Friend September 2023 “The Best Present” Josiah and Madeline make gifts for their father’s birthday celebration. Afterwards, they happily helped clean up. Their father said that when they are helping and being kind to one another, it is the best gift. Later, they fight over toys and they notice their father’s sad face. They decide to try harder to be kind to each other. When their father walks by and smiles, they feel like they have succeeded in giving him a great present.
Fathers Support Their Children
Friend July 2018 “Race Day with Dad” When Elder Natriss was a child he wanted to build a derby car. His father helped him. Then he took his car to a derby race. His car wasn’t fancy like the other cars and people were laughing, but he was okay because his dad was with him. He won all the races and got second place.
We can also have confidence in our righteous choices, even though they may not be popular, because our Heavenly Father is with us.
Fathers Help Their Children
Friend June 2019 “Guess Who?” Action Rhyme of guessing who the person is.
Friend June 2017 “Running with Dad” TJ is sad and lonely after moving, but he feels better after he and his dad start preparing to run a marathon together.
Friend May 2022 “A Prayer in the Storm” Alexis was scared of the thunder in the storm and didn’t feel safe. She found her dad and asked if they could say a prayer. After the prayer she felt peaceful and wasn’t afraid anymore.
Fathers Teach Their Children
The Price of Shaving Cream – A father teaches his son honesty and consequences of stealing. Friend June 1984
Through Service
Friend June 2018 “An Unbeatable Team” Tyrell was excited to watch his father play church basketball, but when they got there his father noticed no one had cleaned the building, so he and Tyrell cleaned.
Through Example
Friend June 2017 “Why are Fathers so Important?” Elder Christopherson’s father set an example of honesty and service and Elder Christopherson wanted to be just like his father.
Friend June 1986 “For Little Friends: Daddy’s Shoes” Poem about boy who fills his daddy’s shoes when he helps his mother. He also observes the things his father does in his shoes.
Father’s Love
Friend June 1988 “My Dad’s Shoes” Annie has to give a talk about her father. Her father isn’t a member of the church, but he shows love for others and his family, and that is what Annie talks about.
Kim’s Father – Kim’s father wasn’t raised to show affection and love, but he feels it. Friend June 1986
Father’s Blessings
Friend February 2016 “You are Special” Emma gets a father’s blessing.
Proud of Dad/ See the Good
Friend February 2022 “Danilo’s Dad” Danilo got teased at school because his dad was the custodian. He tried to avoid his dad at school. Then his dad got an award for the best teacher because he was a hard worker and always cheerful, and he taught that by example. Danilo knew how hard his father worked, and also, his dad didn’t let what others say bother him. Maybe his dad could teach Danilo how to do that. He gave his dad a big hug and told him he was proud of him.
Fathers Need to Make Time for their Children
Friend June 2020 “Swimming Like a Seahorse” Robin passed off his seahorse swimming badge and wanted to show his father what he could do. His father promised he would go swimming with Robin, but he never seemed to have time. One morning as he was praying, Robin asked Heavenly Father to give his dad some extra time so they could go to the pool. After Robin’s prayer, his dad came in and said they should go to the pool. His dad said that he felt the Holy Ghost reminding him that he needed to make time for his son.
Stepfathers
Friend June 2020 ” The Strongest Person She Knew” Olivia had to write a paper about the strongest person she knew.. Her stepfather lifted weights and ran so she decides to write about him. Then, Olivia started noticing all the things her stepfather did for the family and realized that there were many ways to be strong, like doing hard things.
Story: The Lord asked Moses and his people to build a tabernacle. A tabernacle is like a temple. The Lord told them to build it like a tent so they could take it with them as they traveled to the promised land. You can read about it in Exodus 39:33–43.
Song: “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95)
Activity: Build a tent like the tabernacle. You can use blankets, towels, chairs, and anything else in your home. Then sit in your tent and talk about why temples are important. Or you could make a small tabernacle with blocks or other items.
The tabernacle not only allowed the children of Israel to have the presence of God with them, but it also taught them things they could do to become more like God.
Younger Children: Display a picture of the ancient tabernacle (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Ask the children to find different parts of the tabernacle in the picture, such as the candlestick or the altars, and explain that these things were meant to help the Israelites think about the Lord (for more information about the tabernacle, see Exodus 40:17–34). What holy places do we have today that help us think about the Lord?
Older Children: Invite the children to use Exodus 40:17–33 to identify things that were part of the tabernacle and find some of them in a picture of the ancient tabernacle (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Invite the children to draw their own pictures of the tabernacle. Talk about how each part of the tabernacle could teach about the Savior or Heavenly Father. For example, the ark of testimony could remind us of God’s commandments, the altar could remind us of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, the candlestick could remind us that the Savior is the Light of the World, and so on.
Complete the activity page with the children. As you do, sing a song with them about the temple, such as “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95).
The ark, containing the two tablets of stone, is placed in the holy of holies—The glory of the Lord fills the temple—Solomon offers the dedicatory prayer—He asks for temporal and spiritual blessings upon repentant and prayerful Israel—The people sacrifice and worship for fourteen days.
Explain to the children that David, Solomon’s father, had wanted to build a temple but was denied the privilege. The Lord instead chose Solomon to direct the seven years of construction. When the elaborate temple (much of it was overlaid with gold) was finished, the priests carried the ark of the covenant, which contained the two tablets of stone the Lord gave Moses, “to the most holy place” of the building (1 Kings 8:6). Then the glory of the Lord filled the temple (see 1 Kings 8:10–11), and Solomon offered the dedicatory prayer (see 1 Kings 8:22–53.)
For the Israelites, building and dedicating the temple was an opportunity to turn their hearts to the Lord and recommit to “walk in all his ways” (1 Kings 8:58). How can you help the children you teach “walk in all his ways”?
Show the children a picture of a modern temple and the temple that Solomon built (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Explain that when Solomon built a temple for the Israelites, he encouraged them to “walk in all [the Lord’s] ways” (1 Kings 8:58). Tell the children how the temple helps you walk in the Lord’s ways. Invite the children to share how they feel about the temple. Sing with the children a song about the temple, such as “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95).
Give some of the children paper hearts and other children paper footprints. Read 1 Kings 8:58, and ask the children to hold up the hearts when you say the word “hearts” and the footprints when you say the phrase “walk in all his ways.” Help the children understand that we walk in the Lord’s ways when we follow Jesus and try to become like Him. Ask the children what they do to walk in the Savior’s ways. You could sing a song about following Jesus, such as “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79).
As you read 2 Nephi 5:15–16 to your children, they could pretend they are helping Nephi build a temple. You could also show them pictures of different buildings, including a temple. How are temples different from other buildings? Share with each other why the temple is important to you (see also “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, 95).
Here are some of the key blessings associated with LDS temples:
Participation in Ordinances: Temples are the only places where certain sacred ordinances — such as the Endowment, sealing of couples in marriage for eternity, and baptism for the dead — can be performed. These ordinances are considered essential for individual progression and salvation.
Eternal Families: The temple is where families can be sealed together, meaning they can be together forever, not just “until death do us part.” This sealing extends to children as well, who are considered to be sealed to their parents for eternity.
Learning and Instruction: In the temple, individuals receive instruction and make covenants related to the Plan of Salvation and their relationship with God. These teachings provide guidance for personal development and spiritual growth.
Personal Revelation: Many members of the LDS Church report that the peaceful, sacred atmosphere of the temple is conducive to receiving personal revelation and divine guidance.
Service to Others: In the temple, members perform vicarious ordinances on behalf of those who have died, providing them with the opportunity to accept these ordinances in the afterlife. This service to others is considered a significant blessing and a manifestation of love and selflessness.
Peace and Comfort: Many Latter-day Saints find that attending the temple provides a sense of peace and comfort, offering a spiritual refuge from the world. It can be a place to seek comfort, find answers to prayers, and feel closer to God.
Communion with the Divine: Temples are considered “Houses of the Lord,” and as such, are places where individuals can feel a special closeness to God and Jesus Christ.
Protection and Power: The covenants and ordinances performed in the temple are believed to provide spiritual protection and power from God, including the power to resist temptation and overcome worldly challenges.
Friend July 1988 Nephi helps his people build buildings, a temple, and swords to defend themselves.
Kirtland Temple
The Lord Instructed His Servants on How To Build Temples
Consider how you will help the children feel love for the temple and a desire to worship the Lord there when they are ready.
Show the children how to make a temple “spire” by raising their arms and touching their fingertips together. Read Doctrine and Covenants 88:119, and ask them to make a spire every time you say the word “house.” Explain that Heavenly Father wanted Joseph Smith and the Saints to build a temple, or a “house of God.” Display a picture of a nearby temple as you talk about the differences between a temple and a Church meetinghouse.
Share your testimony of the temple, and sing together a song about the temple, such as “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95). Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves going to the temple.
Give each child a piece of paper and a crayon or pencil. Ask the children to each draw a picture of a temple, and give them a few minutes to do so. Let each child display his or her picture to the rest of the class.
Explain that it probably was not too hard for the children to draw a temple because they know what temples look like. They have seen temples or pictures of temples. However, when Joseph Smith was commanded to build a temple, he had never seen a temple or even a picture of one. The Lord revealed the plans for the Kirtland Temple to the Prophet Joseph in a vision.
Today there are more than a hundred temples all over the world. But when Joseph Smith was commanded to build a temple in Kirtland, Ohio, he had never even seen one! The Kirtland Temple was the first temple built in the latter days.
Since Joseph Smith did not yet know what a temple ought to look like or exactly how it was to be used, Heavenly Father revealed to him a plan for the temple. He and his counselors saw a vision of the completed building. In the vision, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams saw the pattern of the temple both inside and out.
When an architect suggested that the seats in the building be rearranged, the Prophet Joseph would not allow it. He had seen them in the vision. According to his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, when the Saints wanted the temple to be built as a frame or log house, he said, “‘Shall we, brethren, build a house for our God, of logs? No, I have a better plan than that. I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself.’”* The temple walls, two feet thick and over sixty feet tall, were to be built of stone.
Bring two identical sets of blocks (or paper cut in block shapes) that could be used to create a small building. Divide the children into two groups, and have them sit so the members of each group cannot see what the other group is doing. Have one group “build” a temple with their blocks, and then have them give directions to the second group on how to build an identical temple. Have the second group try to build an identical temple by listening to the directions, without looking at the first group’s temple. (You may need to set a time limit for this activity.)When the second group is done building, have them look at the first group’s temple and make any corrections needed to make theirs identical. Remind the children that Joseph Smith not only received verbal directions on how to build the Kirtland Temple, but he also saw the temple in a vision, so he knew exactly how it should be built.
In December 1832 the Lord commanded the members of the Church to build a temple in Kirtland, Ohio. They were to “establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (D&C 88:119).
The Saints were very poor and they knew the temple would cost a lot of money, so they did not start building it right away. Six months later they still had not started building the temple. In June 1833 the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that he was displeased with the Saints for not starting to build his house. The Lord said the Saints had committed “a very grievous sin” by not obeying this commandment (D&C 95:3). The Church members repented of their delay, and four days later men began hauling stone and digging trenches in preparation for building the temple.
Joseph Smith asked some of the other Church leaders how they thought the temple should be built. Some said it should be made of logs, while others said it should be of wooden boards. Joseph said, “Shall we, brethren, build a house for our God, of logs? No, I have a better plan than that. I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself; and you will soon see by this, the difference between our calculations and his idea of things” (quoted in Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, p. 230). The plans for the Kirtland Temple were shown to the First Presidency of the Church—Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams—in a vision. Frederick G. Williams reported that the Lord told Joseph to gather with his counselors, and the Lord would show them how to build the temple (see D&C 95:14).
The three men knelt to pray, and they saw a vision of the temple. First they saw the outside, and then the building seemed to pass over them and they saw the inside. Frederick G. Williams said that when the Kirtland Temple was completed it looked exactly as it had in the vision. During the building of the temple someone tried to get Joseph Smith to change some of the design, but Joseph insisted that the temple be built just as it appeared in the vision.
The Kirtland Temple was not exactly like today’s temples, where families are sealed for time and all eternity and work is performed for the dead. It was more like a special meetinghouse where the Saints held their Church meetings. The Lord told the Saints exactly how big to build the temple (D&C 95:15). It was 110 feet from the ground to the dome. The temple was built of stone, and the outside walls were covered with plaster. Inside, the main floor had three ascending rows of three pulpits each at both the east and west sides. The rows at one end of the floor were the Melchizedek Priesthood pulpits, and the rows at the other end were the Aaronic Priesthood pulpits. The seats in the room were reversible so that the audience could face either direction.
After being chastised for not building a house of the Lord in Kirtland, Church leaders chose a site in a wheat field where they would build. Hyrum Smith, the Prophet’s brother, immediately ran to get a scythe and begin clearing the field. “We are preparing to build a house for the Lord,” he said, “and I am determined to be the first at the work” (in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 271, 273).
What do we learn about chastening from Doctrine and Covenants 95: 1-2? What do we learn about the Lord? How do these insights affect the way we receive chastening or chasten others?
The Lord’s People Contributed to the Building of Temples
Even the children in Kirtland helped, in small but meaningful ways, to build the Kirtland Temple. Help the children you teach strengthen their love for the Lord’s holy house.
Show a picture of the Kirtland Temple (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Use phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 95:8 to teach the children about the Lord’s commandment to build this temple. Let the children take turns holding the picture and saying “The temple is the house of the Lord.”
Tell the children that on every temple is written “Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord.” If possible, show them a picture of these words on a temple. Why is the temple a special place? Read phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 97:15–16 that teach about the temple being the Lord’s house, and share your feelings about the temple.
Invite the children to pretend they are helping to build a temple (cutting wood, hammering nails, painting walls, and so on). Explain how important the temple is to the Lord, how hard the Saints worked to build the Kirtland Temple, and how much they sacrificed for it (see Saints,1:210).
Ask the children to talk about times when they were supposed to do something but didn’t do it immediately. Help a child read Doctrine and Covenants 95:3, 8, and ask the children what commandment the Lord said the Saints hadn’t obeyed. Read together verse 11. What did the Saints need to do so they could build the temple? What can we learn from the Lord’s promise to them?
On cards, write principles about the temple found in Doctrine and Covenants 95 and 97, along with the corresponding scripture references, and place the cards in a bag. For example: Building temples requires sacrifice (Doctrine and Covenants 97:11–12) and We must be worthy to enter the temple (Doctrine and Covenants 97:15–17). Divide the children into pairs. Let each pair draw a card from the bag and then work together to read the scripture on the card and talk about what the principle means to them. Help the children understand what they are reading as needed.
How have making and keeping temple covenants brought “power from on high” into our lives? Perhaps family members could share how they feel about the temple or share experiences when they have felt blessed with “power from on high” through worship in the temple.
Jesus told the Saints to build a temple (see Doctrine and Covenants 95:8). Temples are important places where we can make covenants (promises) with Heavenly Father and be sealed to our families.
Ponder how you will help the children feel reverence for the Lord’s house and look forward to the day when they can enter the “place of [His] holiness” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:13).
Ask the children to tell you something they love about their homes. Show the children a picture of the Kirtland Temple, and use Doctrine and Covenants 109:12–13; 110:1–7 to tell them about the day the temple was dedicated and became the Lord’s house . To show that the temple is the Lord’s house, read the following from the dedicatory prayer that Joseph Smith gave: “It is thy house, a place of thy holiness” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:13). Ask the children to share something they love about the temple.
Read through a few of the accounts from the “Voices of the Restoration” section at the end of the September 27–October 3 lesson in the Come, Follow Me manual.
Discussion: Why are temples important to you? Share spiritual experiences you have had because of temples.
How will you share with the children your love for the Lord’s house? Consider how you will inspire them to accept Elder Quentin L. Cook’s challenge “for each of us, wherever we live, to see ourselves in the temple” (“See Yourself in the Temple,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 98).
In some ways, the Kirtland Temple was different from temples we know today. There were no altars and no baptismal font, and ordinances like baptism for the dead and sealing had not yet been restored. But the blessings described in section 109, the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, are the blessings we receive in the Lord’s house today.
Choose verses from section 109 or 110 that you feel highlight the blessings of the temple (such as the ones listed below from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). List these blessings on the board, and invite the children to search the verses you chose to find those blessings. How might we explain to someone why the temple is important to us?
Ask the children to silently read Doctrine and Covenants 110:1–10, and invite them to share something they learn about Jesus Christ or the temple from these verses. Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves and the Savior in the temple.
Ask the children to imagine that a friend is trying to find their house. How can we help our friend know which house is ours? How do we know that the temple is the Lord’s house? Read Doctrine and Covenants 109:12–13 with the children, and tell them how you know that the temple is the house of the Lord. Show pictures of temples, and let the children share their feelings about the Lord’s house.
Salt Lake Temple
Isaiah’s Prophecy about Latter Day Temples
Another fulfillment of this prophecy has to do with the Lord’s house being established in the “top of the mountains” (Isaiah 2:2). Not only does the prophecy have symbolic reference to putting the temple in the highest place in our lives, but it also has a literal fulfillment in the location of the Church headquarters in the latter days. Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide “Isaiah 2”
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 11-25” Read 2 Nephi 12:3, and explain that in this verse a prophet named Isaiah prophesied that there would be temples in the last days. Read the verse again, and and invite the other children to listen for reasons why Isaiah said we need temples. Emphasize that when we go to the temple, the Lord “will teach us of his ways” and help us “walk in his paths.”
2 And itshall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the chouse of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
To illustrate the phrase “we will walk in his paths” from 2 Nephi 12:3, you could make a path on the floor, leading to a picture of a temple. As your children walk on the path, they could name things they can do to walk in the Lord’s paths.
Friend July 2019 “Elder Andersen Visits Ivory Coast” Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, traveled to Ivory Coast for the groundbreaking of a new temple. (Activity: Children sing the words “I love to see the temple” in many different languages. Follow the line from each of these sentences to the correct language.)
Temple Construction
Friend March 2019 “Watching the Rome Temple Grow” Gioele and Michele were excited to have a temple being built closer to their home. From time to time, they would go and see the progress of the construction, Their father, who worked on the temple, even invited them to see the angel Moroni being placed.
Temple Open Houses & Dedications
Friend December 2017 “The House of the Lord” Idea: Place each item on a folder layout or board as you discuss temple open houses and dedications.
Friend September 2020 “Isaac and the Temple” Isaac was excited to go to the temple open house. He saw lots of paintings on the walls, but his favorite was a painting of Jesus holding out his arms. His dad told him that Jesus always has His arms open for him because he loves each of us. He imagined walking next to Jesus in the temple. He imagined Jesus giving him a hug.
Inviting Others
Friend July 2022 “The Sweetest Goal” David can’t wait to go to the Dubai Temple when it is built. He was preparing by praying, reading the scriptures, and trying to follow Jesus. He tells his Aunt Ana about the temple and wants to invite her and his friends to come see it when it’s done.
