To help each child to feel and understand his feelings; to learn how to be happy.
To be prepared
Study prayerfully Luke 15:11-32.
a laughing and pouting face (see the example at the end of the lesson)
Chalk and sponge
Image 1-45, "A girl washing dishes"; Image 1-46, "Children giving flowers to their mother"; Image 1-47, "Children fighting"; Image 1-48, "Children playing with building blocks"; Image 1-49, "The prodigal son" (Image 220 in Gospel images)
Prepare other activities from the "For in-depth" section that you want to use.
Learn
Draw attention
Ask a child to say the opening prayer.
Show the laugh and pout face, and sing the song "Smile" several times to go with it (Sing with me, D-5). You can also just recite the text. Have several children make their faces smile or smile at the right time. make a pouty face.
If you see a bad face, don’t let it go like that, just turn it around quickly: A smile is what you want to see!
So quickly put on a smile, smile all the time, because that’s how you make the world a better place.
Our feelings are reflected in our face and our behavior
– How do you feel when you smile??
– What kind of feeling do you have when you make a bad face?
Explain that most people can tell how we feel just by looking at our face. Tell the children to show you what their face looks like when they are happy.
Activity
Draw four large circles on the board, and with a few simple strokes, sketch what a happy face, a sad face, an angry face, and a fearful face looks like (see the illustration below). For each face, have the children explain what feelings are expressed in it, and tell them to make a happy, sad, angry, and scared face as well.
– What makes you happy?
– What makes you feel sad?
– What makes you angry?
– What makes you afraid?
Tell the children how you were once sad, angry, scared, or happy.
We can learn to control our feelings
Say that while it is good to show how we feel, we need to show our feelings in the right way. This is especially true when we are angry.
Show picture 1-47, "Children who are fighting".
– What kind of feeling do you think the children in the picture have?
– What might they say to each other?
– What do you need to do when you are angry?
Even though sometimes you feel like hitting or yelling when you’re angry, you can learn to express your feelings in a nice and polite way. Because if you hit or yell, you’ll only get angrier; but if you’re friendly, it can help you feel better.
Activity
Have the children take turns pretending to be the children shown in the picture. Think together about what the children in the picture might say instead of hitting or yelling out. Examples: "May I have my turn now?" or "Let’s take turns" or "I feel really sad when you argue with me like that" or "I don’t like it at all when you do things like that.".
Show picture 1-48, "children playing with building blocks". Point out that these children are playing peacefully with each other and look happy because everyone is sharing with each other and everyone is being nice to each other.
– Who can help make you feel better when you are sad, angry, or scared?
Explain that children can talk to their mother, father, or other adults who love them. You can also explain to them why they feel that way. When we pray to Heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit can help us feel better again. The Holy Spirit also shows us what we can do to become joyful again.
Activity
Have the children stand up and recite the following verse several times; they should also make the appropriate movements to go with it:
When sometimes I am sad and feel all alone (make a sad face),
Mom hugs me tightly and there is sunshine (put your arms around yourself, and make a happy face).
When I’m angry sometimes and feel like bursting (make an angry face),
then I go to daddy where I tell him everything (walk on the spot, nodding your head as if you were talking to someone).
Sometimes when I am anxious and afraid like this (make a fearful face),
then I pray to God quickly, and I am happy again (fold your arms as if you are praying).
Then when I go outside and play with my friends,
then I am fresh and happy and free, have joy and fun so much (make a happy face).
We are happy when we help other people
Show picture 1-46, "Children giving flowers to their mother".
– What do you think the people in this picture are feeling?
– What do you think why they have such a feeling?
– What kind of feeling do you get when you give to someone?
Show picture 1-45, "A girl washing dishes".
– What is the girl doing in this picture?
– How do you think it made him feel?? Why?
– How do you feel when you help someone??
Activity
Recite the following participatory rhyme with the children:
Helping makes you happy
I am helping my mom, she has so much to do (pretend to put on an apron),
I dry for them (pretend to dry dishes),
then she can also rest (put both hands to one cheek).
I help my father, he has so much to do (pretend to put on gloves),
I help him in the garden (pretend to water flowers),
then he can rest (put both hands to one cheek).
I love to help (point to the laughing face),
then I feel good (cross your arms and put your hands on your shoulders).
For when I help others (spread both arms wide),
then I have joyful courage (nod your head and smile).
Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to be happy
Explain that Heavenly Father and Jesus want to see us happy. They know that we can be happy if we do what they tell us to do.
Story
Show picture 1-49, "The Prodigal Son," and tell what is reported in Luke 15:11-32. Explain what kind of feeling the father had and what kind of feeling the sons had. You can have a child point to the corresponding face on the board as you do this. For example, you could say, "A boy wanted to leave home and go to a foreign country". When he left, his father was very sad. After a while, the boy was all alone, because all his friends had left him. There he was also very sad. Besides, soon he had no money either. Then he got Scared, For he was very hungry, but no one would give him anything to eat … etc.
– What kind of feeling do you think the boy had when he got back home?
– Why was the father happy when his son came back? (See Luke 15:24.)
– Why did the older son get angry when his younger brother came back? (See Luke 15:28-30.) What did he have to do to become happy again?
Testimony
Reassure the children that everyone is happy, sad, angry, or scared sometimes, but that we need to learn to show such feelings in the right way. Say again that Heavenly Father and Jesus want to see us happy. Explain to the children that if they do what Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to do, you will be happy.
To deepen
Choose from the following activities those you want to use in class.
Have the children stand in a circle, press their lips tightly together, and under no circumstances smile. Then put on a smile yourself and pass it on to the children by saying, "I’m passing on a smile to (child’s name)." The child whose name you called also puts on a smile, repeats the sentence, and calls the name of another child. Play this game until all the children are smiling.
Explain to the children that the people we smile at often smile back. It’s also hard to stay sad, angry or scared when you put on a smile.
Sing with the children the song "Jesus the Lord wants me" (Sing with me, B-67).
Have the children think about what they can do to be happy. Throw a soft ball or other soft object to a child and say, "(child’s name) is happy if __________ ." Let the child name something that will make him happy and throw the ball back again. Play this game until each child has had a turn.
Tell about a child who has done something nice for his mother, for example, helped her with the housework. But the mother doesn’t know who helped her; so she asks all her children if they did it. When she asks the child who helped her, she already knows the answer in advance, because the child beams all over her face. The child is happy because he has done something kind.
additional activities for younger children
Recite the following verse; have the children copy the corresponding movements. Recite the verse as many times as the children enjoy it.
All this makes the day so beautiful
Two eyes, they look at you kindly (point to your eyes),
a mouth that can always smile (put on a smile),
two ears hear this and that (put your hands to your ears),
two hands that always do something (pretend to pick something up and put it somewhere else).
The tongue speaks a kind word (point to your mouth),
a heart full of love always (point to your heart),
two feet that always walk happily (point to your feet) – all this makes the day so beautiful.
Sing the song "Are you happy" with the children (The kindergarten – Instructions, page 183), and make the appropriate movements to it.
Tell the children to make a happy face, a sad face, an angry face, and a tired face. Explain that they can use words to express how they feel and not have to cry or nag right away. Talking about your feelings often makes you feel a lot better too.