Everyday object lessons

Riki Tiki bear

Posted on October 21, 2009 by thinkfirst

A friend told me about this game and I want to have it somewhere online so I can remember it. Her son used the game as an object lesson in school about being on time. When you are late and not on time, it affects everyone around you poorly – just like this fun game illustrates. Its also a fun way to teach children the days of the weeks. I guess it also would be useful if you were trying to learn the days of the week in a foreign language.

The group gets on the floor or around a round table. Use one cup or one shoe for each person. Pass the shoe on the beat, then hang onto the shoe and tap right left right when you say “riki tiki bear.” Then keep singing, and keep passing. Any person who messes up is out.

Here is the recording of the song so you can hear it clearly a few times:

rikitikibeargame mp3

Clicking on the link will take you to another page, click on the rikitkikibear game link again.

Building Trust

Posted on May 1, 2009 by thinkfirst

Submitted by Amanda Nelson

The lesson is about trust. You will need a bunch of building blocks, the wooden kind, not Lego’s or anything that locks together. You can tape labels on the blocks that build character like, caring for others, responsibility, fairness, service, being a good friend, truthfulness, etc. (This is not necessary, but helpful) Then as a group, build a tower together until its as high as you can build it. Then have one person try to knock it down. Ask them to try and do it in one kick or push. Then tell them that you need to build it again. Once that is done you can explain that just like trust in a person, it builds over time, but it only takes one kick (lie or broken promise) to destroy it all. All trust is broken. It also takes a long time to rebuild that trust once it has been broken.

Posted in Children's lessons, choice/accountability, leadership, Love/charity, marriage/relationships, teamwork, Youth Lessons | Leave a comment

Build upon a rock

Posted on February 10, 2009 by thinkfirst

From Sarah in Minneapolis

This is an object lesson for teaching a song call the Wise and Foolish Man.

It could be used for any lesson using the idea of building upon the strong foundation of Jesus Christ.

We have been
singing the Wise Man and Foolish Man song now for a couple of weeks.
We sang the song,then I had a kiddo come up and sit in a chair. He had
to build a structure with blocks right on his lap. Of course it
toppled almost immediately. Next I had a kiddo come to the front and
build his structure right on the floor. By this time all the kids were
gathered around so they could see, and I had them all stomp their feet
to see if they could get the building to topple – with no luck. The
kids guessed the lesson they were supposed to learn right away – they loved it.

Posted in Children's lessons, God/Jesus Christ/Holy Spirit, testimony, Youth Lessons | Leave a comment

Foundation and Destruction

Posted on November 13, 2008 by thinkfirst

This lesson requires the game of Stak Attack or Jenga. Those are the games that stack up wooden blocks in a weave pattern and then you pull out the blocks and re stack them on top until the tower tumbles.

The object lesson is that as you build the tower you discuss what foundations a nation or life needs in order to be prosperous and happy. Then as you play the game you discuss the actions and attitudes that weaken and destroy a nation or people.

For this lesson all the scriptural references are taken from the Book of Mormon but you could use any holy scriptures that fit your lesson.

My game has 16 layers so I split the group into 8 or 4 and each group looks up 1 or 2 scriptures then before they put the wooden pieces into the container they tell what the scripture talked about.

1. Obedience to laws of land -Mosiah 29:11,41, 43
2. Christ- Helaman 5:12
3. Thanksgiving- Alma 7: 23,24
4. Freedom to worship -Alma 21:22
5. Honesty- Alma 27:27 & Mosiah 4:28
6. Family- Jacob 3:7
7. 10 commandments – Mosiah 12:35, 36 & Mosiah 13:12-24
8. Alma 23: 7

When everyone has loaded up the pieces, turn the game over on a table and hand out the new scriptures. As each group tells what actions or attitudes cause eventual destruction, each person in the group gets to remove one piece and stack it on top. The game just keeps going until the tower falls over. If anyone didn’t get a turn, re stack the pieces while as you discuss again the foundations of a strong nation, and play again.

If everyone gets a turn and the tower is still strong, have the class members repeat again the things they learned from their scripture when its their turn again. Repetition is just fine.

1. Unrighteous judges and lawyers – Alma 10:27 & Alma 11:20
2. Gadianton robbers -Helaman 2:13 & Helaman 6:21, 23
3. Dishonesty, etc – Helaman 7:20,21
4. Wickedness – Moroni 9:20
5. Moroni 8:3-5
6. Ether 11:22
7. Mormon 8:37
8. Mosiah 29:27

Posted in Children's lessons, choice/accountability, commandments/obedience, Effects of Sin, pride/humility, Youth Lessons | Leave a comment

Stay in the Light

Posted on June 20, 2008 by thinkfirst

Start outside when the sun is very bright. Tell students to stand so they are receiving the most and brightest sun available. Then everyone moves to a spot that is not so bright, but that you can clearly see the sun is still shining – maybe in the shade of a tree. Next move indoors but to a room with a window so you can still have the effects of the sunlight but less. Finally move to a closet or room where it can be entirely dark. If it is a warm time of year you know the sun is still shining because the building is still warm inside even tho you are in the dark.

