Additional Sharing Time Ideas, April 2009

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

1. I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is my Savior. A few days in advance, ask two or three older children to come to Primary prepared to bear their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Write on the board: “In the premortal life I chose to _____ _____ _____.” Ask the children to remember from last week’s discussion the choice they made in the premortal life (follow Jesus Christ). Repeat the sentence together. Tell the children that their choice to follow Jesus Christ shows that they had a testimony of Him in the premortal life and that their testimony will grow as they continue to learn about Him in this life. Use the chalkboard to teach enrichment activity 2 in lesson 30 of the Primary 7 manual. Use John 14:6 to reinforce the idea that just as the ladder provides the only way out of the pit, Jesus Christ provides the only way to eternal life. Hand out a paper and a pencil or crayons to each child. Invite the children to draw a picture of a way they can follow Jesus Christ. Emphasize that scriptures, good music, and the testimonies of others can help build and strengthen their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Invite the children you asked beforehand to bear their testimonies.

2. By following Jesus Christ, we will be able to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus again. Have the children try to draw something unfamiliar (for example, an unusual animal or flower). Then provide a picture of the object, and have them draw it again. Discuss how models help us. Then explain that on the wall of President Thomas S. Monson’s office is a favorite painting of the Savior. He said, “When facing difficult situations, I often look at it and ask myself, ‘What would He do?’ Then I have tried to respond accordingly” (in Jeffrey R. Holland, “President Thomas S. Monson: In the Footsteps of the Master,” supplement to the Liahona, June 2008, 2).

   Give each class one or more scripture references that illustrate the Savior’s example. Have class members read to discover what Jesus did to be an example, and have them suggest ways they can follow that example. Possibilities: John 19:26–27 (showed concern for mother); John 13:14–15 (served others); Acts 10:38 (went about doing good); Matthew 4:23 (taught the gospel); Mark 1:9 (was baptized); Luke 2:52 (grew in wisdom); Mark 10:14–16 (loved little children); 3 Nephi 17:15–17 (prayed).

   For younger children: Match pictures showing Jesus’s example with pictures of children following His example. Possibilities: Gospel Art Picture Kit 206 (Childhood of Jesus Christ) with 2-23 (son helping father) from Primary 2 picture packet; Gospel Art Picture Kit 242 (Jesus and His Mother) with 1-46 (children with their grandmother) from Primary 1 picture packet; Gospel Art Picture Kit 212 (Sermon on the Mount) with 607 (Young Girl Speaking at Church); Gospel Art Picture Kit 208 (John the Baptist Baptizing Jesus) with 2-20 (baptism) from Primary 2 picture packet; Gospel Art Picture Kit 205 (Boy Jesus in the Temple) with 617 (Search the Scriptures); Gospel Art Picture Kit 216 (Christ and the Children) with 2-49 (family on picnic) from Primary 2 picture packet; Gospel Art Picture Kit 225 (The Last Supper) with 604 (Passing the Sacrament); 1-64 (Christ praying with the Nephites) with 1-9 (girl praying) from Primary 1 picture packet.