Primary Quarterly Activities LDS
- Primary leaders are encouraged to plan at least one service project per year. This quarterly activity helps children find joy in helping others. Children can prepare care packages to send to ward missionaries. These can include items such as socks, pictures of each missionary's family, ties or cards with the children's favorite scriptures written on them. The children can also help decorate cookies or package treats for new members of the ward. The Primary can then be broken up into groups so the children can accompany a leader to help welcome the new members into the ward by delivering the treats. Another option is to have the children help clean up the yards of elderly, disabled or sick ward members. This should be done with adult supervision and help because some tasks (such as mowing lawns) may be too difficult or dangerous for young children.
- Children love activities that allow them to run, wiggle and participate in physically active games. For a summertime quarterly activity, a field day is an option that the kids will enjoy. Organize several events for the children to participate in. These can include relay races, jumping contests or even water games if the weather is warm enough. Introduce LDS Gospel principles into the activity by relating each activity to a scripture. Another option is to use the Word of Wisdom, the LDS health guidelines, as the theme of the activity. Leaders can discuss the effects of exercise on the body and serve healthy snacks at the end of the activity.
- Divide the Primary into groups. Each group should include older children as well as younger children so that the 11-year-olds can help the 3- or 4-year olds complete the hunt. Give each group a list of clues to follow or items to collect. For example, they may follow a series of clues to find select scriptures or an entire book from the Book of Mormon. For a Christmas scavenger hunt, have the children follow clues to find pieces of the nativity story. At the end they can enjoy refreshments while listening to the story they helped put together.
- The LDS Church has more than 13 million members scattered around the globe. A multicultural activity can be a good opportunity for Primary children to learn about missionary work and members in other countries. Invite returned missionaries to talk to the children about the countries they served in. Each missionary can have his own station or room in the church for the children to visit. After listening to stories and looking at pictures from that country, the children can complete a craft or activity that represents the culture they just learned about. At the end of the activity, serve refreshments that come from the countries the children just "visited."