Dedications
Friend October 2017 “The Temple Dedication” At his first temple dedication, CJ’s heart was filled with peace and the Spirit, and he knew that what the Apostles were saying was true.
Friend September 2019 “Elder Stephenson Visits Chile” Elder Stephenson visits Chile for a temple dedication, the second temple in Chile.
Friend February 2020 ” Come Follow Me For Little Ones” Read 2 Nephi 12:2 and help your little ones say, “The temple is the house of the Lord.” Then use items around your house to build a model temple. You could look at pictures of different temples in the photo gallery at temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Friend September 2020 “For Older Kids” The celestial room is peaceful and beautiful. It represents what heaven is like. In this room, people think, pray, and feel the Spirit. Crack the code to find out which temple this is.
Friend July 2020 “For Older Kids” In the temple, a man and a woman can be married and sealed together forever. This room in the temple is where the bride gets ready. Unscramble the letters to find out which country this temple is in.
Friend February 2020 “For Older Kids” Some temples have paintings on the walls to remind us of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s beautiful creations. The temple in this photo took 40 years to build and is now closed for renovation. Can you guess which temple it is?
Temple Grounds
Friend June 2023 “Friends by Mail”Pepijn B., age 5, visited the Hague Netherlands Temple. He noticed many circles around the temple. A circle symbolizes eternity! (See image at link.)
Friend October 2021 “Dear Friends” “I cut out the picture of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple and drew my family inside (Dec. 2019). I want my family to be together forever!” Lane S., age 10, Iowa, USA (See image at linkP)
Friend July 2019 “Elder Andersen Visits Ivory Coast” Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, traveled to Ivory Coast for the groundbreaking of a new temple. (Activity: Children sing the words “I love to see the temple” in many different languages. Follow the line from each of these sentences to the correct language.)
Friend March 2019 “Watching the Rome Temple Grow” Gioele and Michele were excited to have a temple being built closer to their home. From time to time, they would go and see the progress of the construction, Their father, who worked on the temple, even invited them to see the angel Moroni being placed.
Friend October 2017 “From Paris to Sapporo” Two children tell of their excitement to get a temple near them.
Friend May 2018 “Show and Tell” Three children tell of their excitement to have a temple built in their country—India.
Friend September 2019 “Elder Stephenson Visits Chile” Elder Stephenson visits Chile for a temple dedication, the second temple in Chile.
Summarize Matthew 10:1–10 in simple terms. Explain that Jesus calls Apostles to help Him build His Church. Let the children count the Apostles in the picture Christ Ordaining the Apostles (Gospel Art Book, no. 38) and in a picture of the current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see ChurchofJesusChrist.org or a general conference issue of the Liahona). Explain that we have twelve Apostles today, just as in Jesus’s time. Share your testimony of the Lord’s Apostles and of something they have taught recently.
Hide pictures of the modern-day Apostles around the room (for pictures, see a recent general conference issue of the Liahona). Invite the children to find the pictures, and tell them a little about each Apostle (see “Meet Today’s Prophets and Apostles” at ChurchofJesusChrist.org). (See also Latter Day Apostles)
Invite a child to hold up a picture of the First Presidency and a picture of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask the child to lead the other children around the room to a picture of Jesus. Testify that the prophets and apostles lead us to Jesus Christ.
What similarities did you notice between the things Jesus did and what He commanded His Apostles to do?
Why would accepting the Savior’s Apostles be like accepting the Savior? Matthew 10:40
Because the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles represent the Savior and are special witnesses of Him, studying their teachings is like studying the Savior’s teachings
I believe the Apostles of Jesus Christ are very important.
I want to hear what the Savior’s Apostles have to say, and I pay attention when I have the chance to listen to them.
I could share one or two things Apostles of Jesus Christ have recently taught.
Invite the children to write on the board the names of as many of the original Apostles as they can remember. Then ask them to list as many living Apostles as they can remember. Let them check their lists with Matthew 10:2–4 and a recent conference issue of the Liahona. You could also play a matching game in which the children match each living Apostle’s name with his picture. Pictures can be found at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Several days before class, invite a few children to come prepared to share a story told by one of the living Apostles (see issues of the Liahona or Friend for ideas). How did that Apostle use the story to inspire us to become more like the Savior?
Share several examples of modern-day Apostles’ testimonies of Christ with the children (see recent general conference messages or “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” [ChurchofJesusChrist.org]).
Friend January 2019 “The Living Christ” The prophets and apostles wrote “The Living Christ” to tell the world about Jesus. Read part of it each month and memorize the words in red. Fill in the blanks with words from the picture to learn more about this first quote. Also, color the card and collect a new one each month.
Friend November 2019 “The Living Christ” The apostles bear testimony of Jesus .Use the hints page to fill in the blanks. The highlighted letters give the final message!
Friend March 2019 Following Jesus example of helping others. Make a map of where you walk and ways you can help.
As you read these verses in Acts, make a list of any Christlike attributes you see in the disciples chosen to be the Lord’s servants.
On your smartphone or computer, go to the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the current Apostles and General Auxiliary leaders.
Scroll through their posts and read about some of their recent experiences visiting members of the Church throughout the world.
Discussion: What Christlike attributes do you see in the individual Apostles and other Church leaders? Why would the Lord value these attributes in choosing His servants? Which of these attributes would you like to develop?
Friend November 2019 “The Living Christ” The apostles bear testimony of Jesus .Use the hints page to fill in the blanks. The highlighted letters give the final message!
Friend November 2018 D. Todd Christofferson testifies of Jesus being the Bread of Life. (The link includes a painting of Jesus breaking bread.)
Doctrine and Covenants 112: 1–10, The Twelve are to send the gospel and raise the warning voice to all nations and people; 11–15, They are to take up their cross, follow Jesus, and feed His sheep;
Friend June 2021 “Elder Christofferson Visits Vietnam” Elder Christofferson said President Nelson’s visit was a reminder to the Vietnamese people that they matter to Heavenly Father. (See photos of his visit at link)
Friend August 2019 “Elder Rasband Visits Cape Verde” Elder Rasband visited a school were many of the children don’t have parents to take care of them. The Church gives money to help the children’s school that Elder Rasband visited. (Activity: Four children donated money to the Church’s Humanitarian Aid Fund. Follow the shapes along the path to see what each child’s money was used for. (Also includes instructions on how to donate money to humanitarian aid.)
Friend July 2019 “Elder Andersen Visits Ivory Coast” Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, traveled to Ivory Coast for the groundbreaking of a new temple. (Activity: Children sing the words “I love to see the temple” in many different languages. Follow the line from each of these sentences to the correct language.)
Friend March 2019 “Elder Uchdorf Visits Russia” He encourages them to prepare themselves for the new temple that will be built there. It will be the first temple in Russia. Link includes photos.
Friend February 2019 “Elder Holland’s Trip with the Prophet” Elder Holland and the prophet visited eight countries. Match the flag with its country. Link includes photos.
Friend October 2019 “Elder Renlund Visits Children” Elder Renlund travels all over the world to visit with the saints. His favorite thing is meeting and shaking hands with children. Sometimes he even visits them in Primary! (Activity: Color the postcards from some of the places Elder and Sister Renlund have visited. Then draw your own postcard!)
Friend May 2019 “Elder Cook Visits Brazil” He invited everyone to be a light. That means being a good example and helping others, like Jesus did. “When we are a light, we influence the world for the better.”
Craft: Make a light with different colors using a jar and tissue paper. Maybe have the children say how they can be a light at home, in their neighborhood, and at school for each strip of colored paper they add to the jar.
Friend November 2019 “Elder Gong Visits Italy” Elder Gong traveled to Italy when the Rome Italy Temple was dedicated. It’s the first temple to be built in a place where Jesus’s Apostles taught in Bible times!
The people of Babel thought they could reach heaven by building a tower rather than by living the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can you help the children understand that following the Savior is the only way back to our Heavenly Father?
Tell the story of the Tower of Babel in your own words, or read the story found in “The Tower of Babel” (in Old Testament Stories). Encourage the children to help you by sharing what they know about the story.
Let the children build a tower out of blocks or other objects. Then show the children a picture of the Savior, and ask them which is the way to return to Heavenly Father—building a tower or following Jesus Christ? Invite the children to tell about things they can do to follow the Savior.
While people today might not try to build towers in order to reach heaven, many try to find peace and happiness by following paths other than the one Jesus Christ has established. How might you use the story of the Tower of Babel to teach this principle?
Ask the children to share what they know about the story of the Tower of Babel (see Genesis 11:1–9). According to Helaman 6:28, why did the people of Babel build the tower? Why was building this tower the wrong way to reach heaven? What advice would we give to the people of Babel?
Invite the children to search 2 Nephi 31:20–21 and Helaman 3:28 to find the right way to reach heaven. Bear your testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ.
The prophet Mormon… wrote that it was Satan “who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven” (Helaman 6:28; What warnings does the story of the Tower of Babel have for you?
It might be helpful to read Ether 1:33–43 as your family studies Genesis 11 and learns about the Tower of Babel. What do we learn from the families of Jared and his brother that can help our family find spiritual safety despite the wickedness in the world? What additional lessons do we learn from Noah and his family as they faced a similar challenge? (see Moses 8:13, 16–30).
“On the Right Path” (February 2000 Liahona and January 2000 Friend) Tells about how we can stay on the path to the celestial kingdom. Includes an activity.
Liahona February 2023 “He Marked the Path and Led the Way” Elder Dale G. Renlund tells of a hike with his family up a mountain. They were unsure of the way, but people had left cairns (piles of rocks) to mark the way. As we study the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, we can learn how He navigated mortality, placing metaphorical cairns for us to follow.
God wants you to find your way back to Him, and the Savior is the way [see John 14:6]. God wants you to learn of His Son, Jesus Christ, and experience the profound peace and joy that come from following the path of divine discipleship.(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 21)
What are some ways we can follow the Savior back to Heavenly Father?
Jesus Loves Me and Wants What is Best for Me
Handouts
Friend June 2019 “Bright Idea” Jesus loves me. Little by little, I’m learning to follow Him.
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.
All the Prophets Taught of Christ Jacob 4:4For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.
Jacob taught this about the Jews: “Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall.”
The Jews misunderstood the law of Moses and its intent to lead them to the Savior. They were looking for a different kind of deliverance than the kind Jesus, the Messiah, offered them—they were looking for deliverance from foreign rule and oppression.
If we fail to keep focused on our Savior Jesus Christ, what could happen?
The prophet Jacob taught that the spiritual blindness of the Jews caused them to look “beyond the mark” (Jacob 4:14), which resulted in their stumbling spiritually and missing many gospel truths.
Place a bucket or sturdy bowl in the backyard.
Take turns tossing a ball into the bucket, standing a short distance away.
Now try tossing the ball into the bucket without looking at the bucket.
Discussion: Why was it harder to hit the target when we’re not looking at it? How did the Jews look “beyond the mark”? (Jacob 4:14). Read “Looking beyond the Mark” by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (Ensign, Mar. 2003, 40–44). Discuss how we might find ourselves looking beyond the mark today.
Come Follow Me Kid Blank Arrows (I Can Be Reconciled to God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ) The manual asks, “What has God provided to point you to Christ? How are you using these things to draw closer to God?” Write/draw answers on blank arrows (below) and place around the bucket pointing to it.
Book of Mormon Study Guide “for Home-Study Seminary Students” Lift your pen or pencil at least two feet or one meter above this target, and try to drop it so that it hits the center of the target—“the mark.” You may want to try this several times. Think about how less effective your efforts would be if you were looking somewhere other than the target. How well do you think people would do in archery if they never looked at the target, or mark, while they were shooting or if they looked at what was beyond the mark? Read Jacob 4:14, and identify characteristics of the people Jacob prophesied would look “beyond the mark.”
Song: Wise Man and the Foolish Man
Jacob teaches that the Jews rejected the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation. (Jacob 4:15-17)
Sing “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” See herefor teaching ideas, sing-along videos, and visual aid ideas.
Jesus Christ wants me to learn about Him 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.
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.
I can build on a strong foundation by following Jesus.
The Wise Man and the Foolish Man Explain that “the wise man built his house upon the rock” means that wise man built his life upon the teachings of Jesus. The foolish man didn’t and his house (life) fell apart in the storms of life. Discussion Ideas: What things in our life are like the rain and wind? How does following Jesus’s teachings protect us and make our faith strong as a house built on a rock? Song: “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Children’s Songbook, 281) Scripture: Matthew 7:24–29
Rock Art: Choose a smooth rock. With a marker or paint, write “Jesus Christ” on it. Talk about why it’s so important to build our lives on His teachings. Keep the rock in a place where you can see it often.
Sing with the children “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Children’s Songbook, 281), and use actions to go along with the words.
Use Matthew 7:24–27 to teach about the differences between the wise man and the foolish man. Invite the children to pretend they are building a house. How can we be like the wise man?
Let the children draw pictures of the parable of the wise man and the foolish man.
Friend March 2018 “Food and Fun: Wisdom Rocks” Put a wise thought or scripture on a rock to inspire you.
Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 6–7” To visualize this parable, class members could work together to build a strong foundation using blocks, cups, or other materials and then test the strength of their foundations. Perhaps they could also label their building materials with things they can do to apply the Savior’s teachings. How could doing these things help us withstand the storms of life?
To help your family better understand the Savior’s parable of the wise man and the foolish man, you could let them pour water on sand and then on a rock. How can we build our spiritual foundations on a rock?
God will bless me as I choose to follow Jesus Christ.
Daniel CHAPTER 3 Nebuchadnezzar creates a golden image and commands all men to worship it—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refuse and are cast into the fiery furnace—They are preserved and come out unharmed.
Show a picture of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace (see Gospel Art Book, no. 25), and ask the children to count the people in the furnace. Read Daniel 3:24–25 to find out who else was in the furnace. Share your testimony that the Lord is with us as we follow Him.
How can you help the children know that the Savior loves us even more than a dear friend does?
Display a picture of the Savior as you read Doctrine and Covenants 84:77. Invite the children to point to the picture of the Savior every time they hear the word “friends.” Explain that when we try to keep the commandments, we show Jesus that we love Him. Share what it means to you to have Jesus as your friend.
Help the children list some things they can do to show their friends that they love them. What did Jesus do to show us that He is our friend? What can we do to show the Savior that we are His friends? Sing together a song about Jesus, such as “Jesus Is Our Loving Friend” (Children’s Songbook, 58).
If we are willing to let the Lord “lead [us] along,” we can “be of good cheer,” even if there are things we “cannot bear … now” (verse 18).
Invite the children to share times when they have been a leader, such as being at the front of a line or leading music. What does a leader do? Show a picture of the Savior as you read the following phrase from Doctrine and Covenants 78:18: “Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.” Use this week’s activity page to help the children think of ways we can follow the Savior.
Invite the children to follow Jesus, and lead them around the room as you hold a picture of Him. As you do, sing a song together about following Jesus Christ, such as “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” or “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79, 160–61). Let the children take turns holding the picture and leading the other children.
Display four paper footprints and four pictures representing believing in Jesus Christ, repenting, being baptized, and receiving the Holy Ghost. Read Doctrine and Covenants 49:12–14, and ask the children to point to the correct picture when each is mentioned in the verses. Let the children help you place the footprints on the floor with the pictures beside them, and invite the children to take turns walking on the footprints. Bear your testimony that when we do the things in these pictures, we are following Jesus Christ.
Use this week’s activity page to make finger puppets that can help the children learn how they can follow Jesus Christ by having faith, repenting, being baptized, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Write Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 on a piece of paper, leaving blanks where the word “disciple” should be. Ask the children to fill in the blanks, looking in Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 if they need help. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? A disciple is someone who receives God’s law and obeys it. Share how you are striving to be a better disciple of Christ.
After discussing Doctrine and Covenants 41:5, ask the children to think of laws we have received from the Lord. Invite them to take turns acting out obeying one of those laws while the rest of the class tries to guess what it is.
Give each class member a strip of paper, and ask them to write on it one way they can be a better disciple. Invite each child to share what they wrote, and then tape the strips together to create a paper chain.
On a piece of paper, help the children trace their hand and cut it out. Write “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ” on one side, and invite them to draw something they can do to be a disciple on the other side (you might need to help them think of ideas). Sing together a song about following the Savior, such as “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79).
Before home evening, put a picture of Jesus on one side of the room. (You could use the picture on page 69 of *CFM.) Then sit on the other side of the room and read “Jesus Blesses the Children” on page FJ4. How can we “come unto Jesus” like in the story?
Have everyone stand up and take turns saying what they can do to come unto Jesus by following Him.
With each idea, take a step toward the picture of Christ. Keep helping each other think of good things until everyone is with Jesus together! Then talk about what it means that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. (See *CFM, page 66.)
I am a Christian because I believe in and follow Jesus Christ.
Read Acts 11:26 to the children, and invite them to stand up when they hear you say the word Christian. Ask them what they think it means to be a Christian. Explain that someone who believes in and follows Jesus Christ is called a Christian, so we are Christians.
Friend July 2019“I’m Christian” Poem about the ways we are Christians.
Sing with the children a song about following Jesus Christ, such as “The Church of Jesus Christ” (Children’s Songbook, 77).
How can we show that we are followers of Jesus Christ and belong to His Church? Help the children think of things they can do to follow Jesus at home, at school, and in other places. (Print the below pictures and write their ideas on each place.)
A Christian is someone who believes in and follows Jesus Christ.
Invite the children to read Acts 11:26; 3 Nephi 27:3–8; and Doctrine and Covenants 115:4. Write Christian on the board and underline the part that says “Christ.” Ask the children to share what they think it means to be a Christian.
Ask the children to share the names of different groups they belong to, such as their family or nation. Invite them to share reasons why they are grateful to be a Christian and belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Friend July 2019 “I’m Christian” Poem about the ways we are Christians.
Display several objects or pictures that represent truths unique to the Church of Jesus Christ, such as a picture of the restoration of the priesthood (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 93–94). Ask a child to pick one of the objects or pictures and describe how it is a blessing in our Church. Explain that while Christians throughout the world belong to many different churches, we belong to the same Church that Jesus Christ established on the earth.
Blessings of the gospel Activity: Read the clues below (not the answer) and let the children pick which picture it is describing.
Prophet: Because of this blessing of the gospel we have the privilege to hear Gods words and direction about current issues and challenges we face. This gift is God’s living spokesman.
Book of Mormon: Because of this blessing of the gospel we know the purpose of life. We also know what we need to do to gain eternal salvation and how to live happy lives.
Temples: This blessing of the gospel allows us the opportunity to receive saving ordinances for ourselves and our dead. We can also be sealed to our family so that we can be with them forever.
Priesthood: Because of this blessing of the gospel we can receive healing blessings for the sick, blessings of comfort and guidance, and have authority to act in Gods name and perform saving ordinances, such as baptism.
Baptism Because this blessing of the gospel, when performed by proper priesthood authority, we can receive a remission of our sins and enter into the gate that leads to eternal life.
