I Have a Body

Purpose

To help each child appreciate and respect his or her physical body.

Preparation

Prayerfully study Daniel 1 and Doctrine and Covenants 89. See also Gospel Principles (31110), chapter 29.
Materials needed:
1. A Bible and a copy of the Doctrine and Covenants.
2. Picture 1-5, Family with a Baby (62307); picture 1-37, Daniel Refusing the King’s Meat and Wine (Gospel Art Picture Kit 114; 62094); picture 1-38, Children Playing with a Ball.
Make the necessary preparations for any Enrichment Activities you want to use.

Note to the teacher: Be sensitive to the feelings of any children in your class who have physical disabilities. Focus on the things their bodies can do, not on their disabilities.

Learning Activities

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Have the children stand. Help them sing and do the actions to “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (Children’s Songbook, p. 275). Sing the song slowly enough to point to or move the parts of the body as they are mentioned. For example, nod your head, shrug your shoulders, bend your knees, and stand tiptoe.

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes, knees and toes,

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

Explain to the children that they used their bodies to help them sing this song.

Heavenly Father planned for each of us to have a physical body

Review with the children that when we lived in heaven with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we did not have physical bodies. We were spirits. We needed to come to earth to get physical bodies. Heavenly Father planned for us to be born on earth and have earthly parents to take care of us.

Display picture 1-5, Family with a Baby.

Who are the people in this picture?
Who planned for us to come to earth to get bodies and have families?

Activity

Have the children stand and copy your actions as you explain that our bodies are from the tops of our heads (touch head) to the tips of our toes (touch toes). Our faces (smile) and our fingers (wiggle fingers) are all parts of our bodies. Have the children turn around once and sit down.

Explain that our bodies can do many things. Each part of the body has a special job to do.

What can you do with your eyes?
What can you do with your ears?
What can you do with your mouth?
What can you do with your hands?
What can you do with your feet?

Activity

Have the children stand and do the following action verse:

I Have a Wonderful Body

I have a wonderful body (touch hands to chest)
That Heavenly Father planned for me.
He gave me ears so I might hear (cup hand around ear)
And eyes that I might see (point to eyes).

I have two hands that I can clap (clap hands),
Two feet that turn around (turn around).
When I want to, I can touch
My toes down on the ground (bend over and touch toes).

When I think about my body (put finger to head),
The best part of it is (sit down quietly)
That Heavenly Father planned it
To look very much like his.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to take care of our bodies

Explain that because our bodies are so important, Heavenly Father and Jesus have given us rules to help us take care of our bodies and keep them strong and healthy. These rules are called the Word of Wisdom. Show a copy of the Doctrine and Covenants (or show where the Doctrine and Covenants begins in the triple combination). Explain that the Word of Wisdom is written in this book of scripture.

Discuss the kinds of foods that the Word of Wisdom tells us will help keep our bodies healthy, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. Then discuss the things that Heavenly Father and Jesus told us not to use, such as tobacco, alcohol, and coffee. Help the children understand that when we obey the Word of Wisdom and eat the right foods, Heavenly Father and Jesus are pleased with us and will bless us.

Story

Tell the story in Daniel 1 of how Daniel ate the food Heavenly Father wanted him to eat. Show picture 1-37, Daniel Refusing the King’s Meat and Wine, at an appropriate time.

What did Daniel do when the king told him to eat things that were not good for him? (See Daniel 1:8, 12–13.)
How were Daniel and his friends blessed for following Heavenly Father’s rules about what to eat? (See Daniel 1:15, 17, 20.)
What healthy foods do you eat?
Why should you eat healthy food?
How do you feel when you eat foods that are good for you?

Explain that we also need to do other things to keep our bodies healthy and strong.

Show picture 1-38, Children Playing with a Ball.

What are these children doing?
Why is it important to exercise our bodies?
What are some other ways we can exercise our bodies?

Put your hands together on one side of your face and close your eyes as if you were sleeping.

What am I pretending to do?
Why is it important to get the right amount of sleep?

Pretend you are washing your hands.

What am I pretending to do?
When should we wash our hands?
When should we take a bath?
When should we brush our teeth?
Why do we need to be clean?

Discuss other important health rules, such as dressing properly for all kinds of weather, practicing good safety habits, and getting fresh air.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to protect our bodies

Explain that Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to protect our bodies from harm and injuries. Ask the children about dangers they might encounter, using the following questions or making up your own:

What could happen if you play with matches?
What could happen if you play in the street or around cars?
What could happen if you aren’t careful with sharp things such as knives and scissors?
Why do we wear seat belts when we ride in a car?

Explain that we need to protect our bodies. We should not do things that are dangerous to our bodies and might hurt them. Explain that Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to feel safe and happy. They want us to take care of our bodies so we will be healthy.

Testimony

Share your feelings of gratitude for your physical body. Express your gratitude that the children are taking care of their bodies so they can be healthy and strong.

Enrichment Activities

Choose some of these activities to use during the lesson.

Sing “Do As I’m Doing” (Children’s Songbook, p. 276) or “Hinges” (Children’s Songbook, p. 277), doing actions as suggested by the words. Tell the children how grateful you are for a body that can do so many things.
Bring pictures of various items of food and drink. Have the children decide if each item is good or bad for their bodies. Explain that some things are good, but not if we have too much. For example, candy tastes good, but too much will make us sick. Display the pictures of the good items for the children to look at.
In a bag or box, bring some items that help us take care of our bodies. Include an item that helps keep us clean, such as soap, a washcloth or small towel, or a toothbrush. Include an item of good food, a small blanket to represent sleep, and something to represent exercise, such as a small ball. Give the children clues about one item and let them guess what it is. Show them the item when they guess correctly. Continue until all the items have been revealed.
Have the children stand and pantomime keeping their bodies neat and clean. Have them pretend to wash their hands, brush their teeth, and comb their hair. Then have them pantomime their favorite way to exercise, such as jumping, hopping, skipping, or throwing a ball.
Talk with the children about how some people have things wrong with their bodies. We should not make fun of these people or point or laugh at them. Talk about how we should treat people with physical disabilities (talk to them, be their friend, treat them normally, help them if they need help).
Have each child draw a picture of himself or herself. Label each paper I am thankful for my body.

Additional Activities for Younger Children

Show picture 1-5, Family with a Baby, and let the children talk about it.
- Were you ever a baby?
- Can babies walk or talk?
  
  Remind the children that they were once babies, but now their bodies have grown and they can do many more things. As their bodies grow more, they will be able to do even more.
  
  Show picture 1-16, The Nativity, and remind the children that even Jesus was once a baby.
Point to your mouth and say, “This is my mouth.” Then ask, “Can you show me your mouth?” and help the children point to their own mouths. Repeat for eyes, nose, ears, hands, and feet. Then point to each body part without saying its name and have the children name it. If the children can name all of these parts, you might also ask the names of some body parts less well known to children, such as elbows, knees, wrists, and ankles.
Make up a simple story about a small child from your area. Tell about the child waking up in the morning, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and so on through the day. As you talk about each activity, ask the children what parts of the body the child is using.
Have the children stand and sing the following song to the tune of “Once There Was a Snowman” (Children’s Songbook, p. 249). Use crouching actions for the first verse and stretching actions for the second verse.

Once I was a baby, baby, baby.

Once I was a baby, small, small, small.

Now I’m growing bigger, bigger, bigger.

Now I’m growing bigger, tall, tall, tall!