Here are 17 Montessori-inspired activities to help young children learn the principles in Moroni 7-9 from the Book of Mormon:
Activity 1: Acting in Faith – Planting Seeds
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:33
- Materials:
- Small pots or cups
- Soil
- Seeds (flowers or herbs)
- Water
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:33, discussing how faith leads to action.
- Provide each child with a pot, soil, and seeds. Let them plant the seeds, water them, and place them in a sunny spot.
- Talk about how faith, like seeds, needs to be nurtured to grow and produce good results.
Activity 2: Charity – Heart Collage
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:47
- Materials:
- Construction paper, scissors, glue
- Magazines or printouts with images representing love and kindness
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:47, discussing how charity is the pure love of Christ.
- Help the children cut out hearts from construction paper.
- Let them create a collage by gluing pictures that represent acts of charity and kindness onto the hearts.
- Discuss how showing love and charity is following Jesus’ example.
Activity 3: Judging Righteously – Scale Craft
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:16
- Materials:
- Cardboard, string, small containers (like plastic cups)
- Markers, stickers
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:16, discussing how we can judge righteously by what is good and evil.
- Help the children create a simple balance scale using cardboard, string, and small containers.
- Discuss how we can weigh decisions in our lives by considering what is good and what is not, using the scale as a visual aid.
Activity 4: Prayer and Faith – Prayer Journals
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:26
- Materials:
- Small notebooks or paper
- Pens, crayons, stickers
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:26, discussing how faith and prayer work together.
- Let the children decorate small notebooks as their prayer journals.
- Encourage them to write or draw things they are praying for, and how they can exercise faith while they wait for answers.
Activity 5: Hope – Rainbow Craft
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:40-41
- Materials:
- Construction paper in rainbow colors
- Cotton balls
- Glue
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:40-41, discussing the principle of hope in Christ.
- Help the children create a rainbow by gluing strips of colored paper in a rainbow shape.
- Use cotton balls to create clouds at the ends of the rainbow.
- Discuss how hope in Jesus Christ helps us see the bright side, even when things are difficult.
Activity 6: The Light of Christ – Candle Lighting
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:18
- Materials:
- Small candles or LED candles
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:18, discussing how the light of Christ helps us know right from wrong.
- Light a candle in a dark room and observe how it lights up the space.
- Discuss how Jesus Christ is the light in our lives and helps us make good choices.
Activity 7: Practicing Kindness – Kindness Jar
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:48
- Materials:
- A jar or container
- Slips of paper, pens
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:48, discussing how we should pray to be filled with love and kindness.
- Set up a “Kindness Jar” where children can write down or draw acts of kindness they do or see.
- Encourage them to fill the jar with kindness slips throughout the week and review them together.
Activity 8: Repentance and Forgiveness – Erase the Mistakes
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 8:25
- Materials:
- Whiteboard or paper
- Markers or crayons
- Eraser or cloth
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 8:25, discussing the importance of repentance and forgiveness.
- Write or draw examples of mistakes on a whiteboard or paper.
- As you talk about repentance, erase each mistake, showing how repentance clears away our errors.
- Discuss the joy that comes from being forgiven.
Activity 9: Baptism – Water Play
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 8:10
- Materials:
- A shallow container of water
- Small dolls or action figures
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 8:10, discussing the ordinance of baptism.
- Use the dolls to simulate a baptism in the water, explaining how baptism is a way to show our commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
- Discuss the importance of being baptized and how it cleanses us spiritually.
Activity 10: Helping Others – Service Cards
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:45
- Materials:
- Paper, markers, or crayons
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:45, discussing how charity includes being kind and helping others.
- Create service cards with the children, writing or drawing things they can do to help others (e.g., sharing toys, helping with chores).
- Encourage them to choose a card each day and complete the service activity.
Activity 11: Being a Peacemaker – Dove Craft
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:3
- Materials:
- White paper or construction paper
- Scissors, glue, markers
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:3, discussing how peacemakers are blessed.
- Help the children cut out and decorate a dove as a symbol of peace.
- Discuss ways they can be peacemakers in their family and among friends.
Activity 12: Practicing Faith – Trust Walk
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:37
- Materials:
- Blindfolds
- Safe area for walking
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:37, discussing how faith works through prayer and action.
- Set up a trust walk where one child is blindfolded and another guides them through a safe area using verbal instructions.
- Switch roles so everyone has a turn being guided and guiding.
- Discuss how trusting in God helps us walk in faith.
Activity 13: Seeking Spiritual Gifts – Treasure Hunt
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 10:8-18 (Mentioned briefly in Moroni 7)
- Materials:
- Small treasures or treats hidden around the room
- Clues or scripture verses related to spiritual gifts
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 10:8-18, discussing spiritual gifts as mentioned in Moroni 7.
- Hide small treasures around the room and give clues related to spiritual gifts to find them.
- Discuss how each person has unique spiritual gifts that they can discover and use to bless others.
Activity 14: Unity in the Gospel – Puzzle Activity
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:13
- Materials:
- A large puzzle with many pieces
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:13, discussing how things that bring us closer to Christ are good.
- Work together to complete a large puzzle, emphasizing how each piece is important to the final picture.
- Discuss how each member of the Church is important and how we all fit together to make the Church strong.
Activity 15: Charity – Heart Garland
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:47
- Materials:
- Construction paper, scissors, markers, string
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:47, discussing how charity is the pure love of Christ.
- Help the children cut out hearts from construction paper and write or draw acts of kindness on them.
- String the hearts together to create a garland that can be hung up as a reminder to practice charity.
Activity 16: The Power of Words – Speaking and Listening Game
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:19
- Materials:
- None
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:19, discussing how words can uplift or discourage others.
- Play a game where one child says something kind, and the others repeat it back, passing it around the circle.
- Discuss how words can influence others and how we should speak kindly to one another.
Activity 17: Practicing Humility – Footprint Path
Scripture Inspiration: Moroni 7:43
- Materials:
- Paper footprints, markers, tape
- Directions:
- Read Moroni 7:43, discussing the importance of humility in following Christ.
- Create a path using paper footprints, each labeled with actions that demonstrate humility (e.g., serving others, admitting mistakes).
- Have the children walk the path, discussing each step as they go.
