Tag Archives: Family Home Evening

Apr 12 2016

Lesson 14 – Alma the Younger Repents

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Lesson 14
Alma the Younger Repents

Preparation

  •  Items needed: two containers of playdough, a display board, tape, a small container of water, two small Ziplock baggies, three envelopes, several small rocks (wash the rocks carefully so no grit or dirt is left on them).
  • Print and cut out the scripture story visual aids. Number the back of each story card to help keep them in the correct order.
  • Print and cut out the paper doll pattern, the steps of repentance, and the repentance story cards. Put each set of four story cards into an envelope.
  • Roll out the playdough until each is 1/4 inch thick. Put the cut out paper doll pattern on top of the play dough, and with a knife, cut out a figure from each rolled out piece of playdough. Put each playdough figure into a Ziploc bag to prevent it from drying out.

 

Attention Activity
Show the children one of the playdough figures. Point out how smooth and clean it looks. Show the children the small rocks and explain that each rock represents a sin.

Push the rocks one at a time into the figure as you tell of a sin the rock might represent such as lying, stealing, swearing, etc. Point out how the figure looks and explain that sin corrupts and pollutes our spirits so that we become distorted and unclean.

Show the other playdough figure. Explain that those who are close to us may also be affected by our sins and follow our example. (Push rocks into the other figure.) When we realize the damage we are doing to ourselves and others we may feel shame, regret, and sorrow.

Tell the children that in today’s lesson they will learn about the regret and misery that can come because of sin, and they will learn of the great joy that can come through repentance.

Scripture Story
Teach the following story using the scripture story visual aids.

Remind the children of last week’s lesson about the people of Limhi and the people of Alma escaping the bondage of the Lamanites and coming to Zarahemla. Tell the children that after Alma and his people arrived in Zarahemla, King Mosiah authorized Alma to lead and organize the church in the land of Zarahemla. The church had grown so large that it needed to be divided up into several congregations. Alma set up these congregations and ordained leaders for each of them.

Not all of the people in Zarahemla believed in the gospel. Some of these nonbelievers persecuted the believing church members. King Mosiah was made aware of the problem, and he made a law that there should be no persecutions among the people.

  • Why might a nonbeliever persecute church members? The reasons can be varied. One of the reasons may be that they feel offended or less valued because they live their life contrary to the morals and values that the church teaches. To help alleviate this problem a strict command was made throughout all the churches that there should be equality among men, and that there should be no pride or haughtiness.
  • How can we make sure that people who are not members of our church know they are valued regardless of differences in lifestyle? Answers might include: love them, emphasize the things we have in common, appreciate the good in them, invite and include them in our activities, etc.

The laws and commands helped establish peace in the land, but the sons of King Mosiah and one of the sons of Alma were among the unbelievers, and they caused many problems for the church.

  • Why might Alma and the sons of Mosiah, who had been brought up in the church, be among the unbelievers?  One reason may be that they chose to pursue other interests instead of taking the time to examine, understand, and do the things necessary to gain a testimony of the teachings of the gospel. Another reason may be that they chose to pursue sinful interests in preference to turning their lives and hearts toward God. Such was the case of Alma’s son, who was also named Alma after his father. Alma the younger chose a wicked and idolatrous lifestyle.

Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah secretly went among the people trying to lead the people astray and destroy the church. Alma the younger was very good at speaking, and he influenced and persuaded many to commit the same sins he was committing.  (Remind the children of the lesson about King Noah and his desire to get people to commit the same sins he was committing.)

Because Alma the younger was the son of the religious leader, and the sons of Mosiah were the sons of the king, their example and influence caused a lot of people to fall away from the church.

One day as Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah were going about trying to destroy the church, an angel of the Lord appeared to them. The angel descended in a cloud. His voice was like thunder, and it caused the earth to shake. So great was their astonishment and fear that Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah fell to the earth. The angel asked Alma the younger why he persecuted the church of God.

  • The Lord usually does not send angels to the wicked. Why did God send an angel to speak to Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah? (See Mosiah 27:14) Because of the prayers of the people of God, and because of the prayers of Alma’s father’s who prayed with faith that his son might be brought to a knowledge of the truth.

When Alma the younger saw the angel, he was struck with fear and amazement. The fear and astonishment of Alma was so great that he could not speak, and he became weak and could not move. The sons of Mosiah carried Alma to his father. They told his father what had happened to them. Alma’s father rejoiced.

  •  Why did Alma’s father rejoice when he saw his son in such a weak and helpless state? Alma’s father had been concerned about the spiritual welfare of his son. He rejoiced because he knew that the power of God was at work.

Alma the elder called a multitude together so they could witness what the Lord had done. He also called the priests, and they began to fast and pray for Alma the younger.

After they had fasted and prayed for two days and two nights, Alma the younger’s limbs regained strength. He stood up and began to speak to them. He said, “I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord.”

Alma’s repentance wasn’t easy. He had to go through the same steps of repentance we do in order to repent and be forgiven of our sins. When Alma saw the angel, he was afraid. He thought he would be destroyed because of his wickedness. For three days and three nights he could not move or speak. He was racked with torment for the memory of his many sins. He suffered greatly. Alma experienced the first step of repentance.

  •  What is the first step of repentance? Step One – Recognize that a wrong has been committed and feel sorrowful remorse. (Put this sign on the display board.)

As Alma was suffering, he remembered his father’s prophesies about the coming of Jesus Christ, the son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. His mind caught hold upon this thought, and he cried in his heart, “O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me.” After having this thought he was no longer tortured by the memory of his sins, and his soul was filled with great joy and light. He had begun the second step of repentance.

  • What is the second step of repentance? Step Two – Confess the sin and ask for forgiveness from God and from those we have hurt. (Put this sign on the display board.) Alma confessed his sinful state to God and asked for forgiveness. He now needed to confess his sins to the people he had affected and influenced.

Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah began from that time forward to travel throughout all the land confessing their sins. They also told the people about the angel’s appearance to them and the things which they had heard and seen, and they preached the word of God. Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah attempted to repair the damage they had done to the church. It wasn’t easy because they were persecuted by many of the unbelievers, but they did their best to carry out the third step of repentance

  • What is the third step of repentance? Step Three – Do our best to make up for the wrong. (Put this sign on the display board.)
  • What is the fourth step of repentance? Step Four – Forsake the sin. Do not commit the sin again. (Put this sign on the display board) True repentance includes a desire to change one’s life and actions.

Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah changed their lives. They served in the church and taught others the gospel. Alma the younger eventually became the leader of the church after his father died. The sons of Mosiah served a mission to the Lamanites to teach them the gospel. Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah wanted to help bring others to a knowledge of God. They did not want anyone to suffer because of sin. They wanted others to feel the joy they had experienced through repentance.

Object Lesson

Show the children the two playdough figures again. Explain to the children that if we will follow the steps of repentance, we can be healed and become clean of sin through the atonement of Jesus Christ. (Remove the rocks and press together the damaged areas. Smooth out the creases with water on your finger tips.)

Activity
Tell the children they are going to do an activity to help them remember the steps of repentance. Put one set of the repentance story cards face down on the table. Have a volunteer pick up one of cards, read it out loud, and then put it on the display board next to the step of repentance it goes with. Have the children each take a turn doing this. If one of the children thinks their card should go somewhere that someone else has placed a card, they can put their card in that spot, but they have to put the other card where they think it goes. After all the cards have been placed, read the story out loud to the class. If all the cards are in the right place, it will tell the story in order. Do another set after completing a story.

Conclusion
Heavenly Father loves us. He wants us to be happy. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to make it possible for us to repent. Through his Atonement, Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins so that we can repent, be forgiven, and gain eternal life. It isn’t always easy to fix our mistakes, but the wonderful results and benefits are always worth the effort.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week – Mosiah 27:1-37 and Alma 36:6-21

Mar 15 2016

Lesson 12 – Alma Baptizes at Waters of Mormon

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Lesson 12
Alma Baptizes at Waters of Mormon

Preparation

  • Print and cut out the visual aids, and the word strips and situation cards.
  • Items needed: medium size rocks (or cans of food with the labels removed), a backpack or heavy duty bag, chalk, some little pieces of wrapped candy and a candy bar for each child. Tape the burden situations to the rocks (or cans of food).
  • Print a new Scripture Reading Chart for each child.

Attention Activity
Explain that you are going to start off the lesson by giving each of them a small piece of candy. Point out that the piece of candy is small, but if they promise not to eat or open it, you promise to give them something bigger and better at the end of class. Emphasize the fact that you are both making promises.

Point out that eating candy is not a sin, but there are many things in life that give pleasure that are against the commandments of God because they are spiritually harmful. If we obey God’s commandments and avoid partaking in these spiritually harmful things, we can eventually receive the greatest gift of all, which is eternal life. Tell the children that in today’s lesson they will learn how the Lord tries to help us avoid these harmful things so that we can gain this eternal reward.

Scripture Story
Using the visual aids, tell the following story. As the story is told, background scenery such as a waterfall, a pool of water, and a grove of trees can be drawn on the chalkboard.

Remind the children that in last week’s lesson they learned about the prophet Abinadi being condemned to death by the wicked King Noah. They also learned about the repentant priest Alma who pleaded for Abinadi’s life. King Noah was angry with Alma and tried to have Alma killed, but Alma fled and hid. Alma hid in the wilderness at a place called Mormon.

  • Why was Mormon a good place to hide? (Have the children look up and read Mosiah 18:4-5 to find the answer.) It had a fountain of pure water, it was near the border of the land, it was supposed to be infested at times with wild animals, and it had a thicket of small trees that Alma hid in during the day to avoid the searches of the king–so Alma had water, food, and seclusion and cover while hiding.

