I Love My Brothers and Sisters

Purpose

To encourage each child to show love for his or her brothers and sisters.

Preparation

Prayerfully study Exodus 1:22–2:10.
With the approval of your Primary president, invite a mother to bring her baby to class. Ask her to talk about how she cares for the baby, including things that she and her family do to keep the baby safe. Encourage her to tell about the love she feels for her baby. If a mother with a baby is not available, you could invite a mother to come with pictures of her child as a baby.
Materials needed:
1. A Bible.
2. A baby doll.
3. Picture 1-2, Moses in the Bulrushes (Gospel Art Picture Kit 106; 62063); picture 1-13, Joseph Smith (Gospel Art Picture Kit 400; 62449).
Make the necessary preparations for any Enrichment Activities you want to use.

Note to the teacher: As you give this lesson, be sensitive to the feelings of children in your class who do not have any brothers or sisters.

Learning Activities

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Introduce the mother to the class and have her tell the children about her baby. Let the children ask the mother questions about the baby. Have the mother explain how excited the family was to have a new baby come into their home.

We can love our brothers and sisters

Do any of you have a baby brother or sister?

Let children who have a baby brother or sister talk about the baby and tell how their families prepared for a new baby.

Do any of you have older brothers or sisters?

Let the children talk for a few moments about their brothers and sisters. Remind the children that you talked in the previous lesson about how all families are different. Some people have lots of brothers and sisters, and some people have only a few or none at all. No matter how many brothers or sisters we have, we should love them and be kind to them.

Story

Show picture 1-13, Joseph Smith, and explain that the Prophet Joseph Smith, the first President of the Church, had a brother named Hyrum whom he loved very much. Hyrum and Joseph were good friends and helped each other throughout their lives. In your own words, tell the following story about a time when Hyrum helped Joseph:

When Joseph Smith was a young boy, he became seriously ill. He developed a very painful infection in his leg. His mother became sick from caring for him night and day and needed to rest. Joseph’s older brother Hyrum asked if he could take his mother’s place. Hyrum’s parents knew they could trust him to take good care of Joseph, so they agreed. Hyrum stayed by the side of his suffering brother almost continually for several days. He held Joseph’s leg between his hands, which was the only way he could relieve some of the terrible pain (see Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954], p. 55).

How do you know that Hyrum loved his brother Joseph?

Explain that one way we can show love for our brothers and sisters is by helping them.

We can help our brothers and sisters

How can you help your brothers and sisters?
How do your brothers and sisters help you?

Activity

Describe some actions that show how the children might react to their brothers and sisters. Have the children put their thumbs up if the action is a way of helping a brother or sister, and have them put their thumbs down if the action is not helping a brother or sister. You may want to use some of the following ideas:

Share your new toy with your sister.
Borrow your brother’s ball without asking his permission.
Help your sister pick up her toys.
Ask your brother for permission to play with his ball.
Refuse to play a game with your sister.
Be kind when your brother is sad.
Play with your sister when she is lonely.

We can help with our baby brothers and sisters

Explain that sometimes it is difficult when a new baby is born into a family because the baby takes a lot of the parents’ time and attention. Help the children understand that although parents may be busy with the new baby, they still love all their other children. Remind the children that a baby needs help with almost everything, while older children (such as those in your class) can do many things for themselves and for a baby brother or sister.

How could you help your parents with a baby brother or sister?

Activity

Show the children how to hold the baby doll carefully. Teach them a simple lullaby or sing “I Am a Child of God” (Children’s Songbook, p. 2) while they take turns holding the doll.

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.

Story

Explain that Moses had an older sister who loved him and helped him when he was a baby. Using picture 1-2, Moses in the Bulrushes, review the story of baby Moses, as found in Exodus 1:22–2:10. Emphasize how Miriam watched over her baby brother.

How did Miriam help baby Moses?

Testimony

Share your feelings about the importance of brothers and sisters helping and loving each other. If possible, share a personal childhood experience when you and your brother or sister helped each other. Remind the children that when we help our brothers and sisters we are showing our love for them. Express how grateful you are to Heavenly Father for placing us in families.

Enrichment Activities

Choose some of these activities to use during the lesson.

Give the children paper and crayons or pencils, and have them draw pictures of their brothers and sisters. Let the children take turns showing their pictures and talking about their brothers and sisters. Encourage the children to tell things they like to do with their brothers and sisters.
Obtain a baby picture of each child and have the children guess who each baby is. (Be sure to return the pictures to the parents undamaged.) Remind the children who have older brothers and sisters that their brothers and sisters helped take care of them when they were babies.
Sing or say the words to “Fun to Do” (Children’s Songbook, p. 253), using phrases such as “Rocking a baby is fun to do” or “Helping my sister is fun to do.” Improvise actions as suggested by the words.
Sing or say the words to the first verse of “When We’re Helping” (Children’s Songbook, p. 198), substituting sister or brother for mother, or sing the second verse of “A Happy Family” (Children’s Songbook, p. 198).
Bring a photograph of your own family and tell the children about your brothers and sisters. You may want to share some happy experiences you have had together.
Using props such as a baby doll, a small basket or box, a blanket, and a scarf, help the children act out the story of Miriam and baby Moses in the bulrushes.

Additional Activities for Younger Children

Place a small but easily recognized baby item into a bag or large sock. Have the children reach inside without looking and try to guess what the object is by touching it.
Sing or say the words to both verses of “A Happy Family” (Children’s Songbook, p. 198). While you sing, join hands and move in a circle with the children, or make up simple actions to fit the song.
Help the children do the actions to the following finger play while you say the words:

This is what the baby does:

Clap - clap - clap - clap (clap hands)!

This is what the baby does:

Peekaboo, I see you (play peekaboo with hands)!

This is what the baby does:

Creep - creep - creep - creep (make fingers “walk” in the air).

This is what the baby does:

Sleep - sleep - sleep - sleep (lean cheek against folded hands).
Help the children do the actions to the following activity verse while you say the words:

Little Baby Moses

Little Baby Moses had a boat for his bed (cup one hand and place forefinger of other hand in it).

His loving sister watched him through the grasses where she hid (peek through fingers of hand held across eyes).

One day a princess found him (lean forward, looking down) and took him in her arms (pretend to lift baby);

She said, “I’ll take this baby and keep him from all harm” (pretend to rock baby in arms).

(From Fascinating Finger Fun by Eleanor Doan. © 1951. Used by permission.)