"Be It Unto Me According To Thy Word"

"Be It Unto Me According To Thy Word"

Your kiddos will LOVE these activities and songs for Come Follow Me (Jan 2-8) Matthew 1; Luke 1 New Testament topics.

TOPICS/ACTIVITIES

The faithful willingly submit to God’s will. (FAMILY)

God’s blessings come in His own time. (FAMILY) 

• Waiting on the Lord: God's Will Scripture Stories Question & Answer

Heavenly Father hears & answers my prayers. Luke 1:5–25, 57–63 (PRIMARY)

• Prayer Activities, We Bow Our Heads Song Actions, Prayer Mobile Craft and Prayer Action Rhyme
  

With God nothing is impossible. Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:5–37; Luke 1:46–55 (PRIMARY & FAMILY)

• Great & Impossible Scripture Stories Card Match (Family Scripture Study & Home Evening)
• Luke 1:37 Scripture Trace & Color

Fear - Fear Not; Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:11–13, 30.

• Overcoming Fears with Jesus  - Puzzle and Fear Monsters game
• Obstacle course game
  

FAMILY Jan 2-8 CFM CHURCH LINK

PRIMARY Jan 2-8 CFM CHURCH LINK

NEW TESTAMENT 2023 READING TRACKER COLORING CHARTS FOR KIDS!!

A fun, easy way to motivate and keep track of scripture reading in 2023!
Print out these super fun New Testament 2023 Reading Charts, hang on your kids bedroom wall or keep with their scriptures and let them color in each book or picture number as they complete the weekly readings. 

(Get when you join the printables library - under "CFM 2023 READING COLORING CHART")

NEW TESTAMENT 2023 KIDS CFM ACTIVITY PRINTABLES BUNDLE (JAN - JUNE)

This Come Follow Me 2023 Kids Activity Book for Families & LDS Primary gives you simple, easy Come Follow Me printables for church and home.

With activity suggestions for every week of the month (Jan-June), you'll always have something quick and easy to give your kiddos to further engage them in the lessons each week while giving them plenty of variety* and fun while learning!

(42+ PGS of fun! - Get when you join the printables library).

Includes: Coloring Pages, Scripture Trace & Color, Mobile crafts, Write/Draw activities, Puzzles, 

Matching and more!

TOPICS

The faithful willingly submit to God’s will. Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38 

God’s blessings come in His own time. Luke 1:5–25, 57–80 

Waiting on the Lord

WHAT YOU NEED:

Waiting on the Lord-God's Will Card Matching Game

This fun "Waiting on the Lord-God's Will" matching card game is simple, effective and fun! Kids learn stories of people from the scriptures who had to wait on the Lord by matching the story (text) cards with the person (picture) cards. Also included are additional scriptures, questions, and thoughts for each scripture story.

Add this game to any lesson on accepting God's will, waiting on the Lord, trials and praying to God for help.

As you match a card, talk about the questions:

• What was (name) response to waiting?
• What can we learn from (name) story that we can use in our own situation(s) where we are waiting for something?

(For a list of descriptions on each scripture stories/characters included in the matching game, see the list below).

In-between talking about each person, if you have younger kids, sing this simple song:

Wait on the Lord, Wait on the Lord,

Be of good courage, and wait on the Lord.

And He shall strengthen, shall strengthen my heart,

As I wait on the Lord.

(Some information credit: happyhealthyandprosperous.com, biblestudytools.com, and ibelieve.com)

Elizabeth & Zacharias - Luke 1:5–25, 57–80; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland promised: “While we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted. But they are always answered at the time and in the way an omniscient and eternally compassionate parent should answer them” (“Waiting on the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 115–16). How did Zacharias and Elisabeth remain faithful?

Hannah - 1 Samuel 1-2; Hannah's story teaches us several things:

1) Hannah knew where to take her problems – straight to God in prayer. “In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:10). When you have a problem, do you take it to the Lord?

2) In every situation His timing is perfect. A key verse of Hannah's story in the scriptures actually says “the Lord had closed her womb.”( 1 Samuel 1: 5-6) That may seem cruel of God to do. Maybe we don’t understand the why’s behind His purposes, just as we can’t always fully see His plans in our troubles. But we can be assured that God definitely had a plan. He did then, and He does now. In every situation His timing is perfect.

3) In her brokenness and pain, Hannah trusted God’s power and ability to work on her behalf and she never waivered afterwards. (1 Samuel 1:11, 24-28). Do we ask without putting in effort? Without being willing to sacrifice or give? What responsibility do we have after a blessing is fulfilled? Hannah didn’t waver. She didn’t run away and tell God it was too difficult to let go. In her deepest heart, she must have known, and believed, that God’s purposes for her child were far greater than hers. She knew she had to let him go; and place him securely in God’s loving care. And she was obedient and faithful to her word.

