Use this activity to review one or more missionary songs.  Some suggestions are:   "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission,"  "The Things I Do,"  "I Want to Be a Missionary Now,"  "Holding Hands Around the World," and "We'll Bring the World His Truth."  These would work great for the October 2013 theme of missionary work.  

1.  Print several copies of the letter below.  Make changes to the document as necessary.  (Commenters have pointed out that the use of the title "Elder" may be inappropriate. You may want to change the wording to "member missionary") 

2.  Fill in the blank where the mission call is listed with places such as:

• at school
• at the park
• at sports practice
• at the store
• at home
• at a family reunion
• at a friend's house
• in primary
• at a restaurant
• etc.

3.  Place the letters in a large envelope. 

4.  As you sing the song you wish to review, have the children pass the envelope around the room.  

5.  When the song is finished, have the child holding the envelope stand up and pull out one of the letters.   Have him or her read the area to which he has been "called."  Ask him to tell the primary how he can be a missionary in his area.  

6.  Continue until all the letters have been chosen.  Help the children to understand that everything they do is a representation of the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  You may choose to print a letter for each child in your primary and have him or her fill in a place where he can be a missionary today.

The Word document is linked below.  The fonts and formatting may not appear until you actually download the document.  Don't forget to make changes as necessary (to the address, signature, etc.). 

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To review the song "The Things I Do,"  I want to make sure that the children understand the message that they can be missionaries just by choosing the right.  To accomplish this, I've put the song into my  own words.   Begin by reading this (or your own version) to the children.

"I'm not old enough yet to go to another country and serve a full-time mission to teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  But, right now, I can show people that I have a testimony of the church by behaving the way the Savior would want me to.

 People all around me- in my neighborhood, at school, in the park, and everywhere I go-  watch how I act all the time, not just at church.   If I choose the right, people will think good things about our church.  If I make bad choices, people will think bad things about our church.  

I can invite my friends to come to church.  And if I act with reverence and respect while they're here, my friends will see that church is important to me. 

People will see that I don't just talk about keeping the commandments.  I live it- because I believe it.  Then, later, if they meet the missionaries, they may be curious about the gospel that has the power to mold lives like mine and they will ask the missionaries to teach them."

To prepare for the game, display the pages of the flip chart in the front of the room where the entire primary can see it.  Print a copy of the document above and cut the individual lines into word strips.  Fold these strips and place them in a bowl.

Sing through the song one time to review.  Then have a child choose one of the word strips out of the bowl and read the first part aloud to the rest of the primary.  See if the children can guess which lines of the song the word strip is talking about.  Attach the word strip to the corresponding picture.  Sing through that verse of the song and ask the children to think about the meaning of the words as you do.  Continue until all of the word strips have been chosen.  (Not every picture has a word strip)

If you have extra time, print the document below and cut out the pieces.  Give each child a CTR shield and have him write, in his own words, the message of the song on the back.  Encourage the child to hang his shield somewhere where he will see it every morning and remember that he is always representing Christ in everything that he does.

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As I review this month's song, "A Child's Prayer," I want to reinforce to the children that Heavenly Father wants to hear from us no matter what we are doing. To prepare for the activity, print the document at the bottom of the page.  Cut out the pieces and write the song and page number on the back of each card.  You might choose not to use the songs I've suggested.  

Begin by singing "A Child's Prayer" and ask the children to watch for five different types of prayers that are shown in the pictures.  As they name them, post the pictures on the board and sing the corresponding song.  Many of the songs will probably be unfamiliar to the children, but most of them are very short.  I suggest simply singing the song line by line and having the children repeat line by line.  It is not important that they remember the words to each song at the end of the day.  This activity is meant to merely expose them to the songs.  If you have extra time, you might choose one to memorize.

including Family Home Evenings, Family Councils, nightly prayers, etc.

Song:  Teach Me to Walk in the Light, p177

or Family Prayer, p189

or Love is Spoken Here verse 1, p190

Asking blessings for someone else or understanding how to help someone else.

Song:  Where Love Is, p138

or A Prayer, p22

or Thank Thee, Father verse 2, p24

Praying before meals.

Song:  For Health and Strength p21

Personal bedtime prayers.   

Song:  Children All Over the World , p16

flipchart here

or I Love to Pray verse 2, p25

Prayers for inspiration and understanding.

