Gospel Principles for Kids Lesson 11: The Life of Christ

The Life of Christ

This is a great lesson in the manual. Click here for the full lesson. However, I felt like one lesson to cover the life of Christ was not going to work for our family. I decided we'd do a timeline of the life of Christ. I found some great New Testament timeline cards on this website. There are 3 sets. Birth to Zacchaes, Holy Week, Empty Tomb to Ascension. If you click on them it will automatically download them. I also have them in a single email if you want to contact me with subject: New Testament Timeline Cards. It states these can be used for classroom or personal use.

Here is the website again for those who don't like links: http://catholicblogger1.blogspot.com/2009/11/birth-of-jesus-to-ascension-cards.html

I found a white roll of craft paper at walmart in the craft aisle that is like 3 'x 30' for $3 or $4 that we'll cut and put the pictures up on as we talk about the events in His life.  We'll also try to cover the topics put forward in the manual as we talk about His life.

I liked the artist depictions so also found this book on Amazon:

There is a companion volume entitled The Parables of Jesus for kids. 

So we're taking a break from the manual while we do this. Sorry for those who are following along. Hopefully we'll be back soon!

Gospel Principles for Kids Lesson 10: Scriptures

Scriptures

We had a good time with this lesson. I pulled out all the scriptures that we use in our family scripture reading as well as some flannel board stories. The kids were excited when the saw all of those things. 

The Scriptures Are Available to Us Today

I showed them a map of the world and talked about how God speaks to people in every land because we are all His children and He loves everyone. I showed them where the Bible was written, then the Book of Mormon. We then talked about Joseph Smith and how he also kept a record of revelation from God and it is called the Doctrine and Covenants. I pointed out to them the areas where that record was written. 

2 Nephi 29:11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

I then asked the kids what their favorite scripture story is and we took turns telling our favorite stories from the scriptures.  

I ended with my testimony about why we have scriptures and reminded them of the story of Lehi sending his sons back to wicked Jerusalem for scriptures and how if we want to know what God wants us to do we need to study and learn from the scriptures.  They are our guide back to Him.

Quoted material, titles and headings come from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gospel Principles manual. Scripture and pictures come from lds.org. Click here for the full lesson.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Discussion

We have been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory together with our kids.  Decided to make it a Family Home Evening discussion on character and why Willy Wonka could trust Charlie with his factory.  We will also discuss what would make Wonka not want to trust the other children.  Update: We then likened this to how Heavenly Father wants to give us all that He has and how we can earn His trust.

We will start with coloring this picture which is perfect aside from Mike Teavee missing a few pistols.

Then we'll discuss the characters, using the scenarios from the chart below.

I'll try to include questions along the way such as "Can you think of a time when a movie or show became more important than someone in your family?" or "Can you think of a time when winning became more important than a friend or someone in your family?"

We'll end with the question, which kid do you want to be like and why and hope the lesson sank in.. :)

Update: This turned out to be a super cool lesson on the plan of salvation. In the end we talked about who you would trust with your whole chocolate factory and who you wouldn't and why. We then talked about how Heavenly Father wants to give us all that He has too, so how can we show Him that He can trust us with it?

Gospel Principles for Kids Lesson 9: Prophets of God

Prophets of God

Prophets Are God’s Representatives on the Earth

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

I used this picture to explain how God calls prophets in each time period and that is how he speaks to his children.  Here is the link for the original picture: http://www.mormonshare.com/lds-clipart/lds-dispensations-handout-2

Then I used information from these two links for stories and pictures of the latter-day prophets.

http://intheleafytreetopsthebirdssing.blogspot.com/2012/03/latter-day-prophets.html

https://www.lds.org/friend/2001/02/sharing-time-president-gordon-b-hinckley-is-our-prophet-today?lang=eng

I used the pictures from the first link and put them inside the inner wheel for my illiterate children (if you use it, good luck sizing it ;).  I also put a picture of President Monson and a picture representing listening/following spiritual promptings just on the front of the wheel.

Quoted material, titles and headings come from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gospel Principles manual unless otherwise noted. Click here for the full lesson.

Gospel Principles for Kids Lesson 8: Praying to Our Heavenly Father

Praying to Our Heavenly Father

Prayer is a sincere, heartfelt talk with our Heavenly Father. As we pray to our Heavenly Father, we should tell Him what we really feel in our hearts, confide in Him, ask Him for forgiveness, plead with Him, thank Him, express our love for Him.

We did this prayer craft and then played prayer bingo to talk about the how, when, why, for whom, and for what.  It was a big hit at our house and we wished we weren't short on time. I kept the calling cards in their columns and we did one from each column before starting back with the first and talked about them while finding them on our cards. :)

Praying kids printable craft

Prayer Bingo Cards

For younger kids an activity that also works well is to put pictures of eyes, ears, arms, head, mouth, and knees into a bag or bowl and let the kids draw them out and then tell the group what these parts should be doing when praying.

