Table of Contents
I Was Created in God’s Image.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5” When children understand that they were created in God’s image, they can develop a sense of reverence and respect for their own and others’ bodies.
- Help the children repeat “I, God, created man in mine own image” several times (Moses 2:27). Explain that Heavenly Father created our bodies to look like His. Invite the children to point to parts of their bodies as you name them, or sing a song about our bodies, such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (Children’s Songbook, 275).
- Invite the children to act out things they can do with their bodies, while the other children guess what they are doing. Invite the children to share why they are grateful for their bodies.
- Draw an outline of a body on paper, and make a puzzle by cutting it into parts. Pass the parts out, and let the children work together to put them together to form a body. Ask the children to share the things they can do with each of the parts. Share your testimony that our bodies are created in God’s image.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 129-132”
- [Using the picture below invite the children] to point to His eyes, mouth, and other parts of His body. Then invite them to stand and point to those same parts of their own bodies. Read from Doctrine and Covenants 130:22: “The Father has a body of flesh and bones … ; the Son also.” Testify that our bodies are like Heavenly Father’s and Jesus’s bodies.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5” Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are Creators. They can transform us into the beautiful creations we were meant to be. That’s part of what it means to be created in God’s image, after His likeness (see Genesis 1:26). We have the potential to become like Him: exalted, glorified, celestial beings.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5” The world will give children many false messages about their bodies. The doctrine in Moses 2:26–27 is powerful motivation to respect and care for our bodies.
- Read together Moses 2:26–27. What do these verses teach us about our bodies? Show the video “God’s Greatest Creation” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), or play the game “Your Body Is a Temple” (Friend, Aug. 2019, 24–25). You could also read together related quotations from President Russell M. Nelson’s message “Your Body: A Magnificent Gift to Cherish” (New Era, Aug. 2019, 2–7) that will help the children feel gratitude to Heavenly Father for their bodies.
- Draw a figure of a body on the board, and invite the children to choose a part of the body and write next to it why they are thankful for it. Express your gratitude for your body, and testify that we were created in God’s image.
For additional teaching ideas see Teaching Children the Gospel “Body” and Resources for Teaching Children “Body”
Why Should I Take Care of My Body?
Friend June 2022 “Why Should I Take Care of My Body?”
Your Body is a Gift from God
For the Strength of Youth “Your Body: A Priceless Gift”
Friend March 2024 “I Can Follow Jesus by Being Grateful for My Body”
Your Body is a Temple
Show the children pictures of temples (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families), and read these words from 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.” Help the children understand that Heavenly Father wants us to keep our bodies clean and holy, like a temple. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 1–7”)
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 1–7”
Ensign August 2019 “Our Sacred Bodies” Ideas on how to teach children about the importance of their bodies, and that that their body is a temple where the Holy Ghost can dwell. Included in the article are ideas about how bodies are a gift, caring for our bodies, preventing abuse, saying kind things about other’s bodies.
Friend August 2019 “Your Body is a Temple” Activity comparing how the body is like a temple.
Latter Day Kids “My Body is Like a Temple” Lesson ideas
Display a picture of a child, and put pictures around it of things that are good for our bodies and things that are bad. Invite the children to take turns identifying the good things and removing the bad ones. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 1–7”)
My Body Is a Temple of God,” 2016 Outline for Sharing Time Link includes lesson ideas
Gospel Living “Activity: Caring for Our Bodies“ (See link for additional teaching ideas.) Help children understand how our food and sleep choices affect our bodies. Bring in examples or show pictures of a lush, green plant and a wilted plant. Talk about how plants need food from the soil, water, and sunlight to grow. If they don’t get those things, they wilt. We need good food, water, and rest to be healthy too.
Explain that eating healthy food, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep all help us to have the energy we need to work and play during the day.
- Play a game where the children line up on one side of the room. When you say something that helps us take care of our bodies, have the children start running to the other side of the room. When the children hear something that’s not helpful for taking care of our bodies, have them stop. Try to get all the children to the other side of the room. For example:
- Staying up late (stop)
- Going to bed on time (run)
- Drinking soda when you are thirsty (stop)
- Eating vegetables (run)
Sing together a song about bodies, such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (Children’s Songbook, 275), and ask the children why they are thankful for their bodies. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 1–7”)
It’s fun to use the below images for the song, and then have the children take turns mixing them up and singing it again. Also, you could have each child tell why they are grateful for their bodies before their turn mixing up the cards.
