parts 1 and 2
YOUTH CAN TEACH HAPPINESS
HAPPY New Year Activities to Make Learning Fun
” … a state of happiness which hath no end.” Mormon 7:7
HAPPINESS Activities YOUTH CAN TEACH:
• HAPPY Family (#1-5 Activities)
• HAPPY Service (#6-11 Activities)
PARTS 3-4 (see the following page HERE)
YOUTH CAN TEACH, so please let them teach. The best way they can learn to teach is to know they have to explain it to someone. This way their testimony grows and their love for sharing the gospel increases.
“Our prophets and apostles know they can do it, says Steven J. Lund, Young Men General President. The Savior knows that they can do it. And we know they can do it—because they have you to mentor them, to guide them.” See Segment 3: Adult Youth Leaders (HERE)
Leaders, parents, and YOUTH CAN TEACH using these teaching tools to be ready to teach anytime at CHURCH or HOME. Start here, or visit the A-Z Index and our COME FOLLOW ME lesson-match activities to give YOUTH more to teach. Youth can also use our goal activities and singing time song visuals and activities to teach, and more.
Start with these 26 lesson activities on HAPPINESS. Enjoy!
Part 1
HAPPY Family
Activities 1-5
HOW CAN WE BE A GOOD EXAMPLE TO OUR FAMILY?
YOUTH CAN TEACH about HAPPY and sad decisions by reading actions on camping items. Then place the items under the HAPPY CAMPER, or SAD CAMPER backpacks. For example, the fire logs “You can warm up a family by saying kind words” should be placed next to the HAPPY Campers backpack.
ACTIVITY:
1. Tell the story of a family camping in the mountains when a snowstorm occurs. The family couldn’t see the trail back to the campsite. So, the father told his family to watch where he walked. Making a trail with his heavy boots, the father was able to lead his family back to safety.
Tell the children or youth that we can all lead our families (and friends) as the father did by being good examples and making correct choices. Notice the boots in the activity reads “When your trail of life gets hard, you lean on each other.”
2. Post the Happy Camper and Sad Camper backpacks, and ask children or youth to take turns choosing an object, reading it aloud, and taping it on the correct backpack (poster).
3. Talk about each action and how it will help your family be HAPPY Campers or Sad Campers. For example, the logs with the fire visual “You can warm up a family by saying kind words” should be placed next to the HAPPY Campers backpack. Or the blow dryer visual “You are blowing it when you are mean to your brothers and sisters” gets placed next to the Sad Campers backpack.
THOUGHT TREAT Trail Mix or Camping Meal (wrapped in foil, e.g., potatoes, carrots, and meat; cooking it to share).
HOW CAN A FAMILY CREATE HAPPINESS IN THE HOME?
YOUTH CAN TEACH how to build a HAPPY home with three important tools: family prayer, family scripture study, and family home evening. Set up the board as shown and place hearts around the room or in a box. Talk about how each tool builds HAPPINESS. Take turns reading a heart situation and telling which tool would help and why.
ACTIVITY:
1. Place the tools under the home and talk about each tool that helps us build a happy home. When we face trials or problems come up, we can choose one or more of these tools to help us.
2. Ask children/youth to take turns finding a heart and reading the situation. Then tell what tool they would use to help. Point to the tool and say it: Family Prayer, Family Scripture Study, or Family Home Evening. Some situations may require more than one tool.
THOUGHT TREAT: Three Happy-heart Cookies. Give each child/youth three heart-shaped cookies. Then, talk about the tools that build a HAPPY home inventing situations and how these tools help.
HOW CAN I LIVE A HAPPY FAMILY LIFE?
YOUTH CAN TEACH children and youth to memorize The Family: A Proclamation to the World Paragraph 7 (rebus): “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Print, color, and cut out a poster of your choice. If printing the larger size poster, mount the two parts on poster paper. The smaller cards are for children/youth to take home.
Ways to Motivate Children/Youth to Memorize Scripture:
• Give out small black and white scripture cards to memorize.
• Once they recited from memory give out the colored version of scripture cards.
• Group recitation is always motivational—the more they practice together aloud/not silently.
WHY IS LOVE IMPORTANT TO A FAMILY?