Holy Ghost Because of this blessing of the gospel we can receive personal revelation and guidance throughout our lives. We can also receive comfort during difficult times.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 In Jesus’s time, washing another person’s feet was a task for servants, not leaders. But Jesus wanted His disciples to think differently about what it means to lead and to serve. What messages do you find in the Savior’s words and actions in John 13:1–17?
A few days in advance, ask one of the children to read John 13:4–9 and share the account with the class from the perspective of Peter. What was the Savior trying to teach Peter and the other Apostles? The children could talk about what they learn from this story about Jesus Christ. What do we learn about serving others?
Read together John 13:12–17. Ask the children to each write about a time when the Savior served another person. Encourage them to include what they learn from His example. If they need help, they could look for examples in the video “Christlike Attributes” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Invite them to share what they wrote with the class.
Show pictures of stories the children have learned this year when Jesus showed His love for others (see past outlines in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Read John 13:34–35, and help the children repeat the phrase “As I have loved you, … love one another.” How can we show our love for our family and friends?
Friend March 2019 “Lots of Ways to Say “I Love You” Play this game with family or friends. Do the action on the square when you land on it.
Invite a child to hold a picture of the Savior as the class sings a song about the Savior’s love, such as “Love One Another” (Children’s Songbook, 136). Give the children paper hearts and invite them to draw a picture of themselves doing something to show their love for another person.
Write on the board one another; as I have you (John 13:34). Invite the children to look up the scripture and fill in the blanks. What other things can we do to show we are disciples of Christ? The children might think of other words that would complete the sentence on the board, such as serve and served or teach and taught.
Invite the children to read John 13:35 and think of people they know who are examples of disciples of Jesus Christ. Ask them to share how these people show love for others as the Savior did.
Friend June 2023 “It’s Not Fair” Ephraim was the only one helping prepare his sister’s birthday dinner. He wanted to get revenge on his siblings and such as not letting them have any of the meat pie. But then he thought about what Jesus would do. Jesus would want all of them to have a piece of pie, and Jesus would want him to serve others.
Friend November 2017 “The Vegetable Thief” Earl is upset when he sees a lady taking vegetables from their garden, but he learns what charity means when his mother has him give the lady their best vegetables for her starving family.
Friend June 2017 “An Extra Dose of Love” Ashley’s mom likes to get to church early to look for people who need an extra dose of love. She sends those people cards. Ashley thinks of a friend who might need a card.
Friend January 2018 “A Friend for Mr. Maurice” Carter’s neighbor, Mr. Maurice, seems mean. Carter’s father tells him that Jesus taught that we are to love everyone. Carter tries to be kind and help Mr. Maurice and finds out Mr. Maurice is easier to love than expected.
Story: Jesus Christ washed the feet of His apostles (see John 13:4–16). He loved them and wanted to serve them. Jesus told them to follow His example and serve each other.
Song: “‘Give,’ Said the Little Stream” (Children’s Songbook, 236)
Activity: Play this service game. Everyone sits with their feet in a circle. One player picks a number. Starting with their own feet, the player points to each foot in the circle and counts down from that number until they reach “one.” The foot numbered “one” is out. Then that player picks a number and counts down. The last person with a foot in the circle picks a service activity for the group to do.
Click on above link for more information about Jesus being the light of the world.
Following Jesus Leads to Happy Life
Friend November 2018 “Conference Notes” Elder Bangerter tells how his family has camping devotionals where the children share messages about Jesus. At one devotional they wrote the topic of those messages on stones and buried them to remind them that following Jesus creates a foundation for a happy life.
When He was on earth, Jesus healed people who were sick. He fed people who were hungry. He gave comfort to people who felt alone.
Jesus also taught His disciples to help others. He said they should give food, water, and clothing to people who needed them. He told them to visit people who were alone. Jesus said that when they served others, it was like they were serving Him.
Friend February 2023 “Twelve Smiley Stickers” Antonio’s Primary teacher said that one way to become like Jesus is to serve others, and she gave them each a paper and some smiley stickers. Every time they served someone they got to put a smiley sticker on their paper. That week when Antonio was serving others he saw the happiness that it brought. Pretty soon he was serving not for stickers but because he liked it and it made him feel happy as well.
I follow Jesus’s example when I am kind to others.
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) After Jesus Christ learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded, He traveled with His Apostles to a solitary place. They were followed by a multitude. Even though He was suffering, the Savior had compassion on the crowd and taught and fed the people—5,000 men plus women and children. This lesson can help you be more compassionate and selfless like Jesus Christ.
Show the children a basket and some bread as you tell the story in Matthew 14:13–21. Explain that even though Jesus had tried to find a place to be alone, the people wanted to be near Him. Share the rest of the story with the children, and ask them to listen for what Jesus did to show kindness and love for the people.
Ask the children to share ways in which someone has been kind to them. Then help them think of things they can do this week to be kind to others. For every answer they give, draw a loaf of bread or a fish on the board. Tell the children that when they do these things, they are following the example Jesus set when He fed the five thousand people who were hungry.
We can follow the example of Jesus Christ by showing compassion and serving others even while we are experiencing our own difficulties.Note that a “desert place” ( verse 13) is a solitary place, and “victuals” ( verse 15) means “food.”
Help the children memorize the phrase “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42) and discuss what it means. What can we do to obey Heavenly Father’s will?
Help the children identify some reasons it is sometimes hard to do what Heavenly Father wants. What blessings have we received by being obedient to Heavenly Father, even when it was hard?
Friend September 2018 “Just Like Grandpa” William’s dad received a calling to preside over the sign language branch. William is sad he will have to leave his friends, but his mom helps him by telling him a story about his great grandfather Turner who sacrificed to obey the Lord.
For the Strength of Youth July 2022 “The Choice” Ben forgot to write a book report that was due the next day. He has to make a choice whether he will follow God or cheat and copy a book report from the internet.
What blessings have we received by being obedient to Heavenly Father, even when it was hard?
Liahona February 2023 “Life Isn’t Fair–and That’s OK” But there are certain blessings we can expect as we keep the commandments. We are promised to always have the Spirit to be with us (see Moroni 4:3). And as we turn to the Lord in faith, we will be given strength to face the trials that inevitably come.2
We are promised true joy and peace (the kind that is not determined by our circumstances).3 And we are also promised the greatest gift of all—eternal life. As Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “Your faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will be rewarded more than you can imagine.”4
“… Because of Him, we can have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate unfairness for our gain [see 2 Nephi 2:2]. He will not just console us and restore what was lost [see Job 42:10, 12–13; Jacob 3:1]; He will use the unfairness for our benefit.”6
“Happiness and Obedience” (August 2020 Liahona and Friend) President Russell M. Nelson shares some blessings we receive when we try to keep all the commandments.
Ask the children if they can think of a time when they obeyed one of God’s commandments. How did they feel? Sing together a song about obedience, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47), and identify blessings of obedience mentioned in the song. Discuss some of the things God has commanded us to do. How does God bless us when we keep those commandments?
Following in His Footsteps
Friend March 2018 “Family Night Fun” Each person makes a pair of sandals and then writes on their shoes one way they want to follow Jesus.
Friend March 2018
Friend May 2024 “Come, Follow Me Activities” King Mosiah kept the commandments and “did walk in the ways of the Lord” (Mosiah 6:6). On a piece of paper, trace your foot and cut out the shape. Write on your footprint a way you can follow Jesus. Put your footprint where you can remember to follow Jesus Christ’s example.
For younger children: Go on a walk. Have your child practice stepping where you step. Talk about how we can follow Jesus Christ by doing things He did, like helping others and being baptized.
Following His Example
Friend November 2021 “Jesus Honored His Parents” As He grew up, Jesus obeyed His earthly parents. He loved and cared for them. Even when He was dying on the cross, He asked one of His disciples to take care of His mother. He also honored His Heavenly Father by keeping the commandments.
Friend October 2021 “Jesus Taught Others” When Jesus was a child, He “increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52). That means He learned many things. When Jesus was 12, Mary and Joseph found him teaching in the temple. The people were listening to Him and asking Him questions. Jesus spent His life teaching others. (What is something you can teach others? Jazim C. age 9 said, “I help my younger sister do her homework for preschool. I teach her to draw and write her name. When my family studies Come, Follow Me at night, I help my sister with the scriptures. I show her the pictures and explain them to her.”)
Friend September 2021 “Jesus Invited Others” One day Jesus saw some fishermen working in their boats. He called out to them. He invited them to follow Him and help with His work. The four fishermen followed Jesus and became Apostles. Together they served many people.
Friend August 2021 “Jesus Helped in Many Ways” When Jesus was younger, He helped His father with his carpentry work. One of His first miracles was helping His mother when the wine had run out at a wedding. When He saw someone who was blind, He healed him. He helped children feel loved and included.
Friend February 2022 “Jesus Shared the Truth” Jesus told the people of his home town that he was the Savior. They didn’t believe him and were angry, but he always shared the truth.
Friend April 2022 “Jesus Prayed for Others” Jesus taught the Apostles how to pray to Heavenly Father. Jesus prayed for the Apostles to have faith. He told them to pray often too.
Friend May 2022 “Jesus Was a Peacemaker” Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” He helped people feel peace by serving and blessing them. He still helps us feel peace today.
Friend October 2022 “Jesus Helped His Mother”Jesus Christ went to a wedding in Cana. His mother, Mary, was there. She told Jesus that they were out of wine. Jesus asked His mother what she wanted Him to do. He performed a miracle and turned water into wine. Jesus loved His mother and helped her.
Friend December 2022 “Jesus Was Patient” Nicodemus had some questions. Jesus was patient while he asked his questions. When Nicodemus didn’t understand, Jesus explained again.
Friend January 2021 “You Can Help Like Jesus” When Jesus was on the earth, he helped all he saw. Today many people in the world need our help. Each of us can do something to help, even children. About years ago, children helped build the Primary Children’s hospital by collecting pennies.
Friend March 2020“Come, Follow Me for Little Ones” Read 2 Nephi 31:16 together and help your little ones say, “I can try to be like Jesus each day.” Play a follow-the-leader game, like “Simon Says” or “Do As I’m Doing.” Talk about how Jesus Christ is the perfect example for us to follow.
Friend March 2019 “To Be Like Jesus” President Eyring discusses love being a way we can be like Jesus. Color the heart and label it with the people and activities you love. Then discuss how we can show the love in our hearts.
We should remember Him and follow Him like sunflowers follow the sun across the sky. Quentin L. Cook
Friend January 2016 Trace your footprint on a piece of paper and cut it out. Write about something you have done or something you will do to stand tall in following Jesus and choosing the right. It can be something big or small.
Divide the children into pairs. If there is an uneven number of children, be a partner for one of the children. Ask the children to first listen to all the directions and then try to remember them and do them in the sequence they were given.
Shake hands with your partner, and tell him or her your full name.
Stand up and tell your partner something you admire about him or her.
Turn around once and tell your partner one thing you like about yourself.
Find out your partner’s favorite Book of Mormon prophet.
Sit down, and fold your arms.
Ask the children to begin. If the children have a hard time remembering everything, repeat the instructions and have them try again. Explain that if the activity were repeated several times everyone would be able to remember and do what they were asked to do. As we choose to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ throughout our lives, we will gradually learn to become like our Heavenly Father and his Son.
Elijah is sent to meet Ahab—Obadiah saves a hundred prophets and meets Elijah—Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to call down fire from heaven—They fail—He calls down fire, slays the prophets of Baal, and opens the heavens for rain.
Explain to the children that people in Elijah’s time weren’t sure if they wanted to follow the Lord. Share the story of how Elijah invited them to choose to follow the Lord, found in 1 Kings 18:17–39 (see also “Elijah and the Priests of Baal” in Old Testament Stories). Tell the children why you choose to follow Jesus Christ, and ask them why they choose to follow Him.
Read to the children what Elijah said to the people: “If the Lord be God, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ? Help the children think of specific things they will do to follow Jesus Christ, and invite them to draw pictures of themselves doing those things.
Friend March 2018 “Family Night Fun” Each person makes a pair of sandals and then writes on their shoes one way they want to follow Jesus.
Assign each child to read several verses from 1 Kings 18:17–39 and draw a picture of what his or her verses describe. Help the children understand the verses if needed. Then let them use their pictures to tell the story. What does this story teach us about the Lord?
Ask the children to talk about times when they had to decide between two different things. What helped them decide? Help them think of situations when they might need to decide whether or not to follow Jesus Christ. What truths from the story in 1 Kings 18:17–39 could help them decide?
For the Strength of Youth July 2022 “The Choice” Ben forgot to write a book report that was due the next day. He has to make a choice whether he will follow God or cheat and copy a book report from the internet.
Friend March 2017 “Worth the Wait” Sadie’s dad won’t let her get baptized until she is older. Sadie is sad about that, but she tries to think of the things she can still do at church.
Friend June 2018 “Heavenly Father Knows You” A group of people in a small town in ArgentIna had learned the gospel and wanted to get baptized but couldn’t because they lived far away from other towns; no church leaders had come to visit their town for some time. They were able to pool their money so one man could go find the missionaries. They were eventually able to get baptized in a portable swimming pool.
Clean Again
Friend March 2017 “A Great Feeling” Paulo didn’t want the feeling he had when he was baptized to go away, but the next day he yelled at his brother. Through repentance and the sacrament he was able to get the feeling back.
Friend May 2024 “Clean Again” Emily wanted to keep the good feeling she had when she was baptized. She felt sure she could do it. But then her brother did something that made her angry and she yelled at him. I’ve ruined it, she thought. I couldn’t even choose the right for one day! But then she was reminded during her confirmation that because of Jesus she can repent and be forgiven, and when she takes the sacrament she can promise again to follow Jesus.
Baptism Questions and Concerns
Friend June 2018 “Twin Jitters” Kaylee is nervous about getting baptized. She worries about being dropped or not being able to breath. Her twin brother is also nervous. Her grandmother suggests they get a blessing from their father. Afterwards they feel much better.
Friend July 2019 “Show and Tell” “When I was little, I was afraid of water. Even though people told me I didn’t need to worry about being baptized, I was scared. The missionaries told me that Jesus Christ was baptized to set an example, and I could feel my fear go away. When I was baptized, I felt a great joy.” Sarah T., age 11, Île de France, France
Friend February 2019 “He Calmed the Waters” Daniel lives on an island in the Pacific. He was worried about getting baptized because he had to get baptized in the ocean, and the waves can be big. The waters were rough on the day of his baptism, but during his baptism they were calm. Heavenly Father answered his prayer and helped him.
Convert Baptism
Friend July 2023 “Baptism Stories” As Mary turns 8 and prepares to get baptized she learns that her other family members got baptized at older ages because they were converts.
Friend February 2022 “Carol’s Three-Year Wait” After Carol and her friends found the church, their parents said they had to wait until they were older to get baptized. They took the bus every week to church for three years and then Carol and another friend were finally able to get baptized.
Friend February 2021 “Feeling Christ’s Love” When Elder Takashi Wada Of the Seventy was young he read the Bible in school and wanted to know more about Jesus. Then he met the missionaries and they gave him a Book of Mormon and her learned more about Jesus. He wanted to be baptized and follow Jesus.
Friend April 2019 “Feeling New” Rasmussen and his mom took the missionary lessons and read the Book of Mormon, and then Rasmussen’s mom decided to get baptized. After the baptism, Rasmussen is excited to turn eight so he can be baptized and feel new too.
Friend November 2021 “Let’s Invite Everyone” Most of Jarom’s family were not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They did not know much about baptism. But they knew it was a special day for Jarom, so when he invited them to his baptism they said, “We will be there!”
Friend July 2019 “Will You Come to My Baptism” Oliver tells everyone about his upcoming baptism and invites them to it. He likes being a missionary.
Friend February 2024 “Friends Following Jesus” Saria went to a Christian school. That meant they all learned about Jesus Christ together even though not everyone went to the same church. When she invited her friends to her baptism they wanted to know why she wasn’t baptized as a baby. She didn’t know what to say. Later, Saria’s mother explained that we believe that when we’re baptized, we make a sacred covenant. And we need to be old enough to understand the promises we make. Saria realized that she and her friends had differences, but one thing was the same. They all loved Jesus and wanted to follow Him.
Receiving Holy Ghost at Baptism
Friend February 2021 “Wrapped Up in Love” Abby received a soft white blanket from her grandparents at her baptism to remind her of how the Holy Ghost feels. After her baptism she felt warm and happy and knew she had made the right decision. She knew it must be the Holy Ghost.
Who Can Baptize?
Friend June 2021 “My Brother Baptized Me” Océane’s brother holds the Aaronic priesthood and her parents asked if she would like him to baptize her. She agreed and her brother practiced with her. At her baptism, every member of her family had a part, musical numbers, talks, witnesses and her father confirmed her. (Photo at link)
Some people think that living the gospel restricts them. How can you use John 8:31–36 to help the children understand that living the gospel actually makes us free?
Invite the children to read John 8:31–36 and share what they think it means to be a servant of sin. How do the teachings of Jesus help us be free?
Show a lock to represent sin and a key to represent how truths of the gospel can make us free. For example, knowing about the Savior’s Atonement can give us freedom to repent and be forgiven of our sins. Or knowing about the Word of Wisdom can give us freedom to avoid addictions.
Invite the children to list some things that people might fear. Then ask them to read Proverbs 1:7 and Ecclesiastes 12:13. What does it mean to fear God? To help answer this question, ask a child to read the verses again, replacing the word “fear” with the word “reverence.” Repeat this activity with words like “love,” “obedience,” or “obey.” How does this change our understanding of what it means to fear God?
As used in this verse, fear means reverence, or “profound respect mingled with love. … Reverence embraces regard, deference [respect], honor, and esteem” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay [2003], 30).
Invite each child to choose one of the following verses to read, looking for the word “fear”: Proverbs 1:7; 2:5; 15:33; 16:6. Ask the children to share what their verse teaches about blessings that come when we fear the Lord, which means that we show reverence and respect toward Him (see also Proverbs 14:26–27). How can we show the Lord that we love and respect Him?
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 36-38” Your children might enjoy finding small items that make big things happen. Items like a battery, car key, or even a toy that comforts them might be examples. You could then read Alma 37:6–7 together and think of some small or simple things that God wants us to do. What big things can happen when we obey these small or simple commandments?
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 36-38” Show a picture or two of small things that accumulate into big things, such as a blade of grass and a field, or a raindrop and a lake. Testify that even small, simple actions can make a big difference in our lives and in the lives of others. Encourage the children to talk about some simple, good things they do every day, or share your own examples. Invite the children to pick one simple, good thing they can do this week and to draw a picture of themselves doing it. Invite them to take their drawings home and share them with their families.
With Heavenly Father’s help, small things can make a big difference (see Alma 37:6–7). Help make your favorite recipe. What would happen to the recipe if you took out one of the ingredients? Talk about how small things can make a difference and how you can make a difference too.
For younger children: Look for small things that are helpful, like a small seed that turns into a plant or a light switch that turns on light. Talk about how small things can make a big difference, just like you!
