Link to Sharing Time Outline 

Thoughts: I love to have children be the voice and share their stories about faith in their own lives.  With all my heart I believe that we need to teach our children how to reflect on their own lives and to share the principles that they have learned.

A few days a ahead of time I call the children in primary.  I like to split into groups and have the kids telling the stories rotate and the kids on the groups stay where they are.  I like to have no more than 5-7 kids per group.

I have each child to plan for a 1-2 min sharing (repeated for x number of groups).  I give the families a lot of flexibility.  I just told them that their child will need to share a story about how they chose the right, or a story where they had to make a choice and how they decided and what happened as a result.  They may bring a visual aide, write it down and read it off the paper or what ever  they feel comfortable doing.

I find that children sharing with children make the stories more real and developmentally appropriate since all the children are much more likely to experience something similar.

link to sharing time outline 

Thoughts:  In current research about faith and spiritual development in children it is important for children to know and internalize stories of faith.  And to liken them to their own lives.

This week I plan on having three children explain the scripture stories listed below.  I like to have children plan on doing this ahead of time.  Normally 1-2 days is enough time for families.  I like that each child learn the story at home and then is able to teach it to the class.  Normally in jr. primary I do need to help with the story.  I also encourage the child to bring a picture  to show to the class or an object to help with the retelling.

Identify Doctrine

1 Nephi 16:18–24, 30–32

1 Nephi 17:8, 17–18, 48–53

1 Nephi 18:9–21

Encourage Understanding:

After each story on the board I write what was the problem in the story (what needed to get fixed)

What were the choices that Nephi faced.  There is always more than one.  He could have always not done it.  Sometimes this is hard for the kids to understand that there is choice to not do anything.  Normally with the little kids I only try to get them to see two choices.  But the older kids are much better at seeing multiple choices.

What choice did Nephi Make?

Why is it important that Nephi made good choices?  What were the consequences of making good choices, what would the consequences have been if Nephi chose another option.  Like he did not go and look for food?

Nephi practiced making good choices.  Why is it important that we practice making good choices.  How can we practice making good choices?

Link to Sharing Time Outline

Thoughts while preparing this lesson.  The last few weeks I have been studying President David O. McKay’s teachings on agency.  I have thought and reflected on this years theme “Choose the Right”  and how important it is to teach our children to use their agency well.  And I have decided that for my lessons this month and for the rest of the year I will try to focus on how to teach children to see how they can become good agents for themselves and how they can learn how to act and not to be simply acted upon.

Identify Doctrine

The following scriptures are provided in the outline

Luke 10:38– 42 (Mary) and I will add Martha.  ( I think that the scriptural interpretation of Martha is too harsh)  That both picked a different way to serve, but that we have choice.

Matthew 4:18–20 (Peter and Andrew)

Acts 9:1–9, 17–20 (Paul)

Plan ahead of time to have some of the older children read or summarize the scripture or ask a few teachers to read.  I am planning on doing one story at a time to make it less confusing for the children.  It may be that one story takes up more time than the others.

Encourage Understanding:

I am planning on using my own version of the game of life for this month, but it would work just as well to use the “choice and consequences” stick from January.  The idea is that I want to emphasize that the people in this story had more than one choice and that they chose to act.

Example: Mary and Martha (props: cooking items; object lesson have some kids try to build something or cook something while trying to pay attention to the lesson)

Read Luke 10:38-42

Question: Who are the people in this story

Answer: Mary and Martha, and Jesus

Q: What was going on in the story?

Q: What was Mary doing when the story began?

Q: What was Martha doing?

Q: Why was Martha upset with Mary?  Do you think that you would be upset if you had to clean up and cook food and no one was helping you?  Back then cooking took a lot of work. It would take most of the day to make food for dinner.  What would have happened if there was no food for dinner?  Is cooking food a form of service?

Q: What did Jesus tell Mary and Martha?

