Alma CHAPTER 23 Religious freedom is proclaimed—The Lamanites in seven lands and cities are converted—They call themselves Anti-Nephi-Lehies and are freed from the curse—The Amalekites and the Amulonites reject the truth. About 90–77 B.C.
Alma CHAPTER 24 The Lamanites come against the people of God—The Anti-Nephi-Lehies rejoice in Christ and are visited by angels—They choose to suffer death rather than to defend themselves—More Lamanites are converted. About 90–77 B.C.
Alma CHAPTER 25 Lamanite aggressions spread—The seed of the priests of Noah perish as Abinadi prophesied—Many Lamanites are converted and join the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi—They believe in Christ and keep the law of Moses. About 90–77 B.C.
Alma CHAPTER 26 Ammon glories in the Lord—The faithful are strengthened by the Lord and are given knowledge—By faith men may bring thousands of souls unto repentance—God has all power and comprehends all things. About 90–77 B.C.
Alma CHAPTER 27 The Lord commands Ammon to lead the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi to safety—Upon meeting Alma, Ammon’s joy exhausts his strength—The Nephites give the Anti-Nephi-Lehies the land of Jershon—They are called the people of Ammon. About 90–77 B.C.
Alma CHAPTER 28 The Lamanites are defeated in a tremendous battle—Tens of thousands are slain—The wicked are consigned to a state of endless woe; the righteous attain a never-ending happiness. About 77–76 B.C.
Alma CHAPTER 29 Alma desires to cry repentance with angelic zeal—The Lord grants teachers for all nations—Alma glories in the Lord’s work and in the success of Ammon and his brethren. About 76 B.C.
Anti-Nephi-Lehies
Alma 23
Burying Their Weapons
Alma 24-25
Book of Mormon Stories “The People of Ammon” Images
Show the picture of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies burying their swords. Ask the children if they would want to bury their weapons if they knew they were in danger of attack. The people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi knew their enemies were planning to kill them, but they had made a solemn covenant with Heavenly Father that they would not fight.
Gospel Media “The Anti-Nephi-Lehies Burying Their Swords”
The Lord blesses me as I strive to keep my promises to Him.
Perhaps your children would enjoy burying their “weapons” like the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. You could read a few verses from Alma 24:6–24 to teach the children about the promises the Anti-Nephi-Lehies made to follow the Savior. They could then think of something they will change to follow Him, write it on this week’s activity page, and pretend to dig a hole and bury their weapon. (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 23-29”)
Invite them to write, on the back of the weapons, something they feel they should change in order to follow Jesus Christ more fully. Let them pretend to bury their weapons and make a plan to act on what they wrote.
Covenants are promises I make with God and He makes with me.
Primary 4: Book of Mormon “Lesson 19: The Anti-Nephi-Lehies”
Sprinkle the salt or sand on the bottom of the box. With your finger write the word Promise in the salt or sand. Ask the children the following questions:
- Have you ever made an agreement or promise with someone who broke their part of the promise? (Let the children tell how they felt when the promise was broken as you gently blow on the salt or sand to erase the word.)
- What do we call a promise we make with Heavenly Father? (A covenant.)
- When did we make promises to Heavenly Father? (When we were baptized.)
Remind the children that a promise should not be made lightly. Emphasize the importance of keeping your word. Write the word Covenant on the rock with a marker or crayon. Explain that a gospel covenant is a promise between Heavenly Father and his children. Blow on the rock to demonstrate that the word cannot be easily removed. As we make covenants we should remember that they are sacred, and we should be determined to keep them.
Give all the children small rocks, and invite them to write the word covenant on their rock. Explain that a covenant is a promise between Heavenly Father and His children. How do our covenants make us strong or “firm” like a rock? (Alma 24:19). Read together Alma 24:16–25 to learn what covenant the people of Ammon made and how they honored their covenant. Invite the children to take the rocks home as a reminder to keep their covenants. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 23-29”)
Lesson 19: The Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s Covenant Lesson ideas
Your children could read Alma 24:15–19, looking for what the Anti-Nephi-Lehies did “as a testimony to God.” Then you could talk with them about how our covenants can be “a testimony to God” (verse 18). Let your children talk about how they will show God that they want to follow Him. Singing a song like “I Want to Live the Gospel” (Children’s Songbook, 148) could help inspire them. (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 23-29”)
Explain that the covenants we make are “a testimony to God” that we want to follow God’s commandments (verse 18). What covenants have the children made?
Additional Teaching Resources
Scripture Stories Coloring Book—Book of Mormon “The Anti-Nephi-Lehies Buried Their Weapons”
Friend July 2020 “Funstuff: Find It!” The Anti-Nephi-Lehies promised God they would never use weapons to hurt people again. They buried their weapons in the ground as part of their promise. Find 23 weapons in the ground and 30 hearts above the ground.
Friend August 2018 “Family Night Fun” Write a bad habit on a piece of paper. “Bury” the bad habit! Tear up the paper, or bury it outside. You could even plant a flower to represent replacing a bad habit with a good one.
