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The Real, Genuine Teacher

May 17, 2016

            As a classroom teacher I always wanted to control the teaching/learning atmosphere as much as possible. I would arrange the room, use the media well, and ensure that the walls had appropriate things hung on them. I worked under the belief that if the physical atmosphere was well managed then both the teaching and the learning would be elevated.


            Teaching as a missionary brings a whole new dimension to the teaching atmosphere because a missionary can rarely control the physical aspect of it. You are invited into someone’s home and you just go with what is there. Here are 3 experiences I had last week. The first was in the evening. A mother and her teen-age son are studying with us. We went for a lesson and she was trying to get dinner ready, keep her other 3 younger daughters under control, keep the television off or at least keep the volume down, answer the phone, and be engaged in the lesson. Not an ideal situation.


            That was followed by a lesson with a single man who lives in a hotel. We taught him in the lobby of the hotel. There were 2 chairs in the whole lobby. He sat in one, I in the other, and the two young missionaries stood. People were coming in and out, the desk clerk was right by us and there was the usual commotion associated with a public place. Again, not ideal.


            Two days later we went at 10 a.m. to a home to teach a single woman. She lives in a 3-story, 6-unit building, the type that are so common in these parts. She couldn’t invite us in because one of her roommates had started drinking earlier in the morning and was well into his first six pack of the day and not in a good mood. So we stood on the porch and taught – we in our white shirts and ties, she in her bathrobe. We competed with her phone, the trash trucks, a fire engine, lots of neighbors flowing in and out of the building, and the general noise of the street. Far, far from the ideal.


            All three of these situations would never be considered excellent teaching venues, but here is what happened. The first woman and her son were on their fourth discussion and it went well. She shared with us some experiences from her life where she felt the Spirit but didn’t know what it was that kept guiding her towards better things. We helped her see what it was and she was filled with the Spirit again. The second man had already committed to baptism and this was a little tune up lesson for him. He accepted it very well. He was edified as we all were. The third woman was very agreeable to the message, accepted a Book of Mormon, committed to read it each night, and invited us back.


            What made these lessons come alive and overcome very poor ‘classroom’ set ups? Of course, it was the presence of the Holy Ghost. Nothing makes teaching too difficult for Him. When we pray and invite His presence, real teaching and learning occurs no matter what the setting and situation. Now, what will happen with these people and their relationship to the church only time and experience will tell. But I do know that on each of those particular occasions they were given the best opportunity to hear and accept the message because of the presence and active involvement of the Spirit in the teaching process 

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{Sharing Time} The Holy Ghost Can Guide and Protect Us

June 15, 2015

Sharing Time Ideas from the 2015 Outline

ENCOURAGE UNDERSTANDING: Invite some ward members to share stories about how the Holy Ghost guides or protects us. They could share a personal experience or a story from the scriptures or Church history (for example, see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff [2004], 46–47). Divide the children into groups and rotate either the groups or the storytellers until each group has heard all the stories. Have the children hum “The Holy Ghost” (CS, 105) while they rotate among storytellers.

ENCOURAGE UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION: Divide the chalkboard into two columns. Write “Important decisions” at the top of one column and “Invite the Holy Ghost” at the top of the other. Have the children fill in the first column by listing important decisions they will make throughout life. Then have them fill in the second column with what they will do to invite the Holy Ghost into their life so they can receive help in making these decisions.

Sharing Time Ideas from Little LDS Ideas

I found a great FHE lesson idea that I decided to incorporate into this week’s Sharing Time idea.  The idea comes from ‘Familyof a Dental School Student’ and is titled ‘We can Listen’. I’ve changed it up a bit to fit this week’s lesson. Hope you like it!


Listening Ears

Before Primary, make 2-3 ‘listening ears’. To do this, cut strips of paper (about 1.5” wide X 11″ long) and staple/glue them together to make a head band, I used 2 1/2 strips to make mine. After you have made your head band, print out these ears from LDS.org and attach them to the sides of the headband.

Next, you will need to come up with 5 different sounds. You can find animal noises on the internet and play them for the children using your smartphone or laptop. You can also use different household objects (ex. crumpled paper, knock on the door, etc.).

How to Play

Invite several children up to the front of the primary room. Tell them that today they are going to be listening to different sounds. Explain to the children that you have brought some ‘listening ears’ to help them listen to the different sounds.

For the older children you can give them a piece of paper labeled 1-5. Have them write down their answers after they have listened to each sound. 
I created an answer sheet. Feel free to use it, Click HERE to print it out!
For the younger children you could have them tell you the answer aloud.

After the children have had a chance to guess the sounds ask them if it was easy to guess what each one was.

Explain that there is something else in our lives that we need to listen to. You can give a few clues for the children…examples: Speaks in a still, small voice, is a gift we receive, etc.

Discuss with the children that it is important for us to listen to the Holy Ghost because the Holy Ghost helps us in many different ways.

Explain to the children that you have asked some people to come in  today and share some experiences.

Idea from the Outline: Invite some ward members to share stories about how the Holy Ghost guides or protects us. They could share a personal experience or a story from the scriptures or Church history (for example, see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff [2004], 46–47).


