Additional Sharing Time Ideas, August 2009

The following are additional ideas Primary leaders may use with the Sharing Time printed in the August 2009 Liahona. For the lesson, instructions, and activity that correspond with these ideas, see “The Temple—I’m Going There Someday” on pages F8 and F9 of the children’s section in this issue.

1. The temple is the house of God. Show a picture of a temple. Ask the children to raise their hands if they have seen or been to a temple. Invite the children to share their feelings about the temple. On one side of the board, write, “What is a temple?” and on the other side, write, “What special experiences take place in the temple?” Divide the children into two groups. While you sing together the first and second verses of “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95), have one group listen for what the temple is (house of God, place of love and beauty, holy place), while the other group listens for what takes place in the temple (feel the Holy Spirit, listen, pray, covenant with my Father, promise to obey, sealed together). Write their responses on the board after each verse of the song. Explain that the temple is a house of God and that the Lord has given instructions about what kind of house it should be. Ask the children to listen as you read together Doctrine and Covenants 88:119. On the board, write, “A house of _____” seven times. Ask the children to help fill in the blanks with the words from the scripture. To help the children understand that Church members must be worthy to enter the Lord’s house, invite the bishop or branch president to talk briefly about temple recommend interviews.

2. I will prepare now to go to the temple. Beforehand, draw on separate pieces of paper simple pictures of a mouth, eye, ear, hand, and foot. Write the following phrases on the board: “House of God,” “Place of love and beauty,” “Holy place.” To begin sharing time, ask a child to read the three phrases. Have the children whisper what the phrases describe (the temple). Teach that on each temple are written the words “Holiness to the Lord.” Explain that because the temple is holy and the work done inside the temple is holy, we must prepare ourselves to be worthy to enter after we turn 12. Have the children listen for when they should begin to prepare to go to the temple while you sing, “I’ll prepare myself while I am young; this is my sacred duty” (“I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, 95). Ask: “When should I begin preparing to go to the temple?” (while I am young). Have the children sing that line with you. While the pianist plays “I Love to See the Temple,” pass around the drawing of the mouth. When the music stops, have the child holding the mouth tell one thing his or her mouth can do now to help him or her prepare to go to the temple: pray, speak kindly, tell the truth, keep the Word of Wisdom, and so on. (If the child is not able to think of a response, invite other children to respond.) After the child responds, ask for other ideas from the children. Do the same with the drawings of the eye, ear, hand, and foot.

3. Song presentation: “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 188). Teach the chorus first by randomly posting wordstrips of each phrase, written with just the first letter of each word. (The first phrase would be FCBTF.) Tell the children to listen while you sing the chorus so they can help put the phrases in the correct order. You may have to sing it more than once. When the phrases are in order, have the children sing the chorus. Teach the first and second verses by writing a key word from each line on a wordstrip. Invite a child to the front of the room. Hold the wordstrip above his or her head where he or she can’t see it. Tell the children this is to remind them of the word not to sing. As the Primary sings, ask the child to listen for the key word that is missing. When he or she guesses correctly, have the Primary sing the phrase including the key word. Follow this pattern for the other lines. Sing the song all the way through.