Friend July 2020 “My Family Night Fun”The Anti-Nephi-Lehies made a promise with God that they wouldn’t fight again. They buried their weapons in the ground (see Alma 23:7, 24:17). Take a small piece of paper and write down something you want to stop doing, like fighting or complaining. Share what you wrote, and promise to do your best to stop doing that thing. Then rip the paper into tiny pieces and bury it in the ground.
Friend July 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones” Read Alma 23:7 together and talk about how the Anti-Nephi-Lehies promised never to hurt people ever again. Draw weapons on pieces of paper. As you bury each one under a rug or towel, help your littles ones say, “I will be a peacemaker.”
Friend August 2018 “The No-Fighting Promise” After a few days of staying at cousin Timmy’s house, Madi and Timmy start to fight. Timmy suggests they be like the Anti-Nephi-Lehies and make some toy swords and bury them and promise they won’t fight each other anymore. After that they found ways to compromise so they didn’t fight.
News with Naylors Lesson ideas about contention in the home and finding peace. On the swords write somethings that may be causing contention such as yelling, arguing, not sharing, etc.
I can repent.
Alma 24:7–10; 26:23–34; 27:27–30
Because Heavenly Father is merciful, we can repent and change.
To help your children see how Jesus Christ can help us change when we repent, you could teach them about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. To do this, you might label two bowls “before” and “after.” Then your children could read Alma 17:14–15 and 27:27–30, write down what the Lamanites were like before and after repenting, and put them in the correct bowl. According to Alma 24:7–10, what helped them change? How can we show our thanks to God for His mercy? (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 23-29”)
Invite the children to read together Alma 26:21–22, looking for the blessings that come to those who repent. Invite the children to describe some of these blessings in their own words. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 23-29”)
Ammon Glories in the Lord
Alma 26
Jesus Christ brings me joy, and I can share this joy.
Perhaps you and your children would enjoy drawing pictures of things in the gospel of Jesus Christ that bring you joy. Share your picture with your children, and encourage them to share their picture with someone to help that person feel joy too. (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 23-29”
Friend July 2024 “Sharing the Friend“ A girl gave her Friend magazine to another girl that looked sad. She wanted the girl to feel the happiness she feels when she learns about Jesus.
Friend July 2021 “Winfred’s New Recipe” Winfred is sad because she misses her father who has to work far away, and she misses her friends because of Covid. She figures out a recipe for happiness which includes prayer, reading scriptures, having faith, being grateful, and serving others.
- Help your children find the words joy and rejoice in Alma 26 and 29. What brought Ammon and Alma joy or caused them to rejoice? This question could lead to a discussion about the joy that comes from living or sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As you read Alma 26:11, 13 or Alma 29:13–14 invite the children to stand every time they hear the words “joy” or “rejoice.” Help the children understand that sharing the gospel made Alma and Ammon happy. Share an experience when sharing the gospel brought you joy. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 23-29”)
Ensign July 2020 “Family Study Fun”
Read Alma 27:17–19 and Alma 29:13–14 together, paying special attention to the word joy. Ammon and Alma found great joy in serving other people and the Lord.
- Invite one or two people to act out helping someone else—no speaking allowed! Examples could include opening the door for someone, helping a person in their yard, helping fix dinner, and so on.
- While the scene is being acted out, other family members guess what the service is.
- Take turns until everyone has had a chance to act.
Discussion: Why is it important to help other people? When have you felt joy after helping someone? What could our family do to help someone this week?
The gospel brings me joy, and I can share this joy with others.
- Invite two children to face each other and see who can make the other child smile first. What are some ways we can spread joy to others? How does sharing the gospel spread joy? Help the children think of ways they can share the joy of the gospel with their friends and families.
Additional Missionary Ideas
Blessings God has bestowed upon us
How would your family answer Ammon’s questions in Alma 26:2? Perhaps you could make a list of their answers on a large piece of paper and hang it in a place where everyone can see it. Encourage family members to add to it as they think of other blessings God has “bestowed upon us.” (Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 23-29”)
The Nephites Help the Anti-Nephi-Lehies
Alma 27
I can help my friends live the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Because of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies’ promise not to fight anymore, they could not defend themselves from their enemies. Read Alma 27:23, and explain that their friends among the Nephites chose to protect the Anti-Nephi-Lehies so they could keep their promise. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 23-29”)
- Your children could read Alma 27:22–23, looking for what the Nephites did to help the Anti-Nephi-Lehies keep their promise to never fight again. How can we help our friends keep their promises? Your children could role-play situations. For example, what can we say to a friend who wants to lie or be mean? (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 23-29”)
Come Follow Me Kid Some additional situations could be:
A friend wants you to go somewhere your parents told you not to go to.
A friend tells another kid they can’t play with them because they think they’re weird.
A friend has a bag of candy and is rudely telling other kids that he/she is not going to share.
A friend wants you to try a cigarette with them.
A friend starts making fun of another kid and tries to get you to join.
A friend tells you to lie to your parents about something that happened.
Friend May 2016 Matt’s friend accidently damages his father’s car. Matt encourages his friend to choose the right and be honest.
Additional Resources
Teaching the Scripture Readers: Book of Mormon “The People of Ammon”
Latter Day Kids “Promises and Covenants” Lesson ideas
