This talk was given by Reyna I. Aburto in the April 2018 General Conference. I encourage you to read or listen to her talk before giving this lesson. Her talk can be found here.
Objective: Children will be able to identify a special gift they have been blessed with and describe how it can bless our family.
Materials:
- Picture of Monarch Butterfly (There are really good pictures on LDS.org with Sister Aburto’s talk)
- A world map
- Picture or Drawing of the Sun
- Butterfly Cutouts
- Supplies for family activity if needed.
Opening Song: Families Can Be Together Forever (Hymn 300)
Prayer:
Lesson: Show children a picture of a monarch butterfly and ask them if they know what it is.
Explain how monarch butterflies travel from Mexico to Canada in the spring and from Canada to Mexico in the fall. (It may be beneficial to show children a map and point out where they live. Next show them somewhere that they travel regularly on the map, grandma’s house for example. Then compare the distance between these two places with the distance between Mexico and Canada.)
Next ask the children, “How do you think the monarch butterflies know which way to fly?” Listen to the children’s answers and then explain that the monarchs use the suns position to direct them
Read this quote from Sister Aburto’s talk, “[The monarch butterflies] do this year after year, one tiny wing flap at a time. During their journey, they cluster together at night on trees to protect themselves from the cold and from predators.”
(At this point, depending on the ages of you children or how restless they are, you may to have the children pretend to be butterflies and follow someone pretending to be the sun or holding a picture of a sun. At the end of the game have the leader bring your little butterflies back to where you are having your lesson to “settle in for the night.”)
Explain to the children, once they have settle back down if they played the game, that a group of butterflies is called a Kaleidoscope. Ask the children to say Kaleidoscope three times with you then show the picture of the kaleidoscope included in sister Aburto’s talk. Explain to the children that each butterfly in this kaleidoscope is different but they still work together to make help pollinate flowers and plants and make our world more beautiful.
Read this quote from Sister Aburto’s talk,
"Like the monarch butterflies, we are on a journey back to our heavenly home, where we will reunite with our Heavenly Parents. Like the butterflies, we have been given divine attributes that allow us to navigate through life, in order to "[fill] the measure of [our] creation. Like them, if we knit our hearts together, the Lord will protect us "as a hen [gathers] her chickens under her wings" and will make us into a beautiful kaleidoscope."
Now take time to talk with the family about a divine attribute that each has and write them on a butterfly cutout. (Examples: being kind to others, helping others feel happy when they are sad, being happy, being a good leader, being honest.)
Read this quote from Sister Aburto’s:
"Girls and boys, young women and young men, sisters and brothers, we are on this journey together. In order to reach our sublime destiny, we need each other, and we need to be unified. The Lord has commanded us, ‘Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.’”
Now take the time to talk about how the divine attributes that each family member possesses can help to bless our family unit. Have each family member write the answer on their butterfly or draw a picture of it.
Conclude with this quote from Sister Aburto:
“Like the monarch butterflies, let us continue on our journey together in purpose, each of us with our own attributes and contributions, working to make this a more beautiful and fruitful world—one small step at a time and in harmony with God’s commandments.”
Close with your Testimony.
Activity Ideas:
Go for a walk or bike ride together and look for butterflies as you go.
Learn to make origami butterflies together.
Decorate butterfly shapes with paint, markers, crayons, paper or whatever else you have on hand.
Notes: Remember that this is just an outline on how your lesson could go. Remember to follow the Spirit and adapt as necessary for the needs of your family.
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