Song:  Search, Ponder and Pray, p109

or Seek the Lord Early, p 108

Priesthood blessings, father's blessings, etc.

Song:  Father Up Above, p23

Asking for help knowing what we should do.

Song:  I Need My Heavenly Father p18

or Heavenly Father, Now I Pray, p19

Prayers for help in overcoming trials, getting out of difficult situations or asking for blessings you may want.

Song:  We Bow Our Heads verse2, p25

or I Pray in Faith verse 2, p14

Sacrament meetings, primary meetings.

Song:  Reverently, Quietly, p26

Personal morning prayers.

Song:  I Love to Pray verse 1, p25 or

I Pray in Faith verse 1, p14

Blessing the sacrament, performing baptisms, etc.

Song:  When I am Baptized, p103 (not about prayer, but a good chance to review)

Prayers to ask for forgiveness of our sins.

Song:  The Fourth Article of Faith, p124

Prayers to thank Heavenly Father for our blessings.

Song:  Can a Little Child Like Me p9

or My Heavenly Father Loves Me verse 2,  p228

flipchart here

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English Books Review,Journal Of Book Reviews,Book Review Journals - WebmastersSearch by Author, Title or ContentArticle ContentAuthor NameArticle TitleHomeSubmit ArticlesAuthor GuidelinesPublisher GuidelinesContent FeedsRSS FeedsFAQContact Us English Books Review,Journal Of Book Reviews,Book Review Journals   by Alissa Speedin Webmasters    (submitted 2013-07-26)The following map will help you
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This game is one of my kids' favorites!  It looks intimidating, but it's super easy once you understand the idea.

To prepare the game:

1.  Download the PDF at the bottom of the page.

2.  Print the first three pages

3.  Print the last three pages on the back of the first three.

4.  Cut out the strips.

Now you should have a puzzle with the picture on one side and the lyrics to the song on the other.  Cut a piece of clear shelf paper big enough to cover the entire puzzle.  Remove the backing and attach it to the blackboard, sticky-side-out, with magnets or tape.  Note:  an anonymous commenter left the suggestion to use press-and-seal kitchen paper so the puzzle lasts for multiple uses.  Y'all are geniuses!  (I wish I could get that stuff in Holland!)  Attach the puzzle pieces, lyrics-side-out, to the blackboard with magnets or clear tape.  

Tell the children that they need to learn the song so well that they can recite it inside-out, backward and forward.  They're going to see if they can sing the song from the end to the beginning.  Take the strip that reads "The Lord has shown me how I can." and place it at the bottom of the piece of shelf paper.  Explain that this is the last line of the song. 

Ask them to sing the song with you and listen for the line that occurs just BEFORE this one.  Sing through the song and ask the children which word strip belongs just above the one that you've already posted.  Have them find the word-strip and carefully attach it to the shelf paper above the first. 

Continue the game until all the word strips are on the page in the correct order.  When the lyrics are complete, remove the magnets holding up the shelf paper and turn it around, showing the children the picture side of the puzzle. 

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To review this song, I want to be sure that they understand the concepts.  I, therefore, plan to ask the children "Who, What, When, Where, Why, How" questions about both verses.  

Print the following questions.  Read the first question aloud, sing the first verse, and ask a child whether he or she heard the answer to the question in the song.  Continue with each question.

1.  WHERE do you live?  (on earth)

1.  WHO do you have to help you during your life?  (a family)

3.  WHY do you want to be with them?  (they are so good to me)

4.  WHAT do you want?  (to share my life with them)

5.  WHEN would you like to be with them?  (for all eternity)

6.  HOW can you do this?  (through heavenly father's plan)

1.  WHERE do you want to be married?  (in God's temple)

2.  WHY do you want to be married in the temple?  (because it is "for eternity")

3.  WHAT do you need to do so that you will be ready?  (prepare)  

4.  WHEN should you start preparing?  (now, in your early years)

5.  WHO prepared the way for us to be with our families forever?  (The Lord / Heavenly Father) 

6.  HOW can you prepare now to be worthy for the blessings of the temple?

This answer is not specifically answered in the song.  Ask the children to come up with their own answers.  If you have extra time, sing songs about the ways in which you prepare. 

i.e. reading the scriptures = Scripture Power, Book of Mormon Stories, Search Ponder and Pray, etc.