Another Idea for Stories: You could also have 2-3 stories picked out to read to the children. While you read the stories, have 2-3 children come up and wear the ‘listening ears’. At the end of the story have your ‘listeners’ tell you how the Holy Ghost was able to guide or protect.
As a closing activity, have the children share different ways that we can invite the Spirit into our lives. You could use my strips from last week’s lesson to help with this. Click HERE to print them out.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoy my Sharing Time for this week. Have a wonderful day & a great Sharing Time!

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{Sharing Time} The Holy Ghost Speaks In a Still, Small Voice

June 13, 2015

Sharing Time Ideas from the 2015 Outline

INTRODUCE THE DOCTRINE:In a quiet voice say, “Everyone who can hear my voice, put your finger on your nose. Everyone who can hear my voice, put your hand on your head.” Continue, designating other parts of the body, until all the children are listening to your quiet voice. You could end by asking them to fold their arms. Point out that even though you were speaking quietly, when the children listened, they could hear your voice and obey your instructions. Explain that the Holy Ghost speaks to us in a quiet or still, small voice.

ENCOURAGE UNDERSTANDING:Blindfold a child and lead him or her to a different place in the room. Tell the child, “If you trust me and listen to me, I will guide you back to your seat.” With a soft voice give the child directions to get safely back to his or her seat. Ask, “How is this like the way the Holy Ghost guides us?” Show how the Holy Ghost can be likened to the Liahona by sharing the story of Nephi’s broken bow (see 1 Nephi 16:18–32). Consider using actions as demonstrated in other lessons in this outline (see March, week 3, or August, week 4). Explain that just as the Liahona directed the people according to their faith and diligence, the Holy Ghost will direct us according to our righteousness when we listen for His voice.

Sharing Time Ideas from Little LDS IdeasI know I’m extremely late posting this, but I figured I’d still post it in case anyone is looking for ideas.

What you will need for this Sharing Time:

-Wrap a present/gift bag with the words ‘Holy Ghost’ inside. You can also use a picture too.

-Type up several different ways we can invite the Spirit (printable below)

-Type up several different ways that will turn the Spirit away (printable below)

-A chalkboard/poster board- Split the board into 2 sections. At the top label one column ‘Invites the Spirit’ and the other side ‘Turns the Spirit Away.’
-A bucket or bag- you will place all the ‘Invites the Spirit’ and ‘Turns the Spirit Away’ papers in this.

Begin your Sharing Time:

Before Sharing Time, place your gift somewhere in the Primary room. Don’t make it too easy to get to.
Tell the children that we’re going to be talking about something very important today. Tell them that you will need a few helpers to begin. Have 1 child come up and blindfold him/her. Then have 2-3 more children stand up around the room. They will be talking loudly to the blindfolded child (they will try to distract the child). Then choose 1 more child to whisper directions to the blindfolded child.
Show the child that is whispering, where the present it. Tell the blindfolded child that somewhere in the room is an object that he/she needs to find. There is someone here to help, but he/she will need to listen very carefully for the directions he/she will receive.
Have the one child begin telling the blindfolded child where to go. Then have the other 2-3 children begin talking loudly. Have them tell the child to listen to them, come over here, you’re going the wrong way, etc. Make sure they aren’t too loud, just loud enough to make it difficult to hear the other child. Once the child has found the present have him/her bring it up to the front. Have the other children sit down.
Ask the child if it was hard to listen to the right person? Ask if he had to concentrate really hard to listen to that person? Have the child open up the gift and read it aloud.
Explain to the children that what the children just did is like the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost speaks in a still small voice.
Share a story with the children of listening to the Holy Ghost or share a personal story of a time that you listened to the Holy Ghost.

Tell the children that sometimes the Holy Ghost speaks to us through feelings. Share the different ways the Holy Ghost talks to us:

We feel it in our hearts

– have them touch their hearts

Sometimes words or thoughts come into our minds

– have them touch their heads

And sometimes we may hear a voice

– have them touch their ears.-(You could also have them look up scriptures to learn the different ways we can be prompted by the Holy Ghost.)

Tell the children that in order to be guided by the Holy Ghost, we must first do things that will help invite the Spirit. If we do bad things, the Holy Ghost won’t be able to help guide us.
Show the children your poster- board. Show them each side: Invites the Spirit & Turns the Spirit Away.
Next, show the children your bucket and tell them that in the bucket are pieces of paper with different things written on them. They will need to take turns coming up and choosing a piece of paper. They will then need to decide which side it goes on…whether it ‘Invites the Spirit’ or ‘Turns the Spirit Away’.
At the end sing ‘The Holy Ghost’. Have them sing very reverently. You could also ask how everyone feels…do you feel the Spirit? Close by bearing your testimony of the Holy Ghost.


Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful day & a great Sharing Time!

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{Sharing Time} The Holy Ghost is the Third Member of the Godhead.