Your children could also try something like this: start filling a cup with water, one drop at a time. How does this relate to Alma 37:6–7? Then you could talk about how the Lord’s “small and simple things,” such as reading the scriptures daily, are like drops of water in a cup.
Help your children think of ways that they bring about great things at home, school, or church. The song “‘Give,’ Said the Little Stream” (Children’s Songbook, 236) also illustrates this principle.
Read Alma 37:6–7, and invite the children to crouch down every time you read the word “small.” Show them a few small things that can make big things happen or move big things, such as a battery or a car key. What big things happen or move because of these small things? Help the children think of some small or simple things God wants us to do. What big things can happen because of these small or simple commandments? Invite the children to pick one simple, good thing they can do this week and to draw a picture of themselves doing it.
Friend July 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones” Read Alma 37:6 together. Crouch down when you hear the word “small” and jump up and spread your arms wide when you hear the word “great.” You could use the scripture verse or repeat the phrase, “Small things can make a great difference!” Talk about how small things like reading the scriptures or praying can make a great difference.
Share a simple comparison with the children that shows how important it is to follow instructions; for example, talk with them about the steps we must follow to prepare food or play a game or build something. What happens when we don’t follow the instructions? (Maybe you have a personal experience you can share.) Read Doctrine and Covenants 130:21, and compare these instructions to the commandments we must follow to receive blessings from Heavenly Father.
Ask the children if they can think of a time when they obeyed one of God’s commandments. How did they feel? Sing together a song about obedience, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47), and identify blessings of obedience mentioned in the song. Discuss some of the things God has commanded us to do. How does God bless us when we keep those commandments?
Sing a song about obedience, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47), and invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 130:20–21and 132:5. Help them find words and ideas in the verses that are similar to those in the song. How do we receive blessings from God? Ask the children to share how they have been blessed for obeying God’s laws.
Read together Doctrine and Covenants 132:21–23, and invite the children to draw pictures to represent what they learn from these verses. Encourage them to be creative, and suggest that they include in their drawings the laws or commandments that help us stay on the narrow way to eternal life.
You could sing a song about gratitude, such as “Count Your Blessings” (Hymns, no. 241), and make a list of the blessings your family has received for obeying God’s laws. What blessings do we hope to receive? How can we receive those blessings?
Friend February 2021 “For Older Kids” I know that obeying Heavenly Father is worth it because He always has a plan with good consequences in the end. I am grateful that Heavenly Father helps me do hard things. No matter how hard things get, I know I can always rely on Heavenly Father. Jayden T., age 10, New Mexico, USA
Sing a song that testifies of God’s promises, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47). Help the children identify things that God has promised us if we are faithful.
This video is going too fast during the second verse and you will need to use the pictures below during that part.
Liahona February 2023 “Life Isn’t Fair–and That’s OK” Good and bad things happen to people who are living the gospel as well as to people who aren’t—God “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). That’s part of life.
So what about the promises that living the gospel brings blessings and joy? The scriptures do say that when we keep the commandments we are blessed (see Mosiah 2:22). But blessings might not always come how or when we expect them to. Living the gospel doesn’t guarantee we will have more money, more success, or fewer trials than other people. And it doesn’t mean we can expect particular temporal blessings from God as a form of “payment” for being righteous.1
But there are certain blessings we can expect as we keep the commandments. We are promised to always have the Spirit to be with us (see Moroni 4:3). And as we turn to the Lord in faith, we will be given strength to face the trials that inevitably come.2
We are promised true joy and peace (the kind that is not determined by our circumstances).3 And we are also promised the greatest gift of all—eternal life. As Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “Your faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will be rewarded more than you can imagine.”4
“… Because of Him, we can have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate unfairness for our gain [see 2 Nephi 2:2]. He will not just console us and restore what was lost [see Job 42:10, 12–13; Jacob 3:1]; He will use the unfairness for our benefit.”6
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Joshua 1–8; 23–24” These chapters deal with battles over the lands of Jericho and Ai. What do you learn about how God can help you and what you need to do to access His power? As you read them, consider how you battle temptation in your own life (for example, see Joshua 7:10–13). What impresses you about the Lord’s instructions for taking Jericho? (see Joshua 6:1–5). Perhaps the account in Joshua 7 will inspire you to determine if “there is an accursed thing” in your life that you need to remove (Joshua 7:13).
Your family might have fun acting out the instructions the Lord gave to the Israelites in order to conquer Jericho. What might the Lord want us to learn from this story?
Obedience to God’s Commands Leads Me to Eternal Life
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020: 1 Nephi 11-15 Bring a box containing several clues that describe a location in or around the church building. Use the box and clues to represent the Liahona, and let the children take turns selecting clues and guessing what the location is. Then travel to the location together. Explain that when we show faith and follow the direction the Lord gives us, He will help us return to Him (see Alma 37:38–42). How does Heavenly Father guide us in our journey back to Him?
The Red Crystal This print out can be used to write clues on to describe a location in the church, or you can place scriptures a picture of a prophet, church magazine, etc…around the room. When the children find them they can stick a Liahona on them, because they are….”What helps us today to find our way back to Heavenly Father.” CFM-For Primary page 17
The Liahona Teachingldschildren.comAttention Activity: Tape the sign “Eternal Life” on a wall. On an opposite wall put the sign “Mortal Birth.” Ask for a volunteer. Blindfold that person, and tell them they need to get from the sign that says “Mortal Birth” to the sign that says “Eternal Life.” Tell them there will be obstacles in the way but you will provide someone to help them get safely around the obstacles. (See additional instructions at link.)
Game: Put the game board and the Liahona on a display board for everyone to see. Choose a volunteer. Tell the volunteer that the object of the game is to get from the starting square to a square that says “The Promised Land.” There are two ways they can do this: they can try and guess which way to go, or they can check the Liahona for directions. Tell them it will take a little diligence and effort to get directions from the Liahona. They will have to look up a scripture and find the directions in the scripture. But if they try to guess which way to go, and it is the wrong guess, they will lose their next turn. (See additional instructions at link)
For younger children: Have your child hide an object. Ask them to give you hints about where it is by saying “hotter“ when you get closer and “colder“ when you get farther away.
“Lehi and His Family Are Led through the Wilderness” Primary 4: Book of Mormon (Lesson Ideas) Attention Activity: Give the children each a piece of string 20 inches (50 cm) long. Have them hold one end of the string in their right hand and the other end in their left hand. Ask them to tie a knot in the string without letting go of the ends. If you do not have enough string, have one child do the activity in front of the class.
Does this seem too hard or impossible to do?
Have the children try to tie a knot again, but this time have them fold their arms first and with their arms still folded have them pick up one end of the string with their right hand and the other end with their left hand. Ask them to hold onto the ends as they unfold their arms. Their string will be knotted. Collect the strings from the children. Point out that the children could tie the knot when you showed them how to do it. Tell the children that in the same way we all have challenges in our lives that might seem impossible to solve. If we do all we can and put our trust in Heavenly Father, he will help us find the answers.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “2 Kings 2-7” Naaman had a hard time obeying when the prophet Elisha told him how to be cured of leprosy. Ponder how you can help the children understand the blessings that come from being obedient.
Tell the story of Naaman (see 2 Kings 5:9–14; “Elisha Heals Naaman” in Old Testament Stories; see also the picture of Naaman in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Emphasize that at first Naaman did not want to wash in the Jordan River, even though Elisha told him that this would heal his disease. Tell about a time when you weren’t sure you wanted to do the right thing, and help the children think of their own examples. Then share how Naaman was blessed when he made the right choice.
Read 2 Kings 5:13 to the children, and explain that Naaman’s servants helped him decide to obey the prophet Elisha. Help the children think of ways they could help their friends or family members listen to and obey the prophet.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “2 Kings 2-7” Naaman wanted to be healed of leprosy, but he wasn’t expecting the simple instruction Elisha gave him: “Go and wash in Jordan seven times” (2 Kings 5:10). Consider how you could use this story to teach the children about faith in Jesus Christ, humility, and obedience.
Write faith,humility, and obedience on the board, and ask the children what these words mean (see True to the Faith, 54–56, 86–87, 108–9). Invite the children to read 2 Kings 5:9–14. You could also show parts of the video “Naaman and Elisha” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How did Naaman show faith in the Lord, humility, and obedience? Why is it important for us to have these qualities?
Ask the children to tell about a time when a friend helped them choose the right. Also share an experience of your own. Read together 2 Kings 5:10–13 to learn how Naaman’s servants helped him choose to obey the prophet. What can we do to help each other follow our prophet today?
Invite the children to complete the activity page and share with a family member or friend something they learned from the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1–15.
Story: Naaman had a sickness called leprosy. The prophet Elisha told him to wash seven times in the Jordan River to be healed. At first, Naaman didn’t want to. But when Naaman did what Elisha said, he was healed! (See 2 Kings 5.)
Activity: Make or draw a pretend river using rocks, sticks, chalk, or blankets. Then jump on your river seven times. Talk about how doing simple things God asks us to do can help us.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “1 Nephi 1-5” You and your children might enjoy role-playing 1 Nephi 3:2–7. Maybe you could pretend to be Lehi and ask your children to return to Jerusalem to get the brass plates. Invite them to respond in their own words as if they were Laman and Lemuel or Nephi. What are some things God has commanded us to do? (see pictures 103–15 in the Gospel Art Book or Mosiah 18:8–10 for ideas). How can we be like Nephi?
What can we learn from 1 Nephi 2:11–13; 3:5–7 about murmuring? What blessings come when we exercise faith?” Review how Laman and Lemuel murmured and talk about what it means to murmur. How does it make people around you feel when you murmur? How does it affect yourself and others when you don’t murmur? (Come Follow Me Kid “I Will Go and Do”)
Ensign January 2020 “Family Study Fun: Courageous Hot Potato” Nephi’s brothers Laman and Lemuel complained that the Lord required hard things (see 1 Nephi 3:5), Nephi said he would “go and do” whatever the Lord commanded (see 1 Nephi 3:7).
Have everyone sit in a circle. Give someone a small, soft object (beanbag, tennis ball, balled-up sock, etc.). Play “Nephi’s Courage” on the Sacred Music app (no. 120 in the Children’s Songbook) while family members pass the object around the circle. Pause the music at a random moment. Whoever is holding the object when the music stops will explain one faithful act they will “go and do” this week.
Discussion: What are some things the Lord has asked us to do that seem hard? How can we be more faithful in our responses to those commandments?
Friend January 2016 “Nephi was Obedient” Goal Card. I can be obedient like Nephi.
Lord commanded Nephi to go and get the plates From the wicked Laban inside the city gates. Laman and Lemuel were both afraid to try. Nephi was courageous. This was his reply:
“I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey. I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey.”
The Lord gives us commandments and asks us to obey. Sometimes I am tempted to choose another way. When I’m discouraged, and think I cannot try, I will be courageous, and I will reply:
“I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey. I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey.”
Words and music: Bill N. Hansen Jr., b. 1952, and Lisa T. Hansen, b. 1958.
Children love telling stories. You could invite them to help you tell the story of Nephi being commanded to build a boat (see 1 Nephi 17:7–19; 18:1–4; see also “Chapter 7: Building the Ship,” in Book of Mormon Stories, 21–22; or the video “The Lord Instructs Nephi to Build a Ship” [Gospel Library]). They could also sing together the second verse of “Nephi’s Courage” (Children’s Songbook, 120–21). What helped Nephi have courage when his brothers mocked him for trying to build the boat?
Verse Two Visual Aids and Teaching Ideas The Lord commanded Nephi to go and build a boat. Nephi’s older brothers believed it would not float. Laughing and mocking, they said he should not try. Nephi was courageous. This was his reply: “I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey. I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey.”
The Lord gives us commandments and asks us to obey. Sometimes I am tempted to choose another way. When I’m discouraged, and think I cannot try, I will be courageous, and I will reply:
“I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey. I will go; I will do the thing the Lord commands. I know the Lord provides a way; he wants me to obey.”
Nephi did not know how to build a boat, so he relied on instruction from the Lord. After reading 1 Nephi 18:1 with you, your children could complete this week’s activity page. As they do, talk with them about how Heavenly Father can help us do hard things, just as He helped Nephi.
Nephi was not a sailor. He had been reared in Jerusalem, an inland city, rather than along the borders of the Mediterranean Sea. It seems unlikely that he knew much about or had experience with the tools and skills necessary to build a ship. He may not have ever previously seen an oceangoing vessel. In essence, then, Nephi was commanded and instructed to build something he had never built before. (David A. Bednar, “Learning to Love Learning,” Ensign, Feb. 2010, 28)
Teachingldschildren.com “Lesson 6: Nephi Builds a Ship” Paper Boat Activity: Give each child a blank piece of paper. Show an example paper boat you folded before class. Tell the children you want them to make the same boat with their paper. Give them a couple of minutes to try and complete the activity. Ask if it was hard to do without instructions. Teach them how to build the boat using the instructions found at the link.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “1 Nephi 16-22” Have the children color the boat and then cut out the boat and the rectangle. Follow the directions to glue the boat together. Words on the handout/craft: Nephi built a boat. Heavenly Father can help me do difficult things too!
Ensign January 2020 “Family Study Fun” Shipbuilding 101: Before Nephi could start building a ship, he asked the Lord where he should go to find ore to make tools (see 1 Nephi 17:9–10). Gather items in your home to use as “shipbuilding materials” (for example: blocks or pots or sofa cushions). Hide the materials throughout the room. Give your family instructions on where the materials are hidden. Bring the materials to the shoreline (middle of the room) and give instructions on how to build a ship.
Discussion: Why did Nephi need help from the Lord? What are some hard things that the Lord asks us to do? What attributes did Nephi possess that made the ship a reality? How can we as a family develop those same attributes?
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Genesis 18–23” It was very difficult for Abraham to follow the commandment to sacrifice his son. Ponder how you can appropriately use this story to encourage the children to obey God even when it is hard or they don’t fully know the reasons for His commandments.
Show a picture of Abraham and Isaac (see this week’s study outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families), and use it to tell the story of Abraham and Isaac (see also “Abraham and Isaac” in Old Testament Stories). Show a picture of Jesus Christ, and talk to the children about how the story of Abraham and Isaac can remind us of the sacrifice Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ made for us.
Play a simple game that requires the children to follow directions. For example, the directions could lead to a picture of the Savior hidden in the classroom. What are some things Heavenly Father has asked us to do? Help the children understand that keeping His commandments will help us return to live with Him and Jesus Christ again.
Show a picture of Jesus Christ suffering in Gethsemane (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Ask the children to tell you what they know about what is happening in this picture. Summarize in your own words what the Savior said in Doctrine and Covenants 19:18–19 about His suffering. Emphasize that suffering for our sins was the hardest thing anyone has ever done, but because Jesus loved His Father and us, He obeyed God’s will. How can we obey Heavenly Father?
Help the children think of simple actions that go along with phrases in Doctrine and Covenants 19:23.23 Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. Read the verse several times while the children do the actions. Help them think of ways we can learn of Christ and listen to His words.
Ensign October 2019 “Safe from Satan’s Sting” Obedience to commandments forges a protective breastplate of righteousness. (Great lesson for a family home evening)
Friend August 2018 “For Parents of Little Ones” Obedience to safety rules help keep us safe. How to help small children follow safety rules.
Ask the children to read John 5:30 and complete this sentence: “I seek not mine own will, but …” How did Jesus Christ do the will of His Heavenly Father? How can we do Heavenly Father’s will?
John 5: 23That all men should ahonour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that bhonoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Help the children memorize the phrase “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42) and discuss what it means. What can we do to obey Heavenly Father’s will?
Help the children identify some reasons it is sometimes hard to do what Heavenly Father wants. What blessings have we received by being obedient to Heavenly Father, even when it was hard?
Friend September 2018 “Just Like Grandpa” William’s dad received a calling to preside over the sign language branch. William is sad he will have to leave his friends, but his mom helps him by telling him a story about his great grandfather Turner who sacrificed to obey the Lord.
For the Strength of Youth July 2022 “The Choice” Ben forgot to write a book report that was due the next day. He has to make a choice whether he will follow God or cheat and copy a book report from the internet.
What blessings have we received by being obedient to Heavenly Father, even when it was hard?
Liahona February 2023 “Life Isn’t Fair–and That’s OK” But there are certain blessings we can expect as we keep the commandments. We are promised to always have the Spirit to be with us (see Moroni 4:3). And as we turn to the Lord in faith, we will be given strength to face the trials that inevitably come.2
We are promised true joy and peace (the kind that is not determined by our circumstances).3 And we are also promised the greatest gift of all—eternal life. As Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “Your faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will be rewarded more than you can imagine.”4
“… Because of Him, we can have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate unfairness for our gain [see 2 Nephi 2:2]. He will not just console us and restore what was lost [see Job 42:10, 12–13; Jacob 3:1]; He will use the unfairness for our benefit.”6
“Happiness and Obedience” (August 2020 Liahona and Friend) President Russell M. Nelson shares some blessings we receive when we try to keep all the commandments.
Ask the children if they can think of a time when they obeyed one of God’s commandments. How did they feel? Sing together a song about obedience, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47), and identify blessings of obedience mentioned in the song. Discuss some of the things God has commanded us to do. How does God bless us when we keep those commandments?
Exodus 5:2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
What might it mean for us to “know” the Lord? How do we come to know Him? (for example, see Alma 22:15–18). How does our relationship with Him affect our desire to obey Him? (see also John 17:3; Mosiah 5:13).
The Lord taught the Saints that to build Zion, they needed to give Him their hearts and willing minds. Consider how you will help the children begin to think about what this means for them.
Read to the children from Doctrine and Covenants 64:34: “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.” Repeat this phrase a few times, pointing to your heart and head as you read those words, and invite the children to do the same. How can we give our hearts and minds to the Savior? (It might help to explain that our heart refers to our feelings and love and our mind refers to our thoughts.)
Friend June 2021 “One Peach at a Time” When Sister Eubanks was a child she went to a church farm to help pick peaches. Pretty soon she and her sister didn’t want to do it anymore because the peach fuzz was making their arms itch. Their mother explained that the peaches would be going to feed families who needed food. After that they stopped worrying about their itchy arms because they were helping to feed families who needed food! (They had a willing heart and mind.)
Friend June 2021 “Origami Hearts” Each fold could represent a small thing that brings about something great. If each fold isn’t done what happens? Write on the heart something your family or each individual could do to bring about Heavenly Father’s work?
