I Have a Family and Friends

By Laurel Rohlfing

Thou shalt live together in love (D&C 42:45).

Heavenly Father and Jesus love you; you also have loving earthly families and good friends. Your family and friends can help you to be happy and to live the gospel. You can also help them to be happy and to keep Heavenly Father’s commandments. The Book of Mormon tells us one way to do this. In Mosiah 18:21 we read about “hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.” When you love your family and friends and help them, you are becoming more like Jesus.

Play this game with your family or your friends, and it will remind you of ways that you can show your love for each other and help each other to be happy and live the gospel.

Cut out the game boards and mount on heavy paper. From phrases listed, choose words in bold letters and write a different one in each blank square on the game boards. The center square is a free square. Be sure to put the words in different places on each game board. Make additional game boards as needed.
Cut out the circles with phrases on them. Put them in a small paper sack.

Illustrated by Shauna Mooney
Pick a phrase from the sack and read it. If a player has a word from the phrase on his game board, he may cover that square with a bean, penny, or square of paper. The first player to get five squares in a row covered—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally—wins the game.

Sharing Time Ideas

Discuss Mosiah 18:21 by doing following activity: Divide children into groups of 6 to 10 and have them sit in circle. Give each child 12″ (30 cm) length of string or yarn. Taking turns, have each child tell something nice about person to his left. As child does this, he ties his string to his neighbor’s so that strings are finally “knit together in unity and love.”
Have children divide phrases from game into (a) things I would do only with my family, (b) things I would do only with my friends, (c) things I would do with both family and friends. Discuss their choices. Point out that in most cases, they can treat their families and friends the same way.
Have each child design and color family flag on piece of paper. He should include pictures representing things that are important to his family. Let children describe their flags to each other.
Use following object lesson to show importance of helping and supporting family for friends. Ask child to lift chair by one of its legs, using only one hand. Then have him ask three friends to help, each lifting different leg of chair. When all work together, chair is easy to lift.
Make word search or crossword puzzle using boldface words.
Have children role play situations in which they can show love to their families and friends. Here are two examples: (1) New child at school doesn’t have any friends on playground—what could you do? (2) Your mother is very busy with project, and your baby sister is crying—what could you do? (See “Role Plays” Primary Sharing Time Resource Manual, pages 23–24.)