Enriching lessons with Church-Produced Resources

"I have spoken before about the importance of keeping the doctrine of the Church pure, and seeing that it is taught in all our meetings.  I worry about this.  Small aberrations in doctrinal teaching can lead to large and evil falsehoods."  Gordon B. Hinkley

There are some wonderful ways that teachers can enrich their lessons while still relying on church-produced resources.

Did you know that the church has a new resource page where they have linked relevant articles with from  The Friend with current lessons?  

Click here to be directed to a new page at www.lds.org with links to enrichment materials.

There is also a an index of coloring pages from The Friend.  You can search by subject to find coloring pages for almost any lesson.  Click here  This index is more comprehensive that what is currently at lds.org

A member of the church also created an index for the lesson manuals with links to past articles from The Friend.  The list was compiled a while ago so some of the links are broken.  Click here to go to the page.

Creating a stress management plan

Working in Primary can be challenging.  Every Ward in the Stake has children who have a difficult time in Primary due to developmental needs, emotional needs, social special needs or just plain bad days.  Having a plan for what to do when difficult behavior occurs can greatly reduce your stress.  I’ve found that anytime I can think through a potential problem in a quiet moment, I always have more success when the problem arises.  We encourage you to spend a bit of time in one of your Presidency meetings coming up with a stress management plan.  

What can you include in your plan?  

Prevention
Begin by thinking of what you can do to diminish stressful situations in your primary.  Some Wards dismiss the Primary workers while the remaining congregation sings a song.  This allows the leaders and teachers to be in the Primary room ready to receive the children with smiles and direct them to their seats.  Some Primaries hand children who have difficulty sitting still something they can manipulate (like a koosh ball) to give their busy little bodies something to do in their seats.  Many Primaries have a special signal to let the children know that they are getting too loud or busy.  With some children, you can have a plan to walk from the front of the room and stand near them while teaching in order to help them be quiet.  

If you continue to have a difficult time with an individual child, contact the parent.   The parent knows their child best and can educate you about the best way to help their child.

“If a child or youth has a pattern of disruptive behavior, seek the help of his or her parents.  Parents want to know about their children’s behavior, and they are willing to help.  If possible, include the young person in these conversations; this will show your respect for his or her maturity and agency.  Together you can make specific plans and later review your progress.”  (Teaching No Greater Call pg. 86)  

Pray for the child in your personal and as a Presidency.  Ask for inspiration in how to meet their needs and ask to be filled with charity towards the child.

What kinds of things can you plan to implement in your Primary to prevent stressful situations?

Dealing with stress when it arrives
Even with planning, you are still going to have days where children misbehave and you become frustrated.  Have a plan for how you can lessen your own stress so you can respond to children with love and patience.  The most difficult thing is to recognize when you are getting to the end of your rope.  Being self aware can help you realize that you need to implement your stress management plan.  

Remember the words of Brigham Young, “Never chasten beyond the balm you have within you to bind up”.  

What kinds of things might you include in your plan?

1.  As you notice that a particular child’s (or entire Primary’s) behavior is really bothering you, close your eyes and slowly count to ten.  Take a deep breath.  Say a quick prayer that the Spirit will guide you and strengthen you.
2.  If the behavior continues to cause you stress, ask another member of the Presidency or a teacher to address the situation.
3.  Give yourself permission to take a time out.  Communicate with the other members of the Presidency and take the time to leave the situation, get a drink of water, walk outside, do whatever you need to de-escalate the stress in yourself.
4.  If the child continues to misbehave, it may be necessary to bring the child to his/her parent or to invite the parent to come attend Primary with their child.  

By creating a plan for dealing with stressful situations in Primary, you will be able to follow the council in D&C 121:43   “Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;”

“In applying this counsel, it is helpful to understand the words betimes and sharpness.  Betimes means promptly or in good time.  In this passage, sharpness refers to the need to give clear, well-defined instructions.  

You should be gentle and meek when giving correction.  Note that reproving should be done only “when moved upon by the Holy Ghost” and should be followed by an increase of love.”  (Teaching No Greater Call, pg. 86)

We, the Stake Primary Presidency, love you and pray for you.  We are inspired by the ways you reach out to the children in your Ward and seek to draw them to Christ.  Thank you for your service.

Stephanie Dickson
secretary

Moving beyond administering primary to ministering to children‏

As a Primary Presidency, you have many responsibilities and things which need to be planned for.  I encourage you to try to move beyond the day to day administration of primary towards the goal of ministering to the children you have responsibility for.  As you are able to minister to the children, I testify that you will receive a greater measure of the spirit and will have an increase in your capacity to love the children.  I have experienced those blessings in my own life.  The church handbook has some suggestions for ways we can minister to individuals.

Handbook 2, 3.2.3

Like the Savior, leaders seek to minister to individuals and families, both spiritually and temporally. They care about each person, not just about managing an organization. They reach out to new members, less-active members, and those who may be lonely or in need of comfort.

The purpose of ministering is to help others become true followers of Jesus Christ. Ministering to others includes:

◼ Remembering their names and becoming acquainted with them (see Moroni 6:4).

◼ Loving them without judging them (see John 13:34–35).

◼ Watching over them and strengthening their faith “one by one,” as the Savior did (3 Nephi 11:15;17:21).

◼ Establishing sincere friendship with them and visiting them in their homes and elsewhere (see D&C 20:47).

There is an excellent video in the leadership library at lds.org which shows the power of ministering to the one.  It's only about 6 minutes long.  Click here for link.  My happiest memories of my time as a Primary President are the individual visits I made to children in their homes.

Thank you for all you do to serve the children in your primary.  The stake Primary Presidency loves you and prays for your success.

Stephanie Dickson

Secretary