Q: What could have been other ways that Mary and Martha could have both listened to Jesus and still made dinner?

Q: Is there anything that we can do to be better listeners to Jesus?  (helping share the work maybe).

Link to lesson

I saved this lesson for the Sunday before Valentine’s Day because I wanted the activity to be making Valentines.

I think this lesson does a great job of offering stories directly from the scriptures to choose from. Almost every nursery lesson I give has the same format: show a picture of a story from the scriptures, talk about it, ask some questions, go color!  And that is really easy to do here: Show a picture of the Christ giving the sermon on the mount, talk about what is happening in the story, ask how we can show love, go make Valentines!

The one thing I noted about all the lessons on love is to remember that everyone feels love in different ways. Using the 5 Love Languages as a guide some ways are:

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Quality Time
3. Receiving Gifts
4. Acts of Service
5. Physical Touch

So when guiding the conversation, I plan on making sure I give an example of each for the children to do as a way to show love to their families.

1. Saying “I love you.”
2. Playing with your family and friends.
3. Sharing toys, giving gifts
4. Helping clean up or with other chores
5. Giving hugs and kisses

I try to do this a lot because I think we have a tendency to downplay the love languages that we don’t speak ourselves: “Actions speak louder than words” except that for some people words are essential for them to feel love. “We’re going to give service for Christmas instead of gifts because it’s more meaningful” except that for some people, gifts are hugely important. It’s good practice to remember that love is felt differently for every person and each child in your class is going to respond to some of these more than others.

I might make a 5-piece puzzle of a heart, with each of the pieces containing a picture of each way to show love, for the kids to put together. Two year olds love puzzles!

And like I said above: end with coloring! I don’t do fancy handouts: I think I’m just going to draw some hearts on red construction paper and let them color them. Easy peasy!

Link to Lesson

Purpose: To held each child understand that we can choose the right because Heavenly Father gave us agency.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Want Us To Choose For Ourselves

The manual suggests starting out the lesson by having the children choose something, like a candy or a colored rock, from a bowl. This is something I’ll definitely be implementing in my CTR4 classroom. We have a tradition of snacking on Skittles in our primary class, and they end up being great tools for object lessons and positive reinforcement. My opinion is that unobtrusive, low-key treats like Skittles are appropriate for younger kids, though they may be distracting or ill-advised for older kids. My class always loves choosing the colors of Skittles that they like most, so I think this agency activity will be a good way for us to get going.

The Skittles activity (as I’ll refer to it — it can of course be done with other candies or with non-edible items as well) illustrates an important facet of agency: that we can choose not only between right and wrong, but between several options that are equally good. After all, when it comes to Skittles, there’s no right and wrong; there are only personal preferences. Life has many parallel instances where we need to make choices based on our own needs and situations, not necessarily based on moral rights and wrongs.

After each child has chosen their own Skittle(s), you as a teacher might want to talk about how they just used their agency to make a choice. You can explain that a choice means picking between different things you can do, deciding which thing you will do, etc. Talk about how, in this situation, they chose the Skittles they wanted depending on colors and flavors. All of their choices were great! You can ask the kids why they chose the ones they did. It might be a good idea to give other examples of times when there are many good choices, like choosing between movies to watch, choosing what shoes to wear, choosing different ways to help their family members at home, etc.

Tell the children that today, you’re going to learn about another kind of choice — choosing between right and wrong.

Agency and CTR

Between sharing times and in-class lessons over the past few weeks, “agency” and “CTR” will probably be familiar terms to the children in your class. You can review these ideas in whatever way is appropriate, depending on the age and size of your class.

This lesson, like last week’s, refers to the premortal existence and the Council in Heaven, stories and concepts that are central to our church’s understanding of life on earth. I love that the primary children get to have some insight into this incredibly daring and “grown-up” piece of doctrine through these lessons. This week’s outline mentions the dichotomy between Jesus’s and Lucifer’s plans for us — Jesus wanting to protect agency and be an example of righteous living, Lucifer wanting to “force everyone to keep the commandments” (as the lesson says).