At times, Alma secretly went among the people and taught the words of Abinadi to all who would listen. Many believed Alma’s words. Those who believed his words went to the place called Mormon to hear him preach.

One day Alma was teaching a large group of believers near the waters of Mormon. He taught them faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. He asked if they desired to take the next step toward becoming God’s people.

  •  What is the next step after faith and repentance? Tell the children to think of the fourth Article of Faith. (Baptism)

In order for the believers to be called God’s people they needed to covenant (promise) to serve God and keep his commandments. Sometimes when people make promises they shake hands or sign something as a symbol of their agreement. Baptism served as a witness or sign that they were willing to serve God and keep his commandments because baptism symbolizes the death of the old sinful person and the rebirth of the new spiritual person.

When the people heard they could be God’s people they clapped their hands for joy and exclaimed that it was the desire of their heart.

  • In order to be called God’s people they needed to covenant to serve God and keep His commandments. What is a covenant? A covenant is a two-way promise made between us and the Lord; both sides make promises.
  • Why does the Lord want us to make covenants? The Lord loves us and wants us to gain the blessings of eternal life, and in order to do this we must become like our Savior Jesus Christ and do the things he would do. The Lord knows that when we make bonding promises and commitments to do those things, we are more likely to do them.

Activity
Put the “Baptismal Covenants” word strip on a wall or display board. Put the word strip “We Promise” and the word strip “The Lord Promises” on each side underneath it.

We Promise
Have the children look up and read Mosiah 18:8-10 to find the covenants we make at baptism. As they find each one have them put the corresponding word strips under the “We Promise” word strip.

To come into the fold of God and be called his people.
We promise to join his church and take upon us the name of Christ. As members of his church we represent Christ and are to be examples of his teachings. (See the lesson on King Benjamin to further review this principle.)

To stand as a witness of God at all times and all places.
A witness is someone who tells others what they know and have seen; so a witness of God tells others what they know about God and His church. They state their beliefs in His commandments and try to be an example of them.

To serve God and keep his commandments.
We become more like our Savior as we obey the commandments.

To serve and help others.
We become more like our Savior as we serve and help others, which includes:

o Mourning with those that mourn.
o Comforting those that stand in need of comfort.
o Bearing one another’s burdens.

  • How do we mourn with those that are mourning? Answers might include: grieving and feeling sadness for the person’s loss and sorrow.
  • How do we bear one another’s burdens that they may be light? (Discuss this by doing the following activity.)

Activity
Show the children the rocks, and explain that you are using the rocks to represent the burdens that some people carry. Read the situation title as you put each rock into a bag.  Tell the children that life’s burdens can become heavy and difficult to carry. Let each child come up and lift the bag. Ask if they would want to carry that weight for very long. Remind the children that we covenant at baptism to help each other with our burdens. Have the children take turns reaching into the bag and taking out a rock. Have them read the situation and tell how they can help someone with that burden to make it lighter and easier to bear.

The Lord Promises
• What does the Lord promise if we keep the covenants we make? (Have the children look up and read Mosiah 18:9-10 to find the things the Lord promises. As they find each one, have them put the corresponding word strips under the “The Lord Promises” word strip.

We can be redeemed of God.
This means we can be forgiven of our sins when we repent.

We can come forth in the first resurrection.
We will be ready and spiritually prepared to come forth out of the spirit world during the first resurrection.

We can have eternal life.
Eternal life is the kind of life Heavenly Father has, which includes having a fullness of joy, love, peace, knowledge, and power.

He will pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon us.
As we keep our covenants, the Lord will bless us with his spirit more abundantly. The companionship of the Holy Ghost is a wonderful blessing because the Holy Ghost guides, teaches, protects, and comforts us.

The Lord promises to pour out wonderful blessings upon us if we keep our covenants (promises) to do the things he asks us to do.

Have the children trade their small piece of candy for a full size candy bar. Ask the children what would have happened if they hadn’t kept their promise and had instead opened and eaten the small piece of candy. They wouldn’t have received the bigger, better prize. Point out that it is the same with covenants. If we partake of unfulfilling sinful pleasures while on the earth instead of keeping our covenants (promises), we may not receive the wonderful blessing of eternal life which brings true happiness and joy. (Note: If a child has opened or eaten his or her candy, tell them they can still have another chance. Give them another piece of candy, and tell them to bring it back the following week. If they bring it back uneaten and unopened, they can still earn their reward. The Lord also gives us the opportunities in life to fix our mistakes and repent.)

Scripture Story Continued
After the people told Alma they wished to become God’s people and be baptized, Alma began to baptize them in the waters of Mormon. The first one he baptized was a man named Helam. As Alma baptized Helam, Alma submerged himself also.

  •  Why did Alma immerse himself also when he baptized Helam? In Mosiah 18:13 it says that Alma had the priesthood authority to baptize. This is evidence that he had already been baptized. Therefore when Alma immersed himself with Helam it was merely as a token to the Lord of his humility and full repentance. Alma did not immerse himself again while baptizing the others. (Joseph Fielding Smith: Answers to Gospel Questions)

Alma baptized about two hundred and four souls that day at the waters of Mormon, and anyone who was baptized from that time forward was also added to the church of Christ.

King Noah eventually discovered there was a movement among the people. He sent his servants to watch the group. When the king’s servants reported what was happening, Noah said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him. Noah ordered his army to destroy them. Alma was warned of the Lord that the king’s army was coming, so he and his people took their tents and their families and departed into the wilderness. They were in number about 450 souls.

Conclusion
As we keep our baptismal covenants, we learn to become more like our Savior Jesus Christ, and we become worthy to receive the greatest gift and reward we could ever receive, which is eternal life.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Give each child a new scripture reading chart, and remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week: Mosiah 18:1-17, 30-35

Feb 24 2016

Lesson 9: Enos Prays

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Lesson 9
Enos Prays

Preparation

• Items needed: removable double-sided tape, two cell phones (or two pretend phones), several sheets of paper, pencils, and an eight inch piece of ribbon and a small Ziploc baggie for each child.
• Print and cut out the Scripture Story pdf Visual Aids or word. Also print and cut out the game items pdf or word; print one copy of the game questions and large phone and one copy per every two children of the small cell phone and game answers.  Put a piece of removable double-sided tape on the screen area of each cell phone. Put a small phone and one set of answers in each Ziploc baggie.

Attention Activity

Ask for a volunteer. Hand the volunteer one of the cell phones. Tell them to answer the phone when it rings. Call them using your cell phone. Greet them by name and then say, “I have a problem with my sister. She uses my stuff and doesn’t return it. It makes me very upset. What should I do about it?” Hang up before they can answer, or say, “Oh, I got to go, bye.”

• Did it do any good to ask the person for help and advice? Why not? Because time was not taken to listen for an answer. Do we sometimes do that: ask Heavenly Father for help with a problem but then don’t listen for the answer?

In today’s lesson we are going to learn about someone who prayed fervently and then took the time to listen for answers.

Ask the children if they remember which prophet they learned about in last week’s lesson. Give hints if needed. After they have recalled Jacob’s name, tell them that the prophet Jacob had a son named Enos. Jacob grew old and saw he would soon die, so he passed the spiritual and historical records of the people to his son Enos.

Have the children turn to the “Book of Enos.” Tell the children that the “Book of Enos” is only one chapter long, but it teaches important lessons about prayer.

Using the scripture story visual aids, tell the following story. Direct the children to listen for three things that Enos prayed for.

Scripture Story
One day as Enos was hunting in the forest, he recalled the words his father had spoken about the joy of eternal life. Enos wanted to be forgiven of his sins so he could be worthy to receive the blessings of eternal life, so he knelt down, prayed, and asked for forgiveness. He prayed all day, and he was still praying when it became night.

• How long did Enos pray? Ask the children what things they do in a normal day. Explain that Enos would have been praying during the time they normally spend going to school, attending classes, and eating lunch. He still would have been praying during the time they come home from school, eat dinner, and get ready for bed.

After praying all day and into the night, a voice came to Enos saying, “Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.” Enos knew God could not lie, so his guilt was washed away. He asked the Lord how it was done. The Lord told him it was because of his faith in Christ.

• Why is faith in Jesus Christ necessary for forgiveness of sins? Jesus suffered and paid the price for our sins to make it possible for us to be forgiven. If we have faith in Christ and his atonement, we will believe we can be forgiven, and then we will do the things that are necessary to be forgiven, such as repent.

After Enos’s sins were forgiven, he was concerned for the welfare of the other Nephites, and he prayed for them. (Post picture of the Nephites.) The Lord told Enos they would be blessed if they kept the commandments, but if they disobeyed, their sins would bring sorrow upon them.

• Why did Enos pray for the Nephites? He was concerned about them and their eternal spiritual welfare. The Nephites constantly had to be reminded to keep the commandments. Enos preached the word of God to them throughout his whole life.

After Enos prayed for the Nephites, he began to pray diligently for the Lamanites. (Post picture of the Lamanites.) The Lamanites had become a wild, ferocious, bloodthirsty people full of idolatry and filthiness. They lived in tents and fed on wild beasts, and many ate nothing but raw meat. They wandered around the wilderness with their heads shaven, wearing nothing but a short girdle made out of skins. They would not listen when the Nephites tried to teach them the gospel.

The Lamanites were constantly seeking to destroy the Nephites, and they swore to destroy the Nephite records and traditions. Enos prayed that if the Nephites were someday destroyed, the Lord would preserve a record of the Nephites and at some future date bring forth the record so the Lamanites might perhaps be brought to salvation.

