Help Me Dear Father - ideas to teach the song

The doctrine of forgiveness is so beautiful, first that we can receive forgiveness from our Heavenly Father, but secondly, that He expects us to give forgiveness to others just as He would. As you teach this song, your testimony of forgiveness, just one sentence at a time during a pause, is essential.

Melody Map with Actions

Ask…What do you see? What do you notice? What is the same? What is the difference?What do these posters have to do with the song? (I sing the song, then receive their answers.)

Can you do this action with me as I sing? (Help, Father, forgive)

Now can you do these actions, (plus those actions) as I sing? (unkind, all, day, live)

What actions are left for us to do in the song? (nearer, thee). Will you do all the actions with me as I sing, plus singing only those words with the actions?

A video of this at a workshop is here. You will have to start it at minute 17:30

Rhythm Stick Roll

Pretend to roll the stick from one hand to the other, then pass it around your back as I sing. (See an example of it here at 1:11:08.)

Now let’s do the song with the stick and rolling it.

Older – Watch me and my partner as we roll the stick into each other’s hands and around our back.  Sing the song.

Choose a partner.  Roll the rhythm stick to your partner’s hand and go around the back as we sing.

Younger Sway and Freeze

Have the children point both of their arms to one side of the room, then swing them both in front to the other side of the room. Now circle both arms in a big circle in front of you.  Sing and do this pattern.

Older Fill in the Word poster.

Make a poster that is missing words of the song.  Display the words around the room.  As you sing the song, touch a child on the shoulder to go and get a word then put it in the right place on the poster.  Help, Father, forgive, all, unkind, me, Help, day, Father, pray, nearer, nearer, Thee.  Sing the song again and again until all the words have been put in the right place.

Song Story –

Joseph of Egypt (This works well when you also put in some of the emotions Joseph might have felt.) An example of this is here. (minute 48:55)

Tell this story: Joseph had 10 older brothers.  They were jealous of him.  They didn’t like the dreams Joseph had about being a ruler over them.  They treated him badly.

Sing “Help me dear Father to freely forgive”

One day Joseph’s brothers decided to get rid of him.  They sold him as a slave.  Slave traders took Joseph away from his home and sold him as a slave.

Sing “All who have been unkind to me”

Joseph chose to forgive his brothers even though he was in a faraway land and things were hard.

Sing “Help me each day, Father to live”

Joseph kept praying to Heavenly Father and tried to keep His commandments.  Heavenly Father blessed Joseph many times to bless those around him.

Sing “nearer and nearer to thee.”