IDEA #1 ask the learners questions to help them reflect on the message of the song (Teaching, No Greater Call, p. 172) Part A (approx. 5-7 minutes): Scriptures Newspaper Picture of Christ & the Children (Gospel Art Picture Kit #212) Introduce song: We have a fun new song that teaches us to follow Jesus Christ in faith. Listen for what the Lord has blessed us with as I sing the first two sentences of the song. his ways in my early youth. Repeat the question: What has the Lord blessed us with? The word gospel means good news. (Bible Dictionary, p. 682) Where can we find the good news or gospel truth? (show the scriptures) YES! The scriptures tell us about the life and teachings of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Show a picture of Christ teaching children and tell them: We learn His ways every time we read and study the scriptures. Let s sing those two sentences together. his ways in my early youth. Ask the children to: Listen for two important action words that tell us what we need to do with the gospel truth or good news we learn as I sing the next sentence of the song. I will share my light for I know it s right To testify of Him. Repeat the question: What were the two action words that tell us what we need to do with the gospel truth or good news? YES! We SHARE and we TESTIFY. Let s use this sign language motion for share. (See image) Share With hands closed and near to the body, move outward and open hands, palm up, as if you are giving something away. Now, what does the song say we are sharing? We are sharing our light, or our knowledge of the Savior and the happiness His gospel brings us. When we testify, we tell others about Jesus with our words and actions. Let s use this motion for testify. (See image) Testify Place left index finger below lip and move down placing back of left hand in palm of right hand.
Now, let s add the sign for know, since we must first know the truth before we can share and testify. We know in our heart the truth because the Holy Ghost bears witness to us and we feel warm and good inside. Know Place fingertips of right hand next to temple. Ask for four volunteers to come to the front: Ask each of the volunteers to give one of the following clues: 1. Hold up the scriptures and then open them up when you sing: I have learned his ways in my early youth. 2. Do the motion for share. 3. Do the motion for know. 4. Do the motion for testify. Sing this section several times: his ways in my early youth. I will share my light for I know it s right To testify of Him. Testify how the Lord has blessed your life with the gospel and challenge the children to share and testify of the gospel: Ways they can share and testify might include: 1. Inviting a friend and their family to join your family for Family Home Evening. 2. Inviting a friend to a Primary activity. 3. Bearing your testimony in Fast & Testimony Meeting. 4. Sending a Book of Mormon with your testimony to a missionary serving from your ward.
IDEA #2 Teach songs with suggested actions. Young children participate through movement. (Children s Songbook, p. 300) Part B (approx. 5-7 minutes): Scriptures Picture of Christ & the Children (Gospel Art Picture Kit #212) Review Song & challenge to share and testify of truth: We are learning a new song about following Jesus Christ in faith. Last week I challenged you to do something. Let s listen while (Pianist s name) plays the first three sentences of the song. I ll give you some clues to the song. (scriptures, and the signs for share, know and testify ) Then I ll sing the first three sentences. Listen and raise your hand if you can remember what your challenge was. his ways in my early youth. I will share my light for I know it s right To testify of Him. Ask the children to give examples of how they are able to share and testify. Sing what you have learned several times with them. Tell them: The Lord has blessed us with gospel truth, but he has blessed us with something else too. The word I m thinking of means to trust in someone or something. Listen while I sing the answer: The Lord has blessed me with simple faith. Take responses and tell the children: President Hinckley gave a great example of simple faith in our most recent General Conference. Listen as I tell you this special story and raise your hands when you hear the words, simple faith. (Tell the story in your own words and then read the actual quote