Read the Savior’s invitation, “Come, follow me,” found in Luke 18:22. Play a game where one child does an action and then tells the other children, “Come, follow me.” Invite the other children to repeat the action.

Show pictures of people following the Savior in different ways, during His mortal ministry and in our day. You can find pictures in the Gospel Art Book or Church magazines. You can also show the video “Light the World” (LDS.org). Let the children identify how the people are following the Savior.

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

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

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

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

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

Sing together “Seek the Lord Early” and “Search, Ponder, and Pray,” Children’s Songbook, 108–9, and help the children make up actions to go with the words. Share with the children one or two of your favorite scriptures, and tell them how you came to know the scriptures are true. If the children have favorite scriptures or scripture stories, invite them to share.

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

Take your class on a walk around the meetinghouse. Invite the children to raise their hands when they see something on the walk that reminds them of a way they can follow the Savior (such as the baptismal font or a picture).

Sing with the children “Come, Follow Me,” Hymns, no. 116. Invite the children to share times when they have followed the Savior’s example.

Read aloud John 5:39 and Acts 17:10–11, and ask the children what they learn about how to study the scriptures.

Select a few simple, powerful scriptures from the New Testament, write each on a piece of paper, and hide the papers. Create clues that will lead the children on a “treasure hunt” within the classroom or church building to find these scriptures. After they find each scripture, discuss what the scripture means and why it is such a treasure.

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

Have a discussion with the children about why it is sometimes hard to read the scriptures. Ask the children to share advice with each other about studying the scriptures. Ask them also to share any positive experiences they have had with the scriptures.

Help the children make simple calendars that they can use to mark how often they read the scriptures. These calendars could remind them to read the scriptures every day.

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

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

Ask the children to help you label building blocks with phrases that describe things we do to build our testimonies, such as praying. Let the children build a structure representing a testimony using the blocks.

Invite a child’s parents to come to class dressed up as Mary and Joseph. Ask them to share their experiences as recorded in Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 1:26–38.

Tell the story of angels appearing to Mary and Joseph, as recorded in these verses. (See also “Chapter 2: Mary and the Angel” and “Chapter 4: Joseph and the Angel,” New Testament Stories, 8–9, 12, or the corresponding videos on LDS.org.) You could show the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Invite the children to repeat the story back to you.

Invite the children to draw pictures of the stories found in Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 1:26–38.

In your own words, share the story from Luke 1:5–20, 57–63. You may want to repeat the story a few times. Assign children to play the parts of the angel, Zacharias, and Elisabeth and act out the story. Emphasize that Heavenly Father answered the prayers of Elisabeth and Zacharias, and share an experience in which Heavenly Father answered your prayer.

Use “We Bow Our Heads,” Children’s Songbook, 25, or another song to teach the children how to pray. You could also sing together “A Child’s Prayer,” Children’s Songbook, 12–13. Every time the children sing the words “pray” or “prayer,” invite them to bow their heads and fold their arms.

Ask each child to do actions that represent something he or she can pray for. Let the other children guess what the actions represent. They can find ideas on this week’s activity page.

Tell the children that the angel told Mary that her baby would be called the Son of God (see Luke 1:35). Help the children repeat the phrase “Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Help the children understand who Jesus’s parents were by inviting them to draw pictures of their own parents. As they do this, tell them that Jesus had parents too—Mary and Heavenly Father. In addition, Joseph was asked to protect and take care of Jesus while He lived on earth.

Share your testimony that because Jesus was the Son of God, He could die for our sins and come back to life. Show pictures of Jesus’s Crucifixion and Resurrection (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 57, 59).

As you and the children review Matthew 1:18–25 and Luke 1:5–37, ask the children questions like “What would you say if you were Mary?” or “How would you feel if you were Zacharias?”

In simple terms, tell the stories of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Ask the children to raise their hands when they hear something that might seem impossible without God’s power. What other stories can the children share in which God did something that seemed impossible?

Help the children memorize Luke 1:37. To do this, you could write the verse on the board and invite the children to recite it several times. After each time, erase one word.

Ask the children to read Luke 1:30–35, looking for answers to these questions: “Who is Jesus’s mother?” and “Who is Jesus’s Father?” Help them understand that Jesus Christ is the only person whose physical father was Heavenly Father (see also 1 Nephi 11:18–21).

As you read these verses, invite the children to search for names or titles of Jesus Christ. What do these names mean, and what do they teach us about Jesus?

Share your testimony of Jesus Christ, and invite the children to share theirs.

Ask the children what they would say to someone who had prayed for a blessing but had not received it yet. Invite them to think about this question as they read together Luke 1:5–25, 57–80. (See also “Chapter 1: Elisabeth and Zacharias” and “Chapter 3: John the Baptist Is Born,” New Testament Stories, 6–7, 10–11, or the corresponding videos on LDS.org.) What might Zacharias and Elisabeth tell someone who felt their prayer wasn’t being answered?