4) She believed God would do what He said He would do AND WENT FORWARD IN FAITH

(1 Samuel 1:18, 20). As soon as Hannah was on her way, she was no longer downcast. She knew in her heart that God was at work. She had faith in her God who is always faithful. She didn’t doubt, she didn’t worry. What do we do as we wait on the Lord? What does the Lord expect us to do?

5) God will never allow our pain and brokenness to have the final word. Hannah knew there was great power in prayer, there was purpose in the waiting, and there was a blessing in the answer to her longings. Later in the book of Samuel, we read of how she would visit him regularly and bring him gifts, and how God honored her and gave Hannah 5 more children.

Abraham - Genesis 12-21, Acts 7:2-8, Romans 4:18-25, Galatians 3, James 2:21-24, Hebrews 11:8-19; Do some situations seem impossible or hopeless? How should/could you wait in a seemingly hopeless situation?

Joseph (in Egypt) - Genesis 37-46; Do you find yourself waiting on God to right the wrongs done to you? In addition to the story of Joseph, what are some other reminders that God will be your vindicator? What are some instances in your life where you need to remember and take hold of this?

Jacob - Genesis 29:1-30; Have there been times when you were waiting for something and Satan has tried to deceive you or keep you from what it was that God had for you? If so, how did you respond? Could/should you have responded differently?

Mary - Luke 2:19, 2:51; What do you think it meant that Mary “treasured all these things”, and what might have been the importance of that? What promises has God given you to hold onto as you wait? What can you “treasure in your heart”? Mary teaches us all a way of making it easier when waiting. We should hold onto God’s promises. One way of doing this is by keeping a written account–something to look for encouragement as we wait.

Jesus - God the Father knows the appointed time for all things, including when Jesus will return. Will we make the best use of our time, including in times of waiting? Let’s make our waiting worth it and trust Him in all things and at all times. He is faithful and keeps His promises.

Moses, Caleb & Joshua - Numbers 14:34; The wickedness of the Israelites kept them away from the blessing of the promised land. Are there any things you are doing that may be keeping you away from what God wants to bless you with? If not, will you keep your trust in God as Moses, Caleb & Joshua did, or will you listen to all the wicked "Israelite" voices around you?

(King) David - 1 Samuel 15:1-10,16:12-13, 24, 26, Psalms 40:1; There is a time for everything and every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Waiting can be for a short or long season, but God remains the Are there people who have gotten in the way of the blessings you are waiting for? How do you respond to those people?

Daniel - Daniel 9:3, 10:12, Psalm 34:17; Daniel’s persistence in fasting and prayer is an important example of faith and trust in God. Daniel’s prayers reached God from the very first day. This gives us hope and encouragement to continue and persist in our conversations with the Lord, for He hears the prayers of the righteous. What prayers have gone unanswered? How can you have faith that God hears your prayers, even if He hasn't answered?

Woman with the Issue of Blood - Mark 5:21-34; In Mark we read about a woman who had been bleeding for 12 long years. She spent everything she had trying to find healing. She was at her end. She was an outcast in society, considered unclean. Yet she never lost faith and when she touched the Masters robe, was healed. Jesus called her "daughter," a personal, sweet title. What does that mean for each of us when we feel alone and isolated in our suffering? What can we, when we feel we are "at our end," do? Reach out and touch the robe of Jesus today - ask for the reminder, the grace, and the knowing that comes from Him. Let Christ find you wherever you are and meet you there—at your lowest lows and your highest heights.

The Man Stuck at the Pool - John 5:1-15; An invalid man languishing at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years. At Jesus’ command, he sprang up and was miraculously healed. This Bible story reminds us that this long wait will come to an end. How can knowing that someday all pain will be healed help us endure now? How can it help us have FAITH NOT TO BE HEALED? Are we “wait(ing) by the pool of Bethesda,” hoping to be carried into the healing waters? What can we do now to help ourselves? What can we do to help others who are waiting that cannot help themselves?

These stories are not telling us that we will always be healed, or that we will always receive the answers we seek, but rather, what it looks like to reach out to Jesus in times of pain and heartache, isolation and loneliness, and be reminded that you are beloved and known intimately by your creator.

Prayer Activities:

We Bow Our Heads (Children's Songbook, 25)

• Use “We Bow Our Heads” (Children’s Songbook, 25) or another song to teach the children how to pray. Every time the children sing the words “pray” or “prayer,” invite them to bow their heads and fold their arms.

• Print out the Prayer Mobile (in the printables library) and let kids color as they sing "We Bow Our Heads" or repeat the steps of prayer (available in the printables library). 

What Can We Pray For?

• Ask each child to do actions that represent something they can pray for. Let the others guess what the actions represent. You can find ideas on this week’s church activity page.
• Say the Prayer Action Rhyme together (see picture below). 

