Come Follow Me: Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19 (June 17-23)

This week for Come Follow Me we are covering the trial and Crucifixion of the Savior (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19).  My plan for this week is a little different.  I'm not sure if its summer and I'm hoping to do a little activity each day or if its because this can be a hard topic to teach little ones. So this week I have a story with a craft or activity for each topic.  I'm hoping this will help my little ones understand the importance and the difficulty of what Jesus did for us.  As I was studying the thought kept coming to my mind that He really does love me and I'm hoping to get that message across to my kids.  I really want to teach these sad events in a way that is appropriate for their age but also teach them the importance of what happened and that even in these final hours he still showed us the perfect way to live.

There are several videos in the primary manual

The Trial-If you have followed me for a while then you might now how much I love Elder' Uchtdorf's talk "Behold The Man"  At Easter (and next week) I like to share the first part of his talk.  This week we are going to use the part under the title "Do we "Behold the Man?"  He shares the events in a way that's easy to understand and then asks the question do we "behold the man?"  read through until the last 2 paragraphs (they are in bold).  For this part you are going to use the other page as you read this part.  2 ideas-The first is to cut along all the lines and carefully tape to a picture of Jesus.  As you read the lines take the paper off to uncover parts of the picture.  Pull off "behold the man" last to reveal the full picture.  2nd idea- There is an extra page in the download that is blank except for a line that says glue.  In the blank area your kids can draw a picture of a way they can follow the Savior.  Cut the first page along the horizontal lines.  Glue the "behold the man" part to the picture page where it says glue.

The Crucifixion:
Parable of the Push-ups- Start with a push-up contest.  Share the story.  Finish by making or eating donuts.  This is such a great way for kids to visualize the difficulty of the task Jesus faced and he did it for everyone.  It reminds me of quote from Elder Uchtdorf's talk  "He did this for all who believe in Him.  He did this for all who do not believe in Him. He did this even for those who mock, revile, and curse His name."

I remember hearing this book (affiliate link) years ago and purchased it for this week.   It tells the story of Christ's life from the perspective of the 3 trees.  Its a beautiful and sweet story.

In the beginning the 3 trees share their dream or wish of what they want to become.  You can use the page included and let your kids share their wish or dream for the future.  Another idea would be to do a fun tree craft. Maybe this one or this one.

Jesus Forgave-The words for this came from last years primary manual.  This would be a great way to share the scripture story and events.  We are also going to talk about forgiveness this week and this leads in perfectly.  There are small story cards that you can print or you can print the large pages.  Another option would be to save in and show the pages on your computer or phone.

The Pebble of Forgiveness-This is a story from the friends.  Read or summarize.  Try the activity in the story and have everyone place a pebble in their shoe.  Try walking around.  How does it feel? 

Another fun activity would be to paint rocks.  Display in a place that they will see them often and be reminded of the importance to forgive others.

Calvin's Awesome Space Jet-This is another story from the friend.  After you read it talk about Calvin's reaction.  Then pull out some blocks or legos and build your own awesome creation!

Download Activities here and Scripture story here