What images come to your mind when you think of missionary work? Do you think of black missionary badges and worn-out shoes? Bring missionary work to life for your primary children with this neat I Want to Be a Missionary Now Mission Objects Lesson!
In this post, I’ve included 2 different ways to use this nature & senses singing time idea. Just bring in some objects to represent missionary work and discuss together how these items relate to this missionary song!
I Want to Be a Missionary Now Mission Objects:
2 Different Ways to Play!
For this activity, simply gather items reminiscent of missionaries or missionary work. If you or someone in your family served a mission, dust off your memorabilia and bring it to singing time! During singing time, share these objects and discuss how they relate to the song, I Want to Be a Missionary Now (archives).
Seeing these missionary objects will bring missionary work to life for your primary children and help them gain a deeper understanding of this song.
I’ve included instructions for 2 different ways to use this object lesson below. Both of these ideas are simple and include minimal prep. I’d love to hear which version of this activity you’ll be using in singing time!
How to Play Mystery Items:
For this version of thie activity, gather 5-8 items that represent missionary work or relate to the song. Place these items in a large gift basket and keep them hidden.
At the beginning of singing time, sing through the first verse of I Want to Be a Missionary now (lyrics here!)
Today I brought some mystery items! Reveal the large bag, but keep the contents hidden. Who thinks they can guess what’s inside the bag?
Choose a volunteer to come up. Have them close their eyes or use a bandana to cover their eyes. Have them reach into the bag and pull out an object. See if they can guess what the object is.
If they are having a hard time, you may provide a simple clue to help them! Once they have guessed the item, ask the class to think about how this item relates to our song. Then, continue picking & guessing items from the bag!
How to Play Finish the Drawing:
Prepare for this activity the same way as the mystery items version. However, you’ll also want to get ready to draw!
Draw simple cartoon drawings of each item, leaving out a few parts of the drawing. You can also do this on the chalkboard, but it may be helpful to have some pre-drawn images ready!
During singing time, sing through the song once to review. Then, post one of the drawings on the board. Can anyone guess what this is? Choose a child to come up and finish the drawing using markers or crayons.
Then, reveal the live object from your mystery bag! Continue by choosing kids to come up and finish each drawing. Discuss how each items relates to missionary work and what this item might represent.
Object/Drawing Ideas:
Here’s a few ideas for simple items to bring in for this activity. You’ll find lots more ideas in the printable later in this post. I’ve also included a list of the ‘finish the drawing’ items included in the printable.
- Missionary Tag
- Suitcase
- Journal
- Scriptures
- Pass-Along Card
- Bike Helmet
- Mission Flag
Finish the Drawing Objects:
- Missionary Badge – Representing the call to serve as a representative of Jesus Christ
- Tie – Representing the typical standard of dress for missionaries
- Suitcase – Representing travel and the process of leaving home to serve a mission
- Book of Mormon – Representing the scriptures
- Tape Measure – “When I have grown a foot or two”
- Watch – Representing the sacrifice of time made by missionaries
- Shoe – Representing the hard work involved in missionary service
Extension Activities:
- Give each child their own set of ‘finish the drawing’ pages. Have the children quietly finish each drawing as you listen to the song. Then, reveal the objects and discuss how these items are used in missionary work!
- Tape a piece of paper with a fun way to sing on the back of each item! Every time you choose an item, sing through the song using a different silly way to sing!
- Before primary, hide the missionary objects around the room. Then, cut out and tape each picture to the board. After the children finish a picture, have them look around the room for that item!
For another fun similar activity, head over to see this I Want to Live the Gospel Tray of Objects singing time activity!
I Want to Be a Missionary Now Mission Objects Lesson Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes a large list of 24 items that you might consider bringing for this activity, as well as 3 ‘finish the drawing’ images! Just print the pages you plan to use for this activity and keep this list handy as you start collecting your items!
Join INSTANT Primary Singing for extended printables including 4 additional finish the drawing ideas and full page finish the drawing templates. You’ll find these bonus files included when I Want to Be a Missionary Now is the featured song of the month.
To access the free in-post printables for this post, you’ll just need to create a free account or login with the Grow.me tool. Then, confirm by email and refresh the page and ALL my free printables will automatically unlock in every post!
For more information on why I use a content lock or how to create your account, you can see the FAQ page here.
For another cool way to review this song, head over to this I Want to Be a Missionary Now Foreign Language idea and learn to sing part of this song in 6 different languages!
What other fun ways will you use this mission objects singing time activity in your Primary room?
