Sabbath Day Holy: Lesson Ideas

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The Sabbath Day is Holy.

Moses 3:2–3

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5” Children who develop a habit of keeping the Sabbath day holy when they are young are more likely to keep this commandment when life becomes busier and more demanding.

  • Read Moses 3:2–3, and ask the children to listen for what God did on the seventh day. Bring pictures (or make simple drawings) of things we do on Sunday to make it a holy day and things we do on other days. Let the children sort the pictures into two piles, one for Sunday and one for other days. Testify of why it is important to keep the Sabbath day holy.
  • A few days before class, invite one of the children and his or her parents to come prepared to share things they do in their family to keep the Sabbath day holy. Invite the other children to share what their families do.

Teaching Children the Gospel “Sabbath Day: Lesson Item 4” Chart activity

Come Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5” Children may have to explain to their friends why they treat Sunday different from other days. Genesis 2:2–3 teaches why the Sabbath day is a holy day. What can you do to help the children better understand and explain this doctrine?

  • How does keeping the Sabbath day holy show our love and respect for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Help the children role-play scenarios in which they explain to a friend why they choose to do things on Sunday that honor Heavenly Father and Jesus. Suggest that they use Genesis 2:2–3 in their explanations.
  • Give the children a few minutes to write a list of as many things as they can think of that they can do to make the Sabbath a holy day. Invite the children to share their lists, and encourage them to add to their lists as others share suggestions they didn’t think of. Suggest that the children take the lists home with them and refer to them when they need ideas of good things to do on the Sabbath.

For additional teaching ideas see Teaching Children the Gospel “Sabbath Day” and Resources for Teaching Children “Sabbath Day”

The Sabbath is the Lord’s Day

Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–16

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 58–59”

  • Bring pictures or objects that depict good things we can do on Sunday to worship the Lord and find joy. Some ideas are found in Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–12 and “Sabbath Day Observance” (For the Strength of Youth, 30–31). For example, to represent the sacrament, you could show picture 108 in the Gospel Art Book or a sacrament cup and a piece of bread. How does each of these things help us be closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ on the Sabbath?
  • Complete this week’s activity page with the children to give them ideas to make the Sabbath a holy day.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 58–59”

The Lord said that observing the Sabbath helps us “keep [ourselves] unspotted from the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:9). How can you help the children you teach honor the Sabbath and make it a sign of their love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

  • Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–16 in pairs, and ask each pair to write down something they learn about the Sabbath day from each verse. After several minutes, ask each pair to share with the class what they wrote. What will we do differently on the Sabbath because of what we learned?
  • Prepare a simple matching game in which the children match phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–16 to the correct verse. Choose phrases that teach what the Lord wants us to do on the Sabbath. Discuss what these phrases teach us about the Lord’s day and how we can come closer to Him.
  • The Sabbath day is “the Lord’s day” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:12)—a day to show that we remember the many works of the Lord as we worship Him (see Bible Dictionary, “Sabbath”). Help the children ponder these works by inviting them to read the following scripture passages and showing them related pictures: Genesis 2:1–3(see Gospel Art Book, no. 3); John 20:1–19 (see Gospel Art Book, no. 59). What other mighty works of the Lord can we remember on the Sabbath? What else do we learn about the Sabbath from Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–16?

Honoring the Sabbath is a Sign of My Love for the Lord.

Exodus 31:12–17

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 24; 31–34” The Lord told Moses that when the children of Israel kept the Sabbath day holy, they showed Him that they wanted to be His people.

  • Draw a heart on the board, and ask the children what this symbol can mean. Help them think of other things that can be a sign for love, like a hug or an act of service. Read to them Exodus 31:13. Help them understand that when we keep the Sabbath day holy, it is a sign to the Lord that we love Him.

Latter Day Kids “The Sabbath Day” Lesson ideas

  • Tell the children about some of the ways you try to show your love for the Lord on the Sabbath. Let them share how they and their families do this. Invite them to use this week’s activity page to share more ideas.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 24; 31–34” Keeping the Sabbath day holy can be easier—and more joyful—for the children when they realize that it is a sign of their commitment to the Lord.

