Toddler FHE Week 1: Service

Put on a puppet show!!!
Get some paper bags or some socks, sticky eyes, glue and each of you make your puppet.
Song: When we're helping
Prayer
Scripture
Mosiah 2:17
Help children to memorize or repeat the scripture after you.
Spiritual Thought
Read this story from the friend or watch this video called "the Coat"
Briefly discuss how service was provided and how when we serve others we are serving god.

Activity
We started the activity by getting brown paper sacks and drawing our puppets on them. They were nothing special just quick and easy and something our little guy could help with. We just did markers but you could get the googly eyes and pipe cleaners to really make your puppets stand out.:)

Act out with your puppets different service scenarios:

• Jane dropped her books in the hallway at school. Joey helped her pick them up.
• Olivia is sad in nursery because she can't find her toy. Luca helps her find it.
• Grandma can't take care of her lawn and garden. Lisa and Tommy help her weed and mow the lawn.
• Stephanie has been feeling lonely. Ben and Kasey make her cookies to cheer her up.
• Mom is tired from cleaning all day. Mikey helps her by cleaning up his toys.
• Come up with your own service activites.

Our little guy loved the puppets. It was fun to see him acting out different services. At one point his puppet didn't want to share his toy with another puppet and we had to settle for hugs and kisses... :)

We ended the FHE by discussing how we are already serving others and how we could do better. One thing I felt was fairly important is that sometimes we feel like we don't give very much service but we can't forget the ways we serve each other. We took some time to recognize the wonderful service my husband provides to the family by fulfilling his role as a provider and priesthood leader. and how as I fulfill my role as a mother I also am providing a service that no one else can give. As I magnify my calling as a mother I know that I am blessing the lives of my children and husband. I think as we each do the best we can within our homes we will be more prepared to serve outside of our homes. 

We also discussed how the best service you can provide is sometimes the hardest. It takes work to recognize someones real needs.

We then discussed ways we could serve those outside of our home more, Many ideas included the normal ones you may think of: feeding the missionaries, making cookies or food for someone, helping someone with their yard, and helping someone move. Ideas included:

• Being emotionally available to those that are struggling.
• Seeking to know what problems and concerns others have.
• Being genuinely interested in others.
• Helping out at ward activities and in callings.
• Reaching out to others and making new friends.
• Bearing testimony in church or with friends.
• Sharing the gospel with others

Treat: DIY Peanut Butter Cups

End with Prayer

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Holding Scripture Study with your Toddler

We should teach our children starting at a young age. In the family is the ideal place to teach our children. I believe we should make a great effort to help our children learn and grow in the gospel. However it is pretty interesting as a new parent trying to get creative and think of ways to include and help educate your toddler during scripture study. How do we keep their attention and teach them the gospel...specifically the scripture stories. Here are a couple of ideas:

Use your resources:

• LDS Free Clipart: This has a lot of scripture pictures and coloring pages.
• Living Scriptures free downloads: Wow, when I discovered this I was so excited. Living Scripture offers free downloads that you can print from home and use as coloring books. Choose the scripture story that you want to teach and let your child go through their animated pictures. 
• The Friend: The friend scripture site has cute animated videos of scripture stories. Also so great. They also have audio stories of Jesus Christ.
• The Mormon Channel Audio Scripture Stories: This is a weekly broadcast that features songs, children testifying, and audio scripture stories.

Activities

Who doesn't learn best by re-enacting a scripture story or re-creating the wise man and the foolish man in actual sand. Coming up with activities to teach the scriptures definitely takes more work but I love using it for an occasional scripture study when I'm feeling ambitious. The friend has a lot of activity ideas. Here is one resource from the friend. You can also go here and type "for little friends (and then your topic)" This helps to quickly and easily find activities to fit your topic of study that night.

Read The Scriptures To your Child

Although all these resources are fabulous, I think it is important for my toddler to hear the actual stories from the scriptures. Some ideas for this are to get a large copy of the scriptures and highlight the main stories. Then instead of reading straight through read the stories and talk about them or act them out. You can also use the gospel art kit as a supplement while reading to be able to show your child pictures. Online gospel art kit. Another idea with this is to use "The Book of Mormon for Latter Day Saint Families". It breaks it up for you with pictures and everything. They also have ones for The New Testament and The Old Testament.

Repetition

I don't know about your toddler but mine loves repeating words I say. Start by reading 3-5 verses. Pick a verse and have them repeat the words. 

Include Related Primary Songs

Singing is a great way to get the attention of a little toddler and get them interested in what the scriptures say. You could try to match up songs with the scriptures you are reading or go through the primary songbook and read the accompanying scriptures at the bottom.

The Book of Mormon Stories Reader

This is a great resource because the pictures are in order and go along with the scriptures. Again I think it is important that children get to hear the actual words of the scriptures. This would work well with them following along with the pictures while someone reads the story from the scriptures.

Get them a set of their own scriptures

This is great. Our little toddler just wants what we have. He wants to flip through our scriptures...(not a good idea by the way). So we wanted to create some ownership. We got him a Book of Mormon that was more sturdy and cheaper. (the giveaway ones) When we pull out our scriptures he also has a similar book that he can "read". When they have their own scriptures they can be included in things like highlighting verses as well. For one scripture study you could just memorize a scripture mastery and help them highlight it in their book.

Other Great Resources

• Head Start with the Book of Mormon: This is a great resource if you want to kill two birds with one stone. It helps you teach your child to read using the book of mormon.
• Book of Mormon Discovery:  This is an LDS workbook. Although not specifically designed for toddlers it can be used as a supplement to teach children the gospel.
• Picture Pages: Over 14 years this mom wrote over 2,000 narrations for her kids to color. You can print these pages out and let them color them.

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