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

“As you teach children, you will find that you receive special blessings. Children will bring joy to your soul and prompt you to be a good example. As you come to recognize the faithfulness, love, trust, and hope of children, you will grow closer to the Lord and better understand His commandment to ‘become as little children'” (Teaching, No Greater Call, p. 108).

Materials needed: a small nativity with figures, Gospel Art pictures 1-71 and 1-8, coloring page and Coupons (if desired)

From the Attention Activity in this lesson from the Primary 1 manual, do the chair activity where one child tried to lift the chair with holding just one leg. He can’t do it himself. It’s too hard. Then others help by lifting the other legs at the same time. We can do hard things together if we all help.

Show the picture of Nephi building a ship. Tell about how Nephi couldn’t build the ship by himself. First he had to pray to Heavenly Father to see how to do it. Then he needed his family to help him build it.

Why couldn’t Nephi build the ship by himself?  How did his family help?

What happens when everyone works together?

Show picture of the sacrament. Who are these people? The deacons have the Priesthood and it is their job to help us take the sacrament. They all work together so we can all take the bread and water.  We all can do something at church to help each other.

Who are some other people that help us at church? What can we do to help others at church? (be reverent, sing the songs for the song leader, listen to our teachers and parents, help our friends, pick up trash, say “thank you” to people who help us.)

Sing “When we’re helping, We’re happy.” Children’s Songbook, p. 198. Add different verses of the people just discussed (“and we like to help teacher…” “and we like to help bishop…” etc.) On the chorus, have the children clap once at the beginning of each measure.

At Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. There were many people who were there when he was born in a stable. A stable is where animals are kept, like a barn. Mary and Joseph were visiting the town of Bethlehem and it was so crowded, there wasn’t any place for them to stay. So they had to stay in a stable. They were very poor and didn’t have very much. But there were a lot of people who came to help them.(Show the different people or figurines of the nativity and ask what each did to help Jesus. Then talk about how Jesus was the best helper of all. Because he came to earth as a baby, and grew up to a man, he helped many people by teaching the gospel and healing them. He is our biggest Helper because he gave us eternal life.)

Each child can color this page: https://www.lds.org/friend/2012/07/coloring-page?lang=eng

You could also have each child make a Christmas gift for their mom or dad. On pieces of paper, they fill out “Coupons” that tells what nice thing, act of service or being a big helper, they will do for their parent.  The parent can “redeem” the coupon when they want their child to do one of the things. You can put each child’s coupons in a nice Christmas wrapping or small sack to open at Christmas.