  • Ask the children a few questions to help them understand what a sign is—for example, “What signs let you know that spring is coming or that you’re getting a cold?” Invite them to read Exodus 31:13, 16–17 and find the word “sign.” What did the Lord say is a sign between us and Him? Why is this sign so important?

Sign definition: Something indicating the presence or existence of something else (Mirriam Webster Thesaurus)

  • Invite the children to take turns explaining why they choose to honor the Sabbath. Videos like “The Sabbath Is for You” or “Upon My Holy Day—Honoring the Sabbath” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) can help.
  • Invite the children to write down all the things they can think of that they can do on Sunday to show the Lord that they love Him. Encourage them to share a few things from their lists. Invite them to take their lists home, share them with their families, and refer to them whenever they need ideas about what to do on the Sabbath day.

Teaching Children the Gospel “Calendar and Chart Activity” Lists of things to do on Sunday with sticker activity

After reading these verses, perhaps your family could discuss President Russell M. Nelson’s question about our behavior on the Sabbath: “What sign will you give to the Lord to show your love for Him?” (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 130). Your family could make some signs to place around your home to remind you how you will show love for the Lord on the Sabbath. (See also the video collection “Sabbath Day—At Home” [ChurchofJesusChrist.org].)

For additional teaching resources see Sabbath Day and Resources for Teaching Children “Sabbath Day”

The Sabbath can be a delight to me.

Isaiah 58:13–14

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Isaiah 58–66”The Sabbath day is a time for us to remember the Lord and rest from our weekly activities. How can you help the children you teach make the Sabbath a delight?

  • Ask the children to repeat the phrase “Call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord” (Isaiah 58:13) several times. Explain that “delight” means something that brings us joy. Ask the children to share some things that bring them joy. Testify that the Lord gave us the Sabbath day because He wants us to have joy. Tell the children why the Sabbath is a delight to you.
  • Read to the children from Isaiah 58:14: “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.” Explain to the children that the Sabbath is a special day—a time when we can think about the things Heavenly Father and Jesus did to help us be happy. Help the children think of things they can do on the Sabbath to remember Heavenly Father and Jesus. Invite them to draw their ideas and share their pictures with one another and their families.
  • What is the difference between “finding [our] own pleasure” and finding “delight … in the Lord” on the Sabbath? How can we make the Sabbath “a delight”?

Latter Day Kids “The Sabbath is a Delight” Lesson ideas

For additional teaching ideas see Teaching Children the Gospel “Sabbath Day” and Resources for Teaching Children “Sabbath Day”

I can keep the Sabbath day holy.

Matthew 12:1–13

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 11–12; Luke 11” What are some fun ways you can teach the children about the Sabbath day and why we keep it holy?

  • Read Matthew 12:10–13 out loud. Invite the children to stand up and sit down every time you say “Sabbath,” and repeat with them the phrase “It is [right] to do well on the sabbath days” (Matthew 12:12). What do they think that means?

“For Little Friends: Doing Good on the Sabbath Day”(September 2007 Liahona and Friend)
A list of things children can do on the Sabbath day.

Show a calendar to the children, and highlight the Sabbath day for them. What do we do on other days of the week? What can we do on the Sabbath to make it different from other days? (see Isaiah 58:13–14).

Print and cut out the images. Have the children take turns putting the things that fulfill the purposes of the Sabbath on the Sunday squares and put the other things on one of the weekday squares. Before deciding where a picture goes, ask the following question:Does it bring me closer to Heavenly Father, increase my spiritual strength, or rest my body?As you do the activity, pay attention to all the days on the calendar that the family has to do their work, sports, and recreation, and notice that there is only one day a week that we are to set aside as a holy day of worship. 

  • Ask the children to draw good things they can do on the Sabbath day (see this week’s activity page).
  • Invite the children to come up with actions to help them remember ways we get ready for the Sabbath as they sing the song “Saturday” (Children’s Songbook, 196).
  • Draw eyes, ears, a mouth, and hands on the chalkboard. Ask the children to tell you what each of these parts of our bodies can do to keep the Sabbath day holy.