YOUTH CAN TEACH children to sing this song and talk about how we can show love to our family. LYRICS “I love mother*; she loves me. We love daddy*, yes sirree; He loves us, and so you see, We are a happy family.” *Rotate adding instead of “mother”/”father” other family members.
LYRICS & MUSIC FOR THE SONG “A HAPPY FAMILY”
TO MAKE AND USE: Print on cardstock in color and attach the top with two 2-inch Flip Chart Rings (as shown).
DISCUSSION: Talk about ways to show love to different family members. Talk about why it is important to serve our family, not just say “I love you,” but to ask them questions about how you can help them and thank them for helping you.
In President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Think Celestial!” he said, “When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view …” (to put the teaching of Jesus first). He said, “Obedience paves the way for a joyful life for you today and a grand, eternal reward tomorrow.”
HOW TO HAVE A HAPPY HOME
YOUTH CAN TEACH ways to be thoughtful, cheerful, and considerate when they: SPEAK, PRAY, SING, and WORK together. Print to use in a classroom, or mount on a wall at home to remind their family of these HAPPY actions.
HOVER OVER or ZOOM IN (to view)
TO MAKE VISUALS: Print in color, or color and cut out the visuals in color or black and white (to color). Put the two pieces of home and the slide strips together as directed on the visuals and laminate. Cut slits in the home on dotted lines and insert picture-strip through the home. Mount the strip and home on a poster or chalkboard, mounting the left and right hearts only (allowing the house to move left to right). Place the wordstrips in a container.
ACTIVITY
1. Tell the children, “We can make our home a happy home if we look for ways to be thoughtful, cheerful, and considerate of each other.” Show slideshow images by moving house left to right and say, “We can do this when we speak, pray, sing, and work together.”
2. Have the children take turns drawing a wordstrip and handing it to the leader to read, e.g., “Abby’s mother had to go next door to help the neighbors, and didn’t have time to do the dishes.” The answer is WORK, so the youth slides the house to the picture of the children working. All of the answers are SPEAK, PRAY, SING, or WORK together (some with several actions). Talk about the four actions and why they make a happy home.
THOUGHT TREAT: Cookie House. With graham crackers and frosting have the family build a cookie house, or make gingerbread cookie dough, roll out and form house sides and room. Thought: Home Sweet Home – as you eat the house think about all the sweet things we look forward to coming home to and how we can make our home life sweeter.
Part 1
HAPPY Service
Activities 6-11
HOW DOES SERVING OTHERS MAKE US HAPPY?
YOUTH CAN TEACH that helping others by serving them makes them HAPPY. It makes us HAPPY too. Make the badge by inserting a brad in the nose. Then children can turn the smile upside down to show a frown when they are not serving. Or, right-side up to show a smile when they are serving. This shows they are HAPPY when they SERVE!”
TO MAKE: Print or copy, color, and cut out the activity on cardstock paper. Poke a hole in badge where indicated and on the nose, and insert a metal or button brad. To make a button brad, sew two buttons together on opposite sides (threading thread through the same hole) to attach parts. THOUGHT TREAT: Service with a Smile Sandwich. Make a sandwich with a cheese smile to remind them to smile when they serve.
HOW DOES SHARING MAKE OTHERS HAPPY?
YOUTH CAN TEACH that children who share—together—smile together. These share-treat wrappers can be given with a candy bar or gum inside. They say, It makes me HAPPY and you HAPPY too! (on the flip-side) … to share this candy bar with you! Or, CHEWS to share! (flip-side: Because I care!) to insert sticks of gum. Talk about sharing as a way of caring.
ACTIVITY: Share-treats – Present the wrapped treats in a small basket. • Ask the children “How would you feel if I kept this candy all to myself?” “What would Jesus want me to do with these treats?” • Talk about the importance of sharing with others and ways they can share. • The wrapper(s) invite them to share. Since there are two sticks of gum, children could share one stick in class with a friend and take the other home to share.
Present Lesson 27 – Primary 2 Manual – CTR-A: I Can Help Others Be Happy by Sharing. Review the activity/summary in the manual for which the above activity illustrates.
