Week plan for APRIL 22–28
Memorize during the week: "And who is my neighbor?" Luke 10:29
Song of the Week: Jesus Said Love Everyone (CS 61)
Cut four little 2x2 inch paper squares to tape to four of your fingers. Put on the squares: a picture of Jesus, the number 2, a heart, and a U. Hold up the correct finger when you sing the lyrics that correspond. (Idea from Hillary Holbrook)
Hug everyone in the family while singing, and then, while still singing (repeating the song as many times as necessary), hunt through the house for all the stuffed animals and dolls to hug as well.
Dance with fluid motions to Paul Cardall's instrumental version.
Monday
Doctrine: I should always forgive others. Matthew 18:21–35
Scripture story
Watch: Forgive 70 Times 7, Bible Video
Coloring page
Activities
Read Calvin's Awesome Space Jet to your children while they build their own version of a space jet with blocks, legos, etc. Then do this Building Forgiveness activity to go over tips for turning angry feelings into feelings of love and forgiveness that will build a stronger home.
Write “I forgive you” on seven separate cards and hide them around the room. Have your children find and count the cards. Read Matthew 18:21. Is forgiving seven times enough? Share Jesus' answer to Peter in Matthew 18:22. Give some examples of times they would have to forgive someone (scroll down to find them or use ctrl F "steal"). Have them hold up this face on the frowning side when they feel bad about the situation. Then have them turn the frowning face upside down when you talk about how it will feel when they forgive that person. (Idea adapted from The Friend and Simply Family Home Evening)
Watch the For Little Friends video Can't We Be Friends? and then read Learning to Forgive.
Tuesday
Doctrine: I should always forgive others. Matthew 18:21–35
Scripture story
Coloring page
Puppets for The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (scroll down to find them)
Activities
Teach your children, using balloons, to let go of hurt feelings. Buy a helium balloon for each family member, along with a couple extras to spare. Tell each person to write on their balloon things that others have done that hurt their feelings. Help each child individually pray for help to forgive the people who have caused the hurt feelings. Then let go of the balloons and watch them float up to the ceiling. (Idea from The Friend)
Go outside and read this Pockets Full of Rocks poem. When Malcolm puts rocks in his pocket, have your children go find a rock to put in their pocket. Then when Malcolm changes his mind, have your children unpack their pockets.
Read Haircut Disaster as an example of forgiving others and watch The Shiny Bicycle as an example of receiving forgiveness for ourselves. Discuss why Jesus wants us to forgive others. We must remember that He did not atone for our sins alone, but for the sins of everyone who repents. When we choose not to forgive someone, we are, in a way, demonstrating to the Savior that we don't believe His atonement works.
Wednesday
Doctrine: I should always forgive others. Matthew 18:21–35
Scripture story
Read: Jesus Forgave
Watch: Jesus Forgives a Woman, Illustrated New Testament Stories
Coloring page
Activities
Eat/make some fudge and read the poem Holding a Grudge. Talk about what a grudge is and why it weighs you down like the penny on the paper airplane from this forgiveness paper airplane object lesson.
Cut this bright idea poster into horizontal strips and slip inside a balloon before inflating it. Let your children try to pop the balloon without any sharp objects. Once popped, they can retrieve the puzzle pieces and put together the message.
Look at these forgiveness cards and go over the article's 10 ways to show forgiveness. Have everyone in the family think of someone they may need to forgive and then make a homemade forgiveness card for that person.
Thursday
Doctrine: Jesus taught me to see all people as my neighbors and love them. Luke 10:25–37
Scripture story
Watch: The Good Samaritan, Illustrated New Testament Stories
Coloring page
Activities
Host a Teddy Bear Theater, presenting The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Print off name tags for the characters, a backdrop, and other paper props from the Amazing Mitzi.
Also from the Amazing Mitzi is this simple but great "Who Is My Neighbor?" game to bring home the concept that all our fellow men are our neighbors and should be treated with love.
Print off this Helping Hands Challenge OR this 100 Acts of Kindness chart and hang next to a list of ideas (or here is a shorter list that includes pictures.) For each act of kindness your children do, they can color in a heart or hand. You may also want to write each of the kind deeds on a sticky note to display on a kindness wall. If you want a short term activity instead, play daily kindness bingo.
Friday
Doctrine: Jesus taught me to see all people as my neighbors and love them. Luke 10:25–37
Scripture story
Coloring page
Activities
Print off the single page You are the Savior's Hands article and have your children each take a turn putting their hand over the outline on the paper. Read the article together and discuss what it means. Fittingly, I have a mini Christus statue that is missing a hand, so in our house we will make a little sign to display underneath with the words "You are my hands."
Trace each other's hands on colorful paper, cut them out, and on each one, glue a cut-out scenario from these helping hands articles (1,2,3.) As you read the scenario together, choose a place in your house to tape the hand as a reminder to be a helping hand. For example, one of the stories is of Andrew unloading the dishwasher by himself for his brother, so the hand with his story could be taped to the front of the dishwasher.
Paint a helping hands mural, writing on each hand something you can do to provide a helping hand to others.
Saturday
Doctrine: Jesus taught me to see all people as my neighbors and love them. Luke 10:25–37
Scripture story
Watch: Kids Tell the Good Samaritan Story, Children's Bible Video
Act out the parable with props and simple costumes, such as bandages, a water bottle, a bag of coins, a pillow, etc.
Coloring page
Activities
Put together dollar store homeless kits to keep in your car.
Paint kindness rocks together, then go on a walk in your community, hiding the rocks for passerby to find. We plan to do this outfitted in "kindness thinking caps" and "secret service badges" (scroll down to find them) and look for people who could use our help along the way.
Read Hands, Heart, and a Smile, The Grump, The Funny Face Fix, or any of the other stories from The Friend magazine archives under the topics of kindness or service.
Sunday
We are starting a simple tradition of Conference Talk Sundaes. Each Sunday, we'll dish up everyone a bowl of ice cream and watch a Conference talk together.
Look through your family tree together to find family pioneers (hint: not just the ones who crossed the plains!)
Aww thank you!! I really appreciate that so much!
I can imagine that there isn't a 'one size fits all' approach, making it quite difficult to come up with ideas that work for everyone. Thank you so much for being so flexible and for sharing such wonderful ideas with the rest of us!
Stella.Star, I'm sorry I didn't see your comment until after I posted the next week's plan. I really appreciate your feedback. Awhile back, I decided to reduce the number of activities, and I tried to make up for that by providing better "quality" activities. But I think I was misguided in that. It is really helpful for me to know that the quick and simple activities work better for families than the elaborate activities. I will change how I do the plans. Thanks again for letting me know. I really am clueless as to what works best for people unless they tell me so I'm so glad you did!
I absolutely love your blog and all the activities. I always look here first for ideas, when planning Come Follow Me for the week ahead. I do find that over the last weeks/couple of months, the type of activities has changed though. I've always loved the simplicity of the suggestions and how quick they are. Lately everything seems much more elaborate and time-consuming. They still are great, but unfortunately we just don't have the time to 'go all out'. Anyway, I still think your website is amazing and thank you so much for sharing these great ideas with us! I always look forward to reading through your week plans.