Lesson 18

I Am Thankful for My Ears

Purpose

To help each child appreciate his or her ears and what they can do.

Preparation

1. Prayerfully study Mark 7:32–35 and Joseph Smith—History 1:17.

2. Materials needed:

   1. A Bible and a Pearl of Great Price.

   2. Picture 1-4, The First Vision (Gospel Art Picture Kit 403; 62470); picture 1-41, Child with a Hearing Aid; a picture of the living prophet.

3. 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

Do the following in a whisper:

Greet each child. Direct the children to do several things, such as sit down, raise their hands, lower their hands, and hold up two fingers.

In your normal voice, ask the children how they knew what to do while you were whispering.

• What part of your body helped you to know what I said?

Our ears are a blessing to us

Song

With the children, sing or say the words to verses 1 and 2 of “Thanks to Our Father” (Children’s Songbook, p. 20).

Thanks to our Father we will bring,

For he gives us everything.

Eyes and ears and hands and feet,

Clothes to wear, and food to eat.

• What does this song say Heavenly Father has given us?

• Which of these things help us to hear? (Our ears.)

Ask the children to carefully feel their ears. Explain that the part of their ears on the outside of their heads is not what they hear with. This part helps the sound go into the ear to the eardrum and other parts of the ear that help them hear.

• How can we be careful with our ears?

Explain that we should protect our ears from loud noises and from objects that could damage them.

Explain that for various reasons, some people’s ears do not work well, so they cannot hear all the sounds most people can hear. If there is someone the children know who has a hearing impairment, you might explain about that person’s hearing aid. Show picture 1-41, Child with a Hearing Aid, as you explain. Help the children understand that often people who cannot hear well cannot speak well either, because people learn to speak by copying the sounds they hear.

Activity

Make the sign language signs for “I love you” (see lesson 17).

• Do you remember what this means?

Have the children make these signs.

Remind the children that last week you discussed how hands can talk through sign language. Help the children understand that people who cannot hear can communicate in other ways, such as with sign language, by writing, and by reading lips.

Story

Relate the story of Jesus and the deaf man, as found in Mark 7:32–35.

• How do you think the deaf man felt when he realized he could hear?

Emphasize what a blessing it is to be able to hear.

We can hear sounds with our ears

Activity

Tell the children they are going to practice using their ears.

Have each child take a turn coming to the front of the room. Whisper in the child’s ear the name of a familiar animal or object that makes a sound. Have the child make the sound for the class, and have the other children guess what makes that sound. (Sounds might include a cow mooing, dog barking, telephone ringing, or car horn honking.)

Discuss with the children some of the important sounds they might hear with their ears, such as their parents calling and sounds that warn them that they could get hurt.

• What are your favorite sounds to hear?

We can listen to the teachings of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

Have the children sit quietly and listen.

• What do you hear?

Discuss the different sounds they can hear, such as doors opening and closing, people talking in the hall, organ music, or the wind.

• What other sounds do we hear at church?

Explain that we hear our teachers, parents, Primary leaders, bishop, and other leaders at church.

• Why is it important for us to listen to these people?

Explain that these people help us learn what Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to do.

Story

Display picture 1-4, The First Vision, and let the children tell you what they remember about the picture. Open the scriptures to the Pearl of Great Price and read aloud what Heavenly Father said to Joseph Smith in Joseph Smith—History 1:17: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

Have the children repeat this statement with you a few times. Explain that Heavenly Father wants us to listen to what he and Jesus say. Help the children understand that Heavenly Father and Jesus may not talk to everyone directly, but we can listen to our parents, teachers, and Church leaders. They can tell us what Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to know. The Holy Ghost can also help us know what Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to do.

Show the picture of the living prophet.

• Who is this?

Explain that Heavenly Father and Jesus talk to us through our Church leaders, especially our prophet and our bishop. These leaders will tell us what Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to do. We should listen to them carefully.

Testimony

Express your gratitude for your ears and for the gift of hearing.

Enrichment Activities

Choose some of these activities to use during the lesson.

1. Have the children close their eyes and cover them with their hands. Touch one child on the head. That child should say, “I am thankful for my ears.” Have the other children guess whose voice they heard. Continue until every child has had a turn to speak.

2. Do the following activity verse with the children:

   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.

3. Have the children face in one direction while you stand behind them. Make sounds with your hands or other sound-making items, and have the children guess what you are doing to make the sound. You might clap your hands, snap your fingers, or ring a bell. Let the children try making the sounds themselves.

4. Record sounds in your neighborhood, such as a dog barking, birds singing, or laughter. Play the sounds in class and have the children listen and guess what the sounds are.

5. Teach the children a simple song or phrase in sign language. If you know someone who signs well, you might invite them to come to class and sign “I Am a Child of God” while the class sings.

6. Sit with the children in a circle. Whisper a short message to the child next to you. This child then whispers the message to the next child, and so on around the circle. The last child says the message aloud. Tell the class the message you gave to the first child to see how it has changed.

   After the activity ask the children what they used to hear the message. (Ears.) Remind them to thank Heavenly Father for their ears.

Additional Activities for Younger Children

1. If possible, take the children outside. Encourage them to listen quietly with their ears. What sounds can they hear? When you go back into the classroom, review the sounds they heard.

2. Have the children stand and say the following verse, doing the actions indicated by the words:

   Touch Your Eyes

   Touch your eyes,

   Touch your nose,

   Touch your ears,

   Touch your toes.

   Stretch your hands

   Way up high,

   Even higher

   Toward the sky.

   Put your hands

   On your hair;

   Sit down quietly

   On your chair.