This lesson has several applications. Here are the ones my family came up with: God’s love represents the sun.

It is our actions that take us out of the light. God’s love is always there and always the same and always available. My actions make it so I feel God’s love less. I move, not God.

We started out in the light. That is where we all came from – God’s presence. We should ask for confirmation of this truth and then remember that light and God’s love when we are feeling discouraged and in the dark.

Posted in atonement/grace, Children's lessons, Effects of Sin, Faith, God/Jesus Christ/Holy Spirit, Love/charity, Youth Lessons | Leave a comment

20 Items

Posted on June 20, 2008 by thinkfirst

This was a lesson from a recent primary sharing time. I don’t know the original source. The topic was on family history but the lesson could be used for any topic where you want to encourage and show how helpful it is to use teamwork.

Have a bag containing a wide variety of 20 items. Show each one as you bring it out then put them back into the bag. Then move on something else in your topic – this way the students will “forget” some of the items they have seen.

Then have the students write down as many items as they can remember – on their own. After that, give instructions for students to work together and see if they get more items on the list. This illustrates that working together makes it more fun, and you get more accomplished.

Posted in Children's lessons, leadership, marriage/relationships, teamwork, Youth Lessons | Leave a comment

words or swords

Posted on October 11, 2007 by thinkfirst

From a story by Bernie Siegel MD

His son came home with a picture from school and it was just a piece of paper with WORDS written all over the front over and over. As he looked at it, it became words or swords and he realized words can be swords. Words have life or death in them.

WORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDS

Posted in good or bad habits, leadership, parenting, thought/word/deed, Youth Lessons | 1 Comment

Potato stamp

Posted on October 1, 2007 by thinkfirst

This lesson comes fromMeridian magazine in the section for Family Home Evening. The article is by C.S. Bezas.
Each person gets a half of a raw potato. The potato represents your brain. Begin to carve a very simple shape (square, circle, star, music note) into the potato and take off the pieces of the potato that are not part of the shape. This carving represents the music that you listen to. It forms and shapes your brain in a very specific way. It helps shape your attitudes, affects learning ability and has an effect on your physical, mental and emotional health. When the shape has been cut, put the potato in some paint and stamp the potato shapes onto paper. If you carved a circle, you won’t stamp out a square. If you are listening to uplifting and positive music, that’s how your brain is going to be shaped and you will reap the benefits and blessings.
You can add things like listening to music, making a stamp poster, discussing the negative or positive benefits of music, talking about the standards in For the Strength of Youth that discuss music.
This topic is wide open and this is a good lesson that can reinforce how the music actually makes brain pathways like the knife carves a potato. For older kids, do a search and get some info about how the brain works or how music affects brain ability.

Posted in Children's lessons, choice/accountability, commandments/obedience, media, thought/word/deed, Youth Lessons | Leave a comment

Puzzle

Posted on September 24, 2007 by thinkfirst

Submitted by Nancy: I did this with the 8-11 year old girls but could be adapted to all ages.

We had 2 teams and they were instructed that they were going to put together a 100 piece puzzle and the team to finish first would get the prize – an eye catching gift bag with something inside. I had taken out 2 pieces from each puzzle so that neither team would finish/win. When they figured out there was no way to win we stopped and talked about what the ultimate prize in life is – we all agreed this is to return to live with Heavenly Father and then we talked about all of the puzzle pieces needed to receive the prize and how not even one piece can be missing.

Posted in Children's lessons, commandments/obedience, leadership, Youth Lessons | Leave a comment

High Jump

Posted on September 23, 2007 by thinkfirst

Elaborating on a story by Wayne Dyer.

Have the class, or your family stand up with the goal of jumping as high as they can. Maybe have a goal on the wall or doorway or something to measure how high to jump. In the first situation, no one can bend their knees before they jump – not even a little! So basically you can only go on your tiptoes. You just can’t propel yourself into their air without bending your knees first.

Next have them bend their knees just a little bit and jump again and notice how much higher they can jump then finally allow the students to jump as high as they possibly can and bend as much as they desire.

Point out to them that the only way to reach and jump high is to bend low first. So when we are brought low with trials or difficulties we must remember that it takes that bending low to propel us higher. If we are brought low with trials, then we can build sufficient faith and trust in God so he can lift us to a higher spiritual place. There are many stories in the scriptures then that can illustrate this story. Have this lesson go along with whatever book of scripture you are working with.

Posted in adversity, atonement/grace, Children's lessons, Faith, Youth Lessons | Leave a comment