The Sabbath is a day to do good things that bring me closer to God.

Matthew 12:1–13

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 11–12; Luke 11” The children you teach will be strengthened as you emphasize the purposes and blessings of keeping the Sabbath day holy.

Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 In their zeal to keep the Sabbath day holy, the Pharisees had implemented strict rules and man-made traditions, which eventually clouded their understanding of the true purpose of the Sabbath.

“What did the Savior mean when He said that “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”? [ Mark 2:27 ]. I believe He wanted us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite [or relief] from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal. God gave us this special day, not for amusement or daily labor but for a rest from duty, with physical and spiritual relief.” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129)

Watch the video “Share Your Sabbath” (0:53), which shares several ways to “do good” on the Sabbath day.

  • Invite a child to pretend to be the man whose hand was healed by the Savior (see Matthew 12:10–13). Another child could ask him or her questions about the experience.
  • Read together Matthew 12:12. What are some good things we can do on the Sabbath? Let the children draw their ideas on this week’s activity page, cut out the pieces, and take turns putting each other’s puzzles together.

“For Little Friends: Doing Good on the Sabbath Day”(September 2007 Liahona and Friend)
A list of things children can do on the Sabbath day.

Teaching Children the Gospel “Calendar and Chart Activity” Lists of things to do on Sunday with sticker activity

What are some of your favorite ways to come closer to Jesus Christ on Sunday?

  • Hide several pictures of people doing things that show love for Heavenly Father on the Sabbath day. Ask the children to find the pictures and share how doing the things in the pictures shows our love for God.

Additional Resources:

Sabbath Music

Friend August 2017 “Family Night Fun” Music can affect our mood and our ability to feel the Spirit.

Ideas of Things to do on the Sabbath

Ensign March 2017 “Helping Children Delight in the Sabbath” Lots of wonderful ideas of fun things to do with children on the Sabbath.

Friend August 2017 Have the children make a notebook of their favorite stories and activities from the Friend magazine.

Friend August 2017 “To make the Sabbath day special, we make scripture scenes from our toys. We made Moses standing on Mount Sinai while the Israelites worshipped a golden calf.” Nathan, Ryan, and Paul

Goal Card

Ensign March 1992 “So Why is Sunday Different” Jack Weyland

Play a conference talk while other things are making noise such as appliances, tv, radio, etc. In order to hear the conference talk the first thing they will have to do is to turn off all the competing noises. That is why Heavenly Father has given us the Sabbath day—so we can turn off competing influences and listen to the Spirit.

Strengthen Family Relationships: Play “Spin the Family Bottle.” This requires a large, empty soda pop bottle. The family sits in a circle. Someone spins the bottle on the floor, then tells what he or she likes about the person to whom it points. Next, that person spins the bottle and the process is repeated.

Primary 1 Manual: Lesson 15 “The Sabbath is a Day of Worship”

Primary 7 Manual: Lesson 14  “Jesus Christ and the Sabbath Day”

Friend August 2015 – Children’s responses about how to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

Primary 2 Manual: Lesson 37 “I Can Keep the Sabbath Day Holy”

Primary 6 Manual: Lesson 20 “The Israelites Receive Food from Heaven”

Object Lesson: Use a pitcher of water, a bowl, and a cup to illustrate how we might become spiritually filled. Pour water from the pitcher into the cup, explaining that as we attend our Church meetings, worship, and keep the Sabbath day holy, we are filled with the spirit of the Lord. During the week we are involved in activities that may drain our spiritual reserves. Name several possibilities, such as school, chores, sports, friends, a disagreement with a family member, or making a wrong choice, as you pour water from the cup into the bowl.  On the Sabbath day we can become spiritually filled and refreshed again. (Primary 6 Manual: Lesson 20)

Friend April 2017 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for helping your little ones have a holy Sabbath Day.

Friend January 2018 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for helping your little ones have a holy Sabbath Day.

Friend January 2016 “For Parents of Little Ones”  Ideas for attending church with little ones.

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