Primary
Lesson 22: I Can Do Many Things

“Lesson 22: I Can Do Many Things,” Primary 1 (2000), 71–73

“Lesson 22,” Primary 1, 71–73

Lesson 22

I Can Do Many Things

Purpose

To help each child know that as children of Heavenly Father we each can do many things.

Preparation

  1. Prayerfully study 1 Samuel 17.

  2. Contact the parents of each child in the class to find out one thing the child can do well or is learning to do.

  3. Prepare pieces of paper with simple instructions, such as clap hands, count to three, walk around the room, jump, draw a circle (on the chalkboard or a piece of paper), stand on one foot, fold arms, or point to something that is blue. Have at least as many pieces of paper as there are children in the class. Be aware of children in your class who have disabilities, and be sure to include things they can do.

  4. Write the name of each child on a separate piece of paper.

  5. Materials needed:

    1. A Bible.

    2. A small fishing pole (optional; see lesson 11).

    3. A container to hold names (optional).

    4. Picture 1-5, Family with a Baby (62307); picture 1-10, Family Prayer (62275); picture 1-38, Children Playing with a Ball; picture 1-50, I Can Dress; picture 1-51, A Family Working Together (62313); picture 1-52, David Slays Goliath (Gospel Art Picture Kit 112; 62073).

  6. 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

Fold the pieces of paper with the children’s names and place them in a container or on the floor. Have a child use the fishing pole or his or her hand to pick one of the pieces of paper. Ask the child whose name is drawn to stand next to you. Tell the class something this child can do well or is learning to do. Repeat until each child has had a turn to choose a name and you have told something about each child. Congratulate the children for what they can do and are learning to do.

Our bodies can do many things

Song

Sing “I Am a Child of God” (Children’s Songbook, p. 2) with the children.

I am a child of God,

And he has sent me here,

Has given me an earthly home

With parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with him someday.

  • Who is the father of your spirit?

  • Who sent you here to earth to get a body?

Review with the children that Heavenly Father planned for us to come to earth to get bodies. Explain that he wants us to learn to do many things with our bodies and wants us to use our bodies in the right ways so we can become like him.

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

Show picture 1-5, Family with a Baby.

  • What do you think this baby can do?

Ask the following questions or similar ones to point out how many things the children have learned to do since they were babies.

  • Can a baby walk?

  • Can a baby talk?

  • Can a baby feed itself?

  • Can a baby dress itself?

  • Can a baby do a somersault?

  • Can a baby sing songs?

  • Can a baby ride a tricycle?

Explain that the children are growing and that they will learn to do many more things. One at a time, show pictures 1-10, 1-38, 1-50, and 1-51. Let one child hold a picture while the other children explain what is happening in the picture. After the children respond, praise them for the things they recognized that our bodies can do.

Activity

Let each child choose a piece of paper with an instruction written on it. Read the instruction aloud and have the child do what it says. Let each child have a turn.

  • What are you learning to do now?

  • What do you want to learn to do when you grow bigger?

Tell the children that you are thankful to Heavenly Father that we have bodies that can do so many things.

Heavenly Father can help us do many things

Tell the children that sometimes we are asked to do things that are difficult.

  • What have you tried to do that was hard?

  • Who can help us learn to do these things? (Parents, brothers and sisters, teachers.)

  • To whom can we pray for help when we have to do something that is hard? (Heavenly Father.)

Explain that Jesus Christ can also help us when things are hard to do.

Story

Display picture 1-52, David Slays Goliath, and tell the story of David and Goliath, as found in 1 Samuel 17. Explain that Jesus helped David do a difficult thing.

Testimony

Express how thankful you are to Heavenly Father for your body and the many things it can do. Encourage the children to ask Heavenly Father to help them use their bodies to do good things.

Enrichment Activities

Choose some of these activities to use during the lesson.

  1. With the children, sing “Do As I’m Doing”/ (Children’s Songbook, p. 276) or “Fun to Do” (Children’s Songbook, p. 253) and do appropriate actions. Let the children suggest actions for additional verses.

  2. Give the children paper and crayons and let each child draw one or more things he or she can do. Write I can do many things on each child’s paper.

  3. Help the children decide on something they can do at home to help someone, such as set the table, sweep the floor, or feed a pet. Remind them to tell their parents about it after Primary so their parents can help them remember to do it.

  4. Repeat some of the appropriate activities in lessons 16 through 20.

Additional Activities for Younger Children

  1. Have the children stand and sing the following words 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!

    Let the children talk about the things they have learned to do since they were babies.

  2. Demonstrate an action such as hopping, clapping, or jumping, and ask the children to name what you are doing. Then have the children do the same action. Give each child a turn to demonstrate an action. Have the other children tell what the action is and then imitate it.