A song story is a really cool way to introduce a Primary song! If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend it! That’s why, I’ve created a Song Story for I Know My Father Lives (archives)!
I’ve found my Primary kids are dead silent and focused on me as I share a story (and surprise them by singing a line here and there!). It really helps bring the spirit into the room and invites the children to eagerly listen to the song.
See all our I Know My Father Lives Singing Time Ideas here.
Song Story for I Know My Father Lives
One way I’ll be teaching I Know My Father Lives this year is with this song story! Since the song is so short and sweet, I included both verses in the song story.
If you decide to only introduce one verse, you can end the story right after the first verse, with the mother’s line about Jamie being a great example.
Activity Instructions:
At the beginning of primary, how do you know that you have a Heavenly Father? Allow a few children to share their answers or experiences.
Explain that you’ll be sharing a story about a girl named Jamie and her experience at school. Sometimes we can be unsure when we hear different opinions from others around us. Let’s see how Jamie deals with her experience in this story.
Begin reading the story. When you get to the line written in italics, sing the first phrase of the song acapella.
If the kids know the song, they might sing along with you. If not, that’s okay.
Continue telling the story and pausing to sing one phrase of the song at a time.
After you finish the story and sing the last line of the song, try singing through the entire song again with the children. Since this song is short, they should be able to catch on.
Share your testimony of a living Heavenly Father and how you have come to know of his reality in your own life.
Extension Activities:
- Ask a few teachers ahead of time to be prepared to share a brief testimony. Have the teachers share their stories during singing time. In between each story, sing through the song.
- Cut up the story into word strips, with each strip containing one paragraph of the story. Number each strip in the correct order. Pass out the word strips and have the children tell the story! Have them pause after each one and allow you to sing a line of the song.
- After reading the story, ask the children some questions to help increase their understanding of the message. Have you ever had friends question if there is a God? What experiences have you had with prayer?
Here’s an excerpt from the song story to give you an idea of how it works:
Read: Jamie’s mom bent down and pulled her daughters face close to her own. She looked right in her eyes and exclaimed, “Oh, Jamie, we can know for sure by asking in prayer. I know our Father in Heaven answers prayers, because he has answered mine!”
Sing: “I know my Father lives and loves me too.”
Read: Jamie’s eyes started welling up with tears. “Mom, can we say a prayer together? I want to know that, too!”
The two knelt together and Jamie offered a sweet and simple prayer asking to know if Heavenly Father was there and listening to her. She started to feel warm inside, like a big hug. Jamie leaped right up from her prayer…
Sing: “The Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true. (He) tells me it is true!”
Want to see another Song Story example? Head over to our Love One Another Song Story Lesson Plan!
I Know My Father Lives Printable Song Story
You can print the 1-page printable I Know My Father Lives Song Story below. It tells a sweet story of Jamie who comes home worried about boys who have teased her for believing in God.
Jamie and her mother discuss how to feel confident in knowing that we have a Heavenly Father that loves us and knows us with this song tie-in to I Know My Father Lives!
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Pop on over to grab our I Know My Father Lives Letter Puzzles singing time lesson plan next!
I’d love to hear how your Primary responds to this song story! Leave any feedback or comments below!