I have vivid memories of learning about Jesus and Lucifer when I was a child. I’m not sure how many of you can relate, but in my youth, I remember feeling a lot of sympathy for Lucifer’s plan and for all the people who had chosen to follow it. It seemed like even though they chose the wrong path, they at least had a good intention: the desire that everyone, all of God’s children, would be able to return to Heaven and live together eternally. It seemed like a pretty good deal to me!  Since I remember having that experience when I was little, I’m going to make an effort in teaching this lesson to talk about how Jesus was following Heavenly Father’s plan, while Lucifer was presenting a different plan that would not have worked. I want to emphasize that agency is absolutely essential to God’s plan, because the whole point of being alive is making choices and learning from them. I’m not sure how much of this will sink in with four-year-olds, but it doesn’t hurt to try!

I’ll finish up this section of the lesson by talking about how Jesus wants us to make our own choices and that he came to earth so he could show us how to make right choices.

Activity — Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Because I teach the CTR4 class, I try to include attention-grabbing activities as much as possible. Lesson 5 gives a great activity where the kids give a thumbs up or a thumbs down to different choices — choosing to be reverent in church, choosing to be helpful, choosing to be mean to other kids, etc. I think the kids in my class will get a kick out of this. In order to keep Christ as the center of the lesson, I’ll frame the “thumbs up/thumbs down” activity as a “thumbs up” for the right choices that Jesus wants us to make and a “thumbs down” for the wrong choices that Jesus wishes we wouldn’t make.

Finishing Up — Repentance and Testimony

I’ve felt for a long time that no discussion of agency is really complete without a reference to repentance. After all, in our quests to choose the right, it is inevitable that we will sometimes choose the wrong, and as children of God, we need to know how to deal with our own failings. When it comes to 4-7 year olds, who haven’t yet reached the age of accountability, I’m not sure that thorough discussions of sin and repentance are really necessary. However, it’s important for kids to learn that (a) they will make mistakes and (b) when that happens, they need to say they’re sorry and try to do better next time. For this particular lesson, I think I’ll talk with the children about what to do when they make a mistake and how they always have a new choice to do what’s right. I’ll bear my testimony of how wonderful it is to have the gift of agency and that I’m so grateful we can become like our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother by working hard to do what’s right.

On the wall in the primary room for easy reference

Objective: to help the children understand the plan of salvation in a meaningful way

In an area training last year, Sister Jean Stevens counseled primary leaders in that region to focus on the plan of salvation. Cheryl’s ward did a 5th Sunday about the plan of salvation and put these large visual aids on the wall in their primary room, and now refer to them during most other sharing time lessons. They based their lesson on a simplified version the Plan of Salvation lesson from Preach my Gospel (leaving out references to paradise/spirit prison and judgment).  My sister recently taught a similar lesson in her ward.

Begin with the song I lived in Heaven, sing one verse at a time, stopping to go over the parts of it with the kids.

Place large visual aids on the floor to represent the premortal world, earth, the postmortal spirit world (paradise/spirit prison), and the celestial kingdom (the other kingdoms should be represented also, but might be smaller since they are not the main focus).

Gather some volunteers in the ‘premortal’ area. Explain that we were all there in the counsel in heaven before anyone came to Earth. Ask the primary “who chose to follow Jesus? If you followed Jesus, stand up!” (If anyone does not stand up, explain that everyone who comes to Earth chose to follow Christ at that time.) (My sister said that doing this part was a powerful spiritual moment for her primary.)

Have someone holding a hula hoop up between the premortal world and Earth. Have the volunteers go through in the order that they were born (if you have any parent/child groups in your primary they could be great for this part). As each person goes though the hula hoop representing birth, give them a cape or hat to put on, to represent their body.

