Lesson 27

I Can Help Others Be Happy by Sharing

Purpose

To encourage the children to help others feel happy by sharing with them.

Preparation

1. Prayerfully study Mark 6:30–44 and John 6:1–13.

2. Prepare a small treat for each child and yourself. If it is fast Sunday, choose something besides food for the treat and adjust the lesson as necessary.

3. Prepare to sing or say the words to the third verse of “‘Give,’ Said the Little Stream” (Children’s Songbook, p. 236). The words to this song are included at the back of the manual.

4. Materials needed:

   1. A Bible.

   2. Several items that can be shared, such as a ball, a book, and an orange. Place these items in a paper or cloth bag.

   3. Picture 2-47, Feeding the Five Thousand (62143); picture 2-48, Jumping Rope (62523); picture 2-49, Boys Sharing a Cookie; picture 2-50, Children Sharing Blocks.

5. Make the necessary preparations for any enrichment activities you want to use.

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Follow up with the children if you encouraged them to do something during the week.

We Can Share

Attention activity

One at a time, show each of the items you have brought in the paper or cloth bag, and discuss it using the following questions:

• How many people can enjoy this (name of item) if I use it by myself?

• How many people can enjoy it if I share it?

• What are ways I could share it?

Discussion

After you have discussed all the items with the children, ask:

• What do you have that you could share with someone else? How could you share it?

Encourage the children to name specific items and tell whom they could share them with and how they could share them.

If the children have not already mentioned these things, suggest that we can also share our time, our talents, and the gospel.

• How can we share our time?

• How can we share our talents?

• How can we share the gospel?

Jesus Christ Taught Us to Share

Scripture story and discussion

Show the Bible and explain that it contains a story about a young boy who helped Jesus Christ and many other people by sharing. Tell the story found in John 6:1–13 (see also Mark 6:30–44). Show picture 2-47, Feeding the Five Thousand, at an appropriate time.

• How many loaves and fishes did the young boy have? (See John 6:9.)

• How many people do you think five loaves and two fishes would feed?

• How many people did Jesus Christ feed? (See John 6:10.)

Help the children understand that this was a large number of people. Compare the people who were fed to a group of around five thousand people that is more familiar to the children (for example, “Jesus fed as many people as there are in our town,” or “Jesus fed as many people as would fit in the local stadium”).

Explain that the boy could have eaten the food himself. But because he was willing to share, the Savior performed a miracle that helped thousands of people.

• How do you think the people felt when the boy shared?

• How do you think the young boy who shared felt?

Song

Sing or say the words to the third verse of “‘Give,’ Said the Little Stream.”

Remind the children that Jesus Christ has shared many things with us and wants us to share with other people.

We Can Make Ourselves and Others Happy by Sharing

Picture discussion

Tell the children that just as the young boy in Jesus’ time found a way to share, we can also find many ways to share and help others be happy. Show the pictures of children sharing (2-48, 2-49, and 2-50), one at a time, and ask the following questions for each picture:

• What are the children in this picture doing?

• What are they sharing?

• How do you think they feel about sharing? Why?

Child participation

Allow the children to talk about times when they have shared and how they feel when they share.

Point out that when we share, not only do we help others feel happy, but we feel happy too.

Praise the children if they have shown a willingness to share; then discuss with them the good feelings that sharing can give to everyone. Emphasize that sharing can give us happy feelings.

Story

Tell a story about a child who was happy and made others happy because he or she shared. You may want to use the following story:

David had a new box of crayons and was coloring a beautiful picture when his mother brought his little sister into the room. Mother asked David to share his crayons with Allison and help her color. David did not want to share. Allison did not color very well, and he was afraid she might break one of his crayons. He gave her a color he did not like very much.

Soon David needed the crayon he had given to Allison, so he tried to take it back. Allison started to cry. David felt bad for making his sister cry, and he realized that she liked to color too, even if she didn’t do it very well yet. David looked at his crayons and decided there were plenty for both of them to use. He let Allison pick a color, and she colored happily on her piece of paper. David was happy too. (Adapted from Marjorie A. Parker, “Inside the Lines,” Friend, Feb. 1993, pp. 28–29.)

• Why was Allison happy?

• Why was David happy?

Summary

Activity

Show the treats you have brought.

• How would you feel if I kept these treats all to myself?

• What would Jesus want me to do with the treats?

Divide the treats between two children, and ask them:

• What would Jesus want you to do with your treats?

Have the two children divide what they have with everyone in the class. Tell the class how you feel about sharing and how you would have felt if you had kept the treats all to yourself.

Ask the two children who divided the treats to tell how they felt about sharing the treats, and then invite the rest of the children to tell how they felt to have the treats shared with them.

Testimony

Testify to the children that sharing brings happiness. You may want to tell about a time when sharing made you happy.

Encourage each child to share something with someone this week.

Invite a child to give the closing prayer. Remind the child to ask Heavenly Father to help the children be willing to share.

Enrichment Activities

Choose from the following activities those that will work best for the children in your class. You can use them in the lesson itself or as a review or summary. For additional guidance, see “Class Time” in “Helps for the Teacher.”

1. Tell the children that as a church we have an article of faith that says we believe in being benevolent. Being benevolent means that we share with other people and do other kind acts that show our love for them. Help the children memorize part of the thirteenth article of faith: “We believe in being … benevolent.”

2. Sing or say the words to “A Prayer” (Children’s Songbook, p. 22). Remind the children that Heavenly Father has given us many wonderful blessings and he is happy when we share our blessings with others.

   Father in Heaven, on this lovely day

   Please help me be happy and kind as I play.

   Help me to always be honest and fair.

   Help me with others my blessings to share.

3. Bring salt dough for the children and help them each make an item they like to share with their friends or family members (a salt dough recipe can be found on page 43).

4. Show a container of pencils or crayons. Explain that you have only one container of pencils or crayons, but you would like all the children to draw pictures. Give the container to a child.

   • What can (name of child) do with the crayons (or pencils) so that everyone can draw?

   Give each child a piece of paper, and have the children share the crayons or pencils and draw pictures of themselves sharing.

5. Have the children pantomime being missionaries (knocking on doors, reading scriptures, teaching, and doing other missionary activities).

   • What do missionaries share?

   • How do you think missionaries feel when they share the gospel with others?