Pearl of Great Price Coloring Book “Planning the Creation”
Jesus Christ Created the Earth Under the Direction of Heavenly Father.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5” Knowing about the Creation can help the children feel God’s love and increase their appreciation for the world. How can you make learning about the Creation inspiring?
- Show the children pictures of things that represent different periods of the Creation (as described in Moses 2; see also “The Creation of the Earth” in Old Testament Stories), and help the children think of actions to go along with the pictures. For instance, they could make a fist to represent dry land or wave their arms like waves of water (see Moses 2:9–10). Share your testimony that Jesus Christ made these things because He and Heavenly Father love us.
- Sing a song about things Jesus Christ created for us, such as “The World Is So Lovely” (Children’s Songbook, 233). Ask the children to draw pictures of the creations described in the song.
- Help the children think of times when they made something by following another person’s directions. For example, maybe they have made a recipe with a parent or sibling guiding them. Write Who created the earth? on the board, and invite the children to find the answer in Moses 2:1. Testify that Jesus Christ created the earth under the direction of Heavenly Father.
- Assign each child verses in Moses 2 related to one of the days of creation, and ask him or her to draw a picture of the things Heavenly Father and Jesus created on that day. Ask the children to hold their pictures and stand in the order of the days of Creation, and then invite each child to teach the rest of the children what happened on the day they were assigned. What do we learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ from the story of the Creation?
Old Testament Stories “The Creation of the Earth” Images and Video
Latter Day Kids “The Creation” Lesson ideas
Come Follow Me with Living Scriptures “The Creation” Lesson ideas
Creation Lesson for Little Ones – Teaching the creation story using flannel figures.
Friend March 2002 “For Little Friends” Place the correct picture and label on the chart according to which “day” it took place in the creation (one square will get two pictures). Check your answers in Genesis 1:1-27, and move pieces to their correct position as needed (Visuals: Black and white game board. Note: Color cardstock can be used for the game boards.)
Old Testament Coloring Book “The Creation”
Pearl of Great Price Coloring Book “The Creation”
Liahona January 2022 “The Creation”
The earth was created by Jesus Christ under Heavenly Father’s direction so that we could have a place to live, learn, and use our agency to make good choices (see Abraham 3:24–26).
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that to “create … does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize, the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship.”1 The Hebrew word for “create” means to shape, fashion, organize, and form (see Genesis 1:1; Abraham 3:24).
President Russell M. Nelson explained that “the physical Creation itself was staged through ordered periods of time,” not calendar days. “Whether termed a day, a time, or an age, each phase [of the Creation] was a period between two identifiable events—a division of eternity.”2
While there’s a lot we don’t know about exactly how the world was created, ponder what you learn about the Creation from what God has revealed in Genesis 1:1–25; Moses 2:1–25; and Abraham 4:1–25. What do you notice in these accounts that is similar? What do you notice that is different?
How can you make learning about the Creation fun for your family? You could take your family on a search outside for the kinds of things that were made during each period of the Creation story, such as stars, trees, or animals. You might also show pictures of things created in each period and invite family members to put the pictures in order after reading one of the accounts of the Creation together. What do these creations teach us about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?Genesis 1; Moses 2; Abraham 4.
One way to approach the Creation story is to invite your family to find how many times in Genesis 1 or Moses 2 God calls the things that he made “good.” What does this suggest about how we should treat God’s creations—including ourselves? What do we learn from the way these events are worded in Abraham 4?
Genesis 1:28; Moses 2:28; Abraham 4:28. What does it mean to “have dominion … over every living thing that moveth upon the earth”? (see also Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–21). How can our family fulfill our responsibility to care for the earth?
Friend January 2022 “Come, Follow Me Activities” Thankful Memory Game
Story: Heavenly Father told Jesus Christ to create the earth for us to live on (see Genesis 1–2). Jesus created plants and animals for us to take care of. We can be thankful for the earth.
Song: “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook,228–29)
Activity: Now play a game! The first person says, “I am thankful for …” and then says something Heavenly Father and Jesus created. The next person repeats it and then adds something new. Keep going around in a circle as long as you can.
Liahona January 2022 “God’s Plan Is for You: Come, Follow Me Family Fun”
Stewards over the Earth: Moses 2:28 explains that humankind was given dominion over all living things. President Russell M. Nelson said, “We should care for the earth, be wise stewards over it, and preserve it for future generations” (“The Creation,” Liahona, July 2000, 104).
- Go on a short walk around the area you live in or look at pictures and videos of beautiful landscapes.
- Point out different parts of the environment that you notice. This could be plants, animals, or landforms.
- Notice each living thing and discuss specific ways we can take care of them and the environment around them.
Discussion: In what ways do Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ take care of us? How can we follow Their examples as we take care of the living things around us? In what ways can our actions show our gratitude for God’s creations? (Submitted by Mitzi Schoneman)
Creation Charades: President Russell M. Nelson taught: “Grand as it is, planet Earth is part of something even grander—that great plan of God. Simply summarized, the earth was created that families might be” (“The Creation,” Liahona, July 2000, 104).
- Study the days of Creation with your family (found in Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; or Abraham 4–5). See “The Creation” from this issue for a summary.
- Each person can take a turn acting out a day or part of the Creation.
- The rest of the family members guess the day or the part of Creation that was chosen.
Discussion: Follow up by reading Abraham 3:22–27 together. How can knowing God’s purpose for creating the earth affect our daily lives? How can we better show appreciation for God’s creations?(Submitted by Brenda Slade)
Additional Resources
Teaching Children the Gospel: Creation & Resources for Teaching Children “Creation”
- Lesson 3: The Creation,” Primary 6: Old Testament (1996), 9–12 Purpose: To increase each child’s appreciation for the earth that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ created for us.
- LDS.org Creation Topics. Includes pictures, videos, articles, lessons, songs, etc.
- Primary 1 Manual This manual breaks up each day of the creation into lessons for little ones.
- Seminary Old Testament Student Manual “Lesson 10: Moses 2 (Genesis 1; Abraham 4)”
- Behold Your Little Ones: Nursery Manual “Jesus Christ Created the World for Me”
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.
Friend November 2020 “Like Him”
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.
Friend May 2017 “At the Playground” Emilie uses different parts of her body while at the playground.
Friend August 2019 ” My Body” An action rhyme about the things “my body” can do.
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.
Friend August 2019 “Your Body is a Temple” Activity comparing how the body is like a temple.
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.
For additional teaching ideas see Teaching Children the Gospel “Body” and Resources for Teaching Children “Body”
The Sabbath Day is Holy.
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.
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