By Alison Palmer

Scripture: “All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, November 1995, 102, paragraph 2.

Song: I Am a Child of God (Children’s Songbook, 2)

Preparation: Write each family member’s name on a slip of paper and place them in a container to draw from.

Lesson: Invite each person to draw out the name of a family member from your container. Each person must then describe positive attributes about the individual that they have been randomly assigned and have the rest of the family try to guess who is being described.

Talk about the similarities and differences among the members of the family; include items that are physical, spiritual and character based. Discuss how these individual characteristics blend together to create a whole family unit that can work together, compliment and support the individual members and help draw them closer to Heavenly Father. Express gratitude for both the similarities and differences among the family members. Talk about where these attributes come from: some are inherited, some are learned, and some are expressions of individual personalities.

Discuss the statement: I Am a Child of God.

Read Moses 2: 26-27. Help the family members understand that Heavenly Father is a physical being just as they are. He has a perfected body and we were created in His image. Testify to the truthfulness that He is literally the father of our spirits and the designer of our mortal bodies. This means that our bodies look like his. It also means that we are given individual talents and blessings from Him that will help us grow to be more like Him.

Discuss ways that you can show respect for, and take care of, the special bodies Heavenly Father has given you.

Re-emphasize other attributes that each family member has received from their Heavenly Father. These are the talents and spiritual gifts that you have been discussing as a family. Identify and discuss additional characteristics the family can learn and develop that can help them become more like Heavenly Father.

Activity: Younger children- Use an ink pad or marker to create finger prints of each family member. Use fine point markers or colored pencils to decorate each fingerprint (Ed Emberley style) into a self portrait of the individual who it belongs to. Be creative and see how many ways you can show the person’s individuality.

Talk about the unique nature of fingerprints. Each person’s prints are unique. Not even identical twins will have fingerprints that are the same. Our special and unique bodies are precious gifts from Heavenly Father. While each of us is a unique and individual person, Heavenly Father has given each of us the opportunity to become more like him.

Older children- Provide each family member with a clean sheet of paper. Have each person write “I Am a Child of God” across the top and the individual letters of their name down the left side. Create name poems that express each person’s divine nature. Decorate and frame these statements for each family member’s room. Encourage them to use it as a reminder to find additional ways that they can become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ every day.

Refreshments: Divinity fudge or individually decorated gingerbread boys and girls.

Alison Palmer’s new title, Sharing Through Primary Songs, with combined lessons for 2008 singing and sharing time, is now available at ampalmer.com.