What does Heavenly Father want your family to do to bring about His “great work”? Maybe it’s going to the temple, sharing the gospel with a neighbor, or overcoming contention. Perhaps each family member could collect small objects, like rocks or buttons or puzzle pieces, and use them to represent “small things” we can do every day to “[lay] the foundation” for God’s great work. As a family, pick one of these small things to work on this week. Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 64–66”
Ask the children to complete an action that requires two objects, but give them only one (for example, writing on the chalkboard without chalk or cutting a piece of paper with no scissors). Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 64:34 to find out what two things the Lord asks of us. Why do we need to give both our heart and mind to the Lord? How do we do this? Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 64–66”
Friend February 2021 “For Older Kids” I know that obeying Heavenly Father is worth it because He always has a plan with good consequences in the end. I am grateful that Heavenly Father helps me do hard things. No matter how hard things get, I know I can always rely on Heavenly Father. Jayden T., age 10, New Mexico, USA (see photo)
Sing a song about loving and following the Savior, such as “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (Children’s Songbook, 74–75; especially verse 3). How do we show the Savior that we love Him? Share your feelings for Jesus Christ.
Read Helaman 10:2, 11–12, and help the children understand that Nephi obeyed God. Invite the children to act out what Nephi did. For example, ask them to walk toward one side of the room (as if they are going home), stop, turn around, and walk toward the other side of the room (as if they are returning to teach the people). Help them see that Nephi wanted to obey the Lord even though he had to do something difficult.
Help the children understand that sometimes Heavenly Father wants us to do something that is different from what we want to do, but we can obey Him like Nephi did. Share statements like “Sometimes I want to get angry, but Heavenly Father wants me to be … ,” and let the children finish the statements. Encourage the children to remember to stop and think about what Heavenly Father wants them to do and then do it.
A Disciple is Someone who Receives God’s Law and Obeys it.
Write Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 on a piece of paper, leaving blanks where the word “disciple” should be. Ask the children to fill in the blanks, looking in Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 if they need help. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? A disciple is someone who receives God’s law and obeys it. Share how you are striving to be a better disciple of Christ.
After discussing Doctrine and Covenants 41:5, ask the children to think of laws we have received from the Lord. Invite them to take turns acting out obeying one of those laws while the rest of the class tries to guess what it is.
Give each class member a strip of paper, and ask them to write on it one way they can be a better disciple. Invite each child to share what they wrote, and then tape the strips together to create a paper chain.
As the Church grew and members gathered in Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith what He called His “law” and commanded the Saints to “hearken and hear and obey” it. How can you help the children understand that we are blessed when we are obedient? (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 41–44”)
Read Doctrine and Covenants 42:2, emphasizing the word “obey.” Give the children a few simple scenarios in which a child chooses to obey or disobey a law or rule. Ask the children to listen carefully and smile if the person in the story obeys and frown if the person disobeys. Share blessings you have received when you have obeyed God’s laws.
Play a game by giving the children a rule to follow. For instance, you could tell them that they must raise their hands and be called on to answer questions. Then let them practice obeying by asking them questions and calling on those who raise their hands. What laws has God given us?
Complete the activity page with the children, or sing a song about obeying God’s laws, such as “I Want to Live the Gospel” (Children’s Songbook, 148). Tell the children how obeying God’s laws has brought you happiness.
Friend January 2018 “What’s on Your Mind?” An explanation for why it matters that we keep the commandments. For example: How would it feel flying with a pilot who didn’t follow the rules of aviation? What about riding on a bus with a driver who didn’t stop at red lights? The commandments help keep us safe.
The Lord Can Help Me Have a Soft Heart.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 7–13” Pharaoh chose to harden his heart when the Lord told him to release the children of Israel. How can you inspire the children you teach to choose to have a soft heart so they are willing to serve the Lord and do His will?
Bring to class one object that is hard, such as a rock, and another that is soft, such as a sponge. Read with the children a few verses describing how Pharaoh responded to the plagues sent by the Lord (see Exodus 8:28–32; 9:7), and ask the children which object best represents Pharaoh’s heart or attitude. What does it mean to have a soft heart? (see Mosiah 3:19).
Show the children the bowl of water, rock, and sponge. Ask what would happen if you put the sponge in the water, and then ask what would happen if you put the rock in the water. Just like the hard rock will not absorb water, a hard heart will not let direction from the Lord or others in. Just like a soft sponge will absorb water, a soft heart is open to the Lord’s direction and is humble and teachable.
With the class, make a list of some actions that might show we have a hard heart (for example, fighting with a sibling or being unwilling to pray). How can we show the Lord we want to have soft hearts?
The Sacrament Can Help Me Remember Jesus.
Heavenly Father wants us to “harden not [our] hearts.” (Jr)
Hebrews 3 describes the Israelites hardening their hearts and rejecting the Lord’s blessings. This can be a warning to all of us not to harden our hearts.
Bring to class something absorbent (like a sponge or a washcloth) and something hard (like a rock). Invite the children to touch the objects and describe how the objects feel. Put a few drops of water on each object, and point out that water soaks into the absorbent object better than into the rock. Explain that our hearts need to be soft and not hard so that we can accept Heavenly Father’s truths and His love [into our hearts]. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Hebrews 1–6“)
The Red Crystal Sorting mat. Have pieces of soft fabric, cotton balls, soft feathers, sponges, tissues, etc, in a pile. In the same pile have small sticks, dice, small rocks, small pieces of sand paper, etc. Have the children sort through the pile and place them on the sorting map according to where they should go. Hard things in hard heart side, soft things in soft heart side.
Cut a heart shape out of a soft material, such as cloth, and a harder material, such as cardboard. Discuss with the children the difference between having a soft heart and having a hard heart. Share some examples from the scriptures of people who had soft hearts or hard hearts, such as Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel (1 Nephi 2:16–19); Paul (Acts 9:1–22); or Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith—History 1:11–20). As you share each example, invite the children to point to the soft heart or the hard heart. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Hebrews 1–6“)
Laman and LemuelNephiSaul/PaulJoseph Smith
Latter Day Kids “A Soft Heart” Lesson ideas This site has a great object lesson about a marble and a plate and a blanket. The marble bounces of the plate but the blanket catches the marble. See more at link.
To receive Heavenly Father’s guidance and blessings, we must “harden not [our] hearts.” (Sr)
The Red Crystal Sorting mat. Have pieces of soft fabric, cotton balls, soft feathers, sponges, tissues, etc, in a pile. In the same pile have small sticks, dice, small rocks, small pieces of sand paper, etc. Have the children sort through the pile and place them on the sorting map according to where they should go. Hard things in hard heart side, soft things in soft heart side.
Ask the children to search Ezekiel 2:3–4; 3:7 for words that described the Israelites. Then invite them to read Ezekiel 36:26–27 to learn how the Savior offered to help them change. What words could describe the “new heart” and “new spirit” He gives us? (see, for example, Mosiah 3:19; 5:2).
Ask the children to think of things “stiffhearted” or “hardhearted” people (Ezekiel 2:4; 3:7) might do. For example, how might they react to counsel from a parent or the prophet? What might they do when they see someone in need? How do we act differently
Show your family some stones as you discuss what it means to have a “stony heart.” Let them suggest words that describe the “new heart” and “new spirit” the Savior gives us (see Mosiah 3:19; 5:2).
An angel rebukes Israel for not serving the Lord—As a pattern of future events, a new generation arises that forsakes the Lord and serves Baal and Ashtaroth—The Lord is angry with the children of Israel and ceases to preserve them—He raises up judges to guide and lead them—The Canaanites are left in the land to test Israel.
How do we come to know the Lord? Through scripture study, prayer, sacrament, living the commandments. etc.
Friend June 2019 “The Sacrament Reminds Us of Jesus Christ” Ways to prepare for the sacrament before hand, what to do during the sacrament, and remembering Jesus and following him after the sacrament.
Although many of the Israelites fell away from the Lord, some remained true to Him and were able to help many others return to righteousness. How can you encourage the children to stay true to the Lord no matter what others are doing?
Tell the children that during a time when the Israelites had been wicked, a righteous woman named Deborah and the commander of the Israelites’ army, Barak, delivered Israel from their enemies (see Judges 4:1–15). Read together Judges 4:14, and ask the children to find something Deborah said that showed that her faith in the Lord was strong. Then ask them to read Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 to find a principle that is also in Judges 4:14. Encourage them to share what the Lord’s promise “I will go before your face” means to them.
Sing a song about obeying the commandments, such as “Choose the Right” (Hymns, no. 239) or “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 160–61). How can we stand for righteousness and obey the commandments even when others around us do not?
Young children often have rules to follow at home, at school, and elsewhere. You can help them understand that the Lord expects us to follow the rules and laws in our community and nation.
Invite the children to play a simple game without following any rules, and then have them play it with rules. How do rules help us? Express your gratitude for the laws of the land.
Help the children repeat the twelfth article of faith. Emphasize key words, like “obeying, honoring, and sustaining,” and talk with the children about what those words mean. Share with them why it is important to obey the law.
Although there are different forms of government around the world, the Lord wants us to “sustain and uphold the … governments in which [we] reside” (Doctrine and Covenants 134:5).
Invite the children to list rules or laws they obey. What would life be like if no one obeyed these laws? Read Doctrine and Covenants 134:1–2 with the children, helping them understand any words or phrases they might not understand. Why does the Lord want us to have government and laws?
Write each word or phrase from the eleventh and twelfth articles of faith on a separate slip of paper. Mix the papers up, and ask the children to work together to put them in the right order. How do we show that we believe what these articles of faith teach?
Draw a picture of two sons on the board, and use the drawings as you recount the parable in Matthew 21:28–32. Which son did the right thing in the end? Ask the children to name things they can do to be obedient at home. Let them draw pictures of themselves doing one of those things.
Invite the children to share experiences they have had with being obedient to their parents. How were they blessed for being obedient?
Friend August 2018 “Puddles and Blessings” Marcel doesn’t want to go on a hike in the rain with his mom and the Young Women. His mom tells him something good might happen because there are blessings from obeying parents. At the hike he finds that his friend Noah is there and they have a blast playing in puddles together.
Friend August 2016 “Micah Obeys” Micah learns that he can help his family be happy when he obeys.
Read Ephesians 6:1 to the class, or help one of the children read it. Help them think of times when they obeyed their parents. Ask them to share how they were blessed for obeying and how they felt when they obeyed. Why is it important to obey our parents?(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Ephesians” )
Friend August 2017 “The Rocket Fiasco” Andrew’s friends convince him to try out his birthday rocket that he’s supposed to wait and do with his dad’s supervision. The rocket lands in the neighbors car and starts a fire.
Show a picture of Jesus Christ being baptized (see Gospel Art Book, no. 35), and share how the Savior obeyed Heavenly Father by being baptized (see 2 Nephi 31:6–7). Share an experience in which you obeyed your parents and were blessed. Why does Heavenly Father want us to obey our parents?(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Ephesians” )
When I was about eight years old, I learned a very valuable lesson. It was early spring in the small Utah town where I lived, and some of my eight-year-old friends and I wanted to camp outside one night. My father said, “It’s still very cold at night. You’ll be miserable, and you’ll probably get sick.”
I explained that we thought everything would be fine. My parents let me make my own choice, and my friends and I decided to go ahead with the campout. As it got late the temperature dropped and it became very cold. Instead of having a great time, we were awake and miserable most of the night and, true to my father’s prediction, a day or two later I got sick.
As I was sick at home and missing fun activities, I remembered the advice my father had given me. Every bad consequence he mentioned had happened. I remember thinking, “Wow, my dad is really smart.” I came to realize, even at that young age, that my father had more experience and wisdom than me and if I were more careful in seeking and following his counsel it would make my life happier.
Your parents love you and want to help you.
Come Follow Me for Kids “New Testament Activities: Download #36” For the Perfecting of the Saints” Help them see the blessings that come from being obedient and remind them that they’ll be happier when they are obedient. Possible scenarios: Mom asks you to eat your healthy food at dinner before you eat a cookie. How would Dad asks you to turn the TV off and do your chores. Mom asks you to kneel down for family prayer. Dad asks you to sit quietly during scripture study time. Mom asks you to share your toys with your sister. Dad asks you to stay off of a busy road near your house. Mom asks you to be kind to your neighbors. Remind them that we are “Dear children” of God (Ephesians 5:1) and encourage them to also be obedient to their Heavenly Father
Heavenly Father wants me to obey and honor my parents. (Sr)
Explain that to “honor” someone can mean to show respect for them or to bring them happiness.
Friend November 2021 “Jesus Honored His Parents” As He grew up, Jesus obeyed His earthly parents. He loved and cared for them. Even when He was dying on the cross, He asked one of His disciples to take care of His mother. He also honored His Heavenly Father by keeping the commandments.
Give each child a piece of paper with the word honor at the top. Discuss what the word means. Invite the children to write or draw on their papers something they can do to show that they honor their parents. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Ephesians” )
Explain that to “honor” someone can mean to show respect for them or to bring them happiness.
The Lord covenants to make Israel a peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation—The people sanctify themselves—The Lord appears on Sinai amid fire, smoke, and earthquakes.
The Lord reveals the Ten Commandments—Israel is to bear witness that the Lord has spoken from heaven—The children of Israel are forbidden to make gods of silver or gold—They are to make altars of unhewn stones and sacrifice to the Lord thereon.
Lesson 21: The Ten Commandments,” Primary 6: Old Testament (1996), 90–94 Explain that rules are necessary aspects of our lives. Ask the children to name some rules we should follow to be safe, to have good health, to have good relationships with others, or to have eternal life. Point out that rules bring order into our lives and are necessary for us to know how to live happily. Tell the children that in this lesson they will learn about Moses and the children of Israel receiving the Ten Commandments, which are laws given by God to help us know what to do and how to live so we can be happy.
Show pictures from “Moses on Mount Sinai” (in Old Testament Stories), and invite the children to share what they know about the story. Help them understand any parts of the story they aren’t familiar with.
As you read several of the commandments from Exodus 20:3–17 to the children (or paraphrase them in words they can understand), invite them to give you a thumbs up if the commandment is about something we should do and a thumbs down if it is about something we should not do. Share your testimony about the happiness that comes from obeying God’s commandments (see Mosiah 2:41). (Topics article “Ten Commandments” (topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).)
Lesson 21: The Ten Commandments,” Primary 6: Old Testament (1996), 90–94 To teach the children that keeping the Ten Commandments helps us be happy.
Display the chart of the Ten Commandments with a few of the words covered, and let the children take turns filling in the blanks. (Or you could make copies of this chart, with some of the words missing, for each child and let the children fill in the blanks on their own copies.) They could then take their copies home to remind them to obey the Ten Commandments.
Notice that all of the Ten Commandments fit under the two great commandments that Jesus Christ gave in Matthew 22:37–40: to love God and to love our neighbors. Write Love God and Love Neighbors on the chalkboard. Let the children take turns reading each commandment from Exodus 20:3–17 or from the chart. Have them write on the chalkboard a few key words from each commandment under the appropriate heading. Discuss specific ways to live these commandments, and challenge the children to choose one specific way to show love for God and to show love for their neighbors this week.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18-20” Think of a meaningful way to discuss the Ten Commandments as a family. For instance, you might write the commandments in Exodus 20:3–17 on ten strips of paper. Family members could then sort them into two categories: (1) honoring God and (2) loving others (see also Matthew 22:36–40). Consider choosing a commandment or two each day this week and discussing it together in more detail. For example, how does obeying this commandment strengthen our family? How did the Savior obey it?
Read the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17). God gave these laws to the Israelites to help them grow spiritually and live better lives. The commandments are also found in the Book of Mormon (see Mosiah 13:11–24) and in the Doctrine and Covenants (see 42:18–29; 59). How can the commandments help us today?
List each of the Ten Commandments on separate pieces of paper.
Have the family sit in a circle and place the commandments in the center.
Have each person read a commandment and say how it fits in one of the following groups:
Commandments 1–4 teach us about loving God.
Commandments 5–10 teach us about our relationships and interactions with others.
Many of the commandments tell us what not to do. Have each family member think of a positive action for each commandment.
Discussion: Think of ways the Ten Commandments have influenced your life and the culture you live in. What can we do to remember the commandments and follow them?
Sing with the children a song about how Heavenly Father blesses us when we obey the commandments, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47). Invite the children to listen to the words to find out what blessings we can receive when we obey.
Prepare strips of paper with the commandments in Exodus 20:3–17 on them. Write the numbers one through ten on the board, and invite the children to put the strips in the correct order on the board. Talk about how we can follow these commandments. For ideas, they could look at the Gospel Topics article “Ten Commandments” (topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Tell the story about Chloe from Sister Carole M. Stephens’s message “If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 118–20). How does the story help us understand why the Lord gives us commandments? How does being obedient show our love for God?
“Lesson 21: The Ten Commandments,” Primary 6: Old Testament How did Moses react when he saw what the people had done? (Exodus 32:19.) Why did he break the tablets of stone? (He couldn’t share such sacred things with people who were not ready to receive them.) What did the Lord have Moses do after Moses broke the first set of tablets? (Exodus 34:1, 28.) Note: The Joseph Smith Translation of Deuteronomy 10:2 explains that these later tablets had the Ten Commandments written on them, but they no longer contained the “words of the everlasting covenant of the holy priesthood.” Because of their wickedness, the children of Israel lost the opportunity to have the higher spiritual laws.
When Moses came down from the mountain, he brought the law written on stone tables. After finding that the Israelites had broken their covenant, Moses broke the tables (see Exodus 31:18; 32:19). Later, God commanded Moses to make another set of stone tables and take them back to the mountain (see Exodus 34:1–4). Joseph Smith Translation, Exodus 34:1–2 (in the Bible appendix) clarifies that the first set of stone tables included the ordinances of God’s “holy order,” or the Melchizedek Priesthood. The second set included “the law of a carnal commandment.” This was a lesser law administered by the “lesser priesthood” (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:17–27), which was meant to prepare the Israelites for the higher law and higher priesthood so they could more fully enter into God’s presence.
King Noah’s priests knew the commandments but did not have them “written in [their] hearts” (Mosiah 13:11). How will you help your children know the commandments and love them? Maybe they could write the commandments from Mosiah 12:33–36 and 13:11–24 on heart-shaped pieces of paper. As they do, talk with them about what these commandments mean and how to follow them. How do we write these commandments in our hearts?
You could also sing together a song about commandments, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47). What blessings come from keeping the commandments?
Friend May 2020 “My Family Night Fun” Print or draw some road signs that help you stay safe, like stop signs, speed limits, and other warnings. Take turns holding up the signs and having people follow them in pretend cars! What would driving be like without those signs?
Abinadi taught about the Ten Commandments (see Mosiah 13:12–24). How does following the commandments keep you safe and happy?
King Noah’s priests knew the commandments but did not follow them.
Show a picture of Moses with the Ten Commandments and briefly explain how Moses received the commandments from God (see Exodus 19–20).Then show a picture of Abinadi (see this week’s outline. Abinadi reminded King Noah and his priests about the Ten Commandments.
Give the children heart-shaped pieces of paper, and invite them to write one or more of the Ten Commandments on their hearts (see Mosiah 13:11)—perhaps one they feel they should try harder to obey. Assign each child to read one of the commandments in Mosiah 12:35 and 13:11–24. Help the children think of creative ways to help each other remember each commandment (such as a rhyming phrase, an action, or an acronym). The song “The Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 112–13) can also help.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 1-2” Would it help your children to compare God’s commandments to shoes, hats, gloves, or other things that protect us? Maybe you could let them try on some as you talk about how the commandments protect us. Then you could read 2 Nephi 1:20, emphasizing that we “prosper” (are blessed or protected) as we keep the commandments. Share an experience when you were blessed or protected by following the commandments.