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Although I can't find the link, I've been told that this idea originally comes from Christy's Clipart.  Whether or not you use the idea, please check out her website.  It's great!

You may wish to use the idea to introduce the song "We'll Bring the World His Truth." or "Holding Hands Around the World."

This page shows 100 Stripling Warriors.

 Print 20 copies and tape them end to end. You may choose to hang the banner around the room or wind the banner around a paper towel roll and have the children help you unroll it.

Express to the children that this banner represents 2000 warriors. Tell the story as it is related in Alma chapter 56. Stress that not one of these 2000 young men died in battle. 

Explain how the songs compare us to the Stripling Warriors when we bravely share the gospel.  Ask them to listen for the reference as you teach the song. 

(Since I know that nobody wants to spend $40 on ink printing this page, I've made it semi-transparent.  If you're a millionaire, feel free to copy the image above and paste it into a Word document instead.)

If you are teaching either song in April or May of 2013, please consider joining our worldwide mail swap.

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The letter swap has ended :(  If you are interested in swapping letters with a primary in another part of the world, feel free to leave your information in the comments.  You can contact each other directly.

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Because my primary has learned the song more quickly than expected, I was looking for a supplemental activity and inspiration finally struck last night.  I am going to do a version of the Rock-paper-scissors activity found here.  I will have a child read one of the word strips below and ask the children in which verse they can find advice on how to handle the situation.  The point of this activity is to emphasize the idea that being like the Savior means not only avoiding evil, but also doing good.  Be sure to keep that in mind when answering the questions.

Verse 1:

On your way to the toy store to spend your allowance, you see someone collecting money for charity.

Your little brother, who always bugs you, asks if he can play with you and your friends.

You are going outside to play when you notice that your mother isn't feeling well.

After school, you see a classmate who bullies you has fallen off his bike and is hurt.

Verse 2:  

Your friends are gossiping about a girl who has been mean to you.  They ask you what you think.

Your teacher is talking about religion and accidentally says something incorrect about our church.

At school, a friend tells you that she is not sure if God is real or not.

During a primary lesson, some kids begin talking about a computer game that you love to play.

Verse 3:  

You get lost on the way to your swim lesson and there is nobody around to ask directions from.

Sometimes, when bad things happen, you wonder if Heavenly Father really loves you.

You are sleeping over at a friend's house.  Your friend has fallen asleep and you feel very alone.

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This game is one of my kids' favorites!  It looks intimidating, but it's super easy once you understand the idea.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Should I post other songs?

To prepare the game:

1.  Download the PDF at the bottom of the page.

2.  Print the first two pages

3.  Print the third and forth pages on the back of the first two.

4.  Cut out the strips.

Now you should have a puzzle with the picture on one side and the lyrics to the song on the other.  Cut a piece of clear shelf paper big enough to cover the entire puzzle.  Remove the backing and attach it to the blackboard, sticky-side-out, with magnets or tape.  Note:  an anonymous commenter left the suggestion to use press-and-seal kitchen paper so the puzzle lasts for multiple uses.  Y'all are geniuses!  (I wish I could get that stuff in Holland!)  Attach the puzzle pieces, lyrics-side-out, to the blackboard with magnets or clear tape.  

Tell the children that they need to learn the song so well that they can recite it inside-out, backward and forward.  They're going to see if they can sing the song from the end to the beginning.  Take the strip that reads "Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me." and place it at the bottom of the piece of shelf paper.  Explain that this is the last line of the song. 

Ask them to sing the song with you and listen for the line that occurs just BEFORE this one.  Sing through the song and ask the children which word strip belongs just above the one that you've already posted.  Have them find the word-strip and carefully attach it to the shelf paper above the first. 

Continue the game until all the word strips are on the page in the correct order.  When the lyrics are complete, remove the magnets holding up the shelf paper and turn it around, showing the children the picture side of the puzzle. 

Note:  In the interest of time, you may need to sing each verse separately (second verse first).  Alternately, you may ask the children to listen for the previous TWO word strips.  This is often too difficult for the children at the beginning of the game, but it is much easier when half of the word strips are already gone.

The original image, "Creation-Living Creatures" is borrowed from the LDS Media Library.

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