January 20, 2012

Opening Song: As a Child of God (2012 outline)
Closing Song: I Know My Father Lives (p5)

Program Song: I Am a Child of God (p2) - verses 3-4
Wiggle Songs: Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (p60) - Junior
                         Do As I'm Doing (p276) - Senior

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Identify the doctrine: I am a child of God. God is my Heavenly Father. He knows and loves me. He wants me to understand His words and follow His plan. He will bless me if I do His will. I can return to live with Him in the Celestial Kingdom one day.

Help the children understand it: (use for both Jr and Sr)

Tell the children to close their eyes and picture in their mind what you are going to describe to them. Then start with:

• “Imagine you are in a beautiful place. In this place there are beautiful green trees, lovely flowers growing. I can hear a stream off in the distance. If I’m quiet I can hear the birds singing in the trees. When I look around I notice that my family is all here in this beautiful place with me. I feel so happy when I see them. As I walk around I feel very peaceful and calm.” (general idea)
• Have them keep their eyes closed and then tell them “We don’t know exactly what it will be like to live with Heavenly Father again. But I know that it will be perfect and we will be filled with joy and love.” 
• Have them open their eyes. Tell them to raise their hands if they want to share how they think they will feel to live with Heavenly Father again.
• Tell them you are going to sing the 3rd verse of “I am a child of God”. This verse talks about living with Heavenly Father again.

Listening and Singing Experiences:

Junior Primary

I Am a Child of God

1. Sing verse 3 to the children. Have them listen for rhyming words (store-more).
2. Sing verse 3 with the children (tell them to sing what they remember). Have them listen for what word describes the blessings our Heavenly Father has for us (rich).
3. What does it mean "rich" blessings? We sing that our blessings are "in store", does that mean we go to a grocery store to get our blessings? What does it mean? 
4. Sing verse 3 with the children (again, they sing what they remember). Have them listen for what we need to do to return to Heavenly Father (do His will). Explain that doing His will means DOING what He tells us. Remind children that last week we learned about "understanding His words", review where we learn those things (prophet, scriptures, temple, families, Primary, blessings). 
5. Sing verse 3 and the chorus altogether.
6. Teach chorus in Japanese for Brody's homecoming.

Wiggle Song: Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (just to break it up, sing once)

I Know My Father Lives

1. Testify to the children that our Heavenly Father lives and loves them. They can know too by praying and asking for the Spirit to tell them it is true.
2. Sing verse 1 to children with flipchart. Have children listen for what the Spirit tells them (it is true). 
3. Invite children to sing verse 1 with me.
4. Sing verse 2 to children with flipchart. Have them listen for how we should live His plan (by faith). Also have them listen for what the Spirit tells them (that I can).
5. Sing song all the way through using flipchart.                   

Senior Primary

Wiggle Song: Do As I'm Doing

I Am a Child of God

1. "Help the children understand it" activity.
2. Sing verse 3 (no chorus). Listen for trouble spots, fix with mirror singing. Sing again.
3. Sing verse 4 (no chorus). Listen for trouble spots, fix with mirror singing. Sing again.
4. Show video and invite children to sing along to all 4 verses.
5. After video, learn first verse and chorus in Japanese.

I Will Follow God's Plan 

1. Ahead of time: place phrases on the board using magnets with corresponding picture.
2. Testify that our Heavenly Father's Plan is a plan of happiness. Living by His plan is how we can return to live with Him in the Celestial Kingdom. This is a song about that plan.
3. Sing the song to the children (invite them to sing along since they can read the words). Point to each phrase.
4. Practice singing, inviting the children to take away a phrase (leave the picture) each time. Use pitch leading.

Nursery (following singing time, go into Nursery and sing the following songs with them)

1. Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
2. Give Said the Little Stream
3. I Feel My Savior's Love
4. I Love to See the Temple
5. Families Can Be Together Forever
6. I Am a Child of God