Other Prayer Items

• Praying Hands Craft Bundle - kids learn the steps of prayer and what to pray for with these fun crafts, then reinforce with the only-find-here songs to fit along with the steps of prayer and P-R-A-Y-E-R acronym. 

• Prayers in the Scriptures Match - Reinforce the importance of prayer with stories from the scriptures with this fun Prayers in the Scriptures Match. Kids pick a WHO & WHY card and match it with the WHAT (outcome) card. Who prayed? Why did they pray? What happened?

• Prayers Activity Bundle - Teach kids what happens before, during and after they say a prayer with this simple prayer coloring mobile craft. Learn about people who prayed from the scriptures on the prayer hands circle cards. Let kids write things they can pray about on the prayer hands. And learn lots of facts about prayer with the praying people.

• Prayers Play Mats - This fun prayer play mat will teach your little ones all about prayer in a fun and engaging way! Match prayer questions and answers on one side and sing about all the different places you can pray!! Plus the "Song of Thanks" prayer song play mat lets kids sing about all the things they can pray and give thanks for! 

FAMILY SCRIPTURE STUDY & HOME EVENING

Luke 1:37 and Luke 1:46-55

To help your family build faith that “with God nothing shall be impossible,” you could search Luke 1 together and find things God did that might be considered impossible. What other stories can we share—from the scriptures or our own lives—in which God did seemingly impossible things? What are some of the “great things” the Savior has done for us? What could it mean for our souls to “magnify the Lord”?

WHAT YOU NEED:

Great & Impossible Things Match  

HOW TO USE:

This fun printable has pictures from the scriptures (Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Mormon) of those that did "great" and "impossible" things with the Lord.

Let kids put the squares on the pages as you discuss the great and impossible things of God.

Let kids trace & color the scripture Luke 1:37.

Listen to the song "Miracle" from Fiddler on the Roof, which talks about God's servants and the great miracles they did.

Optional: As they listen, let kids grab the character cards for each of the people they sing about in the song.

Fear Not

Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:11–13, 30.

Why might the people in these verses have been fearful?

WHAT YOU NEED:

Jesus Can Calm My Fears puzzle & Fear Monsters 

Wet or Dry Erase Marker

Prep - Print out and laminate the Jesus puzzle. Lay out all the puzzle pieces.

Armor of God activity pages

Activity 1: Fear Puzzle

Ask: What causes us to be fearful?

Have everyone name things they and others are afraid of. As they do, write one thing on each Jesus puzzle piece. Continue until each puzzle piece has something written on it.

Explain that Jesus can help us overcome our fears. Ask: How does God help us to "fear not?"* 

One at a time, flip over a puzzle piece and read. Once all the puzzle pieces have been flipped over and read,

let everyone put the puzzle together.

Testify that God is always with us and that He can help us when we are afraid.

*How to overcome fears:

First, armor up. I often stand in front of the mirror as I am preparing to begin the day and say aloud, “Time to buckle on the armor.” I visualize myself putting on the armor of God, grasping in my hand a gleaming sword of the Spirit and safeguarding myself with a shining shield of faith. Brothers and sisters, make the daily choices that arm you with spiritual power. No dark dart of fear stands a chance when you are protected with the Lord’s brilliant armor (see Ephesians 6:11–17).

[Let kids put the pieces on the Armor of God activity pages - see pic. below - as you read the scripture verses].

Second, think more about the welfare of others than you think about yourself. Martin Luther King Jr. noted on the parable of the Good Samaritan:

“I imagine that the first question which the priest and the Levite asked was, ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But by the very nature of his concern, the Good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’” Dr. King understood that service and selflessness could eradicate fear. (5 Ways to Conquer Fear, Elder Stevenson)

Activity 2: Obstacle Course

Make an obstacle course in the room using chairs, tables, and other items. Select one child to walk the path. Next ask for a volunteer to be blindfolded. Let him or her go through the path. Then ask for a volunteer to be blindfolded, but explain that you are going to rearrange the obstacle course. Ask him or her to choose a friend or family member who will not be blindfolded to be a guide.

Have the two children leave the room (with the other teacher if at church) for a moment. Rearrange the obstacle course. Let the friend or family member guide the blindfolded child through the course. The guide can use verbal instructions and gently hold the child’s arm.

Explain that the obstacle course is like our lives. As we journey through life we need to choose a guide we know we can trust. The best guide is Jesus Christ. Ask the blindfolded child why they weren't scared? (Because they had a guide who was talking to them). Ask how Jesus talks to us and helps guide us through life and helps us not be scared. 

Share part of Genesis 26:24 - "Fear not, for I am with thee and will bless thee." 

Bear testimony that Jesus loves us and guides us.

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