Keep the Commandments

(Note: CS = Children’s Songbook)

1. Sing “Keep the Commandments” (CS, pp. 146–147). Talk about the importance of knowing what the commandments are so that we can keep them. Have a scripture “scavenger hunt” to “collect” some commandments. Post the following scripture references (but not the words in parentheses) against the chalkboard: Alma 13:28–29 (pray); D&C 1:37 (study scriptures); Ex. 20:8–11 (keep the Sabbath holy); D&C 59:9–12 (attend church and take the sacrament); D&C 119:4 (pay tithing). Also prepare these objects: a picture of a child praying, a book of scripture, a calendar with Sabbath days circled, a picture of a meetinghouse and a sacrament cup, a tithing envelope. Ask a child to choose a scripture reference. Have all the children look up the scripture. Ask which commandment it is talking about, what we should be doing about it, how often we should do it, etc. Have the child choose the object matching the scripture and place it next to the reference. Repeat the activity until all the commandments are “collected.” Remove the objects, rearrange the references, and see if anyone can replace the objects correctly. Ask: “Is it always easy to keep the commandments?” Talk about the need to be strong when we are in difficult situations. Tell, or have a child tell, the story of Nephi going to get the brass plates (see 1 Ne. 3–4), emphasizing that the Lord provides a way to keep His commandments (see 1 Ne. 3:7). Nephi had experience in keeping the commandments long before he went for the plates. As we keep the commandments, our faith in the Lord grows and we strengthen our ability to choose the right. Sing “Nephi’s Courage” (CS, pp. 120–121).

2. Ask: “What are some of your favorite stories of prayers being answered?” (Possible answers: Joseph Smith, Enos, Daniel, Nephi, and, hopefully, the children’s own prayers or a family story.) Make the following wordstrips with the corresponding questions on the backs: • WHO? / Who needs to pray? To whom do we pray? In whose name do we pray? Who answers our prayers? • WHAT? / What is a prayer? What different prayers might you hear today? (e.g., prayer in a congregation, personal prayer, family prayer, sacrament prayers, blessing of a baby, blessing of a sick person, setting apart of someone) • WHEN? / When should we pray? (see Alma 32:17–27 and My Achievement Days booklet, front cover) • WHERE? / Where should we pray? (see Matt. 6:6 and My Achievement Days booklet, front cover) • WHY? / Why do we pray? (to talk to Heavenly Father, to find out His will, to thank Him, to ask for blessings) • HOW? / If someone didn’t know how to pray, how would you teach him/her? (see “I Pray in Faith,” CS, p. 14), What special language do we use when we pray? (see Friend, Apr. 1991, pp. 36–37). Distribute the wordstrips among the classes, then have them determine the answers and choose a panelist to make a brief presentation. After all presentations, let the other children ask any related questions; direct them to the appropriate panelist. Sing a song about prayer with which the children are familiar (see “Prayer” in the CS Topics index). Share a personal experience and/or invite one or two children to share a personal or family story about an answer to prayer. For younger children: Using pictures from the library, tell stories of prayer from the scriptures. Teach the children that we begin prayers by addressing Heavenly Father and end them in the name of Jesus Christ. Sing “I Pray in Faith” (CS, p. 14). Talk about when and where they can pray. Have them repeat the statement on the front cover of the My Achievement Days booklet—“I can pray to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere.”

3. Read together Ex. 20:8–11. Tell the children that this is one of the Ten Commandments and that it’s very important to keep the Sabbath holy. For some religions, Saturday is the Sabbath; for others, it is Friday. Our Sabbath is Sunday. Ask: “What do you like best about Sunday?” (Possible answers: going to church/Primary, seeing friends, being with their families, having a change from the rest of the week.) Say that first we’ll talk about all the things we can do on Saturday so that we won’t need to do them on Sunday. Have everyone hum “Saturday” (CS, p. 196). Stop at random intervals and have a child pantomime a Saturday activity. Have the others guess what the activity is. List it on the chalkboard under “Saturday.” Continue until you have a good list. Say, “Saturdays can be great, right? Now let’s talk about Sundays.” Have everyone hum along to familiar prayer songs from the CS. Continue the music game, this time asking, “What are some things that we know are good to do on the Sabbath?” To encourage a more reverent atmosphere, stop the music only at the end of a phrase. Make another list under “Sunday” on the chalkboard. (Possible answers: go to church, take the sacrament, read the scriptures, pray, sing hymns, visit with their families, visit the sick and the lonely, write letters to missionaries and others, write in journals.) Remind the children that Saturdays are great for Saturday things and that Sundays are special when we do only Sunday things. We risk losing the Sunday spirit when we do Saturday things on Sunday. Sing “When I Go to Church” (CS, p. 157—see actions for younger children in Primary 2 manual, Lesson 37, Enrichment Activities, no. 1). If we truly want a happy feeling, we will keep the Sabbath holy. Tell an experience regarding keeping it holy, e.g., “Sabbath on the Ranch” (Ensign, June 1998, pp. 57–58), “Sowing before Sunday” (Ensign, Apr. 1998, pp. 48–49), or one of your own experiences. A story younger children could relate to is “Sunday Morning Problem” (Friend, Mar. 1998, p. 31). Conclude with the Lord’s promises for those who keep His commandments, especially keeping the Sabbath holy, from D&C 59:12, 15–16, 23–24.

