Primary children in the Utah Orem Stake learned about the Old Testament in a new and engaging way through a stake Primary activity called “Old Testament: Stories on Stage.”
Valiant Age children (those aged 8 and up this year) prepared and performed skits based on children’s church Old Testament stories and scripture.
The 75 children were divided into four groups, each group led by a skit director and a helper. After meeting, they read their assigned script, selected their roles, and began creating props and scenery. They also discussed what their stories taught about Jesus Christ to share what they learned at the end of the performance, explained Susan Heaton, secretary of the stake Primary presidency.
The stories and skits were about Daniel in the lion’s den, Joshua and the battle at Jericho, Moses and the manna, and Moses and the brass serpent.
“During rehearsals, the children were very engaged in whatever they chose to work on, whether it was acting or creating props and scenery,” Mr Heaton said.
Mackenzie Pearson, 10, said she already knew the story because she had read it with her father in a children’s Bible translation.
In the skit, she played an Israelite who apologizes to Moses for not listening to him. “We were tired of eating manna and complained that we had better food in Egypt.”
That story taught her about turning to Jesus Christ. “When the people saw the snake, they were healed. Jesus will heal us too.”
Nine-year-old Asher Leavitt played an Israelite who died from a snake bite because he didn’t look when Moses held up a brass serpent. “It was a fake death,” he explained.
The serpent reminded him of Jesus. “The brass serpent can heal you, and Jesus can heal people.”
President Jared Pearson, Mackenzie’s father and second counselor in the stake presidency, said he was impressed by how the children asked what they could learn about Jesus Christ after each story or skit. “The stake Primary presidency has done a great job of teaching in the Savior’s way, following the principle, “Whatever you teach, teach it about Jesus Christ.”
Mackenzie’s mother, Shelstie Pearson, said the activity gave the children a chance to use more of their senses, such as seeing, touching and hearing, which helped them learn and remember more effectively.
Joshua Leavitt, 11, played the prophet Joshua in the skit. He said people had to follow the prophets when they needed to cross the Jordan River, and Joshua taught them to follow Jesus Christ.
“They had to walk around the wall seven times a week, and at the end they were blowing trumpets and shouting and hollering, and the wall came down. It shows that God can do a lot of amazing miracles. The city was just this table, and we were walking around it, and someone secretly pushed it down,” Joshua explained.
When I asked him what he had learned about the prophet Joshua, he replied, “He is truly brave and follows the Lord.”
Joshua and Asher’s parents, Aaron and Honiba Leavitt, said they were glad their children were able to relearn the story in a new way.
“When we did ‘Come Follow Me,’ we talked about these things, but the boys knew the story beforehand, so what we talked about on family night was just adding to what they already knew,” Joshua Leavitt said.
Melissa Johnson watched children work together as a group and make new friends while directing a skit about Moses and the Brass Serpent. The children were full of ideas to make the whole play experience uplifting and fun.
She reminded the children that every part was important, and she felt that they all understood that all they could offer was needed.
“We found this to be a very productive activity and a great way for the children to learn about Bible stories. By doing it this way, it felt authentic and the children always felt like they remembered the stories they shared and saw. Their smiles said it all.”
Bethany Huntington directed the skit about Daniel and the Lion’s Den. The children loved choosing costumes and reading the script. And she saw the children’s understanding deepen from reading the script to actually bringing the story to life.
“The children had great insight and a deep understanding of how Christ’s hand was in people’s lives in Old Testament times and how He helps people in their struggles today,” she said.