of President Hinckley.) Our prophet, President Hinckley said that faith can be found in small but significant events. He told the story about Sister Hinckley s grandfather, George, who died while working on the Manti temple. Martha, his wife (Sister Hinckley s grandmother) never remarried. One day she was cleaning the house and was shaking the straw mattress outside. She looked down and her wedding ring, given to her by her beloved husband, George, was gone. She looked again and again through the straw and could not find it. Tears fell from her eyes. She went to her knees and prayed that the Lord would help her to find the ring. When she opened her eyes, she looked down and there it was. It is this simple faith that all of us so much need. ( The Faith to Move Mountains, Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign Magazine, November 2006, p. 82, Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.) How did Sister Hinckley s grandmother (Martha) show that she had simple faith? That s right. Martha prayed for help to find her ring and her prayer was answered. Sing to and with the children: he will give me strength. Here s another example of prayer and how it helped a group of primary children just like you grow in faith. (Tell the following story in your own words.) President Monson was visiting a village in Samoa and met with a group of almost 200 children. As the meeting came to a close, he felt the prompting to greet each child personally. He checked his watch and saw that he didn t have time because he must go to the airport to catch his flight home. But again he felt the prompting of the Holy Ghost to shake each child s hand before he left. So President Monson asked the teacher with him to announce to the children that he wanted to greet them. The children were delighted. The teacher then told President Monson why the children were so happy. He said, When we learned that a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was to visit here in Samoa, so are away from Church headquarters, I told the children if they would earnestly and sincerely pray and exert faith like the Bible accounts of old, that the Apostle would visit our tiny village at Sauniatu and through their faith he would be impressed to greet each child with a personal handclasp. (Thomas S. Monson, Friend, July 2006, p.2, Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Tell the children: These children had simple faith. They prayed that an apostle of the Lord would visit their little village and greet them. Do you think they were strengthened by having their prayer answered? (Pause and let the children think.) They were strengthened by the love of our Savior, which they felt through President Monson. Introduce two new motions (for prayer and strength) with the words: he will give me strength. PRAY Place hands together, palm to palm. FOLLOW With hands closed and thumbs up, place one hand behind the other. Move hands away from your body, one hand, following the other WORK With both hands in a fist position, strike the front part of one hand s wrist against the back of the second hand s wrist. Ask for three volunteers to come to the front and do each of the motions at the appropriate time. Sing several times: I will do his work, I will gladly serve, I ll follow him in faith. STRENGTH Flex both arms to show strong muscles. Sing the second part of the song several times: he will give me strength. I will do his work, I will gladly serve, I ll follow him in faith. Testify of a time when you practiced simple faith and your prayers were answered. Tell the children: I know that the Lord blesses us and strengthens us when we pray with a sincere heart. But what are we supposed to do with this strength the Lord gives us? Listen for three things the Lord needs us to do with the strength he gives us as I sing the next section: I will do his work, I will gladly serve, I ll follow him in faith. Challenge the children to pray for help and promise them that the Lord will help them and give them strength. What are the three things He needs us to do? Take responses and show three motions: Yes! Here are three motions for work, serve and follow. Can you guess which is the symbol for work, for serve and for follow? Do the motions shown below and have the children connect each with the correct action word. SERVE With both palms up, move hands back and forth like you are carrying a tray.
