***Note: Please read the post called “10 Lesson Helps” found under “Primary Lesson Listings” before reviewing any of my Sunbeam lesson plan ideas.

“Children are loving and want to be loved and accepted themselves. Look for opportunities to reinforce the kind and loving behavior that comes naturally to children. Because children want to please you and enjoy helping others, give them opportunities to serve. Ask them to carry your books, hold pictures, or answer questions. Encourage them to help each other. Show your love for them. Build their confidence by expressing your appreciation for their efforts whenever possible. Listen attentively to what they say.” Teaching, No Greater Call, p. 109

Materials needed: Primary pictures (see the numbers in the lesson), sack with different textured items (ie. comb, cotton ball, rock, pinecone, silk scarf, etc), play dough, paper and crayons, ball.

I’m going to tell you a story about our two hands. They have to be friends if they want to have fun together. (act out the story with hands as suggested)

“Once upon a time there were two little hands and they were the best of friends.

They would clap together, snap their fingers, pat each other and shake and hold hands.

But one day they got mad at each other and ran away (put hands behind back).

Let’s ask them to be friends again. ‘Please hands, will you be friends? We’ll sing you a song:

Come on hands, get together, come on hands get together (bring hands slowly around to the front), come on hands, get together’

But the hands said, ‘NO!’ (quickly hide hands behind back again)

Let’s ask them to be friends again. ‘Please, pretty please hands, will you be friends? We’ll sing you a song:

Come on hands, get together, come on hands get together (bring hands slowly around    to the front), come on hands, get together’

But the hands said, ‘NO!’ (quickly hide hands behind back again)

Let’s ask them to be friends again. ‘Please, pretty, pretty please hands, will you be friends? We’ll sing you a song:

Come on hands, get together, come on hands get together (bring hands slowly around  to the front), come on hands, get together’

But the hands said, ‘NO!’ (quickly hide hands behind back again)

Let’s ask them to be friends again. ‘Please, pretty, pretty, pretty please hands, will you be friends? We’ll sing you a song:

Come on hands, get together, come on hands get together (bring hands slowly around to the front), come on hands, get together’

And the hands said, ‘Yes!’

Hooray! They could clap again, and pat each other again and snap their fingers and shake and hold hands.”

Aren’t we glad our two little hands are friends! What did they do together to have fun?

I told this story with my two hands. Our hands can do many things, like tell stories.  What else can our hands do?  (help us eat, write, clap, hold things, throw a ball, etc.) Let’s sit in a circle and roll a ball to each other.  See how our hands can roll and catch a ball.  When you catch it, we will say your name.

We can also sing a song with our hands. Sing “Roll Your Hands” (Children’s Songbook, p. 274). If children remain interested, add new verses such as “Clap your hands” and “Wiggle your fingers.”

Go back to seats

How can our hands help us get ready for church?  (Have each child come up and act out something and others guess: brushing teeth, combing hair, washing face, getting dressed, eating, etc.)

When we are at church, our two hands need to be reverent.  What do they do? Show me. Say each child’s name and something good they are doing with their hands.

Have each child come up and act out something our hands do during church and others guess: holding scriptures, taking the sacrament, folding arms pray, raising hand to answer a question shaking hands with someone, waiving “hi”, etc.

Show and discuss pictures of people using their hands to help others:

1-11 Baptizing

1-6 Reading the scriptures

1-67 Raising hands in class to answer questions

1-72 Praying

1-45 Washing dishes

1-41 Writing

1-38 Throwing ball with friends

1-39 Giving a baby blessing

1-8 Passing and taking the sacrament

1-5 Gently touching the baby

1-50 Tying shoe

1-48 Building blocks with friends

1-7 Eating cookies with family

Jesus used his hands to help people when he was living on the earth. (show picture of Christ healing the sick—1-43). Tell about how Christ used his hands to lay them on the sick to heal them.  When we need a blessing, a man who has the priesthood will lay his hands gently on our heads to give us a blessing. Show and discuss picture 1-12

Here are other pictures from the scriptures. They tell a story and the hands are doing something special or important. Look at each one and raise your hand if you want to tell us what the hands are doing in these pictures:

1-37 (Daniel refuses the King’s food)

1-35 (Israelites collect mannna)

1-29 (Noah preaches)

1-17 (Boy Jesus teachers in temple)

1-52 (Boy David kills Goliath)

1-74 (Christ shows his resurrected body with wounds in hands)

1-68 (Boy David plays the harp for King Saul)

Our hands are part of our body that Heavenly Father made. They are very smart and can do many things.  Did you know your hands can feel and know what something is even if you can’t see it?  I have a sack with some things inside that you can’t see.  I’ll call your name to come up and you will reach inside, feel it, and tell us what your hands think it is.

We can count with our fingers because we are so smart.  How many fingers do we have? (Count to 10 on hands).

Sing: “1,2,3,4,5, I caught a fish alive”

1,2,3,4,5, I caught a fish alive (put one finger out for each number)

6,7,8,9,10, I let him go again

Why did you let him go?

Because he bit my finger so.

Which one did he bite?

The little one on the right.

Let’s think of 5 things (one for each finger) that we are thankful for that our hands can do (discuss)

Trace the outline of each child’s hand on a piece of paper. Write “I am thankful for my hands” on it and a on each finger, write the thing we said we were thankful for. Let the children color.

Give out playdough for the kids to play with to help our hands be creative and strong. What can your hands make?