Each volunteer next goes through a hula hoop representing death, taking off the cape or hat and leaving it on earth as they go to the “postmortal spirit world” area. Finally each volunteer goes through a hula hoop representing resurrection (putting the cape/hat back on) as they enter the Celestial Kingdom.

If you have a small primary, if it is possible for each child to go through the plan, that would be fantastic. Perhaps using a simplified version (without the cape or hula hoops) would make it possible for all the children to walk through the steps.

 Link to Lesson

Objective:  To help each child learn how to pray to Heavenly Father, and know that He will listen.

I think the biggest “take away” that I would hope to give the children though this lesson is that Heavenly Father hears their prayers.  I know that we Latter-day Saints can easily get caught up in the cultural aspects of prayer, what I often call the “works” part, such as whether we have closed our eyes or folded our arms, or if we’ve used the “proper” old English pronouns correctly, but regardless of these things I believe Heavenly Father hears every sincere prayer.

The Bible Dictionary is a good resource to read over for this lesson.  (It’s interesting to me that prayer is more a duty of the faithful rather than a commandment, and nothing about it is found among the list of interview questions for a temple recommend).  However, when we pray, we are commanded to pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

To me, the purpose of praying “in the name of Jesus Christ” is not so much that we are to end every prayer with that phrase as much as it is to be like-minded with Jesus Christ, and to pray as he would pray, to seek his understanding and to request those things that build up his kingdom and that bless others.  After all, the Hebrew meaning of our word “name” is shem, which seems to have more to do with a person’s character and authority than what we are called by our parents at birth. At our baptism we make a covenant that we will take upon us the character (name) of Jesus Christ and so our prayers are to be similar to the way Jesus would pray, if we are to learn to be like him. I think it’s useful then to teach children that our prayers should be as much about others, if not more so, as they are about ourselves just as Jesus Christ prayed to Heavenly Father more often for others than he did for himself.  Look over 3 Nephi 19 20-36 for a great example.  In this chapter, it’s significant that the Nephite disciples are commanded by Jesus Christ to pray in the name of Jesus Christ, which they do through their desire and earnestness.  Of course, this isn’t to say that we shouldn’t still conclude our prayers as we customarily do.

We can teach children that during times when we are worried or very concerned our prayers will seem to be mostly about ourselves, but that during those times we can at least begin our prayers expressing gratitude for the many blessings we have been given.

Lastly, I think it’s important to teach respect during prayers, kneeling whenever possible and practicable, but that they can (and should) pray silently in any position or in any place wherever they are.  Then they can more easily always have a prayer in their heart.

One of the things I love about Primary is that it’s incredibly forgiving. Kids are very patient with adults’ mistakes, and (for the most part) vice versa. It’s pretty rare that I find myself truly uncomfortable in Primary. Total acceptance is the norm.

However, there are a couple of things that I wish, wish, wish, I could make disappear from Primary forever.

One is sticking two fingers behind your head (“feathers”) as the hand signal for “Lamanites” in the song “Book of Mormon Stories.” Sheesh. In 2012, I can’t believe this still happens or that it passes as okay without any comment or notice in the vast majority of LDS Primaries. It’s a demeaning sign, and it should just go away. In our ward, we swapped it for the American Sign Language sign for “Lamanites,” which is a letter L held near your right ear. That, at least, has the advantage of not being saddled with a lot of racist baggage. (I also wish the song said that their “parents” came from far across the sea, since it would be a really short civilization if only the “fathers” came, but I guess I can’t have everything).

The other is playing “hangman” in Sharing Time or in class. Anyone who’s studied American history and has an inkling about the long history of lynching in America, and the decades-long struggle to end it, can no longer see a group of (usually white) children playing “hangman” without feeling a little ill. Need a substitute idea? Just make a “man.” You can still build a person, one piece at a time… just don’t string him up. That’s barbaric and there’s nothing gospel-promoting about it.

