2009 LDS Primary Sharing Times for May
Week 3: I will be baptized and confirmed.
References: Mosiah 18:8-10; 3 Nephi 27:20; Articles of Faith 1:4; Primary 3, lesson 11; FHE, 120-23
For this lesson, you will be playing a “board game.” The board will really be pieces of regular paper—each piece of paper a square. Use computer paper or construction paper, or something of that size. Lay them out on the floor.
We are told not to have competition on Sundays, since no one who is at church should ever be a loser, so don’t form teams. Have the children play as a group.
On the first square write “Before I was born” (You may include pictures if you’d like to.)
On the second square write, “I received a family.”
On the third, write, “Baby.”
On another square, write “Nursery”
On another, write “Sunbeams.”
Continue to make a square for each class in your Primary.
Have enough blank pieces of paper so each child can add one square to the game.
Add a few squares showing mistakes a child might make—disobeying parents, for instance.
Make the family pictures in the nursery lesson manual, lesson 11. Cut the family 
into separate pieces and place the parents on one piece of cardstock. Place each child on its own cardstock. Add tabs to make them stand up (like paper dolls.) Place the baby at the start of the line. Put the younger child at the Sunbeam square and the older child at the first square for Senior Primary. Put the parents with the baby, and move them along each step with the children.
During the first segment of Primary, ask the children to help you think of three things they might have done or learned in their pre-mortal life that would help them prepare for baptism. (Chose to come to earth, learned commandments, learned to obey, for instance.)
Make three squares containing those items.
Hold up “I received a family.” Ask them for three ways their families help them prepare for baptism. Make squares for those.
For Baby, they should come up with three squares showing things babies do to prepare for baptism. (Learn to love, start to learn about Heavenly Father, learn simple obedience.)
Next, make sure each class has their own lesson manual. (Some teachers may not bring theirs, so have extras.) Divide one larger class up and have one group take the nursery manual. Ask each class to select lesson topics from their manuals that show how the children are preparing for baptism if the class is for children under eight or that show how they learn to keep their covenants if they are older than eight. Each child will write one topic on his square and decorate it with an appropriate picture.
Continue on to singing time while you gather and organize the papers.
When it’s time for the game, lay out the squares around the room (You may want to do this during singing time, having the squares line the edge of the room.) Place a picture of Jesus at the very end of the line, on an easel or standing up in another way.
Tell the children you are going to help a child prepare to be baptized, and then to learn to keep their baptismal covenants. Move the baby onto the premortal life square. Ask a child to come up and remember what had been discussed earlier about how premortal life prepared us for baptism. Let the child move the baby to the baby square. Choose another child to do the same thing in this square. Continue until you reach the nursery manual. Have each class come up and share the picture they drew and tell how that helps to prepare for baptism or keep the commandments. Each child who presents a picture moves one of the paper dolls. Once you start Sunbeams, remove the baby and begin using the little girl. Do the same when you reach Senior Primary. The parents should move along the entire path. Continue until the paper dolls have reached Jesus.
Ask the children why the parents went along with the children throughout the entire path.
Help the children to see how Primary and their families will help them to prepare for baptism and to keep the commandments afterwards. Help them understand how this will help them return to God someday.
Invite an adult who grew up in the church to testify of how Primary and their parents helped them. (Do this a few days in advance.)
If you have additional time, have the children make thank you cards for their parents or teachers for helping them live and learn the gospel.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing Mormon Tabernacle Choir