Lesson 21

I Have Feelings

Purpose

To help each child understand and identify feelings and learn ways to be happy.

Preparation

1. Prayerfully study Luke 15:11–32.

2. Materials needed:

   1. A Bible.

   2. Smiling/Frowning Face figure (see pattern at the end of the lesson).

      

   3. Chalk and eraser.

   4. Picture 1-45, Washing Dishes; picture 1-46, Children Giving Mother Flowers; picture 1-47, Children Quarreling; picture 1-48, Children Playing with Blocks; picture 1-49, The Prodigal Son (Gospel Art Picture Kit 220; 62155).

3. Make the necessary preparations for any Enrichment Activities you want to use.

Learning Activities

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Show the figure of the Smiling/Frowning Face. Sing or say the words to “Smiles” (Children’s Songbook, p. 267) several times with the children. Give several children the opportunity to turn the face to the smile or frown at the appropriate times.

If you chance to meet a frown,

Do not let it stay.

Quickly turn it upside down

And smile that frown away.

No one likes a frowning face.

Change it for a smile.

Make the world a better place

By smiling all the while.

Our feelings show in our faces and in our actions

• How do you feel when you have a smile on your face?

• How do you feel when you have a frown on your face?

Explain that people can often tell how we feel by looking at our faces. Have the children show you their happy faces.

Activity

Draw four large circles on the chalkboard. Draw in simple features to make faces showing different emotions: happy, sad, angry, and frightened (see illustration below). As each face is drawn, ask the children to describe the feelings expressed on the face, and then ask them to make their own faces look happy, sad, angry, and frightened.

• What makes you feel happy?

• What makes you feel sad?

• What makes you feel angry?

• What makes you feel frightened?

Share with the children a time when you have been sad, angry, or frightened and a time when you have been happy.

We can learn to control our feelings

Explain that it is good to show all of the different feelings we have, but we must show them in the right ways, especially when we are angry.

Show picture 1-47, Children Quarreling.

• How do you think these children feel?

• What do you think they are saying to each other?

• What should you do when you are angry?

Explain that although we may feel like hitting, yelling, or hurting someone when we are angry, we can learn to show our feelings politely and kindly. When we hit or yell, we only feel angrier, but being kind can help us feel better.

Activity

Let the children take turns being the children in the picture. Help them think of things the children in the picture might say to each other instead of yelling or hitting, such as “May I have a turn now?” “Let’s take turns,” “I feel sad when you call me bad names,” or “I don’t like it when you do that.”

Show picture 1-48, Children Playing with Blocks. Point out that these children are playing nicely together and have happy faces because they are sharing and speaking kindly to each other.

• Who can help you feel better when you are sad, angry, or frightened?

Explain that when we talk to our mothers, fathers, and others who love us, they can help us understand why we feel like we do. If we pray to Heavenly Father, the Holy Ghost can help us feel better. The Holy Ghost will help us know what to do so that we can be happy again.

Activity

Have the children stand and do the following activity verse several times:

My Feelings

Sometimes when I’m very sad (make a sad face),

My mother hugs me. Then I’m glad (hug self and make a happy face).

Sometimes when I’m very mad (make an angry face),

I walk away and talk with Dad (walk in place and nod head, as if talking).

If something ever frightens me (make a frightened face),

I say a prayer to comfort me (fold arms).

Then when I go out to play,

I’ll be happy every day (make a happy face).

We are happy when we help others

Show picture 1-46, Children Giving Mother Flowers.

• How do you think the people in this picture feel?

• Why do you think they feel that way?

• How do you feel when you give something to someone?

Show picture 1-45, Washing Dishes.

• What is this girl doing?

• How do you think the girl in the picture feels? Why?

• How do you feel when you help someone?

Activity

Help the children do the following activity verse:

Helping Makes Me Happy

I like to help my mother (pretend to put on apron);

She has so much to do.

I help her dry the dishes (pretend to dry dishes)

And feed the baby, too (pretend to feed bottle to baby).

I like to help my father (pretend to put on garden gloves);

He has so much to do (pretend to trim bushes or pull weeds).

I help him in the garden (pretend to water plants)

Until his work is through.

Helping makes me happy (point to smiling face).

It makes me feel so good (put hands on opposite shoulders and hug self).

For when I’m helping others (spread arms wide),

I’m doing what I should (nod head and fold arms)!

Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to be happy

Explain that Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to be happy. They know that we can be happy when we do what they tell us to do.

Story

Show picture 1-49, The Prodigal Son, and tell the story found in Luke 15:11–32. Point out the different feelings expressed by the father and his sons. As each feeling is expressed, you could have a child point to the appropriate face on the chalkboard. For example, you could say: A boy wanted to leave his home and go away to a far country. When he left, his father was sad. After a while, the boy’s friends left him. He felt sad. Soon, he did not have any more money. He was frightened because he was hungry and no one gave him any food … and so forth.

• How do you think the son felt when he came home?

• Why was the father happy when his son returned? (See Luke 15:24.)

• Why was the older brother angry when his younger brother returned? (See Luke 15:28–30.) What could he do to be happy again?

Testimony

Assure the children that everyone feels happy, sad, angry, or frightened at times. We should learn to show these feelings in the right ways. Remind the children that Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to be happy. Tell the children how you feel happy when you do what Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to do.

Enrichment Activities

Choose some of these activities to use during the lesson.

1. Have the children stand in a circle. Ask them to make their lips straight and not smile. Then start a smile around the circle by smiling and saying the following words: “I will give a smile to (child’s name).” The child you named should now smile and repeat the phrase, inserting the name of the next child. Continue until all the children in the circle are smiling.

   Remind the children that when we smile at other people, they will often smile back. It is hard to be sad, angry, or frightened when we are smiling.

2. Sing “When We’re Helping” (Children’s Songbook, p. 198) or “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” (Children’s Songbook, p. 60).

3. Have the children think of something they can do to be happy. Toss a beanbag or soft object to a child and say, “(Child’s name) is happy when ____________.” Have the child fill in the blank with something that makes him or her happy and then give the beanbag back to you. Continue until each child has had a turn.

4. Tell a story about a child who does something nice for his or her mother, such as doing a household task. Mother does not know who helped her, so she asks each child in the family who helped her. When she gets to the child who performed the kind deed, she knows that this child did it because of the child’s big smile. The child feels happy because he or she has done something nice.

Additional Activities for Younger Children

1. As you say the following verse, lead the children in the actions. Repeat if the children desire.

   Make Happy Days

   Two eyes to see nice things to do (point to eyes),

   Two lips to smile the whole day through (smile a large smile).

   Two ears to hear what others say (cup hands around ears),

   Two hands to put the toys away (pretend to pick up toys and put them away).

   A tongue to speak kind words each day (point to mouth),

   A loving heart to work and play (hold hands over heart).

   Two feet that gladly run (point to feet)—

   Make happy days for everyone.

2. Sing “If You’re Happy” (Children’s Songbook, p. 266) and do the actions indicated by the words. Repeat with additional phrases such as those suggested at the bottom of the songbook page.

3. Have the children make a happy face, a sad face, an angry face, and a tired face. Explain that they can tell in words how they feel instead of crying or fussing. When we talk about our feelings we often feel better.