How would you act if the Savior stood beside you? This singing time lesson plans brings the concept to the children’s level by incorporating cookies!
The 2018 Sharing Time Outline found HERE has some simple visuals for teaching If the Savior Stood Beside Me. Download the word strips with question marks HERE (this is a 42 page document so print only what you need). And the images can be found HERE. Use corresponding ones found in the Gospel Art Book HERE for the rest of the verses.
3rd Verse UPDATE: I was asked to create 3rd verse visuals with exclamation points instead of question marks since the 3rd verse contains statements rather than questions.
Access my printables at my Resource Library. Instructions for accessing my Resource Library are found at the bottom of this post.
Before primary, hang the flip chart images to the 1st verse on the board, in order.
Cookies
I LOVE Pat Graham’s Attention Getter for this song. She really brings the meaning to the children’s level. Find her demonstration HERE and scrolling down to video “Part 8” and it’s about 5:45 into the video.
Print and cut out these cookies (also available to download in my Resource Library):
Tell the children the following:
- I just made cookies, and my little brother came in and he wanted one. Which one am I going to give him? [hold up a big and little cookie for the kids to choose].
- Now my friend came over. I have lots of cookies. Which one shall I give my friend? [hold up lots of the cookies for them to choose]
- The Savior stopped by to visit. Which one will I give the Savior? [again, hold up the big and little cookie]
Discuss their answers about how we should give to our little brother and our friend as we’d give to the Savior
Pass out the following images to children/classes. As you sing the song, have them place them on the board in order underneath the word strip it matches.
- Picture of the Savior “If the Savior stood beside me”
- Picture of children with blocks “would I do the things I do?”
- Picture of child reading scriptures ”would I think of His commandments”
- Picture of children at church “and try harder to be true?”
- Picture of Christ being Baptized “Would I follow His example?”
- Picture of child praying “Would I Live more righteously”
- Picture of Christ “If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?”
Then teach the words using the simplified ASL from Sara (thank you!!)
If you need help teaching ASL in primary, my post HERE contains several of helpful tips.
ASL Notes
Here are my simple notes for the 1st verse:
- Savior: cross arms at wrists near chest, form a “W” shape as you unfold them then open palms and slide arms down
- Stood: left hand makes a little “person” and stands on the right hand”
- Beside: Left hand, elbow bent palm facing up. Arm goes down then back up
- Do: both hands at chest level, palms downward with fingers slightly bent, make small circles with hands going upward and outward (kind of like conducting music)
- Things: elbows bent, hands at chest, palms facing you, thumbs up, fingers slightly bent. Push arms out
- Do: both hands at chest level, palms downward with fingers slightly bent, make small circles with hands going upward and outward (kind of like conducting music)
- Think: point to temple with left hand
- His: Palm up near head facing out, stretch arm upward
- Commandments: right hand palm facing out, left hand makes a “C” shape and touches fingers on right hand then palm of right hand
- Try: fists with thumbs up at chest, push arms away from your body
- Harder to be true: left pointer touching lips, rounds down so you are pointing out
- Follow: Similar to “Try” above but knuckles are touching and left hand is more forward
- His: Palm up near head facing out, stretch arm upward
- Example: left hand in a fist, pointer touching middle of right palm. Move it twice up and down on to the last 2 syllables of “ex-am-ple”
- Live: Make “L’s” with both hands, palms up below chest and lift up
- Righteously: Right hand pointer with other fingers with a fist at chest level, left hand similar but makes a small circle above right hand and touches at the bottom of circle
- I: Left pointer and middle finger extended, thumb holds other fingers, touch left cheek bone
- Savior: cross arms at wrists near chest, form a “W” shape as you unfold them then open palms and slide arms down
- Standing: left hand makes a little “person” and stands on the right hand”
- Nigh: right hand slightly cupped at chest level, left hand also slightly cupped comes close to right hand then moves away twice
- Watching over me: both hands have pointer and middle fingers extended, thumbs holding the others, make small circles near left eye and left temple, moving up, away, down and toward
2nd Verse Notes:
- Savior: cross arms at wrists near chest, form a “W” shape as you unfold them then open palms and slide arms down
- Stood: left hand makes a little “person” and stands on the right hand”
- Beside: Left hand, elbow bent palm facing up. Arm goes down then back up
- Say: hold up 4 fingers, touch chin twice with the side of your pointer finger so pinky is furthest away
- Things: elbows bent, hands at chest, palms facing you, thumbs up, fingers slightly bent. Push arms out
