Use this tool to solve common problems you'll find in your gospel classroom. Select from the options below to find teaching techniques that will help you solve some of the most common problems in LDS gospel classrooms:
a picture cut into 20 pieces to create a puzzle. (The picture can be any picture of Christ, but a picture of his birth would work great.)
Cut a picture into 20 pieces to create a puzzle. (The picture can be any picture of Christ, but a picture of his birth would work great.) Give all the kids in your class an even number of puzzle pieces.
Ask each child to tell the class something they know about Christ’s birth. Once they share one thing, have them put a puzzle piece up on the board.
Keep going until they finish the pieces, or until they can’t think of anything else. If they don't finish putting up the pieces, share any other important details about Christ’s birth until all the pieces are up on the board. Give the kids time to arrange the pieces so that they know what the picture is.
Especially help the children understand who Jesus’ parents were. (Mary and Heavenly Father, not Joseph) Discuss why it was important for his mother to be mortal and his father to be immortal. Compare how Christ’s birth was different from ours because of who his parents were.
Have each student put a rubber band around his/her wrist and through out the week when they use inappropriate language, pop the rubber band. the pop will sting their wrist. This will be the consequence of using bad language.
Before starting class I just asked if anyone needed lotion as I stood with the bottle at the front of the class. As they said I do I walked around and gave all who needed a squirt.
Then as I put the lotion away I asked who could tell me as we find principles in the scripture block (Section 93 is where I was) what we are going to try and do. Just like we apply lotion, we "Apply it to our Lives".
Simple but whenever they ask for lotion we all remember the that Object Lesson. This can be used with any lesson really.
Hand someone in the class a pencil, and ask them to "try to drop it" once the person drops the pencil, pick it up and say, "No, maybe my instructions weren't clear, I said TRY to drop the pencil". They might act confused, and maybe drop it again if so just repeat the process, but if they hold onto it and do not drop it, then say, "No what I wanted you to do was to TRY and drop it!"
Once the person gets confused or irritated with you, say thank you, and retrieve the pencil, you can ask another to try the same thing and see if anyone does it any different. When everyone keeps dropping it or holding onto it, tell the the punch line...
"There is no such thing as 'Try' you either do or you don't. So let's DO what we are asked to do and not give the excuse that 'We tried'."
(Jenny - This is great for challenging a class to apply the messages you have taught during class.)
Begin the lesson by giving each student a bag of sugar as a present just for coming to church. I told them just like they received a present from me for coming to church, everyone who has ever lived on the earth gets a present from Jesus Christ just for coming to the earth because of his atonement on our behalf. However, if we would like something better in the end, we need to work for it. Eternal life doesn't come without hard work and perseverance while here on earth. We need to keep the commandments, repent, etc. to gain celestial glory. This part of the atonement is conditional on what we do in our lifetime.
Explain that at the end of the lesson you have something for them that is much better than a bag of sugar, but to receive it they must work hard during the lesson. Everyone who wants to receive this extra special gift at the the end, must make at least one comment, read a scripture, or share a personal experience during the lesson, and your gift will be given to you at the end of the lesson.
At the end of the lesson, reiterate that the Atonement was made for everyone, but only those who are willing to do what's necessary to gain eternal life will do so.
As seen in the July 2005 New Era. A morningside speaker told the seminary students to put the penny in their shoe. During the day whenever they felt the penny they were to offer a silent prayer. A penny in your shoe feels like a small rock in your shoe you definitely feel it. The author said that they enjoyed the experience so much of praying often that they continued the activity.
Morningsides were our seminary’s version of firesides. They were really early in the morning, but I was always glad I went.
At one of those early morning meetings, the speaker gave each of us a penny as we entered the chapel. We held the pennies throughout his talk, and at the end he challenged us to put our pennies in our shoes. His suggestion, at first, sounded like one of those things people do for good luck, like keeping a rabbit’s foot in your pocket. But then he explained his strange request.
The speaker asked us to pray every time we felt the pennies in our shoes. It didn’t sound too hard, but when I got up I realized that a penny in your shoe is only slightly less annoying than a rock in your shoe. Still, I decided to take the challenge.
During the day at school, the penny would slide around as I walked. And when I felt it, I remembered to offer a silent prayer. I forgot about the challenge after I took my shoes off until I wore those shoes again later in the week. I didn’t take the penny out but decided to pray again throughout that day. My day went so well I decided to put a penny in every pair of shoes I owned.
Those pennies changed me. Their effect was much better than good luck. They taught me how to pray and communicate with my Heavenly Father. Now I know how it feels to pray without ceasing and to always have a prayer in my heart (see Alma 34:27; 3 Ne. 19:24, 30).
I don’t keep pennies in my shoes anymore. After a few months, I didn’t need the reminder to thank Heavenly Father for my many blessings or to ask for His help when I needed it. I feel like I know Him better now, and I know He is always there to listen to and answer my prayers.
(You could use this to help students remember to perform any challenge you issue during a lesson, like smiling at others, remembering to look around you for others to help, staying off their phones, using good language, etc ~Jenny)
