I Am Thankful for My Eyes
To help each child appreciate his or her eyes and what they can do.
Preparation:
- Blind fold
- Eye Mask:
- Hole punch
- String
- Copy of eye mask for each child
- Poke holes in the “I Love You” Braille
- Picture 1-43, Jesus Healing the Blind
- Picture 1-44, Jesus Teaching in the Western Hemisphere
Invite a child to give the opening prayer.
Attention Activity
Before class, use a sharp object such as a pin to poke holes in the braille pattern that says “I Love You” In class, blindfold the children one at a time and ask them to feel the bumps on the paper and tell what shapes they are. Explain that this is like braille, which is how blind people can read.
Our eyes are a blessing to us
We have eyes so that we can read and learn, work and play, and see the beautiful earth.
Discuss with the children how their lives would be different if they could not see.
How would you eat your food?
How would you know what clothes to wear?
How would you find your way around your home?
Invite the children to look carefully at each other’s eyes, eyelids, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Explain that our eyelids, eyebrows, and eyelashes help keep dirt, dust, and perspiration out of our eyes.
Song
Help the children sing or say the words to “Two Little Eyes” (Children’s Songbook, p. 268).
Goblin Eyes
Choose one of the children to be the “goblin”. The goblin needs to choose a mystery child and then give clues about the child. Have the rest of the children stand up. Example: The child says “I spy with my goblin eyes a child that is wearing blue.” If any of the children are not wearing blue then they sit down. The “goblin” keeps going until the mystery children is identified by name. Play a couple of times so each child gets a turn being the goblin.
Activity
Have the children look out the window (or at a beautiful picture) and pretend it is the first time they have been able to see. Invite them to talk about what they see. Talk about colors and shapes. Help the children realize what a blessing it is to be able to see.
What are some of your favorite things to see?
Have you ever had an eye exam from a doctor?
The doctor uses a machine that looks like this. He looks into your eyes to see how well you can see. Some people’s eyes do not see very well.
These people have to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to help them see. Some people are blind and cannot see anything.
Activity
Blind people can learn to walk places by themselves with a guide dog or a cane. Blindfold one of the children and pretend that you are a guide dog. Hold out your arm for the child to hold like the dog’s leash. Lead the child around the room. Let the children take turns pretending to be blind or a guide dog.
Story
Show picture 1-43, Jesus Healing the Blind
One day Jesus
was walking with His disciples. They came across a man who had been born blind.
The disciples asked if the man was blind because he had sinned or because his parents had sinned. The Savior said that neither the parents nor the man had sinned. The man was blind so the Jesus could heal him and show people God’s power. Jesus made clay out of the dirt.
He put it on the blind man’s eyes. Then Jesus told the man to go wash his eyes in the pool.
As soon as the man washed the clay from his eyes, he could see!
When his neighbors saw him, they could believe it! They had known this man since birth and he was blind. The man told his neighbors that Jesus had healed him
What did Jesus do with the clay? (See John 9:6.)
What happened when the blind man washed in the pool? (See John 9:7.)
How do you think the blind man felt when he could see?
I am thankful to Heavenly Father for my eyes
Story
Pass around picture 1-44, Jesus Teaching in the Western Hemisphere, and ask each child to tell one thing that he or she sees in the picture. Tell the story of Jesus’ visit to the western hemisphere, as found in 3 Nephi 11:1–17.
Many Nephites gathered at the temple in Bountiful. They were amazed at the great changes in the land. The people were talking about Jesus Christ and the sign of his death. While they were talking, they heard a quiet voice from heaven. It made their hearts burn.
At first they did not understand the voice, but when it spoke the third time, they understood it.
The voice was Heavenly Father’s. It introduced Jesus Christ
and told the people to listen to him. Jesus Christ came down from heaven and stood among the people. They were afraid to speak because they did not understand what was happening. They thought Jesus was an angel.
He told them he was Jesus Christ, the one the prophets had said would come
.
Jesus told the people to come and feel the marks in his side and in his hands and feet, where he had been nailed to the cross. Jesus wanted the people to know that he was their God and that he had died for their sins. One by one the people felt the marks in Jesus’ side, hands, and feet. The people knew he was the Savior.
Then the people praised Jesus and fell at his feet and worshipped him. Jesus told the Nephites to believe in him, repent, and keep the commandments.
He taught the Nephites he to pray
to Heavenly Father. He also taught them about fasting and said they would be forgiven if they forgave one another.
Whom did the people see?
How did the people feel when they saw Jesus? (See 3 Nephi 11:16–17.)
What color was Jesus’ robe? (See 3 Nephi 11:8.)
We may not be able to see Jesus in person like the people of Nephi did, but whenever we see the beautiful earth, we can remember his love for us.
Nature Walk
If possible, take the children on a nature walk outside. Ask them to fold their arms and be very quiet as they walk, so they can concentrate on using their eyes. When they come back to class, invite them to take turns telling what they saw.
Find the Coin
Choice 2 children. One to hide the coin and the other to find the coin. The child that is finding the coin goes out in the hall. The “Hider” then hides the coin in the classroom. The “Finder” comes back into the classroom to find the coin.
All the children sing “Two Little Eyes”. The closer the “Finder” gets to the coin the louder the children sing. If the “Finder” is far away from the coin the child whisper the song.
Repeat until everyone has had a time to find the coin.
I am thankful for my Eyes
Have the children color the eyes. When they are done cut out and punch holes. Tie the eyes around the children’s heads.
Testimony
Share with the children your gratitude for your eyes. Tell how the beautiful creations that you see each day remind you of Jesus’ and Heavenly Father’s love for you. Remind the children to thank Heavenly Father for their eyes.
Invite a child to say the closing prayer.
There are 3 options with the lessons. The first one is a color PDF of the full lesson, all the pictures, scriptures and art projects with the watermark removed.
The next options is all the pictures in Black and White
The 3rd option is a PowerPoint with all the pictures and scriptures that you can pull up on your device. It is like having a digital copy. It eliminates the printing and the cutting out. This makes the lesson easier come Sunday morning.
All three options are now included in a zip drive that will immediately be emailed to you for $2.75. You can pick and choose from all three options to make your lesson just right for you!
OR buy Lessons 16-20 for $12.50
Please use the lesson free of charge. I am only charging for the visual aids which take a considerable amount of time to create. The art work is mine and my son’s original drawing. Thank you for your help as I try to continue to be a stay at home mom of four boys.
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