I Am Thankful for the Day and the Night
To help each child understand that following Heavenly Father’s plan, Jesus Christ created the day so we can work and play and the night so we can rest.
Preparation:
- Corkscrew dry pasta
- Glue
- Copy of worksheet for each child
Invite a child to give the opening prayer.
Attention Activity
I am thinking of something that Heavenly Father planned and Jesus Christ created. Let see if you can think of what I am thinking of.
- It makes us feel warm.
- It is round and yellow.
- It is in the sky.
- Sometimes it seems to hide behind a cloud or a mountain.
After the children guess “the sun,” display picture of the sun.
Who made the sun?
We work and play during the day
Story
It was time to make the earth.
Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to make it. Heavenly Father told Jesus how to make it. Jesus made the earth in six days.
The first day Jesus made the
. He called it day. He made the
. He called it night.
On the fourth day Jesus made the
sun. He made the moon
and the
stars.
Who created the day and the night?
What did Heavenly Father have Jesus put in the sky to tell us when it is day?
The sun gives us light so we can see. The sun also warms us and helps the
plants grow. We would not be able to live on the earth without the sun.
What do we call the time when the sun is up? (Day.)
We can do many things during the day. We can work, play, and help others.
Activity
Have the children tell about things they do when it is daytime, such as eating a meal, playing a game, or sweeping the floor. Have them stand and act out some of their ideas. You may wish to do some of the actions with them.
What can you do to help someone during the day? (Answers may include picking up toys, washing dishes, or playing with a little brother or sister.)
We rest during the night
Do we see the sun all the time?
Every evening the sun goes down and the sky gets dark. We cannot see the sun at night.
What do we call the time when it is dark? (Night.)
What did Heavenly Father have Jesus put in the sky to light the night? (Moon and stars.)
Activity
Have the children tell about or act out some of the things they do at night, such as saying bedtime prayers, listening to stories, brushing their teeth, or sleeping.
Why do we sleep?
Sleep is good for our bodies, and Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to take good care of our bodies. If we get enough sleep, we will feel better and be healthier. If we do not get enough sleep, we will be tired and cranky.
If the length of days varies greatly across seasons in your area, explain that night may last longer at some times of the year and shorter at other times. Our parents help us know when it is bedtime and when it is time to be awake and busy.
Help the children understand that during the night, we should close our eyes and sleep so our bodies can grow healthy and strong. This is part of Heavenly Father’s plan for us.
Activity
Have the children stand and do the following finger play:
This Little Fellow
This little fellow is going to bed (raise one finger).
Down on the pillow he lays his head (lay finger on palm of other hand).
Wraps himself in the blankets tight (close fingers over first finger),
And this is the way he sleeps all night.
Morning comes and he opens his eyes.
Back with a toss the cover flies (open hand to show finger resting).
Soon he is up and dressed and away (raise finger up),
Ready to smile and work and play.
Heavenly Father used the day and the night to announce the birth of Jesus
Story
The Lamanites obeyed God’s commandments. They became more righteous than the Nephites.
Samuel, a Lamanite prophet, went to Zarahemla to preach to the wicked Nephites. He had spent many days among the Nephites, talking with them, trying to get them to see their wrongs and repent of their wickedness. They would not listen. They had cast him out of their city, and he was about to return to his own land.
But the voice of the Lord came to Samuel, telling him to return again to Zarahemla. The Lord told Samuel to tell the people the things that the Lord would put into this heart.
The people would not let him enter the city, so Samuel found a place where he could climb up onto the wall
surrounding it, and then he stretched forth his hand and cried out in a loud voice, “I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put in my heart.”
He prophesied that the Nephites would be destroyed in 400 years unless the people repented and had faith in Jesus Christ.
Samuel told the Nephites that Jesus Christ would be born in five years and that he would save all those who believed in him.
Samuel told them about the signs of Jesus’ birth. A new star
would appear, and the night before Jesus would be born it would not get dark. The sun would go down, but the sky would not get dark
. The birth of Jesus was so important that far away in America, where the Nephites and the Lamanites lived, Heavenly Father made the night when Jesus was born as bright as day.
There were many people who believed the words of Samuel and asked to be baptized, but because Samuel was a Lamanite and spoke the words that the Lord commanded that he speak—and they were harsh words about the wickedness of the Nephites—they were angry with him and wanted to destroy him.
They cast stones at him up on the wall, and many shot arrows at him as he stood upon the wall; but the Spirit of the Lord was with him so that they could not hit him with their stones or with their arrows. The officers tried to take hold of Samuel, but he jumped down from the wall and fled to his own country to preach and to prophesy among his own people.
And Samuel was never heard of more among the Nephites!
What important event was Samuel the Lamanite telling the people about?
What did the Nephites see happen in the sky the night Jesus was born?
Art Project
Heavenly Father had Jesus make the sun to give us light and keep us warm during the day and the moon and stars to give us light at night.I am thankful for the sun.
. Put glue on a square piece of paper. This makes it easier to the children. Give the children a handful of corkscrew pasta.
Have them glue one by one onto the paper to create the sun’s rays.
Testimony
Bear your testimony that Heavenly Father had Jesus Christ create the day and the night to help us. Encourage the children to thank Heavenly Father for both the day and the night.
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 6-10 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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