I was called to serve in our Nursery and I have to say I was a little more than excited to go in there. Those cute little faces, the funny things they say and I get to play, play, play. I had planned on sharing this with the other wards in our stake at our upcoming Stake Training but I thought maybe someone out there might find it useful as well. For some reason I can't upload the whole file so it's missing pictures. Email me if you'd like and I'll send you the Word file. (Also see my "More Nursery Ideas" post)
Nursery
Snack Ideas for the Whole Year!
Remember to ask parents about any food
allergies and try to avoid common ones like nuts. Always
be sure to wash their hands before & after they eat. We like using a foaming hand soap pump and
they love the bubbles in their hands.
Usually we put the snacks in a white coffee filter liner and they also
receive a small cup of water. Children
love to please at this age so remind them to say “please” and “thank you” and
clean up after themselves when they’re done.
The Friend magazine always has fun recipe ideas for
kids so look there as well. Below are
some fun ideas to go along with each lesson.
Lesson
# Title
1 I
Am a Child of God
Each
child is unique just like no two snowflakes are the same. With child safe (and washed) scissors, fold up
a tortilla and have children cut out their own unique shape. You could also have mini marshmallows for
snowballs.
2 Heavenly
Father Has a Plan for Me
Eat
treats that start with the letter P, such as popcorn, peaches, pretzels,
pears. Repeat the name of the snacks and
the word “Plan”
3 I
Can Pray to Heavenly Father
Soft
Pretzels – the story behind this snack is that a monk used leftover dough and
looped it into this shape to remind children to fold their arms to pray. You could also make edible play dough but
call it pray-dough.
4 Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ Love Me
Make
heart shaped rice crispy treats. It
should take them awhile to chew it. J You could frost it with some very light pink
frosting – being careful not to mess up their clothes.
5 Jesus
Christ Showed Us How to Love Others
Strawberries
sliced in half, heart shaped snacks like cookies, bread, etc.
6 The
Holy Ghost Helps Me
Ask the
children to each help you prepare the snack.
An older child can help pump out hand soap, another child can pass out
one treat, etc. and thank them individually by name, “Thank you John for being
such a good helper today”
7 Jesus
Christ Created the World for Me
Make large
round sugar cookies and have kids decorate them with blue frosting for the
water, green for land. Remember to
barely color the frosting so it won’t ruin clothing.
8 Sunday
Is a Day to Remember Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
Show the picture of Heavenly
Father and Jesus appearing to Joseph.
We’re told they were as bright as the sun so we’re using very light
colored snacks. On a small flour
tortilla spread marshmallow cream and add sliced bananas.
9 I
Have a Body like Heavenly Father's
Gingerbread man cutter for cookies, rice
krispy treats, bread.
10 I
Will Take Care of My Body
We can
have healthy bodies by eating healthy foods.
Slice some apples, cut some carrots, etc.
11 I
Love My Family
Bring a
heart cookie stamp/cutter and cut and/or stamp bread, cookie, large fruit
slices. Heart-shaped watermelon slices
would be yummy and healthy.
12 I
Can Pray with My Family
Again,
Soft Pretzels – the story behind this snack is that a monk used leftover dough
and looped it into this shape to remind children to fold their arms to
pray. You could also make edible play
dough but call it pray-dough.
13 My
Family Can Be Together Forever
Use regular size goldfish and
baby size goldfish to represent a family.
Can use other big/mini snacks such as showing a regular muffin and they
eat get a mini muffin.
14 I
Will Obey
Use whatever leftover treats you
have but ask the children to help you and as they do so thank them for being
obedient.
15 I
Will Be Thankful
Thankful cups if around
Thanksgiving: fill with whatever snacks you want and ask them what they are
thankful for. Write it down on the
turkey’s feathers and they can take the empty cup home OR
Thankful rolls: write a
thankful message on a piece of paper, wrap in foil, then insert in the crack of
rolls before baking. Ask children to
break their roll open and you can read something that we can all be thankful
for – have each roll be different.