• Why do you think Enos prayed for the Lamanites when they were the Nephites’ enemies? He had a great love for all of Heavenly Father’s children. He was sad about the choices the Lamanites were making and the consequences they would suffer. He wanted to help them change their ways, if not now then someday.

• What could we pray for in behalf of someone who has not been kind to us?

The Lord told Enos he would grant his desire; a record would be preserved. The Lord also said that other ancestors of Enos had prayed for the same thing.

• What is the Nephite record called that was preserved and brought forth in the latter days to help bring the Lamanites to God? The Book of Mormon

Discussion
• When Enos prayed, how do we know he took the time to listen for answers? He prayed all day and into the night asking the Lord to forgive him of his sins.

We don’t have to pray all day like Enos, but we should take the time in each prayer to ponder and think about our problems and to listen for help and counsel.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “The trouble with most prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the phone and ordering something. We place our order and then hang up.”

• What happens when we ask for guidance and help concerning a problem but then don’t take time to listen for the answer? We might miss out on the help and guidance Heavenly Father would like to share with us.

Ask the children to name some difficulties kids their age have to face. Possible answers might include problems with family, friends, schoolwork, health, etc. Explain that the Lord wants to help them with these challenges, but they need to ask for His help and then listen for His response.

• In what ways might answers come? Ideas and solutions might come into their mind as they think about the problem. Or if they have asked a specific yes or no question about their problem, they might have a peaceful or an uneasy feeling according to what the answer is.

• Enos said he cried in mighty prayer and supplication to the Lord. How can we make our prayers more sincere and deeply felt so we are not just repetitiously repeating the same words? One possible answer might be to think about our specific problems and blessings before saying our prayers.

Activity
Give each child a piece of paper and a pencil. Instruct them to fold the piece of paper like a fan and then fold the fan in half. On the inside of the folds on the left side of the paper, have the children write specific things that Heavenly Father has blessed them with. On the inside folds on the right side of the paper, direct them to write specific things they might need help with. After they are done, instruct them fold it into a fan again. Have them tie a ribbon around the middle part of the fan. (If they desire to keep their lists private, they can fold the fan down into thirds until it is a small block of paper. They can use the ribbon that is in the middle of the fan to tie up the block.) Tell the children to put the fan on their pillow and open it when they say their prayers. Explain that it will help remind them of the things they need to thank Heavenly Father for, and it will also remind them of the problems and concerns they need help with.

Explain to the children that their blessings and needs will change as their life changes, but if they will always take a few moments to think of specific things that are going on in their life before they pray, their prayers will be more sincere and heartfelt.

Review Game

Pass out the baggies you have prepared (one per every two children). Explain that the class is going to play a review game. Show the children the large cell phone. Tell the children that you are going to place a question on the large cell phone screen. They can find the answer to the question in their baggie and then place the answer on their small cell phone screen. After everyone shows you their response, you will let them know how many phones have the correct answer on them. If they don’t all have the correct answer, they can look at each other’s phone and decide which ones are correct and then try again. When everyone has the correct answer, replace the question on the large cell phone with another question. Continue in this manner until all the questions have been answered.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week: The Book of Enos

Feb 17 2016

Lesson 8 – Jacob’s Encounter with Sherem

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Lesson 8
Jacob’s Encounter with Sherem

Preparation
• Print the scripture story visual aids. (The visual aids are from Book of Mormon Stories chapters nine and ten.)
• Items needed: one package of toothpicks, masking tape or stickers, fine tip markers, several pieces of string or ribbon cut into three inch lengths, and packages of stick gum (stick gum can be found at Dollar Tree). (The amounts needed for each item will be based on how many children are in the class.)
• Carefully remove the gum from the wrappers in one of the packages of gum. Replace the empty wrappers back into the package, making it appear as if the gum is still in the wrappers.
• Fold two inch pieces of masking tape or stickers in half over the end of the toothpicks. Each should look like a small flag when done. Cut off the other pointy end of the toothpick with scissors. Make five toothpick flags per child. Save the remaining flag free toothpicks for the object lesson.

Attention Activity

Tell the children you brought some gum to share with them, and show them the empty gum package. Offer it to the children. After they take a piece, ask them how they felt when the discovered the wrappers were empty. Explain to the children that during their life people will try to convince them to accept beliefs that are empty and have no value. In today’s lesson they will learn how to discern divine truth so as to help them avoid the disappointment and sorrow that comes from accepting empty, false beliefs. (Tell the children that at the end of class you will give each of them a piece of real gum to take home.)

Scripture Story Introduction
Tell the following scripture story and show the numbered visual aid pictures where indicated.

Remind the children that in last week’s lesson they learned about Nephi and his family crossing the sea and arriving at the promised land. In the promised land, Lehi eventually grew old and died.

(1) After Lehi died, Laman and Lemuel once again became angry with Nephi for urging them to keep the commandments. (1) They complained, saying their younger brother wanted to rule over them. They became so angry they sought to kill him.

(2) The Lord warned Nephi that he should flee into the wilderness and take all those who would go with him. All those who believed in the warnings and revelations of God followed Nephi. They traveled into the wilderness for several days. They settled in a land and prospered there. They constructed buildings and a temple. They called themselves the people of Nephi.

(3) The people who followed Laman and Lemuel were called Lamanites. A curse was put upon the Lamanites; they were cut off from the Lord’s help and guidance because they chose to do wicked things. The Lord also caused their skins to darken so the Nephites would be reminded not to mix or intermarry with them and bring the curse upon themselves. The Lamanites became an idle people, full of mischief and trickery. They hated the Nephites and wanted to destroy them. The Lord told Nephi that the Lamanites would be a scourge to his people to help turn the Nephite’s hearts back to the Lord when they faltered.

Nephi led his people in righteousness and helped protect them against the Lamanites, but eventually he grew old. (4) He gave the historical and spiritual records to his younger brother Jacob. Jacob had been consecrated a priest and teacher by the hand of Nephi. (5) He was ordained of God to lead and teach the people.

(Direct the children to turn to the “Book of Jacob” in their Book of Mormons.) Some of Jacob’s words are recorded in the “Book of Jacob.” In the seventh chapter of the “Book of Jacob” Jacob tells about a man named Sherem who came among the Nephites preaching and trying to convince the people to accept his teachings.

Scripture Story
(6) The man named Sherem tried to convince the people to accept false things that were not true. One of the main things he tried to convince the people was that there would be no Christ. He taught that it was not necessary for an atonement to be made for the sins of mankind. He said that the people only had to follow the basic laws and rituals of the Law of Moses in order to gain salvation.

• Is it possible to gain salvation without Christ’s atonement? We cannot undo the sins we have committed, and no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God. Christ suffered and paid the price for our sins. Only through Christ’s Atonement can we become clean again.

• Why would Sherem try to convince the people there would be no Christ? Sherem was under Satan’s influence. Satan did not want people to believe in Christ and be saved.

(7) Sherem was a learned man, and he was very good at speaking to people and flattering them. Many people believed his words.

• Why did people find his words to be so appealing? Possibly because they wanted to follow the easier path of just performing the basic rituals and performances of the Law of Moses instead of following the more difficult path of sincere repentance and of living righteous lives in order to qualify for forgiveness of their sins when Jesus Christ performed the Atonement.

Sherem knew that Jacob had faith in Christ, so he sought to speak to Jacob. He hoped to shake Jacob’s faith.

• Why would Sherem want to shake Jacob’s faith? Perhaps he hoped to shake Jacob’s faith so that all the people who listened to Jacob would also falter, and then Sherem could try to influence them to believe his teachings and follow him. But Jacob’s faith could not be shaken. Jacob had received many revelations, he had seen angels, and he had heard the voice of the Lord. His faith was firm.

(8) Sherem eventually got the opportunity to speak to Jacob. He accused Jacob of leading the people into changing the right ways of worshiping God by preaching of a being named Christ. Sherem said that no man could know of such things or of what was to come in the future.

(9) The Lord blessed Jacob with the spirit, and he was able to confound and thwart everything Sherem said. Jacob asked Sherem if he believed in the scriptures. Sherem said he did believe in the scriptures. Jacob said he must not understand them because all the prophets in the scriptures had testified of Christ. Jacob also testified that he personally knew that Christ would come because it had been revealed to him by the power of the Holy Ghost.

(10) Sherem said he wanted to see a sign by that power. Jacob said he would not ask God for a sign to show Sherem something that he already knew was true. (Sherem must have had a belief in Christ, but his personal notions and desires became so powerful that he tried to ignore that knowledge.)

(11) Jacob said if it was the will of the Lord to smite Sherem, then that would be his sign that God has power and that Christ will come.

(12) The power of the Lord came upon Sherem, and he fell to the earth. He was so stricken and incapacitated that others had to feed him and take care of him for many days.

• Did Sherem ask for a sign so he could believe in Christ? No. He did not expect a sign to be produced, and if none was produced he could accuse Jacob of being false. Sherem had not planned on being struck down by God.

• If we want to gain a testimony of Christ, would seeking for signs be a good way to do it? Have the children look up and read D&C 63:9 & 11-12. Explain that signs and miracles come because of faith. Signs do not give a person faith. Faith in Christ comes through the witness of the Holy Ghost. Remind the children of Laman and Lemuel. They did not have faith even though they had seen an angel, heard the voice of the Lord, and had seen many mighty miracles. They did not have faith because they would not open their hearts to the Holy Ghost. If we seek for signs it will be to our condemnation.

(13) Sherem suffered for many days after being struck down by the power of God. He asked that the people be gathered. He knew he was dying, and he wanted to speak to them before he died. When the people were gathered, he denied the things he had taught them and confessed that Christ was true. He said he had been deceived by the devil and now feared for his soul. He knew he was about to die and face God. He was afraid of the eternal judgements he would face for his sins.

