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 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.
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. 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), 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. The children all love the monkey and following his example.
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 of the children know this song and were able to sing along, not all children do. So singing is not the most engaging activity for those who do not know the song.
4. Ball - The last part of the attention activity followed, using a soft squishy ball.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. (There were two of them, because we always do these two things together.) Book & Snack - 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 next activity. 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.
8. Matching Game - After discussing that babies and mamas look like each other, 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).
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.
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