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

“A calling is a sacred opportunity to serve. It carries with it an accountability to the Lord. It should influence the way you life, governing your decisions and motivating you to be a faithful and wise servant” (Teaching, No Greater Call, p. 20).

Materials needed: baby items (i.e. bottle, pacifier, baby food jar, bib, rattle or toy, etc.), something crunchy to eat like carrot sticks, a blanket, magnetic fishing pole and fish with paperclips to “catch” with actions written on the fish (i.e. jump 5 times, hop on one foot, sign the ABC song, say your full name, etc.).

Have the children gather on a blanket on the floor. Put out baby items one at a time and ask them what each is called and its use. At the end, ask if they ever used these things. Why don’t they use them now? When we were babies, we couldn’t do very much. Can a baby (walk, talk, feed itself, dress itself, ride a bike, sing song, jump up and down?) No, but you can.

You are so smart now that you are 3 (and 4) years old! Play the game of having the children close their eyes and you hide one of the items behind your back. When they open their eyes, they have to guess which baby thing is missing. Repeat.

Who has a little baby brother or sister? Are you big and help you mom when a baby is crying? We are so much bigger now and can all do many special things. What can you do now? One thing you can do is eat your own food. When you were a baby, your mom or dad had to feed you and you got very messy so you had to wear a bib. Now you have grown teeth in your mouth and can chew. Who wants to show us how they can chew and eat these carrots without making a mess?

If you have a nursery room nearby, this would be a good time to take a walk to visit the younger children. Remind your Sunbeams that they used to be in nursery but now they are big and can do more things.

I know how smart you are now that you are growing up. We have learned in Sunbeams that we have a Father in Heaven. What is another name for Heavenly Father? (God) He made our bodies and is the father of our spirits. Who can remember the song “I Am a Child of God”? Let’s sing it together. (Children’s Songbook, p. 2)

Our bodies can do many things. Point to the part of your body that we have talked about in Sunbeams: We have learned that our fingers can touch and feel, our tongues can taste, our eyes can see, our noses can smell and our ears can hear. I’m going to touch a body part and you tell me what is does.

We can do more things and harder things as we grow up and get bigger.

Sing the song in the Children’s Songbook p. 249 entitled “Once there was a Snowman” but change the words to:

Once I was a baby…small, small, small. (crouch down on the floor)

Now I’m growing bigger…tall, tall, tall (gradually stand up straight).

Repeat.

What are you learning how to do now? Ride on a scooter? Ride a tricycle? Zip your coat? Button your shirt. In a few years, you’re going to learn how to ride a two-wheeler and tie your shoes and write your name. Do you think it will be hard? What are you learning to do now that is hard? Are you going to keep trying and working hard? Share something from your life that was a new skill that you had to be persistent in learning. Talk about your sense of accomplishment.

Sing “Do As I’m Doing” (Children’s Songbook, p. 276). Let’s pretend to do a few of these new things and sing a song.

Go “fishing.” Do the action the fish tells.

Bear Testimony. Heavenly Father sent us to earth to grow up, learn to do many important things and obey His commandments so we can be happy.

If time, play the hiding game. Have all the children find a spot to curl up in a ball on the floor with their face down, eyes shut. Cover up one of the children with your blanket. When you say “1,2,3” all the children sit up and look around (except the one who is covered. The children have to figure out which child is hiding. Repeat.