• How did Sherem feel when he realized he would have to suffer the consequences of preaching false doctrines? (Fear and sorrow) How would someone feel if they had accepted false doctrine and then realized they would have to suffer the consequences of that choice?

(14) After confessing, Sherem died. The power of God came upon the people. They felt the Spirit’s witness of the truth of the matter. They fell to the earth in awe. The people once again turned their hearts to God.

Discussion
There are many people in today’s world that are influenced by Satan. They try to lead people away from Christ. Some try to convince us that Jesus is not the Son of God, that He didn’t suffer and die for our sins. They say we do not have to believe in Christ and follow the commandments to receive salvation.

• How can we find out for ourselves that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he atoned for our sins, and that only through Him can we be saved? Jacob had faith in Christ because the Holy Ghost had revealed the truth of it to him. We can receive that same witness of Christ if we will pray and seek for the Holy Ghost to reveal the truth to us. We also learn from Jacob that we can gain a testimony of Christ through reading the scriptures. The scriptures testify of Christ.

Object Lesson
Ask for a volunteer. Instruct the volunteer to break one of the toothpicks. Point out how easy it was. Tell the children that the broken toothpick represents someone who does not have a strong testimony. That person’s resolves to follow Christ is easily broken when temptation comes along.

Someone who has built up their testimony of Jesus Christ through study, prayer, and obedience to the commandments can gain spiritual strength like Jacob’s. Jacob’s testimony was strong and firm.

Add toothpicks to a pile as you mention (or as the children mention) things that will strengthen a testimony such as: studying the scriptures every day, praying every morning and night, listening to General Conference, listening carefully to teachers and speakers at church, listening and participating in Family Home Evening and family scripture study, reading stories from the Friend magazine, studying for and giving talks in Primary, and obeying the words of Christ.

After you have at least 10-12 toothpicks in the pile, have a volunteer try to break the pile. They must keep them bundled close together. If they do this, it should not be possible to break them. Explain that our testimony can start out weak and small, but it can be reinforced and built up until it is strong and firm.

Activity
Hand out five labeled toothpicks to each child. Direct the children to write on each side of the labels things they can do to strengthen their testimony. Tie each person’s toothpicks together in a bundle with string or ribbon. Instruct the children to put their bundle somewhere where they will see it daily to help remind them of the things  they need to do to strengthen and build up their testimonies.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week –  2 Nephi 5:1-25 and Jacob 7:1–23.

Feb 8 2016

Lesson 7 – Crossing the Sea

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Lesson 7 – Crossing the Sea

Preparation
• Items needed: a large rectangular pan, a large container filled with water, a paper boat made from the instructions found in Lesson 6, a small paper bag, and a Book of Mormon for each child.
• Print the visual aids. Cut out the scripture references. Tape or paste each scripture reference to the back of its matching numbered scripture story picture. (There will be some pictures with the same number on them. Keep the sets together when handing them out to the children.) Cut out the game pieces. Put the sun and lightning pieces in the paper bag. (Note: I printed the game board onto blue paper and cut out the game path, waves, and fish and pasted them onto yellow cardstock. I also colored the fish and star yellow with a colored pencil.)

Attention Activity

Ask the class if they think crossing the sea in a ship is easy.

Pour the container of water into the rectangular pan. Have a volunteer try to blow the paper boat from one long side of the pan to the other. Have two other volunteers try to make the task difficult by blowing the boat in the opposite direction and by blowing on the water to make waves. (Have the volunteers stay about a foot away from the boat as they do their individual tasks.) When the boat reaches the other side of the pan, or when it sinks, point out the difficulties that occurred during the activity: the boat tumbling over, the boat filling with water, the boat going in the wrong direction, etc.

Remind the children of the ship that Nephi built. Nephi was blessed with Heavenly Father’s guidance in building the ship, so it was a well built ship, but crossing a sea in any ship can be dangerous. Storms can occur, causing heavy winds that could blow the ship off course. Large waves can form that could flood or capsize a ship. Navigating a ship can also be a problem. In the vast, wide open, empty sea it is difficult to know where you are and what direction you are going. People could starve to death or die of thirst if they can not find their way to land.

Nephi and his family needed the help of the Lord to carry out the difficult and perilous journey of crossing the sea.

Scripture Story

Give each child one of the scripture story pictures. Children can share pictures, or they can be given more than one picture if needed. Make sure each child has a Book of Mormon. Give the children a few minutes to look up and read the scripture reference found on the back of their individual pictures. Going in order, have the children stand up one at a time and describe what is happening in their picture according to the scripture reference they read. Add any details they leave out. Ask any questions that go with that part of the story.

#1) 1 Nephi 18:5-6 The voice of the Lord came to Lehi. Lehi was told that it was time for his family to begin their journey across the sea. They loaded provisions onto the ship such as fruit, meat, honey, and all other items they would need according to what the Lord had commanded.

#2) 1 Nephi 18:8 After Nephi, his family, and all their provisions were on board, they put out to sea. Strong winds blew the ship toward the promised land.

#3) 1 Nephi 18:9 After many days of traveling on the sea, Nephi’s brothers, the sons of Ishmael and their wives began to make themselves merry. They began to dance and sing. Then they began to speak rudely to others. They forgot about the Lord and his commandments, and they forgot that it was by His power they had come to enjoy safety, guidance, and assistance on their journey.

#4) 1 Nephi 18:10-11 Nephi began to fear that the Lord would be angry with them and smite them because of their iniquity. He understood the precarious and dangerous situation they were in. They were dependent upon the Lord’s mercy and assistance to help them safely cross the sea.

Nephi talked to his brothers and the others about what they were doing, but they became angry with him. They were prideful and did not want anyone, especially their younger brother, telling them what they should do. Laman and Lemuel took Nephi and tied him up with cords. They treated him cruelly and harshly. The Lord allowed it so He could teach them a lesson and demonstrate to them His great power.

• Is it wrong to be happy and celebrate? The Lord approves of proper dancing, singing, and celebrating, but some music and dancing can encourage inappropriate behavior and a loss of self-control. The dancing and singing on the ship led them to abandon their self-restraint which led them to speaking with much rudeness. To be rude means to be unkind or vulgar. Rude behavior makes the spirit withdraw, and it is only natural to expect the protective blessings of heaven to withdraw also.

#5) 1 Nephi 18:12-13 After Laman and Lemuel tied up Nephi, the Liahona stopped working. They didn’t know what direction they should steer the ship. Then a great storm arose. Terrible and fierce winds drove them backwards for three days. Laman and Lemuel began to be frightened they would drown in the sea, but they still did not free Nephi from his bonds.

• In what ways did the Lord demonstrate his great power?

#6 ) 1 Nephi 18:17-19 Lehi tried to talk to Laman and Lemuel about what they were doing, but they would not listen. They threatened anyone who spoke for Nephi. Lehi and Sariah were old, and the grief they suffered because of their children caused them to become ill and lay sick in bed. They became so ill they came close to dying. Jacob and Joseph, who were their young sons that had been born in the wilderness, needed care and nourishment from their parents. These young sons also suffered and were full of sorrow. Not even Nephi’s wife and his children’s tears and prayers softened Laman and Lemuel’s hearts.

#7) 1 Nephi 18:14-16 On the fourth day the winds and storm became even more severe. They were about to be swallowed up by the huge waves. Laman and Lemuel realized that the judgments of God were upon them, and that they would not survive if they didn’t repent, so they loosened the bands from Nephi. Nephi’s ankles and wrists were terribly swollen and sore from being constrained for so long, but Nephi never murmured or complained. Instead he praised the Lord.

• Why do you think Nephi was grateful and praised the Lord instead of complaining after suffering so much?

• Was Laman and Lemuel’s repentance sincere? They did not feel sorrow for what they had done. They had only released Nephi because of personal, selfish concern for their own lives. Not even the suffering and near death of their parents, or the suffering of their younger brothers, turned their hearts.

#8) 1 Nephi 18:21–22 After Laman and Lemuel let Nephi loose, Nephi picked up the Liahona and it began to work again. Then Nephi prayed, and the winds and the storm ceased. There was a great calm. Nephi guided the ship, and they once again sailed towards the promised land.

• Why did the Liahona work for Nephi but not for Laman and Lemuel? The Liahona only worked according to faith and diligence. Laman and Lemuel were not faithful and diligent in obeying the Lord or his commandments.

#9) 1 Nephi 18:23-25 After many days of traveling on the sea, Nephi and his family arrived at the promised land. The land was fertile, and their seeds grew abundantly. They also found many kinds of animals there such as cows, ox, horses, goats, and all kinds of wild animals in the forests. They also found all kinds of ores such as gold, silver, and copper.

Discussion
• How did Laman and Lemuel’s disobedience affect their parents and the rest of the family? It made their parents sick, and it caused everyone to suffer fear and distress.

• How does our disobedience affect our parents and family members? Sin causes a lot of pain, sorrow, and suffering for everyone. The person sinning suffers the consequences of their sins, and the people that are near to them are hurt and affected by the wicked things the sinner does.

Game
Show the game board and explain to the children that the object of the game is to get the ship from the start to the promised land.

• Ask the children if they remember what the promised land is a representation of. (Eternal Life) Explain that as we travel through our mortal lives, we need to strive to do the things necessary to attain eternal life. There are things that help us move toward that goal, and there are things that impede our progress. In this game we talk about both.

Have the children take turns drawing papers out of the bag and moving the ship on the game board. If they draw the sun, they move the ship forward two spaces. They must then tell of something that helps keep the guidance of the Lord in their lives. They must also explain how doing that thing helps them in life. Answers might include: prayer, scripture reading, keeping the commandments, being honest, being kind to others, etc.