He tells us not to smoke or use drugs so our bodies can stay healthy.
He tells us to be honest so others can trust us.
He tells us to keep the Sabbath day holy so we can keep our spirits strong and rest our bodies and minds.
When you think about it, every commandment is like a love letter from our Heavenly Father. Each one says, “I love you. I want you to be safe and happy. And I want you to come back to Me.”
Friend February 2024 “Bug Bites and Blessings” Carlos wish he had listened to his mother and put sunscreen and bug spray on when he went for a hike. Now his skin hurt all over with bug bites and sunburn. His mother said, “I think that’s how a lot of Heavenly Father’s children feel when they disobey Him. They wish they’d listened to Him. And He hurts for His children when they’re in pain.”
Friend February 2024 “How to Be Happy” President Dallin H. Oaks “The prophet Lehi taught that “men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). Heavenly Father created us to have joy. He wants us to return to Him. He wants us to be happy in this life. How do we seek happiness or joy? King Benjamin invited his people to “consider the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things” (Mosiah 2:41). Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, love you. Their plan for us is the “great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8). That plan and Their commandments lead us to the greatest happiness and joy. I urge each of you to seek the joy that comes from keeping the commandments of God.”
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 1-2” To illustrate the difference between prospering and being cut off from God (see 2 Nephi 1:20), you and your children could look at a healthy plant and a leaf or branch that has been cut off from the plant. Then your children could review choices that Nephi and his brothers made (see 1 Nephi 2:11–16; 3:5–7; 18:9–11). What were the results of these choices? What choices help us stay connected to God?
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 What is the difference between a leaf that is on the plant and one that has been cut off? How are we like the leaf on the plant when we obey God’s commandments?
Liahona June 2021[God] is the Father of our spirits. He loves each of His children perfectly. God is perfect, has all power, and knows everything. He is just, merciful, and kind. We lived as spirits with God before we were born. He sent us to earth to learn and grow. God’s greatest desire is for each of His children to return to live with Him again after we die. God teaches us that we must follow Jesus Christ to return to God’s presence.
Help the children role-play how they could respond to people who think God’s commandments are “foolish”—such as the commandment to have faith in the Savior, keep the Word of Wisdom, or obey the law of tithing. For example, they could testify of the blessings that come from living these teachings.(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 1–7” )
Friend August 2023 “Trouble at the Park” Hunter’s friends started saying bad words at the park. They wanted him to say one too. He told them he doesn’t say those words. His friends said that one word won’t hurt. He decides to play somewhere else in the park.
Friend November 2018 “Finders Keepers?” Mike finds some money on the school grounds and takes it to the office even though his friends think they should keep it and spend it.
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “1 Corinthians 1–4” Many who lived in Corinth valued worldly wisdom. The message of a crucified Messiah didn’t make sense to many Jews and Gentiles. In the Roman world, the punishment of crucifixion symbolized shame and defeat. The idea of someone willingly suffering for others was “foolishness” to the Greeks ( 1 Corinthians 1:23). For the Jews, a Messiah who died on a cross was a “stumbling block” ( 1 Corinthians 1:23) because they expected the Messiah to conquer their enemies.
Friend January 2018 “What’s on Your Mind?” An explanation for why it matters that we keep the commandments. For example: How would it feel flying with a pilot who didn’t follow the rules of aviation? What about riding on a bus with a driver who didn’t stop at red lights? The commandments help keep us safe.
Friend May 2020 “My Family Night Fun” Print or draw some road signs that help you stay safe, like stop signs, speed limits, and other warnings. Take turns holding up the signs and having people follow them in pretend cars! What would driving be like without those signs?
Abinadi taught about the Ten Commandments (see Mosiah 13:12–24). How does following the commandments keep you safe and happy?
Friend May 2022 “Keeping Rufus Safe” Estelle accidentally broke some plates. Estelle tries to prevent Rufus, her dog, him from walking on the broken pieces and cutting his paws. He doesn’t listen at first when she tells him to stop. She realizes that commandments Heavenly Father gives are meant to help keep us safe too.
As they grow, children may wonder why God gives us so many commandments. You can help the children understand that He gives us commandments to bless us.
Help the children think of commandments that God has given us (see, for example, Exodus 20:4–17; Matthew 22:37–39; Doctrine and Covenants 89:5–17). Draw pictures on the board to help the children understand and remember these commandments. Give examples of how God’s commandments can bless and protect us.
Read to the children, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say” (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). Ask the children to repeat this phrase several times with you, and think of ways to help them remember it, such as inviting them to clap to the rhythm of the phrase. Testify that when we obey God’s commandments, He keeps His promises to us.
Invite the children to imagine they have a friend who thinks that God has given too many commandments. Ask them to search Doctrine and Covenants 82:8–10 for something that would help their friend understand why God gives commandments. Share how God’s commandments have blessed you, and invite the children to share their thoughts as well.
To help the children understand Heavenly Father’s promises to us, divide the class into three groups, and give each group one of the following scriptures to read: Doctrine and Covenants 1:37–38; 82:10; 130:20–21. Invite them to share what they learn about Heavenly Father’s promises. How does our obedience affect the blessings we can receive? Help the children think of examples from their lives or from the scriptures when obedience brought blessings from God.
Share a personal experience that testifies of the principles taught in Doctrine and Covenants 82:8–10. How have you come to trust in the Lord and His promises?
Perhaps a simple game would help your family feel thankful for God’s commandments. One family member could give instructions to help a blindfolded family member make a sandwich or go through an obstacle course. Think of something fun and creative! Then discuss how God’s commandments are like the instructions in this game
“Why is Being Obedient So Important” (April 2015 Liahona and Friend) Learn about Elder Russell M. Nelson and why he believes it’s important to be Obedient.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Mosiah 11-17” Invite the children to count to 10. Or give them 10 numbered pieces of paper and let them put the papers in order. Explain that Heavenly Father gave us Ten Commandments to help us return to live with Him. Help the children recite with you some of the Ten Commandments from Mosiah 12:33–36 and 13:11–24.
Show a picture of Moses with the Ten Commandments and briefly explain how Moses received the commandments from God (see Exodus 19–20). Abinadi reminded King Noah and his priests about the Ten Commandments.
Give the children heart-shaped pieces of paper, and invite them to write one or more of the Ten Commandments on their hearts (see Mosiah 13:11)—perhaps one they feel they should try harder to obey.
The parable in Doctrine and Covenants 101:43–62 was given to explain why the Lord had allowed the Saints to be driven out of Zion. As you read these verses, do you see any similarities between yourself and the servants in the parable? How might a lack of faith or commitment allow “the enemy” to have influence in my life? How can I show God that I’m “willing to be guided in a right and proper way for [my] salvation”? (see verses 63–65).
Tell the story of the rich young man in Mark 10:17–22 to the children. (See also “Chapter 42: The Rich Young Man,” in New Testament Stories, 105–6, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.) Ask them to listen for what Jesus told the young man to do and how the young man responded.
Tell one or more stories about children who ask for advice or direction from their parents but don’t follow or obey.
“Lost in a Blizzard” (January 2004 Friend) Danny asks his dad if he can ride the snow mobile over a hill during a blizzard. His father tells him he needs to stay on the road. He doesn’t listen to his father and drives over the hill and gets lost in the blizzard.
“Listen to Learn” (July 1992 Friend) Elder Russell M. Nelson tells a story about a young woman who asked her father if it was okay to go out with a young man. Her father had a bad feeling about it so he asked her not to go. She went anyway and died in an accident after the young man drank alcohol and went too fast around a corner.
What are some things Heavenly Father asks us to do? How do we feel when we obey His commandments?
Primary 4 Manual: Book of Mormon “Lesson 16” Have the children draw lines that will connect each word on the left to a word on the right to make a statement about choosing the right.
Friend October 2018 “I was trick-or-treating with friends and found $200. I told my mom about it. Later as we were walking down the street, a lady was looking for $200 that she had lost. She was so happy that we found it, and she gave me $10 for being honest. I shared $5 with my friends. I felt warm and happy because I was honest and chose the right. Leah D., age 6, Kentucky, USA“
Friend July 2018 “Show and Tell” I was playing with a friend who showed me a video. At first it was funny, but then a character said a bad word. When I hear bad words, it feels bad in my body, so I asked him if we could do something else. He said OK. I felt happy inside! Javaan F., age 9, North Carolina, USA
If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments
I show my love for God when I keep His commandments. (Jr)
Read 1 John 4:17, and explain to the children that to “have boldness in the day of judgment” means having confidence and peace when they stand before God to be judged. What does this verse teach that we need to do to have this confidence? What are some things we can do now to be confident before God? (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1-3 John; Jude”)
“Where Do You Stand?” (June 2013 Friend) Take this quiz to see how you could become more loving to others.
The Red Crystal
I show my love for Jesus Christ by keeping His commandments.
Help the children recite John 14:15. Ask them to say “If ye love me” when you hold up a paper heart. Ask them to say “Keep my commandments” when you hold up the scriptures.
Help the children think of some of Jesus’s commandments. Invite them to suggest ways they can keep each commandment. Testify that doing these things shows our love for Jesus Christ.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “John 14–17” As you read these passages in your personal study, think about the children you teach. How will they be blessed when they understand that their obedience to the Savior is a sign of their love for Him?
Invite the children to share ways Jesus showed He was obedient to Heavenly Father. Show pictures from the Savior’s life to help them (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 34–35, 56–57). Ask the children to talk about times when they obeyed Heavenly Father.
Jesus Christ gave us the perfect example of how to obey God’s laws and commandments out of pure love. After the Last Supper, He said, “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do” (John 14:31). New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “John 14:15–31; 15:10–14”
Invite a child to read John 14:15. Let the children take turns drawing pictures that represent someone keeping a commandment, while the rest of the children guess what he or she is drawing. For examples of commandments, see the For the Strength of Youth booklet (2022). How does keeping these commandments show the Savior that we love Him?
Moses proclaims, The Lord our God is one Lord, and, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God—The children of Israel are commanded to teach their children—Moses exhorts them to keep the commandments, testimonies, and statutes of the Lord that they may prosper.
Draw on the board a heart, an outline of a body, and a strong arm. Read Deuteronomy 6:5, and point to the pictures as you read the words “heart,” “soul,” and “might.” Invite the children to take turns pointing to the pictures as the class repeats the scripture passage with you.
Sing a song that teaches about God’s love, such as “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228–29). Help the children find words in the song that show that Heavenly Father loves us. Help them think of ways we can show Him we love Him too.
Jesus Christ taught: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
To love God with all of our hearts, we use our time, energy, talents and resources to keep His commandments.
Book of Mormon Central “What Does It Mean to Love God with “All Thy Mind”?” In a world that is constantly competing for our attention, we are asked by God to choose Him by giving of our entire mind—our will, intelligence, talents, gratitude, trust, humility, and loyalty—to Him. God loves us perfectly, and our eternal welfare is at the top of His agenda.19 If we are His priority, why shouldn’t He also be ours?
Several times in section 104, the Lord promises “a multiplicity of blessings” to those who faithfully obey His commandments. How will you help the children feel that He wants to bless us generously?
Invite the children to do an action, like wiggling their fingers, each time they hear the word “blessings” as you read Doctrine and Covenants 104:42. Tell the children how Heavenly Father has blessed you for keeping His commandments. Ask the children to share how He has blessed them. Invite each child to share a commandment they can obey.
To help the children understand what “multiplicity” means, draw a circle on the board or a piece of paper. Ask the children to help you multiply the number of circles—drawing two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, and so on—until the entire board or paper is full of circles. Each time you add circles, help the children think of a blessing Heavenly Father has given them. Explain that “a multiplicity of blessings” means the Lord will fill our lives with blessings if we obey His commandments.
“Happiness and Obedience” (August 2020 Liahona and Friend) President Russell M. Nelson shares some blessings we receive when we try to keep all the commandments.
Friend February 2015 “The Blessing Quest” Nathan wants to ride bikes with his friends instead of going to church, but he learns that commandments are meant to help us be happy. He goes to church and is blessed.
Families, cities, and countries have rules to keep people safe. Heavenly Father gives us rules, or commandments, too. Talk about some of these rules and commandments and why it’s important to follow them, even if it’s hard sometimes. Help your little ones say, “I can obey the commandments.”
Have one person say “Jesus said” and then tell something Jesus has asked us to do. Then do an action that goes with the words. For example, if the person says, “Jesus said to love everyone,” you could make a heart with your hands. If the person says, “Jesus said to pray,” you could fold your arms. Take turns telling what Jesus said.
One of God’s most repeated promises in the Book of Mormon is that if the Nephites kept the commandments, they would prosper.
Read Jarom 1:7-9 to see some of the ways the Nephites prospered in the land and were blessed.
Read Jarom 1:5, 10-12 and have the family make a list of what the Nephites did that enabled them to be blessed and prosper.
What do you learn from these accounts that can help you “prosper in the land”?
Read to the children Isaiah 48:18. Invite them to move their hands and arms like a river and waves. Talk about how keeping God’s commandments has helped you feel peaceful like a river or strong like a wave.
Draw a river on the board. Help the children think of commandments God has given us. Write those commandments on pieces of paper (or draw simple pictures of them), and let the children take turns attaching the commandments to the river on the board. Help the children learn how keeping the commandments brings peace.
Red Crystal has some good activity ideas for this part of the lesson.
Sing together a song about commandments, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47). What does this song teach about why we should keep God’s commandments?
Story: Isaiah taught that if we keep the commandments, we will have peace like a river and “righteousness as the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18).
Song: “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47)
Activity: Make your own “waves of the sea”! Fill an empty bottle or jar halfway with water and turn it blue with food coloring. Fill the rest with oil. Put the cap on tightly. Then gently tilt the bottle back and forth to watch the waves! How does keeping the commandments help you feel peace?
Share a simple comparison with the children that shows how important it is to follow instructions; for example, talk with them about the steps we must follow to prepare food or play a game or build something. What happens when we don’t follow the instructions? (Maybe you have a personal experience you can share.) Read Doctrine and Covenants 130:21, and compare these instructions to the commandments we must follow to receive blessings from Heavenly Father.
Ask the children if they can think of a time when they obeyed one of God’s commandments. How did they feel? Sing together a song about obedience, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47), and identify blessings of obedience mentioned in the song. Discuss some of the things God has commanded us to do. How does God bless us when we keep those commandments?
Sing a song about obedience, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47), and invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 130:20–21and 132:5. Help them find words and ideas in the verses that are similar to those in the song. How do we receive blessings from God? Ask the children to share how they have been blessed for obeying God’s laws.
Read together Doctrine and Covenants 132:21–23, and invite the children to draw pictures to represent what they learn from these verses. Encourage them to be creative, and suggest that they include in their drawings the laws or commandments that help us stay on the narrow way to eternal life.
Friend March 1997 “My Choices Have Consequences” Turn the top disk to see a commandment from Heavenly Father. Read the scripture in the other window to find out what blessings are promised to those who keep that commandment. (Link page includes additional lesson ideas.)
You could sing a song about gratitude, such as “Count Your Blessings” (Hymns, no. 241), and make a list of the blessings your family has received for obeying God’s laws. What blessings do we hope to receive? How can we receive those blessings?
The “mysteries of [God’s] kingdom” are available only to those who keep God’s commandments. This is why they are mysteries to many people. This principle will help the children as they seek truth.
Write on the board If I keep the commandments, then, and ask the children to write on the board different ways to finish the sentence. Ask them to read Doctrine and Covenants 63:23 and find something they can add to their list. Show the children a glass of water, and ask them how the truths of the gospel are like water to us. (As water is essential to sustain physical life, the Savior and His teachings (living water) are essential for eternal life. Guide to the Scriptures)
A mystery is something people don’t understand. He gives us commandments and scriptures to show us how to gain eternal life and bring salvation to our souls.
Explain that the Holy Ghost will also teach us and guide us, but to receive his help we must do things that will invite him to continue to be with us. Make two columns on the chalkboard. Label one Invites the Spirit and the other Offends the Spirit. Help the children understand that the Spirit (the Holy Ghost) is very important in our lives. Explain that good things invite the Spirit into our lives while bad things offend the Spirit and cause him to leave (see Moroni 7:12–13). Ask the children to think of actions to list in each column, such as listening to good music and being kind under Invites the Spirit and quarreling and being dishonest under Offends the Spirit. Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 7: Joseph Smith Translates the Gold Plates,”
Write Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 on a piece of paper, leaving blanks where the word “disciple” should be. Ask the children to fill in the blanks, looking in Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 if they need help. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? A disciple is someone who receives God’s law and obeys it. Share how you are striving to be a better disciple of Christ.
After discussing Doctrine and Covenants 41:5, ask the children to think of laws we have received from the Lord. Invite them to take turns acting out obeying one of those laws while the rest of the class tries to guess what it is.
Give each class member a strip of paper, and ask them to write on it one way they can be a better disciple. Invite each child to share what they wrote, and then tape the strips together to create a paper chain.
As the Church grew and members gathered in Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith what He called His “law” and commanded the Saints to “hearken and hear and obey” it. How can you help the children understand that we are blessed when we are obedient? (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 41–44”)
Read Doctrine and Covenants 42:2, emphasizing the word “obey.” Give the children a few simple scenarios in which a child chooses to obey or disobey a law or rule. Ask the children to listen carefully and smile if the person in the story obeys and frown if the person disobeys. Share blessings you have received when you have obeyed God’s laws.
Play a game by giving the children a rule to follow. For instance, you could tell them that they must raise their hands and be called on to answer questions. Then let them practice obeying by asking them questions and calling on those who raise their hands. What laws has God given us?
Complete the activity page with the children, or sing a song about obeying God’s laws, such as “I Want to Live the Gospel” (Children’s Songbook, 148). Tell the children how obeying God’s laws has brought you happiness.
Friend January 2018 “What’s on Your Mind?” An explanation for why it matters that we keep the commandments. For example: How would it feel flying with a pilot who didn’t follow the rules of aviation? What about riding on a bus with a driver who didn’t stop at red lights? The commandments help keep us safe.
Song Idea
Sing together a song about commandments, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47). Why do we keep the commandments?
This verse explains that John ate a book that represented his mission to gather Israel. What does the symbolism of eating suggest about how we should approach our role in gathering Israel or doing other things the Lord wants us to do? Here are some other scriptures in which eating is used to teach a spiritual truth: John 6:48–51; 2 Nephi 32:3; Moroni 4. Perhaps you could make a favorite family dish to eat together during this discussion.
I Can Obey the Lord’s Commandments Even When I Don’t Understand the Reasons for Them.