IDEA #3 Tie the invisible idea to some tangible object the student already knows about and then build from that knowledge. (Boyd K. Packer, Teach Ye Diligently, p 31-32) Part C (approx. 5-7 minutes): Scriptures Warm, soft solid colored blanket or large piece of soft fabric (preferably red). Review Song: We are learning how we can follow the Lord in faith. Let s review eveything we ve learned so far. (Use visuals and all the motions you have learned so far): his ways in my early youth. I will share my light for I know it s right To testify of Him. he will give me strength. I will do his work, I will gladly serve, I ll follow him in faith. Ask if the children have prayed in faith this last week and felt the Lord s help and strength. Let them give examples. Tell them: This song talks many times about how the Lord blesses us when we follow him in faith. When we follow him we feel His love. His love makes us feel warm and safe and happy inside. (Take out a soft blanket or piece of fabric and ask for a volunteer. Have them come up and describe how the blanket feels when they touch it and when it is wrapped around them. Explain again that this is how the Lord s love feels.) Sing to the children and tell them: The Lord has blessed me to feel his love. I have felt his promptings and learned to trust. Close your eyes and imagine that you are all alone outside. The wind is blowing and you are feeling very cold. Now imagine that a warm blanket is being wrapped around you. When we feel this warmth and peace we must also listen for the quiet promptings that we might receive from the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can quietly whisper answers to our prayers or tell us of things that we should do. Let s listen to (Pianist s name) play through the first 8 measures of this song three times. Keep your eyes closed and pretend you are still very cold. I will come and wrap a blanket around a few of you and whisper an important message in your ear. You will have to listen very carefully to hear it. Then we ll see who can remember what the message was. (Have the pianist play the first 8 measures three times and while wrapping a few children in a blanket, whisper in their ears: In all I DO, I ll be faithful TO, the things I know are TRUE. ) Can anyone tell me what the message was? In all I do, I ll be faithful to, the things I know are true. There are three words that rhyme in this praise. Raise your hand when you hear all three. In all I do, I ll be faithful to, the things I know are true. What were the three rhyming words? DO, TO, and TRUE! In all I do, I ll be faithful to, the things I know are true. Let s put together the new words we ve learned today and sing them: The Lord has blessed me to feel his love. I have felt his promptings and learned to trust. In all I do, I ll be faithful to, the things I know are true. Testify to the children of your desire to be faithful to the things you know are true and challenge them to do the same. Ways to be faithful to the things that are true could be: 1. Making our prayers more meaningful. 2. Taking more time to read and ponder the scriptures. 3. Trying to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
IDEA #4 You can use the chalkboard to emphasize key facts or ideas and help learners remember them. (Teaching, No Greater Call, p. 172) Part D (approx. 5-7 minutes): The words, WAYS, PRAISE, VOICE, CHOICE each printed on a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper. (Art provided for download.) Chalk board with the words and blanks to fit the words above: The Lord has blessed me in many. With a thankful heart I will sing his. I will raise my, and proclaim my, to follow Him in faith. Picture of Christ Calling the Fishermen (Gospel Art Picture Kit #209) Review Song: Today we re going to play a matching game. I m going to have four volunteers come up and hold four words while (Pianist s name) plays through one verse of the song I ll Follow Him in Faith. Raise your hand when you know which words rhyme with each other. (Have pianist play through song as the children look at the words, WAYS, PRAISE, VOICE and CHOICE.) Take responses and show the children the board with blank spaces: Who can raise their hand and help me put these words in the correct spaces? After the spaces have been filled, sing this phrase several times, erasing words from the chalkboard as the children learn this section: The Lord has blessed my in many ways. With a thankful heart I will sing his praise. I will raise my voice and proclaim my choice To follow HIm in Faith. what Jesus had asked. Peter and his brother Andrew caught so many fish that their net nearly broke. The fishermen were all amazed. Right then Jesus called Peter and Andrew to follow Him and become fishers of men. They left their boats and followed Jesus. Just as Peter and his brother followed Jesus, we can decide to follow Him. The last part of our song is the most important part, because it tells us: He has shown the way, and through all my days, I ll follow him in faith. Sing this phrase with the children and ask: How many days does the song say we should follow Jesus? through all my days! Review this section several times with the children, having volunteers hold the four rhyming words and the picture of Jesus Calling the Fishermen. Testify to the children that following the Savior isn t always easy, but will make us feel warm and happy inside. Show picture of Christ calling the fishermen and ask: Can anyone tell me what Jesus is doing in this picture? Take responses and add: Jesus was teaching from Peter s boat on the Sea of Galilee. He told Peter that if he would take his boat to the deep water and let out the nets he would catch some fish. Peter explained to Jesus that they had already been fishing all night and hadn t caught anything, but he said he would do