. 

Then, we talked a little about music and how it makes us feel. I had them look up in their scriptures to see if they could figure out that many of the Psalms  were written  "To the Chief Musician". We mentioned the themes that we'd just gone over and then talked about how the Psalms were the basis for many of the hymns in our hymn book.   Then we played the following game, based loosely on one of the Jackbox games our family enjoys playing together.   

PSALMS GAME (15-20 minutes): 
We came up with a list of some of the most well-known hymns that were based on scriptures in Psalms. 

This is the list:  
I am a Child of God–301
There is Sunshine in My Soul–227
Did You Think to Pray–140
The Lord is My Shepherd–108
For the Beauty of the Earth–92
Joy to the World–201
Angels We Have Heard on High–203
All Creatures of Our God and King–62
I Need Thee Every Hour–98
Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me–104
I Know that My Redeemer Lives –136

We cut the titles of the songs into strips and had each student draw one out.   Then we handed out hymn books, paper, and colored pencils.   We asked them to draw their song without using any words.   After giving them about 5 minutes to complete their drawings, we collected the drawings and all the writing utensils, except one per person.  

We then presented them with the list of possible songs (our students are only 11-12 years old and we felt that it would have been way too difficult without the list) and had them write down on a sheet of paper what song they guessed for each picture.

Here are the pictures they came up with...can you guess what they are without looking at the caption?   


I Know that My Redeemer Lives


There is Sunshine in My Soul Today


I Need Thee Every Hour and Angels We Have Heard on High


Joy to the World and All Creatures of Our God and King


Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me


Did You Think to Pray and I am a Child of God 


All in all, I thought the lesson was meaningful and memorable.  The game was right up their alley and a good way to get even the reluctant participants to engage.   

Let me know if you try it and how it goes for your class! 







 

Thursday, January 9, 2020

2020 Come, Follow Me Activity Sheet for 1 Nephi 1-7 (1/12/2020)

Alright, I guess I'm making these activity sheets again this year.   I don't know that anyone else out there is appreciating them, but they're good for helping me to stay a little more focused, so off I go. 

Hope your classes/families love these activity sheets!

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Come Follow Me Activity Page for 1,2,3 John and Jude (12/8/19)

Here is the "Come Follow Me" activity and coloring page to go along with 1,2,3 John and Jude.   The activities and word search are original as always.  They make for great quiet sacrament activities for kids and teens, as an introductory activity for a primary or Sunday School lesson, or just as a fun way to review/learn the material for the week.   I try to make them engaging and meaningful, so they're not a waste of time.  



See this post for a listing of previous week's sheets.

I don't know if anyone out there is actually using these, but if you are, I welcome feedback on how I can improve them.  

Happy December!   💓