11 Ways to Add Posters and Pictures to Your LDS Lessons
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Visual aids are a fantastic tool in any church lesson. However, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and use them the same old way to the point that no one pays attention to them anymore. Discover fresh and creative ways to make pictures your secret weapon in teaching. Break free from the ordinary and turn those visual aids into vivid, engaging story-tellers that captivate and inspire! Discover some tricks for your next lesson below.
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Every Come Follow Me lesson comes with at least one image to help teach. Show it at the beginning of your class and invite everyone to say one thing about it. No repeats! What do they see right away? What is in the background? What do you think the people are saying or feeling? What time of day is it? What colors are used and why? Really dig into the picture. What small details can you see? Show it around the classroom slowly and invite everyone to really look at it. If you were to caption this picture, what would you say? Why?
Then read the scripture story and hold up the picture again. What do they notice this time?
Cover It Up
Cover the whole picture up with some paper; all except one spot that can give clues. Invite your class to guess what’s underneath by that section of the picture. Why does that portion of the picture make you think that? Do the answers change as you reveal more of the image? Try removing one piece at a time- space it out throughout your lesson for a big point at the end or just do a little at a time at the beginning of class.
Or, don’t reveal the rest of the picture until after you share the scriptures you will be studying during class. How does knowing the scripture verses then seeing the image help them understand those verses better?
Add to Them
Can you add more to the picture around it? Invite some to come to the board and draw more of the picture- expand the background. Many images you get from the church library are already cropped down so you can easily display it in your class. What else would you draw around a picture of Captain Moroni for example?
Or have some extra paper for people to draw on and add into the picture. For example, they might draw themselves and add it into a picture of the resurrected Christ.
You can also try this with part of the picture covered up. Cover up half the image and see how people would finish the other side.
Craft It
If you are in primary, add texture to the pictures- yarn, torn up pieces of paper, googly eyes, cotton balls. Cut part of it out then add a form block behind it to make it pop. Have fun with them and help them make those stories part of theirs.
Puzzle It
Cut up an image or a poster from the gospel library and transform into a puzzle. Hide the pieces around the room or give a piece to each person as they come in. As each person tries to put his piece up, invite them to talk about their piece, answer a question, or guess the lesson. Write key words on the back of the pieces to put up as you use them in the lesson then talk about the poster at the end.
Hangman
Cover up some of the words on a Bright Ideas Poster and play hangman to finish the phrase. The For Strength of Youth magazines has posters you can use as well. Find one that goes with your lesson and display it. Instead of hangman, invite them to caption it themselves instead then reveal what the real one is. Do they match? Which one do you like most?
Or cover the whole image with pieces of paper and play hangman. Instead of drawing a man, unveil a piece of the picture when they guess an incorrect letter. Can they guess the answer before the image is revealed?
Journal It
Have a class notebook? Glue it in and write around it. Don't use a notebook? Turn it over and have the class members take notes on it or write a letter on the back. If they were to write a story about the image, what key parts would they include?
Or read the scripture story first then ask how they would illustrate the story if they were asked to draw it. What parts would they be sure to include? Then reveal a few pictures you have found. Which one captures the scripture story best to them? Why? How does it help them connect more to that story?
Inspiration
Use the poster as inspiration to get class members to draw their own versions of the poster. After everyone is done drawing, have a sharing time. You can invite all to share, hang them all on the board and take a second to admire them, or ask just a couple of people to share. This is a great way to find out more about the individuals in your class and see what sticks out to them in the lessons you are teaching.
Set the Scene
This is the one you are probably most familiar with as they help in setting the scene with scripture stories. Try showing the picture then letting the class members close their eyes to continue visualizing as you read the scripture verses.
Fill in the Blank
Use images to coordinate with your lesson but also reveal a phrase you want to focus on. Basic phrases can be really helpful in understanding what you are actually striving to teach. For example, use the first letter in each word that is the key part of the image. A picture of a temple would be T. A picture of a handcart for H, etc. to spell “Thanks” and show things we are grateful for.
Looking for more ideas to help with your lesson? Try these fun ideas to start our lesson.