If they draw the lightning they move the ship back one space. They then tell of something that drives the Spirit away and causes suffering in people’s lives. They must also explain how it causes suffering. Answers might include: swearing, lying, cheating, complaining, arguing, stealing, using drugs or alcohol, etc. Note: If they draw a lightning piece at the start, they stay at the start position.

Continue in this manner, with the children taking turns drawing papers from the bag and moving the ship, until they have reached the space marked “Promised Land.”

Conclusion
Remind the children that sin and disobedience will always cause misery and suffering for themselves and others. Alma 41:10 says, “Wickedness never was happiness.” Encourage the children to do the things that will help them have the divine guidance of the Spirit in their lives so they can be guided toward eternal life and happiness.

Weekly Reading Assignment

Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week – 1 Nephi 18:5-25

Jan 30 2016

Lesson 5 – The Liahona

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Lesson 5
The Liahona

Preparation

  • Items needed: tape, chalk.
  • Print and cut out the scripture story pictures.
  •  Print the signs, game board, and Liahona onto cardstock. (Print the Liahona onto gold cardstock, or color it with a crayon.)  Cut out the signs.
  • Cut out the Liahona and the Liahona strips. Glue the Liahona to a heavy piece of paper. With an exacto/utility knife, cut along the two dotted lines on the Liahona. Tape the two Liahona strips together at a tab to make one long strip. Make sure the strip is in numerical order. Coming from the back, insert one end of the combined strip through the top cut out line on the Liahona. Then push it through the bottom cut out line, going toward the back. Pull the strip through until only the first block of words is showing in the front of the Liahona. Tape together the ends of the strip in the back so they form a loop.
  • Laminate the game board, or put it into a page protector and tape the top closed. Cut apart the square game pieces. Cover each  star square on the game board with a blank square. (Leave the start square uncovered.) Put the Lose a Turn squares face down on all the squares that don’t have stars. Use rolled pieces of tape to hold the cutout game piece squares in place.
  • Draw a large version of the map found at the end of the lesson onto the chalkboard.

 

Attention 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.

Quickly set up some obstacles between the two signs such as chairs, books, people, etc. Ask for another volunteer. Have that person give verbal directions to the blindfolded person on how to get safely from one end of the room to the other. Stay next to the blindfolded person in case they need additional assistance.

  •  What might have happened if the blindfolded person hadn’t listened to the person giving directions? The blindfolded person might have gotten hurt because he or she couldn’t see the obstacles in the way. The person also might have gone the wrong way and not accomplished the goal of getting to the sign that says “Eternal Life”.

Ask the children if they think it would be nice to have someone guiding them in life so they always know the right way to go and the right things to do. Tell them we do have that guidance. In this lesson we learn where that guidance comes from and what happens when we don’t follow that guidance.

Scripture Story
Using the scripture story pictures and the large drawing of the map, tell the following story. As you tell the story, tape the pictures on the map according to where they took place.

Nephi and his brothers were again instructed to return to Jerusalem. This time they were sent to get Ishmael and his family. Nephi and his brothers would need wives in the Promised Land, and Ishmael had many daughters. Ishmael agreed to go with them. Nephi and his brothers married the daughters of Ishmael when they returned to their father’s tent in the Valley of Lemuel. Lehi was then instructed by the Lord that it was time to take their journey to the Promised Land.

On the morning their journey was to begin, Lehi found a brass ball of curious workmanship outside his tent door. Inside the ball were two spindles; one spindle pointed the way they should go in the wilderness. They gathered their provisions and departed. They followed the directions on the ball which led them through the more fertile parts of the wilderness, which was near the borders of the Red Sea. They hunted for food as they went. After traveling for many days, Nephi’s steel bow broke and his brother’s wood bows lost their spring.

Because of the loss of their bows, the sons of Lehi weren’t able to provide food for their family. Many of them began to murmur against the Lord, including Lehi. Instead of complaining, Nephi worked to resolve the problem. He went and made a new bow out of wood. After Nephi made the bow, he went and asked his father where he should go to obtain food.

  •  Why did Nephi approach his father for help? Lehi was the head of the family, and he was a prophet of the Lord.

Because of Nephi’s actions, Lehi was reminded of his duty and he repented. Lehi was chastened by the Lord for his murmuring, and then he was instructed to look at the brass ball. He saw there was writing inside the ball. Nephi went up to the top of the mountain according to the directions given in the ball, and he obtained food for the family.

During their travels in the wilderness, Ishmael died at a place called Nahom. The daughters of Ishmael mourned for their father and murmured because of their afflictions in the wilderness. They, along with Laman and Lemuel, wanted to return to Jerusalem. Laman and Lemuel plotted to kill their father and Nephi. The love in their hearts had waxed cold because of their wickedness. The voice of the Lord spoke to the two brothers, and they repented for a time.

The family traveled in the wilderness for eight years. Many children were born as they were traveling. The Lord strengthened them, and they were able to bear all hardships. They eventually arrived at a place they called Bountiful.

Chalk Board Discussion

After asking each question below, write a shortened version of the answers on the board. (See example diagram for layout of answers.)

• What was the ball of brass called that Lehi found outside his tent? (See Alma 37:38) The Liahona – meaning director or compass
• The Liahona was prepared by the Lord to show Lehi and his family the way they should go in the wilderness. How did it direct Lehi and his family? Through spindles that pointed the way, and through words that taught them the ways of the Lord.
• What is the Liahona a spiritual representation of? (See Alma 37:45) The words of Christ
• Where are the words of Christ found? In the scriptures, in the words of the prophet, in revelation through the Holy Ghost.
• Where was the Lord leading Lehi and his family with the Liahona? To the promised land
• Where do the words of Christ lead people to? Eternal Life
• What things caused the Liahona to cease working? (See Alma 37: 40-41 and 1 Nephi 16:28) It ceased to work when their faith in God wavered, when they murmured and complained, or when they were slothful and lazy and didn’t give diligent heed to the directing compass provided by the Lord.

• What things interfere with the words of Christ leading people to eternal life? People’s lack of faith in God. People’s lack of heed and diligence in studying, seeking for, and obeying the words of Christ.
• What difficulties did Lehi and his family suffer when the Liahona ceased to work? (See Alma 37:42) They did not prosper or progress in their journey; they were afflicted with hunger and thirst, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course.
• What difficulties can people suffer if they don’t give heed to the words of Christ? Answers might include the following: Without guidance, temptations become harder to resist, and sin causes suffering. If we linger in the “wilderness” we may not reach our goal of eternal life.

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.

The volunteer then decides whether to guess which way to go or to check the Liahona for directions. If they decide to guess, they can choose any square that is touching the starting square including the ones going diagonally. If they choose to check the Liahona, it will give a scripture reference. The class will need to look up that scripture. They will look for the following words in the scripture: up, down, right or left. Display the sign that has those words written on it to help remind the children of what they are looking for. In the scripture there may be combinations of two of those words to indicate which way to go diagonally. The class can look for the words, but the person whose turn it is makes the final decision on which way to go.

When the volunteer decides where to go, he or she takes off one of the square coverings. If there is no star under the covering, they have chosen the wrong way to go and must take the covering which says “Lose a Turn”. They turn that square in on their next turn, but they can’t play again until the following turn. The next person whose turn it is has the same choice of whether to guess or consult the Liahona. They would move from the last star square the person before them was on.

Continue playing in this manner, with the children taking turns choosing what to do, until they reach the square marked “The Promised Land.” The Liahona word strip will need to be rotated down at each turn. To do this, reach under the page and pull down on the strip.

Conclusion
Explain to the children that the words of Christ will always lead them in the right direction. They help us know which way to go when we have choices to make. But if we don’t exercise faith and diligence, and we rely on our own judgment instead of seeking for and obeying the words of Christ, we may go the wrong ways and not progress in our journey towards Eternal Life.

Weekly Reading Assignment
Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week – 1 Nephi 16:1-39 and Alma 37:38-46.

Resources: Scripture story pictures –  “Book of Mormon Stories” chapter five.

Jan 29 2016

Lesson 4 – Tree of Life Vision

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Lesson 4
Tree of Life Vision


Preparation

  • Print and cut out the Tree of Life Vision Pictures. Cut off the vertical edge of one side of the river. Glue the edges of the two river pieces together. Cut out and glue a “Temptation” to the back of each “Mist of Darkness.”
  • Also print and cut out the story figures of Lehi and his family found in the Friend, February 2008, For Little Friends, “Lehi and Nephi Obey God”.
  • Items needed: a Book of Mormon for each child, a bag of white Lifesaver mints (don’t remove the mints from their clear individual wrappers), chalk, and tape.

Scripture Story
Tell the following story using the Tree of Life Vision pictures and the pictures from “Lehi and Nephi Obey God.” Tape the pictures to the chalk board as you tell the story.

As Lehi and his family prepared for their journey to the promised land, Lehi had a vision. In the vision he was in a dark and dreary wasteland. He prayed to the Lord for mercy. He then saw a large and spacious field and a tree whose fruit was white to exceed all whiteness. The fruit was very desirable to make one happy. He partook of the fruit, and it was sweet above all others ever tasted. It filled him with joy, and he was desirous that his family partake of it also. As he looked around for his family he saw a river near the tree. At the head of the river he saw his wife Sariah and his sons Nephi and Sam. They looked as if they didn’t know where to go, so Lehi called and beckoned to them and they came and partook of the fruit. Lehi also wanted Laman and Lemuel to partake of the fruit. He looked and saw them at the head of the river. He beckoned to them, but they would not come.

