CHILDREN’S LESSON ACTIVITY. SATURDAY – SUNDAY prayer elevator. Children can move this boy or girl arrow up and down on their own prayer chart to remind them to pray every morning and night. The elevator door wordstrip moves with them as they think and say “I grow every day when I pray to Heavenly Father.”
USE FOR: COME FOLLOW ME, Primary and Home lessons, Family Home Evening, Activity Days, Sunday School, Bible Study
Little LESSON LIFESAVER Activity
SATURDAY – SUNDAY Prayer Elevator
OBJECTIVE: The lesson helps strengthen each child’s desire to pray to Heavenly Father as Jesus Christ did.
ACTIVITY: Sunday – Saturday Prayer Elevator
Elevator encourages children to pray to Heavenly Father every day, Sunday—Saturday. The child pulls the tab to slide the paper doll up the elevator seven times (once daily), pulling the full message written on the word-strip: “I grow each day when I pray to Heavenly Father.” Show the child how to move the arrow to the first day, then down to reveal the message at the end of the week.
Tell children, “We are all children of God. Our Heavenly Father loves us and He wants us to communicate with Him through prayer. Jesus told us that we must ‘pray unto the Father in my name’ (3 Nephi 18:19).
If we make a habit of praying to Heavenly father each day, we will get to know Him and He will get closer to us. As we live His commandments we will become more like Him each day. We can be like Jesus who prayed to Heavenly Father. This way we can feel close to God and receive His blessings. We can ask in faith for guidance and receive His help and blessings each day. This will make us happy.” (Point to the happy faces on the elevator children). READ MORE on lds.org/topics/prayer …
TO MAKE Print or copy, color, and cut out the visuals that follow for each child on cardstock paper. Glue head on word-strip where indicated. Cut slits on top and bottom of the elevator. Thread word-strip through the top and bottom slits in the elevator with the head at the top. Tape or glue strip ends together where indicated so the strip will move freely.
THOUGHT TREAT: Sunday—Saturday Mints. Say, “Heavenly Father “mint” (meant) for us to pray to Him each day.”
LESSON IDEAS (for the above activity):
Review the enrichment activity 3 (p. 170) in the manual for which the following activity illustrates.
*LESSON 34
We Can Pray to Heavenly Father
“Lesson 34: We Can Pray to Heavenly Father,” Primary 3 (1994), 166–70
Purpose
To strengthen each child’s desire to pray to Heavenly Father as Jesus Christ did.
Preparation
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Prayerfully study 3 Nephi 17 through 19.
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Prepare to sing or say the words to “I Thank Thee, Dear Father” (Children’s Songbook, p. 7).
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Prepare a sheet of paper for each child as follows:
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Materials needed:
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A pencil or crayon for each child.
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Picture 3-60, Girl Praying (62310); and picture 3-61, Jesus Praying with the Nephites (62542).
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Make the necessary preparations for any enrichment activities that you will be using.
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 Talk with Our Heavenly Father
We Can Thank Our Heavenly Father
We Can Ask Heavenly Father for Help
We Should Pray Often, As Jesus Christ Did
Summary
Enrichment Activities
Choose from the following activities those that will work best for your children. 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.”
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Recite the following poem, doing the actions. Then repeat it with the children, doing the actions.
We thank thee, God, for sunshine bright, (arms up, fingers touching to make a sun)
For birds that sing in morning light, (arms outstretched as birds flying)
For happy children everywhere, (smile)
And for Heavenly Father’s loving care. (head bowed, hands folded, as for prayer)
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Tell in your own words the following story of how a little boy’s prayer was answered.
An eight-year-old boy was on the operating table in a hospital. His parents had died, but he had learned to pray. He knew the operation was serious. He asked the doctor who was going to operate on him, “Doctor, before you begin to operate, won’t you pray for me?” The surgeon looked at the boy amazed and said, “Why, I can’t pray for you.”
Then the little fellow asked the other doctors who were helping, and they each replied in the same way. Then the boy said, “If you won’t pray for me, won’t you please wait while I pray for myself?” He got up on the operating table on his knees, folded his hands, and said, “Heavenly Father, I am only a little orphan boy, but I am awful sick and these doctors are going to operate. Please help them to do it right. And now, Heavenly Father, if thou wilt make me well, I will be a good boy. Thank you for making me well.”
When he finished praying, there were tears in the eyes of the doctors and nurses. The boy lay down on the table and said, “Now I am ready.” (Adapted from George Albert Smith, Sharing the Gospel with Others, sel. Preston Nibley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1948], pp. 144–45.)
THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITY is illustrated with the activity above (shown here)
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Make a one-week prayer chart for each child on one half of a piece of paper so that he can mark it morning and night when he says his prayers. On the other half of the paper, have each child draw a picture of himself praying. Invite each child to place his prayer chart in his home where he can see it and remember to mark it morning and night.
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Review with the children the first article of faith.