Additional Sharing Time Ideas, March 2009

The following are additional ideas Primary leaders may use with the Sharing Time printed in the March 2009 Liahona. For the lesson, instructions, and activity that correspond with these ideas, see “Mine House Is a House of Order,” on pages F4 and F5 of the children’s section in this issue.

1. Show pictures that represent different responsibilities of a father (teaching his children in family home evening, serving in the Church, providing for his family, spending recreational time with family members, working on a home improvement project, and so on). To show that fathers have many responsibilities, have children identify what the father is doing in each picture. Teach and discuss the responsibilities of a father found in paragraph 7 of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49). Sing the second verse of “The Family Is of God” (Liahona, Oct. 2008, F12–F13).

   Have children role-play while you tell the story of Nephi, emphasizing the influence and role of his father, Lehi (see 1 Nephi 1; 2). Beforehand, make name tags for the children to wear that represent characters in the account. Involve as many children as possible. Bear testimony that one of the most important responsibilities a father has is to lead his family. Encourage the children to write a note expressing their love for their father and to give it to him.

2. Have several older children come to Primary prepared to sing a song or hymn about mothers or about families. Every time they come to the word mother, have the pianist pause so the children who are singing can whisper “mother” into a different child’s ear. At the end of the song, have those children whisper it to the children on both sides of them. Ask the children to raise their hands if they know what sharing time is about. Teach the responsibilities of a mother as found in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” paragraph 7. Help the children understand that nurture means “to help grow and develop.” Beforehand, write on pieces of paper some things a mother does to nurture her family. Put the papers in a container. (Examples: listening, making dinner, rocking a baby, giving a hug, reading to a child, and so on.) Have children take turns choosing a paper and pantomiming the action while the others guess what it is. Sing the third verse of “The Family Is of God” (Liahona, Oct. 2008, F12–F13). Bear testimony of the influence of mothers.

3. Play the following guessing game. Make labels that say “grandfather,” “grandmother,” “uncle,” “aunt,” and “cousin.” Choose an older child to wear a label on his or her back. Show the label to the Primary, except for that child. Tell the child that the label represents a member of a family. Have the children give the child clues to guess which label he or she is wearing. (Examples: I live in your grandmother’s house. Or, I am your grandmother’s son. Or, I am your mother’s brother.) Repeat for each label.

   Teach that grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are all part of our family and that Heavenly Father planned for us to support and help each other. Invite the children to think of times when an extended family member helped or supported their families. Ask the children to think of an extended family member they could help in some way. Help them make a sack puppet to represent this person (see “Puppets,” Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 176–77). Have the children sing a song or hymn about families using their puppets. Ask a few children to show their puppets and tell what they can do to help that person. Have the children take their puppets home as a reminder to discuss with their parents what they felt they could do to help a family member.