Some of you will no doubt think that I’m overreacting with either or both of these. But believe me, they send awful unintended messages to very impressionable young people, and insult the memory of disadvantaged groups in our collective past. And, they make some of us cringe every single time they happen. Sometimes, a gentle word, or just doing it a different way, is all that’s needed to make things a little less squirmy.

Link to Sharing Time Outline

These were some of my thoughts and inspirations leading up to my sharing time presentations. This might actually be more important than the actual sharing time outlines which follow. My study of the scripture stories made me realize that those who grew closer to God were those who acted. Those who grew away from God were those who were acted upon.

Elder Bednar (from General Conference, April 2010)
In the grand division of all of God’s creations, there are “things to act and things to be acted upon” (2Nephi 2:14). As children of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity and power of independent action. Endowed with agency, we are agents and we primarily are to act and not merely to be acted upon….
Giving a man a fish feeds him for one meal. Teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime. As parents and gospel instructors, you and I are not in the business of distributing fish; rather, our work is to help our children learn “to fish” and to become spiritually steadfast. This vital objective is best accomplished as we encourage our children to act in accordance with correct principles—as we help them to learn by doing…. (John 7:17)
Are you and I helping our children become agents who act and seek learning by study and by faith, or have we trained our children to wait to be taught and acted upon? Are we as parents primarily giving our children the equivalent of spiritual fish to eat, or are we consistently helping them to act, to learn for themselves, and to stand steadfast and immovable? Are we helping our children become anxiously engaged in asking, seeking, and knocking?

Definitions (from various online sources):
Agent– 1. One that acts or has the power or authority to act.
1: one that acts or exerts power
2a : something that produces or is capable of producing an effect : an active or efficient cause
Agency– 2: the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power

Junior Primary Outline

Review the agency stick from the sharing time booklet—try to pick up the “choice” end of the stick without getting the “consequences” end
We are free to choose (how or which stick to pick up), but we always have consequences.

Sometimes we can’t really see the consequences, but they can help us move closer to the Lord.

Steps to Jesus activity (from the sharing time booklet).
Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel Tell each part of their story, then move flannel board figures (Nephi & Laman) up or down the stairs to Jesus’s picture.
For example:

• Lehi’s family leaves Jerusalem (show picture). –both figures move up the steps
• Laman and Lemuel murmur because they don’t understand why. –Laman figure moves down.
• Nephi prays when he doesn’t understand. –Nephi moves up.
• Lehi’s sons go back to Jerusalem to get the brass plates. –both figures move up
• Laman and Lemuel say “We’ll never get the plates.” –Laman moves down
• Nephi says “It is the Lord sending us and He will help us get the plates.” –Nephi moves up.
• (continue as time permits)

Nephi and Laman and Lemuel DID a lot of the same things.
But did they all make good choices? Did they all get closer to the Lord?

There is a scripture that talks about the kind of choices that Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel made.
II Nephi 2:26 says that, because Jesus has redeemed all men
“They have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.”

What does it mean “to act for themselves”? Make a choice and do what you have decided.

• Nephi praying when he doesn’t understand why they need to leave Jerusalem
• Nephi getting the plates
• etc. depending on how far you got in the story

What does it mean “to be acted upon?” Be wishy-washy, or just react to what others do.

• Laman and Lemuel complaining (no action!)—about the brass plates, about the broken bow
• Laman and Lemuel only building the boat when the Lord made them do it.

Because we are children of God, He gave us the power to choose. We need to act and not to be acted upon.

Senior Primary Outline

Opposition in All Things

II Nephi 2—probably my favorite chapter in all of the scriptures—about the Plan of Happiness
v. 11—we need opposition. If there wasn’t bad, we wouldn’t have a choice between good and bad…. (This was what Satan wanted to do, but it wasn’t God’s plan for us….)
v. 13 “And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. “
v. 14 God created “things to act, and things to be acted upon.” Which category are we?
v. 26 Repeat from “they have become free forever….”

