Sharing Time on Prayer

Tomorrow’s sharing time is how the scriptures teach us how to pray.

This has many great themes, including how to pray as well as finding answers to our questions in the scriptures.

I thought I’d share my plans here on the blog, I get a lot of hits on other lesson plans I’ve done for primary, and I figure if it helps someone plan theirs, why not?

Jr Primary (Ages 3-8)

1.  Talk about how a conversation works.  How you say hello and how you might thank someone for something they did and how that makes that person feel.  How you ask them questions about themselves, or for something that they need.  And then you say goodbye.  I figure this is good talk no matter when  as kids are starting school and I’d love my kids to get a little more social skills.

2.  Talk about the Zoramites — how they built a tower, and got up there and screamed a prayer, and how that prayer wasn’t reverent and how it was the same prayer for everyone.  Then, they would go home and not pray or think about God all week.  Talk about how crazy this is.

3.  Talk about how Alma and Amulek were missionaries and they shared with them that wasn’t the right way to pray (perhaps talk about how you can share with someone the right way to do something without hurting their feelings — this should be a 5th sunday talk for all the parents too)

4.  Talk about how Alma and Amulek told them to pray.  I will have these pages printed up and placed around the room.  Then, I will have kids try to put them in order.  The first picture is of someone being reverent, as I think that is the first step in prayer.  It is not a great picture, find a better one if you can.

5.  Ask them how they think Heavenly Father feels when they pray, testify that He does hear each of our prayers and really cares about what we want, and he is happy when we thank Him.

6.  Ask them how they thought Heavenly Father felt when the Zoramites prayed

7.  Compare the two a little bit more

8.  Again, share that prayers aren’t just something we are saying.  Share a short story about a time I prayed and I know Heavenly Father listened.  If there’s time, ask if anyone else has a time that they know Heavenly Father has listened.  Testify that Heavenly Father listens, because we are his Children and he loves us — that we are so lucky to have a loving Heavenly Father who will listen and give us what we need.  We are also lucky to have the scriptures that can help us do things by giving us good and bad examples.

Senior Primary (ages 8-12)

1.  Talk about how there are SO many things we an learn from the scriptures and how today we’re going to talk about one of those things — Prayer

2.  Ask if we are born knowing how to pray.  Perhaps talk a little bit about newborn reflexes, and how prayer isn’t one of them.  Talk about how we have the scriptures to teach us many things that we may not have known how to do otherwise.

3.  Talk about Alma and Amulek and how they were 2 men sharing the gospel, ask them if this reminds them of anything (missionaries)

4.  Talk about how they came upon the Zoramites who had SO many things wrong.

5.  Get on a ladder and read out Alma 31:14-18

6.  Have one of the kids read Alma 31:19-20

7.  Talk about what was wrong with how they prayed, and compare it to how we pray.  How they climbed a tower, and somehow they thought that was better then being humble.  how they said a weird prayer that didn’t really talk or ask of things to Heavenly Fahter.  How they only did it once a week.  Talk about how each person said the same prayer.

8.  Ask them how Alma And Amulek taught them how to pray  Possibly talk about how sometimes people can get offended when you say they’re doing something wrong, so it would be important to pray in advance so you would know the right things to say.

9.  Ask them if once the Zoramites started praying the right way, if they were happier, and why…

10.  Share a personal experience with praying for a lost item and finding it.

11.  Ask the children if they have any other experiences they would be willing to share.

12.  If there is time we can talk about the scriptures and how they can help us in so many ways.

13.  Testify that we don’t need to be on a ladder or in church to pray, that Heavenly Father listens to each of us, and how lucky we are to have Him in our life.