Primary Lesson #3 Supplement

Primary Lesson #3 Supplement

ATTENTION ACTIVITY: Bring a small chalkboard, whiteboard, magnadoodle, slate, etc. Without saying anything, write the following clues on it one at a time until your class guesses who you are:
–WHO AM I?
–I was a priest serving in the temple.
–An angel visited me.
–My wife and I could not have children.
–My wife is Elisabeth.
–I am John the Baptist’s father.
–My story is found in Luke 1.
Explain that for a time in his life, Zacharias had to write on a slate instead of talking (see Luke 1:66 and 1:20). Today you’ll learn why that happened.

JOHN THE BAPTIST PUZZLE: Give each child a pencil and paper and then read these directions to them: Can you follow these instructions exactly to learn what John the Baptist restored to Joseph Smith?
1. Write John the Baptist as one word.
2. At the beginning, put a double portion of the first vowel of the alphabet; at the end, put a double portion of the fourth vowel of the alphabet.
3. Cross out all B’s, H’s, and J’s.
4. Put an R in the third position from the beginning and in the sixth position from the end.
5. Move the seventh and eighth letters to be the sixth and fifth letters from the end.
6. Cross out the first two T’s.
7. Put a C after every N, and a D after every O.
8. Put the eighth letter of the alphabet in the fifth position from the end, then put the ninth letter of the alphabet in the seventh position from the beginning.
9. Cross out the last A.
10. Take out the first two D’s and put a space after the C.
The answer is “Aaronic Priesthood.” Explain that this puzzle is sort of like foreordination: the potential exists for something great to be there, but the instructions must be followed exactly in order for that potential to be realized. Explain that your students are great potential, but foreordination still requires them to follow the commandments to reveal that potential. (Adapted from The Friend.)

ATTENTION ACTIVITY: Bring 3-5 lunch sacks, each filled with items that you would use for a special occasion. (For example, one could have a birthday card and candles for a birthday cake [for a birthday], another could have suntan lotion and sun glasses [for a day at the beach], another could have Christmas decorations [for Christmas], etc.) Invite a child to come to the front, look at the items in the bag, and guess what occasion you are preparing for. Repeat until all bags have been used. Explain that just as we prepare for special events, the birth of Jesus was a very special event that many people were prepared for—today’s lesson will discuss several of those people and how they were prepared.

GAME: John the Baptist was foreordained to tell the world about Jesus. We can all be missionaries, too. For this game, you will need a scarf or a piece of cloth. Have the children sit in a circle. Select one child to be the “dropper” first. S/he circles around the peripheral of the circle and drops the cloth behind the back of one of the children. Instead of chasing each other, the child who has the cloth dropped behind her/his back states something or some way s/he could be a missionary now. The child on the peripheral continues to walk around until s/he returns to the child where s/he dropped the cloth. If s/he gets back to the child before he has thought of a way to be a missionary, the “dropper” gets another turn. If a child shares an idea before the “dropper” gets back around to her/him, s/he then becomes the “dropper” and the first child returns to the circle.