Dive into a unique missionary experience while teaching I Want to Be a Missionary Now (archives) to your Primary children. This unique I Want to Be a Missionary Now Missionary Meals activity you’ll dive into different cultures and explore meals from around the world to connect what full time missionaries do with how you can be a missionary in your every day life.
I Want to Be a Missionary Now is included as a suggested song in both the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants Primary Songs Lists. I think it’s a great fit to included as part of the D&C teaching year, as you focus on all the missionary work the early Pioneers did to help spread the gospel. But it’s great for either year.
I Want to Be a Missionary Now Missionary Meals
Sing through I Want to Be a Missionary Now with this flip chart once before introducing this activity.
Ask the children, have you ever thought about serving a mission? What is one of the big first experiences for a to-be missionary? (Getting a mission call!)
I have a mission call for you, too! Pass out envelopes or the mission cards to each child. You could also place the locations under their chair if you have time to prep ahead of time.
Before you head out on your mission, we’ll need to learn a little about where we are going. Let’s sing through the song again.
Point out that all the different countries eat different foods. What’s a popular food that the United States is known for? (Hamburgers!) If you get the answer pizza – ask if they know where pizza actually is from (Italy). What about Mexico – do you know a popular food in Mexico? (Tacos).
Sing through I Want to Be a Missionary Now again.
Now, challenge your Primary children to find their country AND a Missionary companion. (Aim to have even numbers per country). They’ll get up and move around the room to their country card and find a buddy.
Ask a couple kids what is something else, besides the food, that they’re excited about for serving a mission. Whatever fun things they share, remind them that the best part of serving a mission is teaching people about Jesus and the gospel.
Sing through I Want to Be a Missionary Now again. What is this song teaching us? We don’t have to wait until we have an official mission call or go somewhere else in the world to be able to share our testimony and be a friend and missionary!
Extension Activities:
- Learn about one country at a time by introducing the food, and asking children what else they know about that country. At the end of the activity, invite the children to have a family the know or a neighbor over for a meal from another country and share the gospel!
- Try to match the country title cards to their matching foods. You can invite the children that match that country to come up front to help you lead the music.
- Invite the children to share different meals their family has prepared for the missionaries as they have visited their homes. What is a meal they would love to try as a missionary?
For another fun similar activity, head over to see this I Hope They Call Me on a Mission Around the World singing time activity!
I Want to Be a Missionary Now Missionary Meals Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes the first four country 1/4 page meal cards and missionary calling cards to match the countries.
Join INSTANT Primary Singing for extended printables including 4 additional countries, 1/2 page country cards, and country name match. You’ll find these bonus files included when I Want to Be a Missionary Now is the featured song of the month.
Get more out of singing time with the INSTANT Primary Singing membership that includes printable lesson plans, tons of extended printables and an ad-free experience for each featured song of the month, or get immediate access to the entire song list for the year!
Learn more about INSTANT Primary Singing membership options here!
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Continue over to this fun I Want to Be a Missionary Now Melody Map activity that will help you focus on the melody and the choppy up and down melody in a fun and visual way.
What other fun ways will you use this missionary meals singing time activity in your Primary room?