16 I
Will Say "I'm Sorry"
Make oatmeal raisin cookies,
making a happy face with the raisins or do the same type of thing with oatmeal
chocolate chip cookies. It makes others happy
when we say “I’m sorry”
17 I
Will Share
Eat
child gets a small cup filled with one color of Fruit Loops. They must share with each other so everyone
gets a color. Can use Cheerios and Apple
Jacks if you need more colors for more kids.
If you have leftovers you can make a necklace for them to take home.
18 I
Will Love Others
Make
heart shaped cinnamon rolls or sugar cookies with a Dove chocolate heart in the
center.
19 I
Can Be Happy
Walmart brand fruit snacks are
shaped like happy faces. OR you could
use leftover snacks and make happy faces with them – raisins for eyes, etc.
20 I
Will Be Reverent
Use pretzels to remind them how
they should fold their arms. You can
make eyes from a large marshmallow and colored m&ms reminding them to close
their eyes during the prayer.
21 Joseph
Smith Saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
Give each child 2 large
marshmallows representing Heavenly Father and Jesus. A gingerbread man could represent Joseph as a
young boy.
22 The
Book of Mormon Teaches Me about Jesus Christ
Make
scripture snacks from graham crackers.
Red string licorice can be the bookmark.
Save some for the next lesson since you’ll probably have leftovers.
Take
home gift: Tape 2 gold Hershey’s nuggets to a black/navy construction paper and
print off a short scripture verse on white paper, & add a red embroidery
floss for a bookmark.
23 I
Love the Scriptures
Again, make scripture snacks from
graham crackers. Red string licorice can
be the bookmark.
24 I
Will Follow the Prophet
Have the children paint with
vanilla pudding on black construction paper a picture of the prophet. They can take it home. OR paint it on a large graham cracker and
they can eat it.
25 I
Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Use
leftovers and lace up a necklace. Each
of us is a little different but we all belong in this church.
26 I
Will Be Baptized and Confirmed
Sing “When
I Am Baptized” which talks about rainbows.
Make rainbow cupcakes or waffles using food coloring and canned whipped
cream. You can also talk about how
they’ll wear white at their baptism. A
great take home idea would be wrapping a Kit Kat with the baptismal covenant
reminder to Keep His commandments, Always remember him and Take his name upon you.
27 The
Sacrament Helps Me Think about Jesus Christ
Give them a slice of bread (can
be fun bread like cinnamon raisin, etc.) and break into pieces like the
sacrament and as they eat a piece ask them to share with the other kids something
they like to think about during the
sacrament that helps them remember Jesus.
28 Heavenly
Father Blesses Me through the Priesthood
Fill
some clear vinyl gloves with popcorn so it looks like a priesthood holder’s
hands. You could mix in some other snack
in there as well if you like.
29 Jesus
Christ Was Resurrected (Easter)
Resurrection
Rolls – Wrap a large Rhodes roll dough ball around a large marshmallow sealing
really well, brush with butter and roll in cinnamon sugar and bake as
usual. The marshmallow will melt and
create an empty tomb. Chilled hard
boiled eggs might be fun to eat with this as well.
Another
idea that could be eaten there or taken home is “Some bunny loves you” snack
bags. Annie’s brand bunny shaped snacks
(cheddar or chocolate flavors)
*Birthday Treat Ideas:
Bake
light-colored cupcakes in ice cream cones and “frost” with canned whipped cream
kept cool in a lunch sack with an ice pack.
Kids love to see it squirt out. Add
sprinkles if you like. Don’t forget to
sing “Happy Birthday!” The child who is
celebrating their birthday gets to take home a little baggie filled with small
treats and a Happy Birthday note tied with a ribbon.
*Christmas Lesson Treat Idea:
Make Star window
cookies. Crush hard candies and place in
the middle of the stars when you bake. They will melt down and look like glass. Remind the children the shepherds and wise
men followed the star to find Jesus when he was born. Also, you could slice an apple horizontally
to find a hidden star inside.
*General Conference Prep Idea
Remind
them to Make the Most (fun size m&m’s) of General Conference. You could also print off a GAPK picture and
make it into a lacing card for them to play with while listening to conference
with their families.