There are so many wonderful stories about prayer in the Friend magazine archives.  I like this video and if you have time, a few stories would be great too.  Here is my favorite (but we didn't get to it): https://www.lds.org/friend/2003/07/miracle-of-the-fishes.

Quoted material, titles and headings come from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gospel Principles manual unless otherwise noted. Click here for the full lesson.

Gospel Principles for Kids Lesson 7: The Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost

http://www.singplayeat.com/sing-2/the-holy-ghost-105/

I asked one of my kids to share the first article of faith which she recently learned to start us off.  We then discussed this section from the manual:

Attributes of the Holy Ghost

• How does the Holy Ghost differ from the Father and the Son? Why is that difference important to us?

The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead. He is a “personage of Spirit”. He can be in only one place at a time, but His influence can be everywhere at the same time.

Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are called the Godhead. They are unified in purpose. Each has an important assignment in the plan of salvation. Our Heavenly Father is our Father and ruler. Jesus Christ is our Savior. The Holy Ghost is the revealer and testifier of all truth.

The Holy Ghost is our Heavenly Father’s messenger and is a special gift to us.

The Mission of the Holy Ghost

The mission of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son and of the truth of all things.

I got most of my ideas from a year of fhe.  I like this poster and the way she illustrates the three things.

1. For "Comforts Us" we used the example from A Year of FHE.  I asked my girls what we do to comfort them and we get my daughter's blanket and stuffed animal and give her hugs and hold her.  The Holy Ghost helps us feel better inside, warm, peaceful, safe, etc.

2. For "Guides Us" we read this story from the friend about President Harold B Lee when he was a boy.  I felt the spirit both times I read this story and was glad I shared it.  I also shared a story from this link that is a great reference for this lesson, especially if you have older kids!!  You can talk about all the roles of the Holy Ghost instead of summarizing it with just 3.

3. For "Testifies of Truth" I used the example from A Year of FHE, but used hot chocolate under a fabric napkin.  I let my kids smell it and feel the warmth of the cup and told them what was under there.  I then explained that the hot chocolate is like Heavenly Father or Jesus and I am like the Holy Ghost.  Not very many people have seen them with their own eyes but we can know they are real just like they can trust me when I testify that I am holding hot chocolate.

Then again from the manual, the Holy Ghost will witness to us that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. He will reveal to us that our Heavenly Father is the Father of our spirits. He will help us understand that we can become exalted like our Heavenly Father.  The prophets of the Lord have promised, “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things”.

• What are some of the truths that the Holy Ghost reveals to us?

I then bore my testimony and talked about how I know the things in my testimony are true personally because of the witness of the Holy Ghost.

Then we watched this video.  My girls don't know this song yet, so it worked well to introduce it here.

There is a series by the Mormon Channel called Power of the Holy Spirit with 5 segments.  This one is about how the Holy Ghost feels or communicates with different people.  I love the quotes from apostles that are mixed in.

Further reading on helping your children feel and recognize the Holy Ghost individually:
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/12/helping-children-recognize-the-holy-ghost?lang=eng

Quoted material, titles and headings come from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gospel Principles manual unless otherwise noted. Click here for the full lesson.

Gospel Principles for Kids Lesson 6: The Fall

The Fall of Adam and Eve

The Garden of Eden
• Under what conditions did Adam and Eve live in the Garden of Eden?

Adam and Eve were in a terrestrial state in the Garden of Eden. They still were not in a position to learn about opposites, because everything was good!
I used this mini book to summarize the story of the fall.

Adam and Eve’s Separation from God
• What physical and spiritual changes occurred in Adam and Eve as a result of their transgression?

Because Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the Lord sent them out of the Garden of Eden into the world. As God had promised, they became mortal. They and their children would experience sickness, pain, and physical death.

Because of their transgression, Adam and Eve also suffered spiritual death. This meant they and their children could not walk and talk face to face with God. Adam and Eve and their children were separated from God both physically and spiritually.

Great Blessings Resulted from the Transgression:
• How does the Fall provide opportunities for us to become like our Heavenly Father?

I think the following is great background information as you give the lesson, but I would summarize with the graphic above from the Old Testament Resource Manual:

Some people believe Adam and Eve committed a serious sin when they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, latter-day scriptures help us understand that their Fall was a necessary step in the plan of life and a great blessing to all of us. Because of the Fall, we are blessed with physical bodies, the right to choose between good and evil, and the opportunity to gain eternal life. None of these privileges would have been ours had Adam and Eve remained in the garden.

After the Fall, Eve said, “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed [children], and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient” (Moses 5:11).

The prophet Lehi explained:

“And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen [been cut off from the presence of God], but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created. …

“And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

“But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:22–25).

I also used this worksheet:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3uNEVAAKowpMy1mVGFzZHpOX28/edit

and this from a Mary Ross FHE book:

Quoted material, titles and headings come from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Gospel Principles manual unless otherwise noted. Click here for the full lesson.