Helping Sunbeams Write Talks
Letting a Sunbeam write his own talk? Isn't that impossible? Well, if you want him to write it down himself, or come up with the talk without help, yes, it is. However, a Sunbeam has a surprising number of thoughts on any topic you can imagine--I've been a Primary teacher forever, and I know--so why not let his talk reflect his own thoughts?
Let's imagine your Sunbeam is asked to give a talk called "Jesus Christ Loves Me." Begin by setting out
a picture of Jesus, just to keep the focus in place. Ask your child who is in the picture and then let him tell you any thoughts that come to mind. For this topic, you'd want to pick a picture of Jesus with children, since it's likely to spark a conversation on that very topic. Talk for a bit about the picture, and jot down anything interesting your child says.
Now tell him the Primary wants to know if Jesus loves him. What does he think? When he answers yes, tell him you need to write down the answer so you can help him give it in a talk on Sunday. (You are starting this immediately, right, not on Sunday morning?) Say, "I'll write, 'Jesus loves me.' Do you think he loves all the children?" This brings you back to the picture. After helping your child formulate a sentence about how Jesus loves children, ask him to tell you about the picture, slowly. Write what he says, and when he gives the talk, have him hold the picture as he tells the story. Let the talk be his own words as much as possible. "Can you put that in a sentence for me?"
Guide him through each point by asking questions and writing down his answers. "Jesus loves the children in this picture. Do you think he loves you too? How do you know?"
If your child gives a highly inappropriate answer, say, "In church, we can't say things like that in talks. We have to be very reverent. Can you think of another way you know Jesus loves you?" If the answer is a bit odd, but not inappropriate, you may want to leave it in. It will entertain the adults and make the talk more personal. It will be clear he wrote it himself.
This requires a little planning on your part, since you'll need to have come up with some questions to ask. However, the more talks your child gives, the less preparation you'll need to do.
Another way to help your child write a talk is to prepare over several days. Put up a picture related to the subject and throughout the week, start conversations on the subject. Tell your child you're going to write down some of the things he says. After a few days, sit down to write the talk with him. Read him some of the things he said and ask him if he'd like to make a book about these things. Write the book by putting one or two sentences on a page and having him illustrate it. Organize them into an order that makes sense and guide him to add any additional information he needs or wants. Then tell him on Sunday he's going to give a talk, and he can read his book to the children. Add another copy of the words to the back of each page, or make a script for yourself. Let him show the unfastened pages one at a time as he "reads" the book.
Having your Sunbeam write his own talk is so much better for him than using a pre-packaged talk. It gives him one more opportunity to think and talk about the gospel.
White Dresses (Hardcover) by Deborah Pace Rowley
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Terrie Lynn Bittner - All Rights Reserved