Read together Doctrine and Covenants 105:13–14, and explain that when Zion’s Camp reached Missouri, the Lord told them to not try to take back the Saints’ land. Some members of the camp were upset and wondered why they’d been commanded to go there. What should we do when we don’t understand the reasons for a commandment? Share some accounts from “Voices of the Restoration: Zion’s Camp” (in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families) to help the children see that blessings come when we obey the commandments God gives us through His prophets, even if we don’t understand all the reasons.
The Saints in Kirtland were heartbroken to hear that their brothers and sisters in Jackson County, Missouri, were being driven from their homes. It must have been encouraging, then, when the Lord declared that “the redemption of Zion” would “come by power” (Doctrine and Covenants 103:15). With that promise in their hearts, over 200 men, plus about 25 women and children, enlisted in what they called the Camp of Israel, later known as Zion’s Camp. Its mission was to march to Missouri and redeem Zion.
To the members of the camp, redeeming Zion meant restoring the Saints to their land. But just before the camp arrived in Jackson County, the Lord told Joseph Smith to stop and disband Zion’s Camp. Some members of the camp were confused and upset by this new instruction; to them, it meant the expedition failed and the Lord’s promises were not fulfilled. Others, however, saw it differently. While the exiled Saints never returned to Jackson County, the experience did bring a degree of “redemption” to Zion, and it did “come by power.” Faithful members of Zion’s Camp, many of whom later became leaders of the Church, testified that the experience deepened their faith in God’s power, in Joseph Smith’s divine call, and in Zion—not just Zion the place but Zion the people of God. Rather than questioning the value of this seemingly unsuccessful task, they learned that the real task is to follow the Savior, even when we don’t understand everything. This is how Zion, ultimately, will be redeemed.
Help the children memorize the phrase “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42) and discuss what it means. What can we do to obey Heavenly Father’s will?
Help the children identify some reasons it is sometimes hard to do what Heavenly Father wants. What blessings have we received by being obedient to Heavenly Father, even when it was hard?
Friend September 2018 “Just Like Grandpa” William’s dad received a calling to preside over the sign language branch. William is sad he will have to leave his friends, but his mom helps him by telling him a story about his great grandfather Turner who sacrificed to obey the Lord.
For the Strength of Youth July 2022 “The Choice” Ben forgot to write a book report that was due the next day. He has to make a choice whether he will follow God or cheat and copy a book report from the internet.
What blessings have we received by being obedient to Heavenly Father, even when it was hard?
Liahona February 2023 “Life Isn’t Fair–and That’s OK” But there are certain blessings we can expect as we keep the commandments. We are promised to always have the Spirit to be with us (see Moroni 4:3). And as we turn to the Lord in faith, we will be given strength to face the trials that inevitably come.2
We are promised true joy and peace (the kind that is not determined by our circumstances).3 And we are also promised the greatest gift of all—eternal life. As Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “Your faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will be rewarded more than you can imagine.”4
“… Because of Him, we can have peace in this world and be of good cheer. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate unfairness for our gain [see 2 Nephi 2:2]. He will not just console us and restore what was lost [see Job 42:10, 12–13; Jacob 3:1]; He will use the unfairness for our benefit.”6
“Happiness and Obedience” (August 2020 Liahona and Friend) President Russell M. Nelson shares some blessings we receive when we try to keep all the commandments.
Ask the children if they can think of a time when they obeyed one of God’s commandments. How did they feel? Sing together a song about obedience, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47), and identify blessings of obedience mentioned in the song. Discuss some of the things God has commanded us to do. How does God bless us when we keep those commandments?
Friend February 2018 “Back on the Trail” Danilo doesn’t listen to his aunt about which trail to follow and he gets stuck. (Story also provides lesson questions.)
Friend February 2015 “The Blessing Quest” Nathan wants to ride bikes with his friends instead of going to church, but he learns that commandments are meant to help us be happy. He goes to church and is blessed.
Seatbelt of Love Sister Carole M. Stephens While Sister Carole M. Stephens was driving with her granddaughter, Chloe kept getting out of her seat. She didn’t want to wear a seatbelt! Sister Stephens said she wanted Chloe to wear a seatbelt because she loved her and wanted her to be safe. This time, Chloe stayed in her seat. This is like commandments. Sometimes it may feel like they are holding us back, but God gives them to us because He loves us and wants us to be safe.
Shark Barrier Elder Von G. Keetch Once Elder Von G. Keetch visited a beach in Australia. He saw a group of surfers who had traveled there to surf. They were mad because a big net in the water kept them from getting to the biggest waves. After hearing them complain, another surfer showed them why the net was there—it kept the sharks out! God’s standards, like the barrier, protect us from spiritual dangers and help us feel peace and happiness.
Describe things that stand out from their surroundings, or show pictures of such things. For example, a temple stands out from the buildings around it or a mountain rises above a valley. Explain that when we keep the commandments, we stand out and other people can see our examples. Talk about some “good works” that you have seen the children do. Explain that good works like these “glorify God”—they help others feel more love for God and desire to serve Him. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 and 2 Peter”)
Alma’s counsel to Corianton can help your children understand the importance of being a good example. Consider reading together Alma 39:1. How was Corianton’s brother Shiblon a good example? Your children could find additional answers to this question in Alma 38:2–4.
You could also play a game in which you and your children take turns following or imitating each other. Use this game to illustrate how our actions could help others make good choices.
Sing the song “Do as I’m Doing” (Children’s Songbook, 276). Let each child have a turn being the leader or example. Ask the children how they can be a good example to someone.
Sing together “I Am like a Star” (Children’s Songbook, 163), and help your children think of ways they can be a good example.
Bring a flashlight or a picture of the sun, and compare light to the power of a righteous example. Just as the light from a flashlight or the sun can help us see a path we need to follow, a righteous example shows us what to do in order to follow Heavenly Father. Share an experience when someone’s good example helped you. Ask the children to talk about someone who is a good example for them. What can the children do to be a good example to others?
Show pictures of Jesus doing good things, and explain that He is our perfect example. Explain that we can be good examples, like Jesus was. Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves being good examples.
The videos “Shine Your Light So Others May See” and “Lessons I Learned as a Boy” can help your children discuss how their example can lead people to Christ.
Ask the children how the older boy was a good example.
Following righteous counsel and examples
Who were Corianton’s righteous examples? His father and older brothers. Alma told Corianton to counsel with his brothers. (Alma 39:10)
How can counseling with righteous family members help strengthen our resistance to temptation? They love us and want what is best for us, and being experienced in righteous living, they can help give advice on how to avoid temptation and difficulty.
Not only can we receive direction from righteous family members, but there may be other people around us who are also righteous examples.
From what other sources can you receive righteous counsel and examples?
Object Lesson: Fill two paper bags, one filled with garbage and the other filled with desirable items such as treats or little party favor toys. Show the children the two bags or boxes, and explain that one has something undesirable in it and the other has something desirable in it. Show one of the children what is in the bags. Tell the other children that they can ask the child yes or no questions about the items (with the exception of directly asking which is the good or bad container) until they can decide which is the good choice.
Ask the children if it helped to talk to someone who was informed about which was the bad choice and which was the good choice. Point out that it also helps to counsel with those who are experienced in righteous living in order to get help and direction in making good choices in life.
Explain that Alma’s son Corianton committed a serious sin while he should have been preaching the gospel. Read the last half of Alma 39:11 with the children, and ask them to listen for how Corianton’s sin affected the Zoramites. Help the children think of people who may be influenced by their actions. How can they be good examples for these people?
Being a good example of a disciple of Jesus Christ
Have members of your family ever asked someone to write a letter of recommendation for them, such as for a job or school application? Ask them to talk about this experience. Paul taught that the lives of the Saints were like letters of recommendation for the gospel of Jesus Christ, “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.” As you read 2 Corinthians 3:1–3 together, discuss how our examples are like letters that can be “known and read of all men,” demonstrating the truth and worth of the gospel. Perhaps each family member could write a letter or “epistle” explaining how another family member has been a good example of a disciple of Jesus Christ. They could read their letters to the family and give them to the family member they wrote about. Why is it important to understand that our lives are “epistle[s] of Christ”? (Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “2 Corinthians 1-7)
Following Good Examples Help Us Avoid Temptation
To avoid temptation we must follow righteous counsel and examples.
Following righteous counsel and examples
Who were Corianton’s righteous examples? His father and older brothers. Alma told Corianton to counsel with his brothers. (Alma 39:10)
How can counseling with righteous family members help strengthen our resistance to temptation? They love us and want what is best for us, and being experienced in righteous living, they can help give advice on how to avoid temptation and difficulty.
Not only can we receive direction from righteous family members, but there may be other people around us who are also righteous examples.
From what other sources can you receive righteous counsel and examples?
Object Lesson: Fill two paper bags, one filled with garbage and the other filled with desirable items such as treats or little party favor toys. Show the children the two bags or boxes, and explain that one has something undesirable in it and the other has something desirable in it. Show one of the children what is in the bags. Tell the other children that they can ask the child yes or no questions about the items (with the exception of directly asking which is the good or bad container) until they can decide which is the good choice.
Ask the children if it helped to talk to someone who was informed about which was the bad choice and which was the good choice. Point out that it also helps to counsel with those who are experienced in righteous living in order to get help and direction in making good choices in life.
Explain that Alma’s son Corianton committed a serious sin while he should have been preaching the gospel. Read the last half of Alma 39:11 with the children, and ask them to listen for how Corianton’s sin affected the Zoramites. Help the children think of people who may be influenced by their actions. How can they be good examples for these people?
Matthew 5:19 aWhosoever therefore shall bbreak one of these least commandments, and shall cteach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and dteachthem, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Sing together a song that encourages the children to shine like a light, such as “Shine On” or “I Am like a Star” (Children’s Songbook, 144, 163). Tell the children about the light you see in them when they do “good works,” and explain how their light and examples help others and inspire you to do good works too.
Friend November 2020 “Bright Idea” Let your light shine by doing good in the world! (Ask the children to tell you some ways they could do good in the world.)
Section 86 describes the important work the Lord wants His servants to do in the latter days. One way children can help with this work is by being a light to people around them.
Read to the children the following phrase from Doctrine and Covenants 86:11: “Blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles [or people who don’t have the gospel].” How does light bless us? What is it like when we have no light? How can we be a light to other people who don’t know about the gospel? Help the children think of ways we can share Jesus’s goodness with others.
Ask the children to imagine that a friend is trying to walk in the dark (turn off the lights if it helps). Why is it hard to walk in the dark? What can we do to help our friend? Explain that when we follow the Savior, it’s like shining a light to show others the way to go.
Sing “I Am like a Star” (Children’s Songbook, 163).
Jesus said we should be a “light” unto others (Doctrine and Covenants 86:11). That means we should be good examples to everyone.
Draw a candle on a piece of paper and color the flame on the top. Cut it out and attach it to your shirt or hang it around your neck with some string, like a necklace. With your family, talk about what you can do to be a good example.
Friend October 1999 “Let Your Light Shine” Fold in half on the vertical straight line, and glue the backs together. When the glue is dry, cut out the puzzle pieces on the heavy lines and put them into a small container. Have a family member take a puzzle piece from the container and pantomime (act out without using words or noises) what is shown on the small-picture side of it that we can do to share the gospel. Let others guess what it is, then show the picture and post the puzzle piece, candle-side up. Repeat till the puzzle is finished. Remember, each good thing we do helps our light shine.
Friend November 2015 “Be a Shing Light” Ways we can become examples so our lights will shine.
Friend April 2017 “Be a Light” Color in the sun as you figure out someone to be an example to by doing certain things for them such as loving, forgiving, encouraging, etc.
Invite the children to close their eyes as you read Isaiah 60:1–3. Ask them to open their eyes when they hear the word “light” and close them when they hear the word “darkness.” Explain that Jesus Christ and His gospel are like a light that helps us see our way back to Heavenly Father.
Give each child a picture of a light (such as a sun, a candle, or a light bulb). Help them think of ways they can share the Savior’s light with others. As each idea is shared, invite them to “arise” and “shine” their light by holding up their picture. Tell the children about ways you have seen them sharing the Savior’s light.
Friend November 2015 “Be a Shining Light” Ways we can become examples so our lights will shine.
Sing together a song about sharing light, such as “Shine On” (Children’s Songbook, 144). Help the children notice words in the song that reinforce what they learn from Isaiah 60:1–3.
Show the children several items that give light, and show a picture of children. Read Matthew 5:14–16, and tell the children that their good examples can be like a light for others to see. How can we use our light to bring others to God?
Shine a flashlight around the room, and invite the children to follow the light with their eyes. Use the light to lead their eyes to a picture of the Savior. How does light help us? How can we be a light to the world? Cover the flashlight. What happens if we don’t share our light or if we hide it?
Friend April 2018 “A High-Five Example”Students in a special needs class we’re trying to give Lily’s classmates high fives as they walked by, but nobody did it until Lily gave them all high fives then everyone behind her did it.
Hide a flashlight in the room, and turn off the lights. Let the children try to find it. Review Matthew 5:15, and talk about why we shouldn’t hide our light.
Help the children find and color the hidden candles in this week’s activity page.
To help your family understand what it means to be “the light of the world,” you could explore some of the sources of light in your home, your neighborhood, and the world. It might be helpful to show what happens when you hide a light. What did Jesus mean when He said, “Ye are the light of the world”? (Matthew 5:14). Who has been like a light for our family? How can we be a light to others? (see 3 Nephi 18:16, 24–25).
Help the children memorize Matthew 5:16. Write the verse on the board. Read it together several times, erasing a few words each time. (Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.)
Invite the children to draw things they can do to be a light to others.
Friend November 2015 “Be a Shining Light” Ways we can become examples so our lights will shine.
Friend April 2017 “Be a Light” Color in the sun as you figure out someone to do certain things for as a true friend such as loving, forgiving, encouraging, etc.
Talk about how being a light to others helps us fulfill our baptismal covenants (see Mosiah 18:8–10).
When we are baptized we promise to follow Jesus and keep the commandments. When we do these things we are being a light (an example) for others to follow.
Sing a song about sharing light with others, such as “Shine On” (Children’s Songbook, 144). How can we share the Savior’s light?
Ask the children to draw things that give us light. Read Matthew 5:14–16. Ask them why Jesus wants us to be a light to the world.
Jesus is the light of the world. He shows us the way to happiness and eternal life. Because of his great love for all people, Jesus wants us to be a light to others to help them gain happiness in this life and eternal happiness.
Invite two children to face each other, and ask one to try to make the other smile without touching him or her. Talk about the power the children have to bring happiness to others.
Your example of doing good things can help others see the way to lasting happiness.
When we live the gospel, we treat each other with love and kindness, and as a result we enjoy greater peace and happiness in our lives.
Print and cutout the words and faces . Show the children the words. Have them put the words they associate with happiness under the smiley face and words they associate with unhappiness under the sad face. Explain that after Jesus visited the Nephites, they lived his teachings and lived in happiness. According to 4 Nephi 1:16 there never was a happier people.
Fairness/Every man did deal justly one with another.
Sharing/They had all things common among them. (There were no poor.)What does it mean that the people had “all things common among them”? Each person gave the extra he produced (crops, flocks, etc), and this extra was used for those who were in need of help.
Healing/All manner of miracles did they work. (Read 4 Nephi 1:5) The miracles included healing the lame, the blind, the deaf, and raising the dead.)
Peace/There were no contentions, strifes, or tumults in the land. (Meaning there was no fighting, arguing, riots, or war.)
Charity/The love of God … did dwell in the hearts of the people.
Goodwill/There were no envyings. (There was no jealousy. There was only gladness that others were blessed.)
Honesty/There were no … lyings.
Safety/There were no robbers or murderers.
Virtue/There were no whoredoms nor any manner of lasciviousness (crude behavior). (The people were chaste and clean.)
Unity/ There were no divisions of race or class. (There was no manner of “ites.” The people were no longer divided into Nephites and Lamanites but were united.)
After nearly 200 years sin slowly started creeping into the land again. As the people let wickedness into their lives, it spread
The choices they made resulted in misery and unhappiness for many people. The words under the sad face is what occurred.
If we are good examples to the people that are around us we can help people gain happiness in this life and in the life to come.
How can you encourage the children you teach to share the light of the gospel with those around them?
Read Doctrine and Covenants 103:9 to the children, and invite them to hold pictures of a light bulb, candle, or other source of light. Ask them to show their picture to someone else in the class. Tell the children how they are like a light to others when they follow Jesus Christ.
Sing a song with the children about being an example, such as “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” or “I Am like a Star” (Children’s Songbook, 60–61, 163). Help them think of actions to go with the words. How can we be a light, or good example, to people around us?
Let Your Light Shine
Friend January 2018 “Let Your Light Shine” President Monson discusses being a light to the world by following Jesus’s example. Activities: Trace this star, or draw your own, and write how you are shining brightly by being a good example or helping others. Also, color a star as you read each scripture about Jesus Christ’s example.
Friend November 2015 “Be a Shing Light” Ways we can become examples so our lights will shine.
Friend August 2016 Being modest in how we speak, act, and dress is a great way to shine a light for others to follow. Color in the flashlights by the ones you are already doing. Which ones do you want to work on?
Friend December 2018 “Family Night Fun” Make a cup lantern by making holes all around it and then putting a glow stick or battery candle inside. Use as an example of being a light to the world.
Friend April 2017 “Be a Light” Color in the sun as you figure out someone to be an example to by doing certain things for them such as loving, forgiving, encouraging, etc.
A standard is something established by authority… as a model or example
41 For, behold, I say unto you that Zion shall flourish, and the glory of the Lord shall be upon her; 42 And she shall be an ensign unto the people, and there shall come unto her out of every nation under heaven.
Bring a flashlight or a picture of the sun, and compare light to the power of a righteous example. Just as the light from a flashlight or the sun can help us see a path we need to follow, a righteous example shows us what to do in order to follow Heavenly Father. What can the children do to be a good example to others? Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 39-42”
Friend April 2018 “A High-Five Example”Students in a special needs class we’re trying to give Lily’s classmates high fives as they walked by, but nobody did it until Lily gave them all high fives then everyone behind her did it.
Friend April 2018 “A High-Five Example”Students in a special needs class we’re trying to give Lily’s classmates high fives as they walked by, but nobody did it until Lily gave them all high fives then everyone behind her did it.
“A Brother’s Example” (December 2005 Friend) Elder Gene R. Cook tells about the powerful influence of his older brother’s example in re-activating his entire family.
Turn the lights out, and give a flashlight to one student at a time to talk about how they were an example (or light)to someone in there lives, OR how someone is an example in their life. Then they can pass the flashlight to someone else to share. If you feel inspired you can take the last turn and share how each child in your class has been a light to you. Testify that light is from the Savior, and they are making good choices to be more like Him.
Story: You can do great things, no matter how young you are! Timothy was a young Church leader, and Paul taught him to be a good example (see 1 Timothy 4:12–16). How can you be a leader and help those around you?
