Dealing With Adversity
Friend February 2020 “Six Ways to Feel Better” When you’re upset, color the face that matches how you feel, or draw a new face. Then color the ideas for feeling better.
Friend April 2019 “Funstuff: Scripture Lifelines” Find the scripture helps on the life preserver that go along with difficulty you may be experiencing.
Friend April 2019 Comfort Cards with scriptures from the Lord
Friend September 2018 “Feelings First-Aid-Kit” Ways to feel better when feeling sad or afraid,
Ensign September 2018“Suicide Prevention” “Help your children create a plan for when they feel sad or upset. An example could be to (1) put words to their feelings by saying, “I am feeling …”; (2) pray to Heavenly Father for help; (3) do something active they enjoy; and (4) if the feelings do not go away, tell an adult about how they feel.”
Friend July 2017 “Family Night Fun” Challenging Changes
Do you ever feel worried when things change? The pioneers faced big changes but still found ways to be happy. You can too!
Focus on what won’t change, like Heavenly Father’s love for you.
You might have some feelings you don’t understand. That’s OK! Talk to a parent or write about your feelings in a journal.
Look for the good things that might come from a big change. For example, if you have to change schools, think about the chance to make new friends.
Also see Journaling as a way to cope with difficulty
Friend June 2016 During adversity you have to keep moving in order to progress forward, like riding a bicycle.
Ensign February 2020 “How Do I Talk to My Kids about Mental Health?” How to talk to children about their distressed emotional thoughts and feelings.
Pray for Help
Ensign August 2019 “Family Study Fun: Pillar Tower of Doom” Life’s obstacles can fill us with hopelessness and impede us from feeling God’s love. Christ can help. Create a tall tower of pillows and sofa cushions (life’s challenges). Sit someone behind the tower and turn off the lights. Shine a flashlight beam (God’s love) at the person behind the tower, with the pillows blocking the light. Invite someone (acting as Christ would) to knock down the pillows to let God’s love shine through.Discussion: Share a time when life was hard, you felt discouraged, and then God’s love reached you when you turned to Him in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.nbsp;
Adversity Can Soften Hearts
Bring You Closer to God
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 53-63”Here’s an object lesson that can help your family understand that we can choose to be either “hardened” or “softened” by our trials: Place a raw potato and a raw egg in a pot of boiling water. The potato and the egg represent us, and the water represents the trials we face. As the potato and egg boil, you could talk about some of the trials your family faces. What are some different ways to react to trials like these? According to Alma 62:41, how do our reactions to trials affect us? After the potato and egg are fully cooked, cut open the potato and crack open the egg to show that the same “trial” softened the potato and hardened the egg. What can our family do to be sure that our trials humble us and bring us closer to God?
Finding Help
Loneliness
Friend February 2015 “Happy Alone, Happy Together” Ideas on what to do when you want to be alone or when you are lonely.
Sadness & Depression
Also see story “A Butterfly for Courtney” Friend September 2016
Anxiety, Stress, & Worry
Friend January 2019 “What’s on Your Mind” Ways to de-stress. Also includes a stress meter.
Friend January 2019 “Friends by Mail”
Every night, I read the Friend before sleeping. Whenever I read it, I feel happy and my worries go away. It has helped me when I have worries. Thank you for the Friend! Jehee C., age 11, Alberta, Canada
Friend May 2017 “Worried or Afraid? Here’s Help” Ideas to help with anxiety.
Natural Disasters
Pandemic
Friend May 2020 “Learning and Serving at Home” Ways children around the world have been coping with the COVID-19 pandemic by learning, serving others, and fasting and praying .
Friend August 2020 “For Older Kids” During COVID-19, I thought, “How’s the Church going to keep bringing us closer to God?” Then I realized I have more time with my family and to read scriptures. Then over time I was brought closer to Heavenly Father. I know that spending more time with my family and reading the scriptures brought the Spirit to my home. Mason L., age 10,
Disabilities
Friend March 2019 “Bright Ideas” Remember you are a child of Heavenly Parents and they love you.
Finding Peace
Tender Mercies
Picturing Tender Mercies- Friend November 2015 – Activity and lesson ideas.
Bullying
Friend October 2016 “Family Night Fun” Acting out situations where a bully might dare you to do something. Also includes discussion and refreshment ideas.
Grief
Death of Loved One
Friend May 2016 Ideas on how to help family member who is grieving the loss of a loved one
Friend November 2019 “What’s on Your Mind? A child wrote this to the Friend: “Someone I love died, and I miss them a lot. How can I stop hurting so much?” The Friend responds with some comforting advice about feeling grief. Article also includes an activity where scriptures are looked up and matched with the truth they teach.
Have Faith
- God helped people in the scriptures, and He can help me.
- The Passover Images and Video, The Israelites in the Wilderness Images and Video, Image of Moses Parting the Red Sea
- Invite three children to write a trial or challenge they face on the board. Ask a child to read Mosiah 7:33, and encourage the other children to erase one of the trials or challenges each time they hear something they can do to receive the Lord’s help. How can trusting in the Lord help us overcome our challenges?Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Mosiah 7-10”
Friend August 2019 “Bright Idea” I Can Do Hard Thing. Clipart picture of climbing a mountain.
Friend May 2019 “Bright Idea” Poster or handout that says “I can conquer giant problems” next to a giant like David slew.
