Since I am in the primary presidency, part of my responsibilities include preparing sharing time every third week. I usually find that Saturday night, I am looking over the sharing time, and throwing things together. But, seeing as we have a small group, it usually always works out fine.
However, I’ve been thinking lately about ways that I can prepare more for these little lessons I give each week. After all, I truly believe that we are, “teaching children, not lessons” and it is more about being prepared in spirit rather than having the perfect prop or gimmick for the kids. So, I came up with a few ways I can be more prepared spiritually to give the lesson.
Read the lesson a week ahead of time. During that week, think about the lesson. If you have children of your own (which most primary leaders do) talk to your children about the topic. Maybe in talking to them, you will find inspiration for something your primary children need to hear as a whole.
Pray. Pray. Pray. We can never do enough prayer when preparing for lessons. Heavenly Father will see our desire to truly be in tune with the spirit, and he will bless us.
Center your scripture study for the week around that topic. When doing this, don’t necessarily study for what you are going to put into the sharing time, but instead, use it as an opportunity to become more of an expert on the subject yourself. That way, when a child raises his hand and asks an unexpected question, you will know how to answer!
Last, I believe that simplicity is key. Children learn from helping, being involved, and doing things themselves, but this does not mean that you have to go all out every time. Simply asking for a volunteer to hold a picture, or read part of your lesson can be a way that the children will learn more.
Sharing time is a special time in primary. It is a time when the children of all different ages get to learn together. So, there is no over preparing that can be done. The key is to be in tune with what Christ would teach if He were here. And, that lesson would always involve loving the children in the best way possible, and helping them feel their Heavenly Father’s love too.