Song: “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” (Children’s Songbook, 60–61)
Activity: Sit in a circle. Use your hands or sticks to tap out rhythms on the ground. One person taps a short rhythm, and all the others copy. Take turns being the leader. After your turn, tell about a time when you were a good example to others.
Read together 1 Timothy 4:12, and ask the children to find six ways Paul said we can be “an example of the believers.” Divide the children into pairs, and invite each pair to think of a situation in which they can be an example of the believers. Ask them to role-play their situation for the rest of the class. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon” )
That means, we should use good clean language, say kind words, help people when they need help, listen to the Holy Ghost, keep the commandments, and keep our covenants.
Turn the lights out, and give a flashlight to one student at a time to talk about how they were an example (or light)to someone in there lives, OR how someone is an example in their life. Then they can pass the flashlight to someone else to share. If you feel inspired you can take the last turn and share how each child in your class has been a light to you. Testify that light is from the Savior, and they are making good choices to be more like Him.
Story: You can do great things, no matter how young you are! Timothy was a young Church leader, and Paul taught him to be a good example (see 1 Timothy 4:12–16). How can you be a leader and help those around you?
Song: “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” (Children’s Songbook, 60–61)
Activity: Sit in a circle. Use your hands or sticks to tap out rhythms on the ground. One person taps a short rhythm, and all the others copy. Take turns being the leader. After your turn, tell about a time when you were a good example to others.
My Example Can Help Others Come to Christ and Find Safety.
The children you teach likely know people who are being affected by the storms of life and need the “refuge” (verse 6) provided in the Church. Consider how you will inspire the children to “arise and shine forth” (verse 5) and share their light with these people.
Pass around a flashlight, a picture of the sun, or something else to represent the light of the Savior’s gospel. When it’s their turn to hold the light, invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 115:4–5 and name something they can do to “shine forth” like a light for others (see 3 Nephi 18:24).
Invite the children to draw a picture depicting Doctrine and Covenants 115:6. For example, they could draw a storm, with people taking refuge in a Church building. What are some things the storm might represent? How does the Church provide refuge from these things?
Invite the children to stand when you read the word “arise” in Doctrine and Covenants 115:5. Invite them to stretch out their fingers like rays of sunlight when you read “shine forth.” Sing together a song about being a light to others, such as “I Am like a Star” (Children’s Songbook, 163). Remind the children that our light comes from Jesus Christ, and help them think of ways they can “shine forth.”
Would it work for your family to read Doctrine and Covenants 115:4–6. while watching a sunrise? It might help you discuss what it means to “arise and shine forth” (verse 5). Or you could also discuss what it is like to seek shelter during a storm. How could that experience be like finding “refuge” in the Church? (verse 6). You could then talk about ways your family can help others enjoy the refuge the Church provides.
Try this activity to teach how gathering as Latter-day Saints gives us strength and protection.
Read together Doctrine and Covenants 115:6: “The gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth.”
Roll a set of dice or have a family member think of a number between 1 and 10.
If the number is odd, name something that will protect you from a physical storm (for example: umbrella, coat, house).
If the number is even, name something that will protect you from a spiritual storm (for example: scriptures, prayer, obedience, our families).
Take turns thinking of answers.
If you have older children, you could discuss the meaning of Zion from the Guide to the Scriptures: “Pure in heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 97:21). How does gathering together with the pure in heart protect us?
Discussion: What are some of the physical and spiritual storms we face? How can we gather in Christ? How can we “arise and shine forth”? (Doctrine and Covenants 115:5).
Ways to be an Example
Friend January 2018 Several children are a bright example by the things they do. This is also an activity where you use the clues and fill out the chart to find out how old the children are and where they’re from.
Response: You can’t make anyone do anything. But when you speak kindly, others might follow your example. Words are powerful. Especially when you use your words for good. Mean words can be hurtful, but kind words can be helpful, healing, and inspiring.
I can share what I’m learning from the scriptures.
Children can have a great influence on those around them. Like Baruch, they can share what they are learning in the scriptures with others.
Invite the children to do actions that go along with the words as you read (or summarize) Jeremiah 36:4–10, such as pretending to write in a book (see verse 4), holding the bars of a jail (see verse 5), and reading the scriptures to the people (see verses 8, 10). Emphasize that Baruch had the courage to read the words of Jeremiah to the people even though the leaders in Jerusalem didn’t want him to. Help the children to remember something they have learned from the Old Testament and to think of ways they can share it with others.
Sing a song about the scriptures, such as “Search, Ponder, and Pray” (Children’s Songbook, 109). Share your testimony of the scriptures, and invite the children to share their testimonies too.
The Lord institutes the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread—Lambs without blemish are slain—Israel is saved by their blood—The firstborn of all Egyptians are slain—Israel is thrust out of Egypt after 430 years—No bones of the paschal lambs are to be broken.
The firstborn of man and of beasts are to be sanctified unto the Lord—The Feast of Unleavened Bread is to be kept in the land of Canaan—Moses takes Joseph’s bones out of Egypt—The Lord attends Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 7–13” The Passover taught the children of Israel that the Lord delivered them from Egypt. The Passover also taught the Israelites about the Savior and the sacrifice He would one day make for us. The Passover is symbolic of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which delivers us from sin and death. Today, the sacrament helps us remember Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us. Teaching the children about the Passover can help them have a more meaningful experience with the sacrament.
Ask some of the children to read Exodus 11:5–6 to learn about the final plague the Lord sent upon the Egyptians. Ask the other children to read Exodus 12:3, 5–7, 13 to learn about how the children of Israel were saved from that plague.
To help the children understand that the Savior is the Lamb who saves us, show a picture of a lamb. Invite the children to read Exodus 12:3–7 to find out what kind of lamb God wanted the people to use for the Passover meal. How is this lamb like Jesus Christ? (For example, Jesus was perfect, and Jesus shed His blood to save us.) What other symbols help us think about Jesus Christ?
Ask the children to name things we do to remember important events such as birthdays and holidays. Read Exodus 13:10, and explain that the Lord asked the children of Israel to celebrate the Passover each year to help them remember that He saved them from the Egyptians. What are some ways we can remember that Jesus saved us from sin and death?
If possible, visit the sacrament table with the children, and talk about how the sacrament helps us remember Jesus Christ. Sing together “The Sacrament” (Children’s Songbook, 72) or another reverent song about Jesus Christ. Help the children notice the peaceful feeling they have when they think about the Savior, and invite them to seek that feeling when they take the sacrament.
1. As I take the water and bread,
I’ll think of the words the Savior said:
“This do in remembrance of me.
This do in remembrance of me.”
2. Jesus gave his life for me.
I want to serve him thankfully.
I will remember him.
I will remember him.
Give the children pieces of paper with the words “I can remember Jesus Christ during the sacrament by …” written at the top. Invite them to draw pictures they can look at during the sacrament to help them remember Jesus.
Read the sacrament prayers together (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79), and watch the video “Always Remember Him” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How is the sacrament similar to the Passover? What can we do to think about Jesus during the sacrament?
Share with the children one of your favorite sacrament hymns (see Hymns, nos. 169–96), and talk about how it helps you remember the Savior’s sacrifice. Invite the children to share a hymn that does the same for them.
After reading Exodus 12:1–42 together, you could write on pieces of paper things you can do as a family to remember Jesus Christ’s Atonement. Because the lamb’s blood on the door posts (see verse 23) represented the Savior, you could place these papers around a doorway in your home. You could also eat some of the foods from the Passover, such as unleavened bread (crackers or tortillas) or bitter herbs (parsley or horseradish), and discuss how the Passover helps us remember how God delivered His people. For example, the unleavened bread reminded them that there was not time for their bread to rise before they fled from captivity. The bitter herbs reminded them of the bitterness of captivity. (Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 7–13”)
Ask a child to read 1 Corinthians 11:28. What does it mean to “examine” ourselves before taking the sacrament? Ask the children to think of other people who examine things, like doctors, detectives, or scientists (for example, doctors examine us to make sure we are healthy). When we partake of the sacrament, what can we do to examine how we are living our baptismal covenants?(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “1 Corinthians 8–13” )
Print and cut out the magnifying glass and the pictures of the children. Place one of the pictures from the left onto the magnifying glass. Explain that before we take the sacrament we could examine our actions from the week. If we find any that we might need to repent of, we could try to think of ways we could try to do better, repent, and promise to do be better in the coming week as we take the sacrament. As we do so, we can recommit yourself to always remember Him and keep His commandments.Ask the class for some ideas oh what the child could to do to better keep his or her baptismal covenants. Replace the picture on the magnifying glass with its matching picture on the right. Ask how they think that child now feels. Do the same with the other pictures.
Teaching Children the Gospel “Lesson 36: Jesus Christ Gives the Sacrament to the Nephites“Why is it important for us to always remember Jesus? When we remember Jesus, we remember the things he did for us. We remember his love for us, and we remember the things he taught. When we remember those things, our faith and love for Jesus grows and our desire to keep his commandments increases.
Sacrament Flip Book: Make, or have the children make, sacrament flip books to help them think about their covenants and the meaning of the sacrament during the sacrament. The children reads the question and tries to think of the answer and then flips over the question to check their answer.
Sacrament Book Assembly Instructions: For each child, print one copy of the Sacrament Book pages (coloredor black and white) onto heavy paper. Cut out the answer pages by cutting straight across the dotted lines (you should only need to make two cuts per page using a paper cutter.) Turn the pages so they all face the same direction and then stack them together in numerical order. Hole punch the left side. Assemble the book by loosely tying the pages together with the ribbons through the punched holes, and then by putting each cut out question on top of its matching answer and taping down the left side edge of each question. (You could have the kids do the assembly part.)
Point out the last few pages and explain that during the week they can draw or glue pictures of things they remember about Jesus on those pages. This will help them remember Jesus throughout the week. They can even add more pages if they desire.
Friend June 2002 “The Sacrament and Repentance” Dallin H. Oaks “We are commanded to repent of our sins and to come to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament in [keeping our part of] its covenants. When we renew our baptismal covenants in this way, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. In this way we are made clean and can always have His Spirit to be with us. (Ensign, November 1998, page 38.)
Hand out scissors, glue, and copies of the following handout to the children. Read the top part of the page with the class. Instruct the children to cut along the dotted lines and put the words in proper order. When the children have done this, the words should read “always remember Jesus Christ” and “obey the commandments.” Have them glue the word pieces in place to complete the sentence.
I take the sacrament to show that I will always remember Jesus Christ.
Sing a song that helps the children think about Jesus, such as “Reverently, Quietly” (Children’s Songbook, 26). Ask the children to practice sitting reverently like they would during the sacrament.
Write phrases from Moroni 4:3 and 5:2 on separate strips of paper, and ask the children to put the phrases in the correct order. According to these verses, why is the sacrament important?
Invite the children to imagine that a friend is coming to sacrament meeting for the first time. How would they explain to their friend what the sacrament is and why we partake of it? Encourage them to use Moroni 4:3 and 5:2 in their explanations.
Invite the children to share things their families do during the sacrament to be reverent and think about Jesus Christ. What other ideas do they have? Invite them to pick one of these ideas and set a goal to spend more time thinking of the Savior during the sacrament.
An angel rebukes Israel for not serving the Lord—As a pattern of future events, a new generation arises that forsakes the Lord and serves Baal and Ashtaroth—The Lord is angry with the children of Israel and ceases to preserve them—He raises up judges to guide and lead them—The Canaanites are left in the land to test Israel.
How do we come to know the Lord? Through scripture study, prayer, sacrament, living the commandments. etc.
Friend June 2019 “The Sacrament Reminds Us of Jesus Christ” Ways to prepare for the sacrament before hand, what to do during the sacrament, and remembering Jesus and following him after the sacrament.
Summarize the account of Jesus introducing the sacrament. You might use “Chapter 49: The First Sacrament” (in New Testament Stories, 124–26, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org), or the video “Sacrament” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Why do we take the sacrament? Help the children understand that we remember Jesus during the sacrament.
Every year the Jews held a feast called the Passover. It helped the Jewish people remember that God had saved their ancestors at the time of Moses.Jesus and the Twelve Apostles needed a place to eat the Passover feast. The Savior sent Peter and John to find a room and see that everything was ready for the feast.They found a room and prepared the feast.Jesus and all the Apostles went there. They ate the Passover feast together.Jesus gave His Apostles the sacrament for the first time. He took bread in His hands, blessed it, and then broke it into pieces. He told the Apostles to eat the bread.Jesus told them to think of His body when they ate the bread. He asked them to remember that He would die for them.Jesus poured wine into a cup. He blessed the wine and told the Apostles to drink it.Jesus told them to think of His blood when they drank the wine. He asked them to remember that He would bleed and suffer for the sins of all people.Jesus also told the Apostles that wicked men would soon kill Him. Eleven of the Apostles were very sad. They loved the Savior and did not want Him to die. Jesus knew that one of the Apostles would help the wicked men. His name was Judas Iscariot.
Show the children a piece of bread and a cup of water. Ask them if they know what the sacrament bread and water stand for. Explain that these emblems help us remember that Jesus died for us and rose from the dead.
Read the sacrament prayers together (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79), and watch the video “Always Remember Him” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Blessing on the Bread
Blessing on the Water
Ask the children to close their eyes and think of someone they love, and then invite them to tell you about that person. Ask them to close their eyes again, think of the Savior, and then share things they know about Him. Encourage them to think about Jesus during the sacrament each week.
We can show our love for Jesus by being reverent during the sacrament by…
Help the children make the booklet described on this week’s activity page and use it to help them think about Jesus during the sacrament. Or let them search some Church magazines for pictures of Jesus and create a collage they can look at during the sacrament.
Watch the video “Always Remember Him” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Ask the children what they do to help them think about Jesus during the sacrament. Help them find scriptures or words from sacrament hymns that they could read during the sacrament, and then list them on a card that the children can refer to the next time they take the sacrament. Sing a few of these songs with the children (see Hymns, nos. 169–97).
“I Will Remember Jesus Christ” (December 2009 Liahona and Friend) Create a booklet to write down things learned about Jesus Christ in the sacrament hymns.
Write key phrases from the sacrament prayers on the board, and help the children memorize them. What do these phrases mean? Why is it important to renew our baptismal covenants every week?
O God, the Eternal ____________________, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, _______________________________, to bless and ____________________ this bread to the ________________ of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in _______________________ of the body of thy Son, and _______________________ unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the ____________________ of thy Son, and ____________________ remember him and keep his _________________________________ which he has given them; that they may always have his ____________________ to be with them. Amen.
Bonus: What’s different between the prayers for the bread and water? (Hint: see D&C 20:77, 79.)
Invite an Aaronic Priesthood holder to tell the children about his experience preparing, blessing, or passing the sacrament. What helps him prepare to do this? How does he feel as he does it? How do the bread and water remind him of the Savior?
Ask children who have been baptized to share what they remember about their baptisms. How did they feel? What covenants did they make? (see Mosiah 18:8–10). Tell them that every week when we partake of the sacrament, it can be like being baptized again—we can be forgiven of our sins, and we renew our covenants.
Friend March 2017 “A Great Feeling” Paulo didn’t want the feeling he had when he was baptized to go away, but the next day he yelled at his brother. Through repentance and the sacrament he was able to get the feeling back.
Compare baptism covenants with sacrament prayer:
Friend February 2019 “The Baptism Covenant” Cut out and mix up these cards. Then take turns matching cards that go together. With each match, talk about that part of the baptism covenant.
Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 Perhaps you can create a list together of questions that someone might have about the sacrament, such as “Why did the Savior give us the sacrament? Why are bread and water such powerful symbols of Jesus Christ? What do we promise as we partake of the sacrament? What promises do we receive?” Class members could look for answers in the following resources: Matthew 26:26–29; Doctrine and Covenants 20:75–79; and Gospel Topics, “Sacrament”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught, “Figuratively eating [the Savior’s] flesh and drinking His blood [means] to internalize the qualities and character of Christ, putting off the natural man and becoming Saints ‘through the atonement of Christ the Lord’ [Mosiah 3:19]. As we partake of the sacramental bread and water each week, we would do well to consider how fully and completely we must incorporate His character and the pattern of His sinless life into our life and being” (“The Living Bread Which Came Down from Heaven,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 37).
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 But that bread and water are sacred to us because they help us remember Him. They’re our way of saying, “I’ll never forget Him”—not just, “I’ll never forget what I’ve read about His teachings and His life.” Rather, we are saying, “I’ll never forget what He did for me.” “I’ll never forget how He rescued me when I cried out for help.” And “I’ll never forget His commitment to me and my commitment to Him—the covenant we have made.”
Friend June 2019 “The Sacrament Reminds Us of Jesus Christ” Ways to prepare for the sacrament before hand, what to do during the sacrament, and remembering Jesus and following him after the sacrament.
Friend October 2018 “For Parents of Little Ones” Teaching little ones to think about Jesus and show reverence during the sacrament.
Ensign October 2017 “Friends, chores, homework, TV–there are so many things that ask for our attention. But every week, we promise Heavenly Father “that [we] do always remember [His Son, Jesus Christ]” (D&C 20:79). President Eyring says that we can “make choices every day” that help us remember the Savior. Consider making a goal this month to remember the Savior more each day. You could make a calendar and commit to doing one thing per day. President Eyring lists things like reading the scriptures, praying in faith, and serving the Savior and others. There’s also journaling, attending Church meetings, listening to general conference, going to the temple, singing hymns–the list goes on!”
Friend April 2019 “The Living Christ” Draw a picture of one of your favorite stories about Jesus. Then write down a word about Jesus that begins with each letter of the word sacrament. You could think about these words during the sacrament to remember Jesus.
Ensign July 2017 “The Bread and the Water” What the bread and water teach us about Jesus.
Friend May 2017 “Making the Sacrament Special” Fill in the missing words of the sacrament prayer for the bread. Then cut out the colored card and keep it in your scriptures to help make the sacrament special to you every Sunday!
Friend November 1987 “Be Grateful for the Sacrament” Jesus Christ has revealed the ordinance of the sacrament on several different occasions. Cut out scripture references and pictures. Study the scriptures listed, then put each one with the picture that it tells about. Color the pictures and put them in the order in which you think they happened. At your next family home evening, use the pictures and scriptures to tell about the sacrament. (See more at link)
Friend January 2018 “Show and Tell” (See picture at link) “I decided not to color or draw when the sacrament is being passed. My little sisters have followed my example, and I have felt closer to Jesus.” Heidi H., age 6, Tennessee, USA
Sacrament Hymns
Ensign August 2019 “Family Study Fun”Sacrament Hymn Sing-Along (1 Corinthians 11:23–26) Paul taught how Christ introduced the sacrament to His Apostles and instructed them, “This do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).
Ask each family member to identify a favorite sacrament hymn and explain why it’s a favorite.
Sing one or more of the hymns chosen.
Watch the “The Last Supper” from the Bible videos series or “The Sacrament” from the children’s Bible videos series (both at ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Discussion: How do the sacrament hymns prepare us to partake of the bread and water? What can we do during the sacrament to help each other focus on the Savior?
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