- Say: hold up 4 fingers, touch chin twice with the side of your pointer finger so pinky is furthest away
- Words: right hand pointer only extended, arm bent, left hand forms a “C” with pointer and thumb. Thumb and finger of left hand touch the pointer finger of right hand twice
- True: left pointer touching lips, rounds down so you are pointing out
- Kind: right palm facing up, left palm facing down and rubs outward on right palm (like soft)
- He: Palm up near head facing in, stretch arm upward
- Never far away: fists with thumbs up at chest, left hand moves upward and outward (shake head “no” for “never”)
- Share: right hand vertical, thumb extended, left hand similar and rubs in the crease of the thumb of right hand
- Gospel: right hand fist, palm down, left hand makes a “birds beak” with pointer and thumb and touches top of right hand twice
- Speak: hold up 4 fingers, touch chin twice with the side of your pointer finger so pinky is furthest away
- Reverently: pointer and middle finger extended and crossed on both hands. Wrists cross then uncross and move downward and outward
- I: Left pointer and middle finger extended, thumb holds other fingers, touch left cheek bone
- Stood: left hand makes a little “person” and stands on the right hand” Pull hand gesture above away from face
- Savior: cross arms at wrists near chest, form a “W” shape as you unfold them then open palms and slide arms down
- Standing: left hand makes a little “person” and stands on the right hand”
- Nigh: right hand slightly cupped at chest level, left hand also slightly cupped comes close to right hand then moves away twice
- Watching over me: both hands have pointer and middle fingers extended, thumbs holding the others, make small circles near left eye and left temple, moving up, away, down and toward
3rd Verse Notes:
- He: Left palm up near head facing in, stretch arm upward
- Near: right hand slightly cupped at chest level, left hand also slightly cupped comes close to right hand then moves away twice
- I Do Not See: Left pointer and middle finger extended, thumb holds other fingers, touch left cheek bone, shake head “no”
- Him: Left palm up near head facing in, stretch arm upward
- Loves: arms crossed at chest, fists
- Dearly: clutch hands at chest
- Watchful: both hands have pointer and middle fingers extended, thumbs holding the others, make small circles near left eye and left temple, moving up, away, down and toward
- Care: both hands – pointer and middle finger extended, thumb holds other fingers, left hand on top of the other one, making a circle going up and away from body at chest
- Be: Left palm on top of right palm near right shoulder, hands rub together and switch to left shoulder
- Person: Hands make straight lines downward like drawing someone’s figure
- Know: Left hand touches left side of forehead, bent at the knuckles
- Like: hands bent at knuckles, palms facing up, at chest level, they are brought in, left hand is higher than right
- I: Left pointer and middle finger extended, thumb holds other fingers, touch left cheekbone
- Stood: left hand makes a little “person” and stands on the right hand” Pull hand gesture above away from face
- Savior: cross arms at wrists near chest, form a “W” shape as you unfold them then open palms and slide arms down
- Standing: left hand makes a little “person” and stands on the right hand”
- Nigh: right hand slightly cupped at chest level, left hand also slightly cupped comes close to right hand then moves away twice
- Watching over me: both hands have pointer and middle fingers extended, thumbs holding the others, make small circles near left eye and left temple, moving up, away, down and toward
Bear Testimony
Bear testimony that we should act in such a way that would make the Savior happy and pleased with our actions.
More Singing Time Ideas
Check out my post HERE for more ideas for teaching If the Savior Stood Beside Me.
Check out this quick tutorial video for accessing the Resource Library:
These printables are filed on my Resource Library page under Song Title > If the Savior Stood Beside Me.
6 thoughts on “If the Savior Stood Beside Me”
Thank you for this great idea! I will be using it this Sunday as I teach the song to Jr. Primary. I love the ASL but I worry about them learning ALL of it so I think I'm going to take a sign or two and use it for each phrase, or think up some other way to sign it because I know the kids learn better with actions.
Hi Camille! So I found the exact photos that the church website used. Here is the link. https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/if-the-savior-stood-beside-me?lang=eng. I stumble across them in the LDS Media Library when I typed in saviour.
Great work on this blog. I’m a huge fan!
-Mikyla Shepherd
Mikyla,
Thank you SO much! I've updated my post to reflect the link. I really appreciate your help!!
~Camille
Seriously you are amazing! You are like the sally Deford of Primary choristers. I aa so grateful for you!!
I love this and plan on using it with my primary. Is there any way to change verse 3 to exclamation points instead of question marks? To me, that verse is more declarative than questioning.
Hi Pam Opp,
Great idea! See how these work for you:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yBxqna9GSnhOnXT8Fs8_kDnFOHsRkv0h?usp=sharing
~Camille