USE FOR CHURCH or HOME
LESSON LIFESAVER Activity
CHOOSE THE RIGHT: Get Spiritual Strength
Sink-or-Swim Slideshow
OBJECTIVE: To teach the children that by keeping our covenants, we will develop spiritual strength. The lesson helps children learn that by keeping our covenants, we will develop spiritual strength. Review enrichment activity 3 (page 112) in the manual for which the following activity illustrates.
ACTIVITY: Sink or Swim slide-show
Tie in the story of Sampson from the lesson to the following. Tell children when we are baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we make promises, or covenants, to keep God’s commandments. By keeping the commandments we gain SPIRITUAL STRENGTH TO SWIM THE SEA OF LIFE. We can either sink or swim. If we make and keep righteous promises, we can swim safely back to our heavenly home. If we don’t keep the commandments, we sink into the depths of despair.
By making this pull-through puppet slideshow you can decide if an action will help you “sink” or “swim” safely. Take turns drawing and reading a wordstrip and then guess “sink” or “swim,” by pulling the puppet up or down.
TO MAKE. Print in color or black-and-white (to color) on cardstock paper. Cut slits in the top and bottom of water scene. Slide puppet through. Cut out the sink or swim wordstrips and place them facedown (to draw from).
THOUGHT TREAT Sailor’s Sandwich. Create a sandwich or half a sandwich for each child. Create a cheese sail by placing a slice of cheese on top (cut diamond shape) attached with a toothpick. Tell children that they can keep their spirit from drowning in the sea of life if they remember to keep their baptismal covenants. Read Mosiah 18:8–10.
YOUTH CAN TEACH using this LESSON 25 Samson from the Primary 6 Old Testament manual.
. . . Review the enrichment activity 3* (below), for which the above activity illustrates.
*Enrichment ACTIVITY 3:
Remind the children that Samson made a covenant with the Lord but did not keep it.
What covenants did you make with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when you were baptized? (See Mosiah 18:8–10.) Download the Baptism Promises to Serve match game (HERE or below).
Discuss how keeping these covenants will help us be spiritually strong. You might want to point out that the children will also make covenants when they go to the temple, that making and keeping these covenants provide great spiritual strength in our lives, and that the children can prepare now for this great blessing by keeping the covenants they have already made.
SCRIPTURE CARDS: Help children Search and Ponder this scripture card by filling in the blanks. PRINT this 5 x 7 scripture card from the pdf included with the above activity. You can punch the two holes on the left and tie a ribbon to attach cards or use two metal rings to connect cards.
Judges 14:5-6 “Samson . . . came to the vinyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young
__ __ __ __ roared against him. And the
__ __ __ __ __ __ of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand.”
Judges 15:1-14 “They bound him with two new
__ __ __ __ __ . . . and the spirit of the Lord came mightly upon him . . . and bands [were] loosed.”
WORDSTRIPS TO DRAW FROM to see which action helps you SINK or SWIM
(included in the pdf with the visuals)
| TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS
Sink or Swim? |
DON’T OFFER TO HELP SOMEONE
Sink or Swim? |
| SWEAR
Sink or Swim? |
WALK AWAY FROM UNWHOLESOME
Sink or Swim? |
| READ SCRIPTURES
Sink or Swim? |
SHOW ENVY, JEALOUSY, OR GREED
Sink or Swim? |
| COPY A FRIEND’S HOMEWORK
Sink or Swim? |
BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH
Sink or Swim? |
| CALL OR VISIT GRANDPARENTS
Sink or Swim? |
GOSSIP ABOUT SOMEONE
Sink or Swim? |
| RETURN WHAT YOU BORROWED
Sink or Swim? |
SAY KIND WORDS
Sink or Swim? |
| HELP SOMEONE IN NEED
Sink or Swim? |
STICK UP FOR SOMEONE BEING BULLIED
Sink or Swim? |
| IGNORE SHY KIDS AT SCHOOL
Sink or Swim? |
TAKE ITEMS WITHOUT PAYING
Sink or Swim? |
| OBEY PARENTS TO DO GOOD
Sink or Swim? |
VOLUNTEER TO DO CHORES
Sink or Swim? |
| USE GOD’S NAME IN VAIN (swearing)
Sink or Swim? |
LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHER AND STUDY
Sink or Swim? |
| TAKE THINGS WITHOUT ASKING
Sink or Swim? |
SMOKE, DRINK, OR USE DRUGS
Sink or Swim? |
| KEEP THE SABBATH DAY HOLY
Sink or Swim? |
LOVE AND SERVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
Sink or Swim? |
| BEAR FALSE WITNESS (tell a fib lie)
Sink or Swim? |
FOLLOW THE RULES
Sink or Swim? |
| HAVE CLEAN THOUGHTS
Sink or Swim? |
DON’T OBEY THE RULES
Sink or Swim? |
| SPEND TITHING MONEY
Sink or Swim? |
DO SOMETHING WRONG TO FIT IN
Sink or Swim? |
| GO TO CHURCH
Sink or Swim? |
MAKE VISITORS FEEL UNWELCOME
Sink or Swim? |
| FORGET TO PRAY
Sink or Swim? |
PRAY FOR SOMEONE IN NEED
Sink or Swim? |
| THANK SOMEONE FOR KINDNESS
Sink or Swim? |
DARE OTHERS TO BREAK RULES
Sink or Swim? |
| PRAY FOR SOMEONE IN NEED
Sink or Swim? |
KEEP YOUR ROOM/HOUSE CLEAN
Sink or Swim? |
