We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning

Jesus Christ wants me to follow Him.
Jesus Christ wants me to learn about Him and follow Him.
The scriptures are true stories
I can study the scriptures for myself.
I need my own testimony.
Additional Resources

Jesus Christ wants me to follow Him.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning” You and the children will read many stories from the life of Jesus Christ this year. Help the children understand that the reason we are learning these stories is so that we can better follow Jesus Christ’s perfect example.

Tell the children about the Savior’s invitation, “Follow me,” found in Matthew 4:18–22 or Luke 18:22. Do an activity where one child does an action and then tells the other children, “Follow me.” Invite the other children to repeat the action.
Show pictures of people following the Savior in different ways, both during His mortal ministry and in our day. You can find pictures in the Gospel Art Book or in Church magazines. You can also show the video “Light the World” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Let the children identify how the people are following the Savior.

Help the children think of things they are doing to follow the Savior. Singing “Seek the Lord Early” (Children’s Songbook, 108) could give them some ideas. Let them draw pictures of themselves doing these things.

Friend June 2022 “Jesus Said”

Jesus Christ wants me to learn about Him and follow Him.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning” Think about how you have come to know Jesus Christ. What can you do to help the children learn about and follow Him?

Invite the children to talk about a close friend they know and describe how this person became a friend. Read and discuss John 5:39 and John 14:15 to find ways we can feel close to Jesus. Ask the children to share times when they felt close to Him.

Friend October 2019 Color the picture of Jesus.

Take your class on a walk around the meetinghouse. Invite the children to raise their hands when they see something on the walk that reminds them of a way they can follow the Savior (such as the baptismal font or a picture). (song books, sacrament table,
Sing with the children a song about following Jesus Christ, such as “Come, Follow Me” (Hymns, no. 116). Invite the children to share times when they have followed the Savior’s example.

The scriptures are true stories

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning” Children can gain a testimony that the scriptures are true even before they are able to read them. As you study the scriptures with the children this year, you can help them know for themselves that the scriptures are true.

Invite the children to tell about favorite gifts they have received for birthdays or other occasions. Bring a gift-wrapped copy of the scriptures, let a child open it, and testify that the scriptures are a gift to us from Heavenly Father.

Show the children some books containing fictional stories, and ask them about their favorite stories. Show them the scriptures, and testify that the scriptures contain the word of God for us. They tell of people who really lived and things that really happened.

Share the messages found in 2 Timothy 3:15 and Moroni 10:3–5, helping the children to repeat a few phrases. Help them understand that they can know the scriptures are true for themselves.

Friend September 2015 “A New Feeling” – Child feels Holy Ghost while reading the scriptures

Hide a picture of the Savior, and give the children clues to help them find it. Help the children understand how searching the scriptures can help us know Jesus Christ. Let the children take turns hiding the picture and giving clues to other children.

Friend October 2019 Color the picture of Jesus.

Sing together a song about learning the gospel, such as “Search, Ponder, and Pray” (Children’s Songbook, 109), and help the children make up actions to go with the words. Share with the children one or two of your favorite scriptures, and tell them how you came to know the scriptures are true. If the children have favorite scriptures or scripture stories, invite them to share.

I can study the scriptures for myself.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning” As you read the scriptures with the children and ask them questions, you can build their confidence that they can learn from the scriptures and find valuable treasures of knowledge.

Read together John 5:39 and Acts 17:10–11, and ask the children what they learn about how to study the scriptures.
Select a few simple, powerful scriptures from the New Testament, write each on a piece of paper, and hide the papers. Create clues that will lead the children on a “treasure hunt” within the classroom or church building to find these scriptures. After they find each scripture, discuss what the scripture means and why it is such a treasure.

Scripture Treasure Hunt Paul taught that scriptures bless us with wisdom, doctrine, correction, instruction, and faith. On separate pieces of paper, write “wisdom (Acts 18:28)”; “doctrine (Titus 1:9)”; “correction (Matthew 4:3–10)”; “instruction (Acts 17:2–3)”; and “faith (Romans 10:17).” Read aloud the scripture on each found paper and discuss how it’s an example of that blessing.

Share a few scriptures you treasure and explain why they are meaningful to you. As a class, keep a list of treasured scriptures the children find in the New Testament this year—at home or during Primary.

“Scripture Treasures” (January 2015 Friend)
This poem tells of treasures you can find as you read the scriptures daily.

Have a discussion with the children about why it is sometimes hard to read the scriptures. Ask the children to share advice with each other about studying the scriptures. Ask them also to share any positive experiences they have had with the scriptures.
Help the children make simple calendars that they can use to mark how often they read the scriptures. These calendars could remind them to read the scriptures every day.

Friend January 2023 “I Can Read the New Testament”

I need my own testimony.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning” The children you teach will need their own testimonies of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ [if they are to keep their faith strong when adversity comes]. What can you do to inspire them to learn the truth for themselves?

Share the story of the ten virgins (see Matthew 25:1–13; see also “Chapter 47: The Ten Virgins,” in New Testament Stories, 118–20, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Ask the children questions like these: How are our testimonies like the lamps? Why is it important to have our own testimonies?

Discuss what we can do to strengthen our testimonies. For ideas, invite the children to search John 7:17 and Moroni 10:3–5. Invite them to share things they know are true.

Friend January 2013 “How can I get a testimony?”

Ask the children to help you label building blocks with truths that form our testimonies (see Gospel Topics, “Testimony,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Let the children use the blocks to build a structure representing a testimony.

Friend November 2018 “Building Blocks of Testimony” Use the four words on the right to fill in the blanks in the four building blocks of testimony.