Sunday School Attention Activity

I was studying the Sunday School lesson a few weeks ago and came across the following attention activity* that I thought was very poignant and insightful:

As appropriate, use the following activity or one of your own to begin the lesson.

Display the small pieces of the picture that you have brought to class, but do not display the picture (see “Preparation,” item 3). Tell class members that these small pieces are part of a bigger picture. Invite them to briefly guess what is in the picture. Then display the picture, putting the small pieces in place.

Point out that although the small pieces are important, they would have little meaning if they were not part of the big picture. Explain that experiences we have, decisions we make, and truths we learn are like small pieces of a big picture. They have less meaning if they are not put in the context of a bigger picture: the plan of salvation. A knowledge of the plan of salvation can help us make righteous decisions, find joy in mortality, and prepare for eternal life. This lesson discusses the plan of salvation.

*I study the lesson out of the Instructor's Manual and not that weak student study guide