Activity Selection - Being the first lesson for the new Sunbeams, I wanted to introduce the concept of the activity selection I use with most of my lessons, but in a very structured way. I wanted to use the activity selection for everything (not just lesson activities), to emphasize that class consists of a set of activities, not just one long lesson, and to help children understand and anticipate some of the activities that would be a consistent part of each lesson (e.g., prayer, snack, coloring, etc.). Also, using the activity selection process would allow me to involve the children in the process, to increase engagement and attention. But, I also wanted to introduce most of the activities in a specific order. So, instead of having the selection random (letting the children select any card), I labeled each card with a number on the back and had the children select the cards in order from 1 to 11. (Of course, some of the younger ones still cannot read their numbers, so needed some help.)
I included the prayers, snack, and book reading in the selection, though I don't usually do that. The activities were in the following order, starting at the top left. (Last year I inserted the snack and book later in the lesson, but soon learned that due to the timing of our meetings, the children were "starving" by the time they got to class. So I soon changed it so that snack was done as soon as the opening prayer had been said. It's important to schedule snack at a time that it makes the most sense for the children in your class.)
1. Prayer- We briefly reviewed how to pray, then a child was called on to say the opening prayer. Modelling and discussing expectations is important, even with something like prayer. Not all children get the exposure at home, and we cannot assume, even if they get the exposure at home, that they are explicitly being taught how and why they should do certain things.
2. (There were two of them, because we always do these two things together.) Snack & Book - The book I chose for this week was "Are You My Mother" by P.D. Eastman. I chose this book because it provides a nice segue into the part of the lesson about how we will grow up to be like our parents, though I would like to find and use a similar book about a father instead of a mother. (If anyone knows such a book, please tell me in a comment!) Periodically during the reading, I would ask the children how the baby bird knew that _____ wasn't its mother. By the end, all of the children knew that the baby bird knew its mother because she looked like him.
3. Song - We then began to follow the manual. We began by singing "I Am a Child of God" as shown in the first part of the attention activity. I use the LDS Music app on my iPad to provide the music. Although some children know this song and may be able to sing along, not all children do - particularly the youngest or newest members. Singing is not the most engaging activity for those who do not know a song, so you need to have more than just singing to keep them engaged.
This year, my new little Sunbeam was struggling with her transition into Primary. The Nursery teacher had told me that she absolutely loves Playdough. So I brought mats and Playdough, and let them play with the Playdough while we listened and sang. It's so important to get the lesson started off in a positive way. Use what the children are interested in to engage them. After a very rough time in Singing and Sharing Time, this beginning of the lesson was what she needed. She had a positive experience for her first class, was well behaved and attentive. She participated in the entire lesson.
4. Rules - We began by discussing the meaning of the symbol (something you shouldn't do), and used that to discuss why we need rules. I then placed the following pictures (cut into individual pictures) in front of the children. I went through the rules (in order, but cut into individual rules), and had the children identify which picture matched each rule. Once the appropriate picture was chosen, it was attached (by tape) to the rule, and placed on the board for a reminder throughout the lesson.
After all the rules were on the board, I brought out our class "mascot" - a stuffed animal, a monkey with long arms and legs. I had the monkey do various things (e.g., flail its arms and legs around, or fold its arms) and had the children identify whether the monkey was following the rules or breaking the rules and why.
This was an important part of the discussion. Rules are something that children seeking independence may struggle with, unless they have ownership and understanding of those rules. Having the children discuss the rule breaking done by the monkey, we were able to think about why these rules are important (e.g., someone could get hurt, everyone wants a turn to be heard, you shouldn't be rude to others, etc.).
Also, anytime the children begin to get restless or rowdy now, I can bring the monkey out and have him model appropriate and reverent behavior. Last year the children all loved the monkey and following his example.
5. Ball - The last part of the attention activity followed, using a soft squishy ball.
6. World - See manual (We are spirit children of Heavenly Father). We did not sing the song again as I was afraid we would run out of time. Also, repeating something, unless the children are really excited about doing it, is inviting boredom and resulting behaviors.
7. Like - See manual (Heavenly Father knows us and loves us). I asked each child what he/she likes. Then I told the child that "Heavenly Father knows you like _____, because you are His child. He is your Father, and He knows you!" We didn't do the verse activity, mostly for time reasons.
8. Matching Game - Picking up on the discussion that babies and mamas look like each other (when reading the book), we played a matching game of babies and mamas. I made cards showing various babies and mamas. I placed the cards upside down in two groups - one group being the mamas, the other group being the babies. The children took turns each turning over one card from each group. Because there were so many cards, I had the children leave the cards facing up that they had turned over. When they turned over a new card, they had to decide if it matched any of the cards that were visible.
Another option would be to reduce the number of cards. After matching all the cards, we discussed that we can grow up to be like our Father in Heaven (see manual: We can be like Heavenly Father).
If I am able to find a book that addresses fathers instead of mothers, I will modify the game to show pictures of fathers instead of mothers. I may do that anyway, as I realized that it would tie in with the lesson better.
9. Story of Moses - See manual (Heavenly Father has important work for us to do). I used visuals by Phillip Martin to tell the story of Moses. I then explained that, just as Heavenly Father had a special purpose for Moses, He has a special purpose for each of us. I called each child by name and said, "Heavenly Father has a special purpose for you!"
10. Prayer - We concluded the lesson with a closing prayer.
11. Coloring - After the prayer, the children were given a coloring sheet to color until their parents came to get them. I often use the black and white poster from Sunday Savers, but this time I opted for an activity page (I am a Child of God) by Betsy @ LDS Notebooking Pages found on Teachers Pay Teachers. Many of the activities on that site cost money, but this one was free. I used the first page in the book, showing a boy and a girl, and the letters to trace saying "I am a child of God". If you have a class that really enjoys coloring, you could print out more, such as the first verse and the chorus. They could then take them home to color.
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