PRIMARY & Home Come Follow Me Activities – JULY (week 5) New Testament “The Lord Has Called Us for to Preach the Gospel“ with Scripture Scholars bookmarks & pop-ups – Acts 16-21

Help the children act out Acts 16:25–34 as you summarize the account of Paul and Silas sharing the gospel in prison (see also “Chapter 61: Paul and Silas in Prison,” in New Testament Stories, 158–60, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Explain that missionaries today also teach people about Jesus and help them prepare to be baptized.

Create missionary name tags for the children to wear, and help them write their names on the tags.
DOWNLOAD My Testimony page and missionary name tag (HERE, shown right)
DOWNLOAD I belong to The Church … name badge (Ages 1-5 HERE or below)
Teach the children simple statements of doctrine that they can share with others, such as “I am a child of God,” “God speaks through a living prophet,” or “Jesus Christ is our Savior.” Remind the children that we don’t have to have a missionary name tag to share the gospel with others.

How can you help the children be like Paul and share with others what they are learning about the gospel?

Help one of the children read the phrase “They … searched the scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). Invite the children to point to each day of the week on a calendar as they repeat this phrase with you. Sing together a song that teaches about the blessings of reading the scriptures, such as “Search, Ponder, and Pray” (Children’s Songbook, 109).

To teach the children that the scriptures testify of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, help them turn to a chapter in the scriptures, like Acts 17 or 18, and find words like God, Lord, or Jesus. (You may want to mark these words beforehand so the children can find them more easily.) Each time the children find one of these words, invite them to share something they know about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

OLDER CHILDREN

All of the prophets testify of Jesus Christ. How can you teach the children to find Him in the scriptures, even when He isn’t mentioned by name?

Invite the children to repeat the phrase “We are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29), and explain that offspring means children. Bear your testimony to each child, one by one, that he or she is a child of God. Invite them to share how they feel about their Heavenly Father.

Show pictures of children with their families (if possible, include pictures of the children in your class). Ask the children to point to the parents in the pictures. Explain that we are the children of our mothers and fathers, and all of us are also spirit children of our heavenly parents.

Sing a song about Heavenly Father, such as “I Know My Father Lives” (Children’s Songbook, 5).
DOWNLOAD I Know My Father Lives song visuals (HERE). With help from the children, write words or draw pictures (SHOWN IN VISUALS HERE) on the board that represent things we learn about Heavenly Father from the song.

Read to the children these words from Acts 17:27: “He be not far from every one of us.” Talk about times when you have felt close to Heavenly Father, and invite the children to do the same.

How can you help the children remember that they are children of God?