Invite several children ahead of time to share experiences when Heavenly Father answered their prayers. Share a time in which you felt your prayers were answered in an unexpected way.

Invite the children to draw a picture of a time when Heavenly Father answered a prayer—especially one of their own. Let them share their drawings with the class.

As you read the story of Christ’s birth, invite the children to act out the story themselves or use this week’s activity page. See also “Chapter 5: Jesus Christ Is Born,” New Testament Stories, 13–15, or the corresponding video (LDS.org).

If you have one, bring a Nativity set and invite the children to set the pieces in appropriate places as you tell them the story of Jesus Christ’s birth. You could also show a picture of the Nativity (see, for example, this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Point to different people in the Nativity and invite the children to share what they know about each person.

Sing together the children’s favorite songs about Jesus’s birth. As you do, look for opportunities to bear your testimony of the Savior and invite the children to share why they love Jesus.

Show a picture of the Wise Men as you review their story, found in Matthew 2:1–12, with the children. You could show the picture Wise Men Present Gifts (LDS.org).

Gift wrap pictures or objects that represent gifts we can give to Jesus. Invite the children to help you open the gifts and discuss how we give these gifts to the Savior.

Help each child draw or write a list of gifts they can give Jesus, such as “being a good friend” or “praying.” Invite the children to share their lists with the class and choose one to work on this week.

Invite one of the youth in the ward to visit the class and share the story of Jesus teaching in the temple when He was a young man.

Ask several children ahead of time to bring pictures of themselves as babies to share. Ask them how they have grown. Share some of the ways Jesus grew (see Luke 2:40, 52). Sing with the children “Jesus Once Was a Little Child,” Children’s Songbook, 55, or another song about the Savior.

Read Luke 2:52 and explain what “wisdom” and “stature” mean. You might ask the children to perform actions that show what it means to increase in wisdom and in favor with God and other people. For example, they could act out reading a book or helping someone in need.

Ask the children to talk about things they look forward to, such as a birthday or holiday. Have the children read Helaman 14:2–5 to find something prophets were looking forward to.

Read together some prophecies of the Savior’s birth (see Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; 1 Nephi 11:18; Helaman 14:5). Help the children list details these prophecies contain and find their fulfillment in Luke 2:1–21 and Matthew 2:1–2.

Invite the children to draw a picture of the Nativity and share why they are grateful Jesus was born.

As you read Luke 2:40, 52, tell the children to listen for the things Jesus did. Invite the children to share ways in which they have grown since they were little. Share your own experience of learning the gospel little by little; then bear your testimony.

Complete activities that illustrate phrases in Luke 2:40, 52. For example, you could measure each child’s height (“Jesus increased in … stature”) or have them share their favorite scripture (“waxed strong in spirit”). Help the children make a record of ways they are growing and share it with their families.

After reviewing Luke 2:40, 52, invite the children to share what they think Jesus would have been like when He was their age. How would He have treated His mother? His brothers and sisters?

Invite a child to come prepared to summarize the story in Luke 2:41–52. To help the children understand the story, teach what the “Father’s business” means. For example, you could tell the children what you or your parents do for a job. What was the job or “business” of Joseph, Jesus’s earthly father? (see Matthew 13:55). What was the business of His Heavenly Father? (see Luke 2:46–49; see also Moses 1:39).

With the children, read Luke 2:46–49 and ask, “How was Jesus doing His ‘Father’s business’?” Help the children list or draw on the board ways they can help do Heavenly Father’s business too.

To help the children build their confidence that they, like the boy Jesus, can teach the gospel, help them practice teaching each other a principle from For the Strength of Youth.

Explain that “the Word” in John 1:1 refers to Jesus. Read the verse aloud, and ask the children to say “Jesus” each time you read “the Word.” Show the line drawing Premortal Life (LDS.org). Explain that Jesus Christ lived with Heavenly Father before He came to earth.

Teach the children that we also lived with God before we came to earth. You may want to use “Introduction: Our Heavenly Father’s Plan,” New Testament Stories, 1–5; the corresponding video (LDS.org); or Guide to the Scriptures, “Premortal Life,” scriptures.lds.org.

Invite a parent to bring a baby to class, and use this as an opportunity to teach that we lived in heaven with Heavenly Father as spirit children before we were born.

Read John 1:3 with the children, and show the picture from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Help the children memorize the phrase “all things were made by [Jesus Christ].”

Take the children for a walk outside. Let the children take turns describing a creation they see, and ask the class to guess what they are describing.

Ask the children to think of ways in which they can take care of the creations around them (for example, being kind to animals).

Describe how John taught Andrew about Jesus, and tell how Andrew in turn taught Peter (see John 1:35–42). Share how you learned about the Church, or invite a new member to share how he or she learned about the Church.

Share the story of Philip inviting Nathanael to “come and see” (John 1:43–51). Hide a picture of Jesus in a box, and invite one child to “come and see” it and then tell the other children about what he or she saw.