GOLDEN RULER: Be kind – Share with others – Respect others’ property – Return borrowed things – Help others
HOW DO YOU LIVE THE GOLDEN RULE TO BRING HAPPINESS?
YOUTH CAN TEACH children the Golden Rule to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” from Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. This golden “ruler” strip of pictures and words will help the children measure their actions and be HAPPY. Actions: Be kind, Share with others, Respect others’ property, Return borrowed things, and Help others
TO MAKE Print or copy, color, and cut out the visual for each child on cardstock paper. Tape or glue part B to the bottom of part A where indicated and laminate. THOUGHT TREAT: Golden Ruler Wafer Cookies. Purchase ruler-shaped yellow wafer cookies. Tell children that they will be happy when they follow the Golden Rule written on the Golden Ruler handout.
GO HERE to FIND and Present Lesson 44 – Primary 3 Manual – CTR-B: Do unto Others. From Lesson Summary:
“Emphasize that Jesus Christ taught that we should treat others the way we would like to be treated. If we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, we will not take things that belong to others. We will return things that we find to the owners. We will treat borrowed items with respect by not destroying or damaging them. Remind the children of the commandment given by Jesus Christ that is sometimes called the Golden Rule.”
HOW CAN FORGIVING OTHERS BRING A SMILE?
YOUTH CAN TEACH that Jesus Christ is our example of forgiving others, teaching us that HAPPINESS comes as we forgive others. Children will learn from opening these doors (with frown-maker situations) that when we forgive; it brings a big smile! For example, “My sister lost my toy!” Brainstorm situations that might bring a frown and then open a door that reads, “I will forgive!” to find a SMILE.
MORE LESSON IDEAS:
• Present Lesson 40 – Primary 2 Manual – CTR-A: I Can Forgive Others.
Review Testimony (from the lesson):
Testify that we can be happy when we forgive others and treat them kindly. Tell about a time when you chose the right and forgave someone. Explain how you felt toward that person because you were willing to forgive.
If time allows, let the children talk about times when they have forgiven someone.
Encourage the children to make a special effort to forgive others this week. Suggest that the children discuss forgiveness with their families.
HOW DOES ONE CHEER UP A SOUR DISPOSITION?
YOUTH CAN TEACH how not to be a sour lemon-head with a cup full of candies or lemonade. Smiley lemons on the cup show, “Don’t wear a sour face, smile, smile, smile!” Plus, the poem “… A smile as small as mine might be precisely their necessity” will encourage them to serve. Then, HAPPY lemon wordstrips change attitude.
• Discuss storms in life, difficult things we face, and how we can change our attitude and create a sunny day even when it rains.
• Help children memorize the poem by Emily Dickinson found on the cup label.
• Talk about how a good or bad attitude affects other areas of our life. Don’t be a lemon-head. Optional: Instead of lemon heads fill the cup half full of LEMONADE. Say, “An optimist says the cup is half full whereas a pessimist says the cup is half empty.” While the youth drink their lemonade ask them, which will you be?
TO MAKE print cup label and wordstrips* in color or black and white. Glue the label on a paper cup and fill it with Lemon Head candies.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
CUP (label) READS: Don’t wear a sour face, smile, smile, smile! They Might Not Need Me. They might not need me; but they might, I’ll let my head be just in sight; A smile as small as mine might be Precisely their necessity. – Emily Dickinson
CUP LABELS READ: • If the grass looks greener on the other side … fertilize! • When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! • Smile and the world smiles with you, cry and your mascara runs! • A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance. Proverbs 15:13
#11
“When We’re Helping” (we’re HAPPY) song visuals
HOW DOES HELPING SOMEONE BRING YOU HAPPINESS?
YOUTH CAN TEACH children this song using the song visuals to think of ways they can help. Song: “When we’re helping, we’re happy, And we sing as we go; And we like to help mother*, For we all love her so.” (*Each time you sing someone different: mother, father, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather). Brainstorm ways to help.
• This song helps them to think about helping others as Jesus would. This will make them, their friends, and family happy.
Lyrics
When we’re helping, we’re happy, And we sing as we go; And we like to help mother (switch*), For we all love her so.
More HAPPINESS Activities
MORE HAPPINESS Activities
Part 3
Part 4