As Lehi looked around some more he saw a rod of iron that led to the tree. The rod of iron extended along the bank of the river. There was also a strait and narrow path which went along side the rod of iron. He saw many people, and some were trying to get to the path. When they came and started on the path, a mist of darkness arose and they lost their way and wandered off. Others came forward and caught hold of the rod of iron, and they pressed forward until they partook of the fruit of the tree. Then Lehi saw on the other side of the river a great and spacious building, and it seemed to be floating in the air. The building was filled with a multitude of people whose clothes were very fine. They were mocking those who had partaken of the tree. Some who had partaken of the tree were ashamed because of the scoffing, and they fell away onto other paths and were lost. But there were some who did not heed the scorning of those in the building.

Discussion
• What did Lehi see in the large and spacious field? A tree with fruit on it.
• How did Lehi describe the fruit? (See 1 Nephi 8:10-12) Write on the display board the following descriptions:

It was white to exceed all whiteness.
It was most sweet above all others.
It was desirable to make one happy.
It filled him with joy.

The Lord frequently uses symbolism to teach important lessons. Sometimes it is difficult to understand what the symbolism means. After Nephi listened to his father tell about the dream, he wanted to know what the interpretation was, so he prayed to know its meaning. Because of his faith he was shown the same vision, and he was shown its meaning. Nephi learned that the fruit was the greatest of all the gifts of God.

• What is the greatest of all the gifts of God? (See D&C 14:7) What is eternal life? It is the highest degree in the celestial kingdom, and it is the kind of life Heavenly Father has. (Put the “Eternal Life” label next to the fruit.)

The purpose of Lehi’s vision is to teach us how to gain eternal life. Without the atonement of Jesus Christ we could not attain eternal life, regardless of how good we are on earth, because all men sin and no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus paid the price for our sins. The tree represents the love of God demonstrated in the sacrifice and the atonement of his son Jesus Christ. (Put up the “Love of God, Atonement of Jesus Christ” label next to the tree.)

• What did the strait and narrow path represent? The strait and narrow path represents following Christ’s way of life such as praying, being honest, giving service, etc. (Put the “Christ’s Way of Life” label next to the path.)

We have been given aids to help us stay on the strait and narrow path. Lehi saw an iron rod that people could hold on to to help them stay on the path.

• What did the rod of iron represent? (See 1 Nephi 15:23–24) (Put the “Word of God” label next to the rod of iron.)

• Where can we find the word of God? In the scriptures, in the teachings of latter-day prophets, and in the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

• In Lehi’s vision some people started on the path but then became lost in mists of darkness. What did the mists of darkness represent? (See 1 Nephi 12:17) (Put the “Temptations of the Devil” label next to the mists of darkness.)

• What are some temptations of the devil? (Place a mist of darkness over the path for each answer given.)

The temptations of the devil blind us. We can’t see the right way to go and we can become lost.

• In the vision, some people made it through the mists of darkness. What did those people use to help guide them? The iron rod which is the word of God. The word of God can help us know the right way to go.

Game

Inform the children they are going to play a game that shows how the word of God helps them know the right way to go.

Tape a mint to each piece of fruit on the tree of life. Cover the rod of iron and the path with the remaining mists of darkness. Direct a volunteer to choose a mist of darkness and read the situation that is on the back. Instruct the children to look in the bible topical guide for the temptation’s subject and find a scripture that would help them avoid and resist that temptation. Have the volunteer read the scripture the children chose. The volunteer can then take a fruit (mint) off the tree. Have another child pick a mist of darkness and do the same process again. Continue until each child has had a turn. After the game is finished, remind the children that if we use the word of God to guide us, it will lead us to eternal life.

• How do we hold onto the word of God? By making it part of our life. We do this by studying and abiding by the teachings found in the scriptures and the words of the latter day prophets, and by seeking for and listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Heeding and obeying the word of God will help us avoid the deceptions and temptations of Satan so that we can avoid going astray.

• In the vision, Lehi’s mind was so occupied with other things that he did not notice that the water in the river was filthy. What did the river or fountain of filthy water represent? (See 1 Nephi 12:16 & 15:26–29) (Put the “Depths of Hell” label next to the river.) How do people end up engulfed in the depths of hell? They get lost in Satan’s temptations, go astray, and fall into the depths of hell.

In Lehi’s vision there were some people who held onto the rod until they reached the tree and partook of the fruit, and then they became ashamed and fell away because the world mocked them. These people represent those who accept the gospel and the ordinances necessary for eternal life, such as baptism and temple ordinances, but then they yield to the tauntings and temptations to be like the people of the world.

• The people of the world who were mocking those who partook of the fruit were in a great and spacious building that appeared to be floating in the air. What did the great and spacious building represent? (See 1 Nephi 11:36) (Put the “Pride of the World” label next to the building.)

Pride and feelings of superiority because of possessions, physical abilities, or accomplishments are empty and have nothing to hold them up because everything we have comes from God. Like the building floating in the air, people lifted up in pride eventually will fall. They do not realize that the things the world values such as wealth, honors, physical beauty, and physical ability have no value after death. The only thing of value will be the relationships and the righteous characteristics we develop while on the earth. If we spend our time seeking after worldly things, we may miss the opportunity to develop the things that will be important in the eternities.

In the vision there were those who fell away, but there were also people who partook of the fruit and then remained faithful. The people who remained faithful are those who endured by continuing to seek for and obey the word of God. Because of their study and prayers they have a clear understanding of what has lasting value, and they ignore the world’s empty offerings. They know that eternal life is better than anything that the world has to offer because it is the greatest of all God’s gifts.

Weekly Reading Assignment

  • Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week – 1 Nephi 8:1-38, 1 Nephi 11:1-36 and 1 Nephi 15:1-36.
Dec 23 2015

Lesson 2 – Lehi and his Family Leave Jerusalem

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Lesson 2
Lehi and his Family Leave Jerusalem

Preparation

  • Items needed: a small container of water, one piece of paper, envelopes, and a picture of the living prophet (this can be found at www.lds.org/church leaders).
  • Print  the scripture story visual aids onto heavy paper. Cut apart each picture and each word strip on the dividing lines.  Glue each numbered word strip to the back of its corresponding picture. Also print the sign “Eternal Salvation.”
  • Print and cut out the game items.  Lightly tape the small game pieces to an 8 ½-by-11-inch piece of paper with rolled pieces of tape. Be prepared to display the two category titles on a display board (see tips).
  • Prepare the following for the activity: Draw a map of the room where you will teach the lesson onto a sheet of paper. Label the different parts of the room on the map such as the windows, doors, tables, chairs, etc. Draw a dot on each of the locations you will hide clues. You will need to hide at least one clue per each child. Choose a wall where you will place the sign “Eternal Salvation”. That will be the end of the hunt. Mark that as X on your map. Starting at the X, connect the dots with a line. Do not crisscross the line. Number each dot in order, ending at the X. Cut the map up into a puzzle having one numbered dot on each piece. Put each piece into an envelope, and number the upper outer corner of each envelope with the puzzle piece number. On the front of each envelope paste a quote from the living prophet of something he has asked us to do. These can be found in the Ensigns at www.lds.org/general conference Hide the envelopes sometime before the lesson, leaving out envelope number one. Number one would be the first clue and it should lead to where clue number two is hid. Each following clue should also lead to its next numbered clue.

Introduction
Ask the children if they remember what is being studied this year. Hold up a copy of the Book of Mormon as a reminder.

The Book of Mormon tells about three groups of people the Lord led to the Americas. The beginning of the Book of Mormon tells of one of these groups. We learn about the other two groups later.

Direct the children to open their scriptures to chapter one in “The First Book of Nephi.” Explain that a prophet named Nephi wrote the “The First Book of Nephi.”  Nephi informs us that he engraved his history onto plates made of ore (1 Nephi 19:1). The plates were like a book, but each page was a thin sheet made of metal. The words were written by pushing a sharp tool into the metal.

  • Why were some ancient records written on metal plates? (Take a piece of paper, tear it, and pour a little water on it.) Explain that during ancient times, the people used other materials than paper for written communications, but those materials could also be easily damaged and could decompose and disintegrates over time. Some ancient historians used metal if they had an important message that they wanted to endure for a long period of time.

Have the children find the date on the bottom right hand side of the first page of “The First Book of Nephi.” Explain that this date tells the approximate time period the events on that page occurred. Have them flip through other pages so that they will see that the date is on the bottom of each page. Explain that B.C. means before Christ’s birth.

In the “First Book of Nephi” we learn that Nephi’s father was a prophet. When Nephi was a youth, his father Lehi was commanded of the Lord to take his family and leave the city Jerusalem.

Scripture Story
Teach the following scripture story of the prophet Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem. Show the numbered picture that corresponds with each part.

1. In Jerusalem 600 B.C. the people were wicked. They were dishonest, they worshiped idols, and they did many other evil things. Prophets were sent to tell the people to repent or be destroyed. The people were so wicked that they imprisoned, cast out, or killed the prophets that were sent to warn them.

2. Lehi was concerned and prayed for the people. A pillar of fire appeared as Lehi prayed, and God told and showed Lehi many things.

3. Lehi returned home and collapsed on his bed overcome with what he had seen. As he was lying on his bed, Lehi was shown a vision. One of the things he saw was that Jerusalem would be destroyed.

4. Lehi told the people what he had seen and heard. He told them that Jerusalem would be destroyed. He also preached and testified of Jesus whom he had seen in his vision. Lehi preached to the people even though he knew it was dangerous.

  • Why do you think Lehi preached to the people even though he knew it was dangerous?