June 2, 2015

Sharing Time Ideas from the 2015 Outline

Introduce the doctrine: Help the children memorize the first article of faith by dividing them into three groups. Point to a group and have them say, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father.” Point to another group and have them say, “And in His Son, Jesus Christ.” Point to the third group and have them say, “And in the Holy Ghost.” Repeat, giving each group a turn to say each phrase. (You may want to have younger children hold up fingers for each phrase.) Explain that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are the three members of the Godhead. Tell the children that the Holy Ghost is a spirit, without a body of flesh and bones.

Encourage understanding and application: Invite the children to open their scriptures and read Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 together. Ask them to listen for why the Holy Ghost does not have a body. Read Doctrine and Covenants 8:2. Have the children point to their heads when you say “mind” and to their hearts when you say “heart.” Share examples of how the Holy Ghost might speak to your mind and your heart (see Galatians 5:22). Consider having children share times when they have felt the influence of the Holy Ghost.

Encourage understanding and application: Divide the children into five groups. Give each group one of the following scripture references, and have them identify how the Holy Ghost helps us: John 14:26 (comforts and teaches); 2 Nephi 32:5 (tells us what we should do); Mosiah 5:2 (changes our hearts); Moroni 8:26 (fills us with hope and love); Doctrine and Covenants 20:27 (testifies of Christ). Invite each group to tell the rest of the Primary what they learned.

Sharing Time Ideas from Little LDS IdeasFor this week’s Sharing Time I used ideas from the outline, but also got a little help from a previous idea I shared years ago (Here). I’ve changed it up a bit to fit this week’s theme a little better. Hope you like it!


Begin your sharing time by splitting the primary into 3 groups. Have the groups sit in a circle, and have one adult help each group. Hand each group a part of the 1st Article of Faith and have them repeat it several times.

After a few minutes have all the groups come to the front of the primary room to repeat their part. Point to group #1 and have them say their part…then group #2…then group #3.

After you have had everyone repeat their parts together explain that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are the three members of the Godhead.

Holy Ghost Quiz

At the front of the primary room have a bell or buzzer. Invite 2 children to come to the front for a short Holy Ghost quiz.

Have the children stand across from each other with the bell/buzzer in the middle.

Read the questions aloud and have them ring the bell if they know the answer.

Here are some examples of questions:

1.     Does the Holy Ghost have a body of flesh and bone? {D&C 130:22}

2.     When do you receive the Holy Ghost?

3.     Is the Holy Ghost the 1st member of the Godhead?

4.     Can the Holy Ghost speak to you? {D&C 8:2}

After the Holy Ghost Quiz read the scripture {D&C 8:2} aloud. Have the children point to their head when you say “mind” and to their hearts when you say “heart”.

Holy Ghost I Spy

Next, you will be placing several items that will help identify how the Holy Ghost helps us. Place all the items onto the table at the front of the primary room. Each item will have a coordinating scripture.

Invite one child up to the front and have him/her look at all the items. Then read one of the scriptures (below) aloud. Have the child pick the item that they think best describes that scripture.

John 14:26– Comforts & Teaches {blanket & picture of school/book/etc.}

2 Nephi 32:5– Tells Us What We Should Do {Map/Compass/etc.}

Mosiah 5:2– Changes Our Hearts.{Picture of a heart}

Moroni 8:6– Fills Us With Hope & Love {measuring cup with ‘Hope’ & ‘Love}

D&C 20:27– Testifies of Christ {Picture of Christ}

Discuss with the children the many different ways the Holy Ghost helps us. If time permits, invite a few children to share times when they have felt the influence of the Holy Ghost.


I hope you like my idea for this week’s Sharing Time. If you have any questions or ideas you’d like to share just send me an email to
littleldsideas(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful day & a great Sharing Time!

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{Sharing Time} I Can Know The Truth Through The Power Of The Holy Ghost

July 24, 2014

Downloaded from: http://littleldsideas.blogspot.com/2014/07/sharing-time-i-can-know-truth-through.html Sharing Time Ideas from 2014 OutlineIDENTIFY THE DOCTRINE (distinguishing truth from error): Write, on separate pieces of paper, some statements that are clearly true and others that are obviously false (such as “The sun is warm,” “Ice is hot,” “Stars shine at night,” and “Fire is cold”).  Invite a child to choose one to read aloud, and ask the children to stand if the statement is true…
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Helaman 6-7 Holy Ghost

April 26, 2014

Downloaded from: http://seminarymoments.blogspot.com/2014/04/helaman-6-7-holy-ghost.html Our attitudes and actions can result in an increase OR a decrease of the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. From this great blog post, by Russel Simon, I was able to show a fantastic visual to the class! I ask you, are you:Cup DownCup SidewaysCup UpOur position is determined by our attitudes and actions. Elder David A. Bednar said:“We should also endeavor to discern when…
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Day 3, The Fundamentals Of Gospel Teaching And Learning

August 29, 2013

Downloaded from: http://brosimonsays.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/day-3-the-fundamentals-of-gospel-teaching-and-learning/ First of all, if you have an LDS Account that will let you access the resources to si.lds.org, then you will want to explore the resources at: https://si.lds.org/improving-teaching?lang=eng#/improving-teaching/gospel-teaching-learning/fundamentals One of my favorite resources from that section that I like to use often is: President Erying discusses “little changes” that make the difference between the “casual way” and the […]

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