This has always been one of my favorite activities/lessons in primary. It is visual so the children get the concept easily about Christ and/or the Holy Ghost being with them wherever they go or whatever they are doing. This year I used this lesson/activity for teaching “I Know That My Savior Loves Me”. Last time I used the shadow lesson I taught “If the Savior Stood Beside Me”. You can use the shadow lesson with any song that has to do with Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost.
LESSON:
1. Show the Picture of the Savior with the Nephite children.
“By a raise of hands, who can tell me what this picture is about?”
Were any of you there to feel the Savior’s arms around you?
“You might not have been there with him, but the Savior loves you just as much as the children of his day.”
2. Shadow Puppets
What is something that follows you wherever you go and mimics your every action. Sometimes it can be seen, and sometimes it can’t. Sometimes even if it can be seen, you don’t notice it. What is it?
Answer: Your shadow
*Turn your flashlight on and turn the lights off in the room. Have a presidency member hold the flashlight and point it to the front of the room. Show the children some shadow puppets with your hands. Then move around. Point out how your shadow follows you everywhere. It is with you no matter what you do or where you go.
3. What would it be like if Jesus was your shadow? What if he went everywhere with you?
Jesus is like your shadow. He is always there. You may not see him, but he is still there. Sometimes you may not feel him, but he is still there. He is always there, just like your shadow.
Jesus loves each of you. He knows you by name. He knows your likes and dislikes. He loves you no matter what! Whenever you see your shadow, let it be a reminder that Jesus Christ loves you and is with you.
SHADOW PUPPET VISUALS &
INTRODUCING THE SONG:
(The PDF shadow puppet visuals and the PDF song visuals will be at the end of this blog post.)
"Today we will be learning the song 'I Know That
My Savior Loves Me'".
1. Ask a class or two to come up to help you hold the shadow puppet visuals. Have the first child hold the first visual up and sing the line of the song. Have the children repeat the line. Do this for every shadow puppet visual.
2. Sing the entire song with the children holding up the visuals. I stand by the child holding the visual of the line we are singing. I basically go down the row of children as we sing the song.
3 .
Put the visuals away and have the children sit down.
4. Show the children the visuals or flipchart of the visuals. When I am teaching a song for the first time, I tape the visuals to the board in front of the room, so they can see all the visuals and my hands are free.
5. Sing through the song a few times. Go over any lines or notes of the song that are iffy.
ACTIVITY:
1. Cut out a paper, felt, or foam heart. Have the children pass the heart around as you sing the song. Have the piano player stop randomly. Whichever child has the heart when the song stops will tell how they know the Savior loves them. I told the children before we started the activity that one of the ways I feel the Savior's love is when I am in nature. I am in awe at the world around me. I went first so that they had an example. Many of the junior primary children wanted help from their teachers, which is great!
SONG VISUAL PDF AND SHADOW PUPPET PDF'S:
Song Visuals:
I Know That My Savior Loves Me Visuals Verse 1 & Chorus
(I got images off the internet and in the gospel library. I used my cricut to cut them out. If you are doing a different song other than "I Know that My Savior Loves Me" and need help making shadow puppets then please do not hesitate to ask me for help. I do not know how to take multiple projects in Cricut and stick them all in the same PDF. Each line of the song has it's own PDF.)
A long time ago in a beautiful place
children were gathered round Jesus
He blessed and taught as they felt of his love
.webp)