Let’s see what this looks like in some stories from the scriptures:
(Tell parts of these stories or others. You won’t have time for all of it. At each step, determine if the person was acting or being acted upon.)

Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel—see Junior primary notes.

•  Lehi’s family leaves Jerusalem. Laman & Lemuel murmur because they don’t understand why.
•  Nephi is obedient and prays when he doesn’t understand.
•  Lehi sends his sons back to get the brass plates. Laman & Lemuel say “We’ll never get the plates.”
•  Nephi says “It is the Lord sending us and He will help us get the plates.”
•  Laban won’t give them the brass plates, and he tries to kill them. Laman and Lemuel say “This will never work,” and they beat up Nephi.
•  An angel rescues Nephi from his brothers, and Nephi says “I’ll try again to get the plates.” The Lord helps him, and they take the brass plates back to their family.

Abinidi, Alma, and King Noah

• Because King Noah’s people are wicked, the Lord tells Abinidi to preach repentance. Abinidi does it.
• After awhile, the people brought Abinidi to King Noah, and repeated the prophecies. Noah was mad that Abinidi would say bad things about him, and puts Abinidi in prison.
• Noah’s wicked priests try to question Abinidi, “but he answered them boldly” (Mosiah 12:19).
• Noah wants to kill him, but Abinidi says “I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me” (Mosiah 13:4) and he keeps talking and no one can touch him.
• One of the priests named Alma believes Abinidi and pleads for Abinidi’s life to be spared.
• Alma is cast out, and he goes into hiding and writes down Abinidi’s words. (Mosiah 17:3-4)
• King Noah is worried about Abinidi’s words, and thinks maybe he should release him after all—but the wicked priests talk him out of it.
• Abinidi will not take back his words, so they burn him at the stake.

Now look at some examples closer to home (just have the children think about it, not call out answers):

• (example from one of the kids in my primary) If the puppy chews on your shoes, do you blame the puppy or realize you should have put your shoes out of reach?
•  When it’s your turn for the family night lesson, do you wait for your mom to tell you what to teach or do you think of something you’ve learned that you can share with your family?
• If your brother hits you, do you say “He made me mad!” and hit back? Or do you turn the other cheek because no one can “make” you angry?
• When you have a chore to do at home, do you do it voluntarily, or do you wait until your mother nags?
• Do you listen and ask questions about what you are reading in family scripture study or do you just sort of listen?
• If you don’t have family scripture study or family prayer, do you encourage and remind your parents to do it?

Heavenly Father has given us great power. Because we are children of God and have been blessed with the precious gift of agency, we have the capacity and power to act independently. We don’t let others determine our attitudes and actions. We know we can act and not be acted upon. We can make conscious choices instead of being wishy-washy or just reacting to others.

Share my testimony of agency

Link to Sharing Time Outline

Comments:  I like to have the children teach whenever possible.  I think it works best where there is a lot of short concepts to teach in one lesson.  I call the parents ahead of time to discuss the lesson, and then I always call Saturday afternoon/evening as a reminder.  I encourage the children to use pictures or other materials to help them feel comfortable giving a lesson

Identify Doctrine:   Briefly have 6 children discuss the following principles of the gospel listed below.  Have each child emphases  how a person can use his/her agency in each stage of the plan of happiness.

Encourage Understanding: After every child teaches sing the corresponding songs with the children:

Before I came to earth I lived in heaven (“I Lived in Heaven” [CS, 4]).

I chose to come to earth and receive a body (“I Am a Child of God” [CS, 2–3];

I will be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (“When I Am Baptized” [CS, 103];

I can prepare to go to the temple (“I Love to See the Temple” [CS, 95];

“Families Can Be Together Forever” [CS, 188]).

I will be resurrected (“He Sent His Son” [CS, 34–35]).