4. Sing “Before I Take the Sacrament” (CS, p. 73). Show a picture of the Last Supper and explain that just before His Crucifixion, Jesus gave His Apostles the sacrament so that they would have a way to always remember Him and His sacrifice and so that they could have His Spirit to be with them. The sacrament is such an important ordinance that during a solemn assembly in the temple, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles administer the sacrament to the congregation. In our wards, the Aaronic Priesthood is responsible for administering the sacrament. In advance, invite a deacon, a teacher, and a priest (counsel with the bishop/branch president) to come to Primary to give short talks about their duties relative to the sacrament and how they came to understand the importance of it. (See Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s general conference talk, “This Do in Remembrance of Me” [Ensign, Nov. 1995, pp. 67–69]. You might share excerpts of it with the Aaronic Priesthood as you ask their help.) Ask them to be prepared to answer some questions about their duties. Have the priest read from Moro. 4:3 the prayer on the bread. Before he starts, ask the children to listen for the three things we promise, or witness, when we take the sacrament that we will do (take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, keep His commandments). Discuss their responses. Ask: “What does the Lord promise us?” Have the priest again read, “that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.” Share your own testimony of the importance of having the Spirit with you and the blessing that it is to take the sacrament. Thank the young men for helping and for their parts in administering the sacrament. Sing “Help Us, O God, to Understand” (CS, p. 73). For younger children: Choose pictures of the life of Christ and talk about Him and how He loves little children. Sing “To Think about Jesus” (CS, p. 71). Tell the children that we think about Jesus during the sacrament. Sing the song again and show the pictures while you are singing. Practice thinking about Jesus by showing the pictures again while everyone is as reverent and quiet as can be. Tell the children that it is a joy to see them growing up and learning to control their thoughts and actions, that learning to think about Jesus during the sacrament will bless their lives.

5. Explain that tithing is one-tenth of our income. Choose three children who are good at math to each pull out a handful of real or play-money coins and figure how much it is and the correct tithing on it (round up to the nearest cent). Show a real tithing envelope and slip, and an enlarged slip. Let several children each fill out a line on the enlarged tithing slip so that everyone can see how it is done. Ask: “To whom do we give our tithing?” (to the bishop/branch president or one of his counselors). What is done with the tithing? (It is counted carefully, recorded, put in the bank, and sent to Church headquarters.) What is tithing used for? List responses on the chalkboard, or show pictures, if possible (temples, Church buildings, mission offices, schools, welfare programs, and other Church expenses). Tell the children that when we pay our tithing, we help build the Church all over the world. We also receive many personal blessings. Invite the bishop/branch president to share with the children the importance of learning to pay tithing while they are young and the blessings that come to us individually as we do so. Teach “I’m Glad to Pay a Tithing” (CS, p. 150, especially v. 2).

6. For additional Friend resources on studying the scriptures, see: “Sunday Birthday Party” (July 1998, pp. 40–41), “Scripture Wheres” (May 1998, pp. 24–25, 31), “Gospel Scholar Activity” and Sharing Time Ideas (Feb. 1998, pp. 36–37, 46), “Easter” (Apr. 1998, pp. 18–19), Scripture Mobile (Jan. 1998, pp. 13, 19), “Old Testament Scripture-Story Grab Bag” (Feb. 1998, pp. 24–25), “A Growing Experience” poster (Mar. 1998, pp. 24–25), “Let the Word Fill Your Hearts” (Mar. 1996, IFC). For additional Friend resources on keeping the commandments, see “Keep the Commandments” (Oct. 1997, IFC), “Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper” (May 1997, IFC), “We Have a Work to Do” (Aug. 1997, IFC), Sharing Time Ideas (Nov. 1996, pp. 12, 38), “Prayer” (Apr. 1996, IFC).