Sharing Time - Easter

I've mentioned a few times before that I love that this whole month is focused exclusively on our Savior.  Teaching our children to rejoice in Christ is such an amazing blessing and can be a lot of fun, too!

I looked at all sorts of family home evening ideas and Easter sharing times (I've posted about a few favorites I want to do with my family here) and my two very favorites happen to be the two that are on sugardoodle for this month.  With just a little bit of tweakage (not much though). 

Idea #1
The first, and I think favorite (although I keep leaning back and forth), idea requires no changing at all.  None.  It's pretty amazing, very simple and only requires you to coordinate with your music leader and check out a few pictures from the library.  You use pictures, songs and scriptures to walk through the atonement and resurrection story.  You can view the pdf of this fun idea (that I found on sugardoodle) here.

The reason I keep leaning back and forth is that while this is a fantastic idea, it covers exactly the same things already covered.  The same scriptures already read, the same pictures already shown, but it is presented in a new way and I LOVE the addition of singing as a method of teaching.  Plus, repetition is a really good thing when teaching.  One of my counselors is an elementary school teacher and she said she's been taught that children need to repeat something 80 times until it really sticks.  Yes, I did just say 80. 

Idea #2
The second idea I really like is also a review of all the information from this month, just presented in a different way.  First, I would have the kids walk me through Holy Week making sure to hit on the specific things we'd talked about all month. 

You could either use the pictures and basic outline (sans the scriptures and songs) from idea #1, or you could use this amazing blog I just found yesterday called, We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ.  She has a small activity for each day of the week starting with the Sunday before Easter (we are totally doing this at home this week, we'll just combine the Sunday activity with Mondays).  Of course, you wouldn't do these daily, or even do all the activities she uses, but you would use the pictures from Monday through Easter Sunday as your outline for the kids to narrate.  There is some beautiful artwork, many I haven't seen before.

So, you've chosen your pictures and you have them up front on the board (all mixed up) for the kids to come up, put in order and tell the story behind each picture as they go.  This would be a short, quick review.

Then, you move on to the game portion (or even skip the review and only do the game).  This game is another way to review all the information taught throughout the month.  I really love the sheep game on Pergler's Primary Place, with one adjustment.  Talk for a moment about Christ being a shepherd and that we are his sheep.  We follow Him as sheep would follow a shepherd because he not only leads us to safety, but protects us along the way.  So, let's help all the sheep get home by answering questions, but not the parable questions provided, ask instead questions from each lesson taught in March.

Here are some questions I thought of as I read through the Sharing Time Outline to get you going...

1. How was Christ a good example when he was with John the Baptist?
2. When we are following the actions of someone else, we are following their...?
3. How can we talk to Heavenly Father and also follow Jesus example? 
4. How is sharing the gospel following Jesus example?
5. What is it called when we say we're sorry for our mistakes/sins?
6. What did Christ do to make it possible for us to repent?
7. What is the name of the garden where Christ prayed before he was crucified?
8. What does atonement mean?
9. What do we need to do to receive the blessings of the atonement?
10. What does it mean to be resurrected?
11. Who was the first person to be resurrected?
12. Who can be resurrected?
13. Name someone who is a saver in our lives?
14. Why is Jesus called our Savior?
15. Who can be saved from their sins through the atonement?
16. Name one person from the scriptures that was saved from their sins?

End with your testimony about the amazing gift the Savior is in each of our lives.  Amazing.  Astounding.  Overwhelming in a completely great way. 

Testimony Challenge
This last week I was talking to my boys and asking them if they'd prayed to know if Jesus was their Savior.  I told them that when you're younger, you often trust what your parents tells you because you know how much they love you and want what's best for you.  I said that is a wonderful thing, but a testimony is something they have to have all on their own.  They can lean on ours (my husbands and mine), but I really want them to be praying everyday for their own testimony. 

I think this is the perfect challenge for this week.  Pray everyday to know that Jesus is your personal Savior.  Pray and don't stop until you know.  It might not happen overnight (although it could), it might take years (which it did for me) until you finally realize you do know.  Any effort is so very worth it.  It is one of the biggest and best blessings in my life and I want each child, each person to have that witness in their lives also.

Handout
If you are the handout sort, I've found a very cute and simple idea.  It's a pdf of the recipe and instructions for Easter Story Cookies.  Simply print it out, make copies, roll them up and tie them to a spoon.  Or you could skip the spoon (although I think it's kinda cute) and simply tie the recipe with whatever you have around the house (I have a whole bin full of rafia, don't ask my why).  As my kids would say, "Easy peasy."

Good luck with your week!!