5. The people wouldn’t listen to Lehi’s warnings. They mocked him and made fun of him. They didn’t believe that Jerusalem would be   destroyed. They thought they were God’s chosen people.

  • Were the people in Jerusalem God’s chosen people? When a people become wicked they are no longer a select people.

6. The people became angry and wanted to kill Lehi because of his preachings.

7. In a dream, the Lord warned Lehi of the danger and told him to take his family and leave Jerusalem.

8. Lehi and his family packed provisions for the journey. They left their house and their possessions behind. They traveled three days past the Red Sea, which is about a two week journey from Jerusalem.

Game
Display the two category titles “Trip Provisions” and “Items Left Behind” on a display board. Show the children the list of items that are taped to the 8 ½-by-11 paper. Have them take turns choosing an item and then deciding if the item would be something Lehi and his family would have taken with them or something they would have left behind. Have them place the item under the category they think it belongs in. Ask the children to explain their reason. Answers might include: item not needed for the journey, item too bulky, or item too heavy to carry, etc.

  • Do you think it was hard for Nephi and his family to leave behind their home and most of their possessions? If you had to leave your home and only take a few necessary items, what things would you have a hard time leaving behind? (Have the children take turns sharing their ideas.)

9. After traveling for about two weeks in the wilderness, Lehi and his family came to a valley that had a river running through it. They set up their tents and camped there. Lehi built an altar of stones and gave thanks to the Lord.

10. Lehi had four sons; their names were Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. The two older brothers, Laman and Lemuel, murmured and complained about leaving Jerusalem and leaving behind their possessions. They didn’t believe Jerusalem would be destroyed. They were wicked like the people in Jerusalem.

  • The Lord told Lehi that he and his family were to travel to a promised land (the American Continent). Why do you think that Laman and Lemuel were spared from the destruction of Jerusalem and allowed to go to the promised land if they were so rebellious and wicked? (See 1 Nephi 2:22-24)

11. Nephi, the youngest brother, instead of complaining, decided to find out for himself if the things his father had seen were true. He prayed and the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him. He learned that his father’s words were true.

12. Nephi told his brothers what he had learned. Sam believed him, but Nephi could not convince Laman and Lemuel.

  • Why is it important to listen to and obey the prophet? The prophet tells us what Heavenly Father wants us to know and do. Heavenly Father wants us to know and do the things that will help us be happy in this life and throughout all eternity.

The people in Jerusalem would not listen to the warnings of the prophets. They would not do the things that would help keep them safe and happy. Because of their wickedness, they had to suffer the results and consequences of their sins and choices, and they were eventually destroyed by the Babylonians.

  • Show the picture of the living prophet and ask, “Who is this person?”

Activity
Inform the children that they are going to read some quotes from the living prophet concerning things he has asked us to do. Show the envelope that is labeled number one. Reveal that there are several other envelopes hidden around the room, and on the front of each envelope is a statement from our current prophet. On the inside of the envelope is a puzzle clue that will help them locate the next envelope. If all the directions are followed correctly, they will end up at the sign that says “Eternal Salvation.” (Put the sign on the wall.)

Give the first clue to a volunteer. That person then reads the prophet’s statement out loud to the class. Have the volunteer tell how they can follow the prophet’s direction regarding the statement they read. After they do that, they can open the envelope and follow the clue’s directions to the next envelope.

After the next clue has been found, have another volunteer follow the same pattern. Putting the puzzle pieces together will help each volunteer locate the clues. Continue on until all the clues have been found. Tell the children that when we follow the prophet’s directions we are guided down the pathway to eternal salvation (eternal life- the kind of life Heavenly Father lives).

Weekly Reading Assignment
Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week – 1 Nephi 1:1-20 and 1 Nephi 2:1-24.

Resources: Scripture story visual aids – Book of Mormon Stories.

Dec 1 2015

Book of Mormon: Activities & Games

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Table of Contents

Activity pages can be printed and made into quiet books.

Introduction

Friend November 2016 Find the answers to the below quiz in Elder Stevenson conference address “Look to the Book, Look to the Lord.”

Friend November 2016

Lehi

Friend March 1988 “Name this Prophet” Read the clues and name this Book of Mormon prophet. (Lehi)

Friend March 1988
Friend March 1988

Friend January 2024 “Lehi’s Family”

Friend January 1986 “Lehi and Sariah’s Family” Arrange the names of Lehi, Sariah, and their six sons on this crossword puzzle.

Friend January 2016

 Friend November 2015 “Leaving Jerusalem” Unscramble the names and then match with the description.

Friend November 2015

Brass Plates

Friend January 2024 “Connect the Scriptures” Number the sentences below in the order they happened in the story. Then find the matching colors and number the dots. Draw lines from dot to dot in number order to complete the picture.

Scripture Stories Coloring Book: Book of Mormon

Lehi’s Vision

Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “1 Nephi 6-10”

Friend September 1989 “Lehi’s Vision” Match the things that Lehi saw in his vision with what they stand for. Answers: (1) d, (2) g, (3) f, (4) e, (5) j, (6) h, (7) b, (8) c, (9) a, (10) i.

For the Strength of Youth January 2024 “Fun Stop”

Friend January 2019 “Book of Mormon Puzzler: Funstuff” Find the blocks of Book of Mormon symbols that match the numbered blocks below. Write the letters in the numbered spaces to find the name of the vision Nephi and Lehi saw.

Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon Draw your family eating the fruit of the tree.

Liahona

Friend February 2024 “Color by Number” What object did Lehi find in 1 Nephi 16:10? (See also Alma 37:38.) Finish the picture to see what it might have looked like! Use the guide below to color the squares.

Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon Draw what you think the Liahona looks like. How did the Liahona work?

Friend June 1987 “Compass of Faith” Liahona dot-to-dot and story figures.

Nephi

Nephi’s Bow

For the Strength of Youth “Fun Stop”

Nephi Builds a Ship

Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon  Connect the dots to help Nephi build the ship. How did Nephi know how to build a ship?

Friend March 1988 “Nephi Builds a Ship” When the Lord told Nephi to build a ship, Nephi made his own tools. Circle the tools Nephi might have made in those days, then color.

Friend March 1988

Friend February 2024 “Boat Building” Find the hidden objects.

Coloring Page: “Nephi was blessed for choosing the right.” (February 2012 Liahona and Friend)

Friend October 2017

Crossing the Sea

Friend January 2024 “I Can Follow Jesus by Reading the Scriptures”

Nephites Separate from the Lamanites

For the Strength of Youth February 2024 “Fun Stop”Uh, oh! The Lord has warned Nephi to take whoever will go with him and find a new place to live, away from Laman and Lemuel (see 2 Nephi 5:5–8). Can you help Nephi and his group get to safety?

Nephites Buid a Temple

Friend March 2024 “A Temple in the Promised Land”

Review of Lehi and Nephi

Friend February 2020 “Funstuff: Book of Mormon Puzzle” Fill in the empty squares so that all six pictures are in each row (across), each column (up and down), and each blue box. What do these symbols remind you of in the story of Nephi and his family?

Game Questions to review the stories “Lehi Leaves Jerusalem” through “Crossing the Sea”

Friend November 2000
Friend November 2000
Friend November 2000
Friend November 2000
Friend January 1996
Friend January 1996
Friend January 1996
Friend January 1996

Jacob

Friend March 1988

Friend March 1988

Enos

Friend October 2018
Friend April 1988
Friend April 1988
Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon “Enos’s Praying”

King Benjamin

Friend May 1988

Friend May 1988
Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon

Friend April 2024 “Hearing King Benjamin” The Nephites gathered with their families to hear King Benjamin speak (see Mosiah 2:5–8). Can you find the hidden objects? Where does your family gather to listen to the prophet speak today?

Friend October 2018

For the Strength of Youth April 2024 “Fun Stop” Connect the dots to see this group of people waiting to hear King Benjamin speak on the tower

Abinadi

Friend May 2024 “Abinadi Teaches the Gospel” The prophet Abinadi taught King Noah and his priests about Jesus Christ and His commandments (see Mosiah 12–17). Can you find all the hidden objects?

Friend November 2020 “Funstuff: Puzzle Page”

Alma the Younger

Friend May 1988

Friend May 1988

Alma and Amulek

Friend June 2024 “Alma and Amulek Teach Together”

Ammon

Friend January 2020 “Find It” For family night, Maria hid stuffed animals around the room to represent the animals that Ammon helped find and protect (see Alma 17:27–33). Can you find all 12 stuffed animals? Then find the other hidden objects.

Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon “Ammon and the King’s Sheep”

Friend June 1988
Friend June 1988

For the Strength of Youth July 2024 “Fun Stop” Can you help Ammon gather the king’s sheep? Don’t worry—no need to cut off anyone’s arms. (For Ammon’s story, see Alma 17.)

Organize the sheep so they all fit perfectly in the pen. You can do this by cutting out the puzzle pieces on page 29 (after you’ve read the article on the next page) and arranging them, or you can draw them in instead.

Abish

Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon “Abish Gathered the People”

Friend June 2018 Abish

Alma

Faith is Like a Seed

For the Strength of Youth July 2024 “Fun Stop” In Alma 32, the word of God is compared unto a seed that is “planted in your heart.” Can you “plant” each of the nine different seeds by filling out the grid? You must have one (and only one!) of every type of seed in each row, column, and colored box.

Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon “Alma Compared the Word to a Seed”

Moroni

The Title of Liberty

Book of Mormon Coloring Book “Moroni’s Title of Liberty”

Friend July 1987
Friend July 1987

Friend August 2024 “Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty”

Two Thousand Stripling Warriors

Book of Mormon Coloring Book “The Stripling Warriors”

  • “Stripling-Warrior Search” (August 2019 Friend)
    Find eight letters hidden in this picture of the stripling warriors, and unscramble them to decode a hidden message.

