August Sharing Time - Week 2

I found a really great attention getter/lesson introduction on Mormon Share.  Before Sunday, talk with the parent of one child for both Senior and Junior Primary (pick someone outgoing who won't mind being blind-folded in front of everyone).  You'll also need to choose another person that your chosen children do not know, or at least do not know very well. 

Have the child you've chosen come up front in the beginning of Sharing Time and tell them that there will be two people coming into Primary who they'll have to identify.  Then tell them that they'll have to do it while blindfolded (try and convince the rest of the kids not to help them out).  Have your helpers come in one at a time and hopefully your primary child will be able to identify their own parent, but not the stranger. 

Ask the primary why this happened?  The child sees and talks with their parent all the time, so of course they are able to recognize their voice.  Just like the child did not recognize the stranger, we will not know our Father in Heaven if we do not talk with him daily.

We need to pray always.  Always keeping a prayer in our hearts means praying in lots of different places.  Teach them about all the different places you can pray by following the Sharing Time Outline by reading about Zenos in Alma 33:3-9.  I've made some print-outs that go along with the lesson if you don't want to type up your own. 

(I have all the places mentioned by Zenos in my download, this is just the first page so you can see what it looks like.)

 



As you talk about the different places, you could review a little bit of last weeks lesson by asking what they could pray about in each of those places (both blessings asked for and thanks expressed).

After you've read through the scriptures, put up the signs showing where Zenos prayed and compared that to where we can pray, make sure and get the kids to brainstorm other places they can pray to show they really can pray ANYWHERE.  I would even talk about how we don't "need" to close our eyes and bow our heads, we can say a silent prayer in our hearts (this might be hard for the kids in Junior primary to understand, but would work great in Senior primary).

Instead of breaking up into groups to talk about prayer experiences, I'd throw it open for any time you have left by asking the kids if they've ever prayed in any of the places you've talked about. 

Don't forget to share your own story(ies) and testimony about the power of daily prayer.  End with challenge to pray always.  And to help them remember give each one a penny.  Yep, a penny.  I found this idea on Mormon Share also and I love how very simple and effective it is.  Tell the kids to put the penny in their shoes and whenever they feel the penny throughout the day, say a silent prayer.

Happy Sharing Time,
Leah

ps. You can read more about my thoughts on this months theme on this post.