To give is good! To give cheerfully is even better! Giving cheerfully means to give readily, willingly, and happily (rather than being forced to give, or to give grudgingly).
This week we are focusing on the principle of giving (cheerfully), with an emphasis on the teachings of Paul in the New Testament.
We hope this lesson bundle will help your children discover why Jesus wants us to give cheerfully and how we can develop a giving heart!
LESSON BUNDLE DOWNLOADS:
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
You will need a metal spoon for each child. The spoons should be shiny/reflective so that the children can see their reflections in the spoon.
➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 O P E N I N G S O N G : "Give, Said the Little Stream"
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Pass out a metal spoon to each child. Tell the children to turn the spoons inward, towards themselves, and invite the children to look into the spoons like a mirror. Invite them to try to smile and make funny faces while they are looking into the spoon. Point out that no matter what they do, their reflection will always be upside down!
Explain: “When we only think of ourselves, things just don’t feel quite right. It’s kind of like how the picture isn’t quite right. It’s upside down!”
Now invite the children to turn the spoons outward, towards others, and to look at their reflection on the back of the spoon.
Explain: “One of the things that brings true joy and happiness is thinking of others and giving freely to others! Just look how big your smiles are now!” (Point out how the distorted reflection makes their smiles look really big!)
🎥 V I D E O : "The Cheerful Giver | A Story About Giving"
Say: “Now we are going to watch a story about a little girl who was a cheerful giver! See if you can find what the girl decided to give away.”
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) What did the girl decide to give away? (She shared her cookie with the animals.)
2) Did the girl not like chocolate chip cookies? (No, they were her favorite!)
3) Why do you think she decided to give the cookie away then? (She wasn’t thinking about what she wanted. She was thinking of others.)
4) What kind of feelings do you think the girl had when she was giving? (She was happy!)
5) How do you think the animals felt? (They were happy too, and they felt loved!)
6) How do you think her dad felt? (He was happy too!)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Before reading the following verse, instruct children to look (and listen) for the words “give” and “cheerful.” Invite children to hold out their hands like they’re giving a gift every time they hear the word “give.” Invite children to smile as big as they can when they hear the word “cheerful.”
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
1) What does it mean to do something “grudgingly?” (It means you still do something, but you complain the whole time.)
2) What does it mean to do something cheerfully? (It means to do something because you want to do it, and you are happy and cheerful!)
3) What do you think it means to be a cheerful giver? (A giver is someone who cares about other people and who wants to give to others and share with them.)
4) Do you think Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are cheerful givers? (Yes!)
5) Can you think of some things that Heavenly Father and Jesus Chirst have given to us? (Discuss blessings that we have received from Heavenly Father and Jesus Chirst.)
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
1) What does it mean to sow? (It means to plant seeds.)
2) What does it mean to reap? (Reaping is gathering everything up after it grows.)
3) What will happen if we only sow a little bit? (Only a little bit will grow.)
4) What will happen if we sow a lot? (A lot will grow!)
5) What do you think will happen if we are cheerful givers, and we give a lot? (A lot of joy will come back to us and we will receive many blessings!)
➤ C O L O R I N G P A G E
Instruct children to color the cat, the bird, and the cookies. Cut out the cookies. Fold the paper on the marks to make the animals’ mouths open and close! Invite the children to practice being cheerful givers by “feeding” cookies to the cat and bird!
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
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