Samuel the Lamanite

Book of Mormon Coloring Book “Samuel the Lamanite”

Friend January 2013 “Funstuff: Samuel the Lamanite Prophesies”

Signs of Jesus Birth

Friend September 2024 “A New Star” People in the Book of Mormon saw the star that showed that Jesus Christ had been born far away! Can you find the hidden objects?

Friend December 1988

Friend December 1988

Jesus Christ Appears to the Nephites

For the Strength of Youth September 2024 “Fun Stop” The Savior is about to visit the land of the Nephites. But right now, there is lots of destruction. Can you find all 10 hidden objects in the ruins? (See 3 Nephi 8–11 for the story!)

Friend August 1988

Friend August 1988

Friend August 1988

Friend August 1988
Friend August 1988

Book of Mormon Coloring Book “Jesus Blessed the Children”

Book of Mormon: Coloring Book “The Twelve Nephite Disciples” Nine of Jesus’s twelve disciples lived to age 72 because they wanted to speedily return to Jesus. The other three disciples wanted to live until Jesus comes again. Find the Three Nephites in the bottom half of the page who did not get old.

The Nephites Live in Peace

Friend September 1988 Review of Story

Friend September 1988

Jaradites

Friend January 1987

Friend January 1987

Book of Mormon Coloring Book “The Jaredite Barges”

Friend November 2024 “The Jaredite Barges” Find the hidden objects.

  • “Brothers of Faith” (May 1971 Friend) Crossword puzzle Complete the blanks in the story (See story at link)

Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Ether 1-5” Help the brother of Jared find 16 hidden stones.

 Friend November 1988

Additional Resources

Moroni

Friend October 1988
Friend October 1988

Review

Review of the Book of Alma

Friend June 2020 “Who Am I” Review game for the Book of Alma. Guess who the mystery person is.

Friend November 1988

Book of Mormon Review

For the Strength of Youth January 2024 “Fun Stop”

Friend August 1988 “Family Reunion”

Friend August 1988

Friend November 2016 “Scripture Hero Search”

Friend November 2016
Friend October 2018
Friend June 2018
Friend February 2018
Friend January 2024
Friend February 2024
Friend March 2024
Friend April 2024
Friend May 2024
Friend June 2024
Friend July 2024
Friend August 2024
Friend September 2024
Friend October 2024
Friend November 2024
Friend December 2024
July, August, May 2024 Friends
Friend October 2024
Friend December 2024

Friend November 1988

Friend October 1988

Friend October 1988

Friend August 1987 “Book of Mormon Crossword Puzzle”

Friend August 1987

Friend July 1988 “Book of Mormon ABC’s” Each player in turn picks letter from pile, reads clue, and has two minutes to find answer that begins with that letter in the Book of Mormon. Person

Friend November 1981 “Book of Mormon Quiz” Match the Book of Mormon terms in the numbered column with the appropriate identification in the lettered column.

Friend Aug/Sept 1981 “Book of Mormon ABC’s”

Friend May 1987

Friend May 1987
Friend June 1986
Friend June 1986

Just for Fun

Friend August 2024 “Fruit Fun”

Sep 29 2015

Friendship: Lesson Ideas

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Table of Contents

How to Be a Friend

Friend September 2017 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for teaching little ones how to be a friend.

For the Strength of Youth June 2024 “Would I Want to Be Friends with Me?”

Have you ever wished a friend would do something a little differently? Like reach out to you more, not tease you so much, or support you in something? It’s important to have good friends. But first, it might help to be a good friend.

Time for some self-reflection: Are you the kind of friend you’d want to be friends with? Do you follow Jesus Christ’s example in your friendships?

Let’s take a look in the mirror. Ask yourself each of these questions, and then see how you can be a better friend.

Choosing Good Friends

For the Strength of Youth August 2022 “Choose to Let God Prevail” By Elder Gerrit W. Gong Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

May I share something I’ve learned about choosing friends? Watch what makes them laugh. What makes us laugh says a lot about us.

Find those who laugh with, who do not laugh at; who include others and draw the circle bigger, not smaller; who are kind and do not bully or make fun of others in person or online, especially those with physical or mental challenges or those who are new or from other countries or backgrounds.

Be lighthearted, not light-minded. Lighthearted means wholesome, good humor—lots of it. In contrast, light-minded can include making fun of sacred things, using bad language, or doing edgy things that appeal to the world.

As Doctrine and Covenants 88:40 teaches, like things attract each other. Be the friend you want others to be to you. Look for friends who help you become what you truly want to be.

Good friends can be a blessing to me.

1 Samuel CHAPTER 18

Jonathan loves David—Saul sets David over his armies—David is honored by the people, and Saul becomes jealous—David marries Michal, a daughter of Saul.

1 Samuel 18:1–4

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–18” Jonathan and David’s friendship is a great example of the blessings that can come from good friends.

Media Library
  • Draw two figures on the board, one to represent David and the other to represent Jonathan. Read to the children a few phrases from 1 Samuel 18:1–4 that emphasize the love these two friends felt for each other. Give each child a paper heart, and ask them how they can show love to a friend. After each child shares an idea, invite the child to attach the paper heart to the board.

Friend August 2018 Find the words below that tell how we can share the Savior’s love with others.

  • Tell the children about a good friend who helps you live the gospel or build your faith in Jesus Christ, and invite the children to share who helps them. Invite the children to act out doing something nice for a friend.

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.

Lesson 29: David and Jonathan,” Primary 6: Old Testament (1996), 125–30
To help the children understand how to be a true friend.

  1. Tell the children that one way to strengthen friendships is to get to know one another better. To help the class members know each other better, play the following game.Pass around a bowl of small pieces of candy or dried beans. As you pass the bowl around, have each child name something he or she likes to do, take a piece of candy or a bean, and pass the bowl to the next child. Keep passing the bowl until all the children have had at least one turn.Alternate game: Have the children sit in a circle. Play spin the bottle by placing a narrow bottle on its side on the floor. Tell one thing about yourself and spin the bottle. Whoever the mouth of the bottle points to when the bottle stops spinning will be next to tell one thing about himself or herself, plus one good thing that he or she knows about someone in the class (this could be something the children have learned during the game or something they already knew about the person). Have the child spin the bottle to determine who has the next turn.

Jesus Christ is a Perfect Friend

Doctrine and Covenants 84:77

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).

Ensign July 2010 “Jesus Christ, Our Perfect Friend”

How to Make Friends

Friend March 2020 “What’s on Your Mind?” A child doesn’t know how to make friends. The Friend magazine explains that lots of other kids are looking for a friend too. So why not be the first to smile and say hello? The Friend also includes an activity where children can think about what they would say in certain situations.

Friend August 2017 “Friends Come and Go” Ways of dealing with friends moving away and making new friends.

(Idea: Before the lesson, cut the picture into parts. During the lesson discuss each part as you put the picture back together on the board)

Friend June 2017 “Question Corner” Ideas from children on how to make friends.

Friend May 2017 HELP for Shyness. It was hard for me to make friends. Then my cousin taught me to think of the word HELP. H is for “hobbies.” E is for “education.” L is for “what you like.” And P is for “plans.” I could talk to anyone about hobbies, school, what we liked to do, and what we were planning to do. That helped me so much that I grew up to be a journalist who interviews lots of people! Linda Davies, video producer

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.

Friend February 2015 “Question Corner”  Children give ideas on how to make friends in a new school.

Friend November 2022 “Classroom Kindness” Includes some ideas on how to make friends

Friend February 2015 “Happy Alone, Happy Together” Ideas on what to do when want to be alone or when we are lonely.

Friend April 2021 I was feeling lonely at recess, so I asked someone if they would play with me. We started playing with chalk, and more people came, and it was so much fun! If you feel lonely, you can ask someone to play with you! (includes photo)

Friend March 2022 “The Origami Activity” Toshi had just moved to the Philippines and didn’t know the language. He planned a party for his Primary class, and his father help translate. Everyone had a good time.

Working Through Disagreements

Friend May 2019 “What’s on Your Mind” Ideas on how to work through disagreements.

Friend April 2024 “I Can Follow Jesus by Saying Sorry”

Being Friends with Someone Disagree With

Friend September 2019 “3 Ways to Get Along With Others” Love them, forgive them, treat them the way you wanted to be treated. (Includes Golden Rule activity and coloring page.)

We Share With Friends

Culture & Traditions (including gospel)

Friend December 2016
Friend December 2016
Friend December 2016
Friend December 2016

Friend June 1986 “What is a Friend”

Friend January 2016
Friend January 2016

Good friends uplift and encourage each other.

Job 19:13–19; 22:5

When Job was struggling, his friends said that God was punishing him because he had sinned. This story can help you teach the children a better way to respond when a friend has challenges (see Job 16:1–5).

  • Ask the children to review the many hard things that happened to Job (see Job 1:13–19; 2:7). Read together Job 19:14, 19, looking for how Job’s friends reacted to his trials (see also Job 22:1–5). Invite the children to imagine that they were Job’s friends—how would they try to help him? Encourage them to think of a friend who may be going through a difficult time and plan something they can do to show love and support to their friend.
  • Ask the children to list some qualities of a good friend and to name a friend who has these qualities. Show a picture of Jesus Christ. In what ways is Jesus a good friend to each of us? How can we follow His example?

Friend October 2018 “Kaity and Quincy” Kaity, who has Down syndrome, loves her friend Quincy. Quincy always helps her at church. When Quincy’s brother dies, Katie wants to help her friend. She is able to comfort her sad, crying friend with just the right words and hugs.