Lesson 34

I Can Love Others

Purpose

To encourage each child to express love for others through kind words and deeds.

Preparation

1. Prayerfully study Matthew 7:12; Mark 10:13–16; Luke 10:30–37; and John 13:34.

2. Review the story from lesson 19 about Jesus healing the blind man (see John 9:1–7).

3. Make a paper heart for each child in the class. Write I love you on each heart.

4. Materials needed:

   1. A Bible.

   2. Picture 1-3, Jesus the Christ (Gospel Art Picture Kit 240; 62572); picture 1-43, Jesus Healing the Blind (Gospel Art Picture Kit 213; 62145); picture 1-48, Children Playing with Blocks; picture 1-62, The Good Samaritan (Gospel Art Picture Kit 218; 62156).

5. Make the necessary preparations for any Enrichment Activities you want to use.

Learning Activities

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Show picture 1-48, Children Playing with Blocks.

• What are these children doing?

• Do you think these children are friends?

• How do friends treat each other?

Remind the children that friends treat each other kindly. When we are kind to others, we are showing them love.

Song

With the children, sing or say the words to “Jesus Said Love Everyone” (Children’s Songbook, p. 61), using the actions indicated below:

Jesus said love everyone (spread arms out wide);

Treat them kindly, too (nod head up and down).

When your heart is filled with love (put hands over heart),

Others will love you (hug self).

Jesus showed love to others by being kind

Show picture 1-3, Jesus the Christ, and tell the children that Jesus told us to treat others as we would like to have others treat us. Show the Bible and read Matthew 7:12 through do ye even so to them. Explain that this scripture means that if we want others to be kind to us, we must be kind to them.

Story

Display picture 1-43, Jesus Healing the Blind. Let the children help you tell the story illustrated by the picture (see John 9:1–7).

• How was Jesus kind to the blind man?

Story

Tell the story of Jesus blessing the little children, as found in Mark 10:13–16.

• How was Jesus kind to the children?

Emphasize that Jesus spent his life helping other people. By being kind, Jesus was showing love for others. Explain that Jesus commanded us to love one another. Read John 13:34 to the children. Have the children repeat “love one another as I have loved you” a few times.

Song

With the children, sing or say the words to “Love One Another” (Children’s Songbook, p. 136).

As I have loved you,

Love one another.

This new commandment:

Love one another.

By this shall men know

Ye are my disciples,

If ye have love

One to another.

(© 1961, 1989 by Luacine C. Fox. Used by permission.)

We can show love to others by being kind

Story

Show picture 1-62, The Good Samaritan, and tell the story of the good Samaritan, as found in Luke 10:30–37.

• Who in the story was kind?

• What did the Samaritan do to help the man who was hurt?

Help the children think of ways they can be kind to others. Have them share their ideas with the other class members.

Explain that sometimes it is hard to be kind to someone because that person may seem unfriendly or different from us. Help the children understand that everyone needs to be treated kindly. Even if people seem unfriendly or look different from us (for example, if they have a different color of skin or a disability), we should treat them kindly.

Talk about the importance of showing love and kindness in our families.

• How can you show love to your father? to your mother? to your brothers and sisters?

Emphasize that when we are kind to our families, not only are our families happy, but Heavenly Father and Jesus are happy, too.

Explain that sometimes babies or younger children take or break things that belong to us. Help the children understand that very young children don’t always understand what they are doing. We need to treat them kindly and not be angry with them. If we have things that could be broken, we should try to keep them out of little children’s reach.

• How can we show love to Heavenly Father and Jesus?

Emphasize that we can show love to Heavenly Father and Jesus by keeping the commandments, by being reverent in church, and by being kind and helpful to those around us.

We can show love by speaking kindly

Activity

Ask the children to follow the instructions below. After the children do each action, thank them for following the instruction.

1. Please stand up.

2. Sit down, please.

3. Please stand up and turn around. Please sit down. Stand up again, please.

4. Stretch your hands high above your head, please.

5. Please sit down quietly.

   • What polite, or kind, words did I say?

   • How do you feel when someone says “please” and “thank you” to you?

Help the children understand that if we want others to speak kindly to us, we should speak kindly to them.

Remind the children of other polite phrases, such as “I’m sorry” and “Excuse me, please,” and the situations in which those phrases should be used. Ask the following questions or similar ones appropriate to your culture:

• How would you politely ask for a drink of water?

• What should you say if someone brings you a gift?

• What can you say if you make someone feel sad?

• What can you say to politely get someone’s attention?

Explain that even though others sometimes speak unkindly to us, we should still speak kindly in return.

Song

Sing “Jesus Said Love Everyone” again with the children.

Testimony

Compliment the children on ways you have observed them being kind. Explain that because Heavenly Father and Jesus love everyone, they are pleased when they see us being kind to each other. Bear testimony that Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to be kind. Give each child a paper heart. Tell the children what the words on the hearts say, and express your love for the children.

Enrichment Activities

Choose some of these activities to use during the lesson.

1. Read the following examples (or create some of your own), and have the children hold their paper hearts up if the action described is kind or shows love. Have them hold the hearts in their laps if the action is not kind and does not show love.

   • Taking turns when playing a game.

   • Being grouchy.

   • Helping a child who is hurt.

   • Hitting someone who makes you angry.

   • Walking reverently in the meetinghouse.

   • Saying “please” and “thank you.”

   • Holding a door open for someone.

   • Being noisy at church.

   • Helping clean up.

   Remind the children that when we are kind to others, we are showing love, and Heavenly Father and Jesus are happy with us.

2. Think of several familiar situations where children have an opportunity to be kind and to show love for others. Write these situations on pieces of paper and have each child choose a piece of paper. Read each situation and have the child who picked it tell how to act in that situation. You may wish to use the following examples:

   • You and a friend are playing together, and another child comes into the room. What should you do?

   • You and your sister want to play with the same toy. What should you do?

   • Your baby brother took something that belongs to you. What should you do?

3. Using familiar examples from your ward or area, discuss how to show kindness and love to those who have disabilities. Help the children think of specific ways they might help a person with a disability.

   • How can we show love to someone who cannot see?

   • How can we show love to someone who cannot hear?

   • How can we show love to someone who uses a wheelchair or crutches?

4. Help the children understand that although some people may speak a different language or have a different skin color than they do, we are all Heavenly Father’s children. We should all be kind to one another. We should treat everyone as we would like to be treated. You might sing or say the words to “We Are Different” (Children’s Songbook, p. 263) or “Every Star Is Different” (Children’s Songbook, p. 142). Explain that every person is different from everyone else in some way.

Additional Activities for Younger Children

1. Sing or say the words to “Kindness Begins with Me” (Children’s Songbook, p. 145) or “A Special Gift Is Kindness” (Children’s Songbook, p. 145).

2. Help the children do the following activity verse:

   A smile is very catchy (push corners of mouth into a smile),

   And so when I feel sad (push corners of mouth into a frown),

   I try to give a smile away (push corners of mouth into a smile),

   And soon I’m feeling glad (place both hands over heart)!

   (Adapted from Pat Graham, “Feeling Glad,” Friend, Mar. 1990, p. 21.)