I should treat my body with respect and keep it holy. (Sr)
Our bodies are temples of God where the Spirit can dwell.
Bring a container with pictures of a child and a temple inside. Invite the children to read 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 and guess what is in the container. Let them open it and discuss how our bodies are like temples. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 1–7”)
Talk with the children about how we should treat a temple. If our bodies are like temples, how should we treat our bodies? Singing or reading the words to a song about temples, such as “The Lord Gave Me a Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 153), can help answer this question. When we make mistakes, how can we make our “temples” clean again? (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 1–7”)
Read together “Your Body Is Sacred” (in For the Strength of Youth [guide, 2022], 22–29). Invite the children to list on the board the counsel they find about how to care for our bodies. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 1–7”)
Friend June 2017 “Healthy from Head to Toe” Match the numbered body part with the statement about body health.
Taking Care of Your Body
Friend June 2022 “10 Ways to Take Care and Feel Great!”
Friend August 2021 “Taking Care of Me!” Exercising, sleeping, eating healthy food, and relaxing.
Friend September 2023 “Taking Care of You”
Friend July 2019 “For Older Kids” Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps you sleep better.
Friend May 2019 “For Older Kids” Try to spend some time outdoors every day! Fresh air and sunshine can help your mind and body be healthy.
Friend May 2017 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for teaching little ones to take care of their bodies.
Sleep
Friend June 2017 “Ready to Rest” Ideas on how to help your body prepare to go to sleep.
Friend November 2019 “For Older Kids” Take time to calm your mind daily.
Setting Goals to Be Healthy
For the Strength of Youth April 2024 “24 Hours” A lot can be accomplished in 24 hours. Your body does a lot for you in 24 hours. What can you do for it? Make a goal to do something healthy for your body.
Our Amazing Bodies
Friend June 2022 “Find It” Heavenly Father gave us wonderful bodies. We can use them to play and have fun and to help others. Can you find the items hidden below?
Friend June 2022 “Bright Idea”
Friend August 2019 “Cover” Compilation of clipart of some things our wonderful bodies can do.
LessonPix “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” Song idea. Print the pictures, cut them apart into cards, and then use them to sing the song. To make the song more interesting, have the children mix up the pictures on the top two rows and/or the bottom two rows and then have them do the actions and sing the words in their mixed up order.
Visual support to sing Head Shoulders Knees & Toes.
Thankful for Body
Friend October 2018 “What’s on Your Mind?” Question: “Sometimes I don’t like the way I look. How can I learn to love my body?” Response from Friend magazine: Focus on what your body can do.. When you look in the mirror, pick one thing about your body that you’re grateful for. Also, your body is a temple. Think of it as a house for your spirit.
Every Body is Beautiful
Friend May 2018 “Every Body is Beautiful” Bodies come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. All bodies are beautiful gifts from God. Look at the children in the picture. What do all of these children have in common? (For example, they all have eyes.) What is different?
Media Messages About the Body
Friend August 2019 “What’s on Your Mind?” A child writes to the Friend this question: I don’t look like the people I see on TV and social media, and sometimes it makes me feel bad about myself. What should I do?” The Friend responds: “There are messages all around that tell you that how you look is the most important thing about you. But that isn’t true! There is so much more to who you are.” (Also included is a quiz that helps sort out the truth from the lies about the body.)
Safety from Abuse
See also Safety
Friend August 2019 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for talking with little ones about safety (from sexual abuse).
Friend August 2022 “Staying Safe”
Friend June 2017 “Tickling Trouble” Lizzie and Max learn that we should respect each other when we don’t want to be touched (including being tickled). We should also say stop if we don’t want to be touched, and tell a parent if someone doesn’t stop when told.
Friend August 2022 “No Poking!” Lily likes to poke Cait when they are playing. Cait doesn’t like it. Her mom tells her ““If someone touches you and you don’t like it, you can tell them no.”
Taking Care of Emotional Health
For the Strength of Youth July 2024 “Emotional Wellness Kit” Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and want you to care for your body. And “caring for your body includes caring for your mental and emotional health” Here are things you can do to help yourself be emotionally healthy too!
