(Friend Oct. 2004, suggestion # 2) |
Help the children understand that prophets strengthen our families by showing us how to follow Jesus Christ and walk in His light.
Ask a child to leave the room while you hide a picture of a home.
Invite the child back in, and ask him or her to go "home."
Tell the child there is someone who knows the way and can help.
Turn off the lights, give another child a flashlight, and have him or her guide the "lost child" to the "home" by shining the light on the floor.
Teach the children that even though we need physical light, spiritual light is even more important.
Our prophets teach us how to walk in our Savior's light.
Sing "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" (p. 177).
Our latter-day prophets have taught the importance of families. Just as the flashlight helped to light the way to the picture of the home, our prophet's counsel becomes the tool we need to build up our homes and strengthen our families each day.
Cut a picture of a family into puzzle pieces, and write counsel given from our prophets on each piece.
See recent conference issues and "Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice."
Then attach the pieces to tools used for building (flashlight, screwdriver, yardstick, measuring tape, pliers, wrench, and so on), and display them on a table.
Divide the Primary into groups, and have a child from each group choose a tool.
Ask the groups to discuss how the prophet's counsel can be like a tool to build our families and be prepared to:
say what they can specifically do to follow the counsel and
suggest a song or hymn that reinforces the counsel.
One at a time, have them place their puzzle pieces on the board, and report and sing.
Younger children could "show" what they can do to follow the counsel.
Testify that just as we have talked about and shown ways to live and follow our prophet's counsel in Primary, we can build our own homes on the teachings of Jesus and strengthen our families as we follow the prophet. Encourage the children to share in family home evening what they have learned.