Let the children color this week’s activity page, and encourage them to use it to invite someone to learn about Jesus.

Ask a child to tell about a time when he or she shared something, such as a toy or gift, with someone. How can we share the gospel? Tell a story of a child who shared the gospel with a friend, such as Elder M. Russell Ballard’s story about Joshua (“Following Up,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 78–81).

Ask the children if they know anything about what Jesus did before He was born. Invite them to look for answers in John 1:1–5. It might help to look in Joseph Smith Translation, John 1:1–5 (in the Bible appendix).

Share “Introduction: Our Heavenly Father’s Plan,” New Testament Stories, 1–5, with the children or show the corresponding video (LDS.org). Ask the children what they learn about Jesus Christ.

Invite some children to come to class prepared to display or describe something they created. Show pictures of some of the Lord’s creations, and use John 1:3 to explain that Jesus created all things.

Invite the children to read Psalm 27:1; John 1:4–9; Mosiah 16:9; and Doctrine and Covenants 39:1–2, looking for phrases that these scriptures have in common. How is Jesus Christ like a light?

Show a picture of the Savior and some objects that give light, such as a flashlight. How is Jesus Christ like these objects? How can we share His light with others? Sing together “The Lord Is My Light,” Hymns, no. 89, or another song about gospel light.

Ask the children what they do when they are in darkness and feel afraid. Testify that they can always turn to the Savior when they are fearful.

Help the children search John 1:35–51 to find things that people said to invite others to learn about the Savior. Let them practice what they might say to invite a friend to learn about Him.

Ask the children to use this week’s activity page to make an invitation they could use to invite a friend or family member to learn more about Jesus Christ.

Give the children the opportunity to tell the class about something that they love. Help the children see how sharing the gospel can be like sharing other things we love. You may want to show the video “Good Things to Share” (LDS.org).

Summarize the story of the Savior’s baptism (see Matthew 3:13–17; see also “Chapter 10: Jesus Is Baptized,” New Testament Stories, 26–29, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). Repeat the story several times and invite the children to share the details they remember. Explain that Jesus was baptized by immersion by someone who had priesthood authority.

Show a picture of Jesus being baptized and this week’s activity page. Let the children point out similarities between the two pictures.

You might review the promises the children will make when they are baptized (see Mosiah 18:8–10; D&C 20:37; True to the Faith, 23). Ask them which of these things they are already doing.

Invite a member of the bishopric to tell the children about the baptismal interview they will have before they are baptized.

Sing “Baptism,” Children’s Songbook, 100–101, with the children. Consider asking a child who knows the song well to lead the other children while they sing.

Use Matthew 3:11, 16 to teach the children that the Holy Ghost descended on Jesus when He was baptized (a dove appeared as a sign to show that this had happened). Show the picture The Gift of the Holy Ghost (Gospel Art Book, no. 105), and explain that we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost when we are confirmed.

Bring a box containing things such as a picture of Jesus, a comforting blanket, and a compass. Invite the children to select an item and then share how each object represents a way the Holy Ghost can help us—He testifies of Jesus, comforts us (see John 15:26), and shows us the right way (see 2 Nephi 32:5).

Share your own experiences with receiving help from the Holy Ghost.

Invite the children to listen for ways the Holy Ghost helps us as they sing “The Holy Ghost,” Children’s Songbook, 105.

Invite the children to make a list of Aaronic Priesthood duties, using Doctrine and Covenants 20:46, 58–60; 84:111. Explain that priests in the Aaronic Priesthood can “baptize, and administer the sacrament.” Priests, teachers, and deacons are to “teach, and invite all to come unto Christ” (D&C 20:46, 59). Ask the children to look in Matthew 3 for examples of John fulfilling these duties. How can all of us invite others to come unto Christ, as John did?

Display some pictures of Aaronic Priesthood holders performing the ordinances of baptism and the sacrament (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 103, 108). Discuss how these ordinances prepare us to receive Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

Read together Doctrine and Covenants 13:1, and explain that John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith. Ask the children how they have been blessed because the Aaronic Priesthood was restored.

Ask two children to read Luke 3:7–9, 15–17, one reading the words of John the Baptist and the other reading the rest of the words. After each verse, pause and help the children understand what the verse means.

Review the covenants the children made at baptism, found in Mosiah 18:8–10 and Doctrine and Covenants 20:37. (See also True to the Faith, 23–26.) Invite the children to write these references on this week’s activity page.

Prepare several pairs of cards with matching phrases or pictures that represent our baptismal covenants. Place the cards facedown. Invite the children to take turns turning over two at a time, looking for a match. After a match is made, invite children to share ways they have kept that covenant.

Share how keeping your baptismal covenants has blessed you.

Ask each child to choose one of the following scriptures to read and explain how the Holy Ghost speaks to us: Doctrine and Covenants 6:23; 8:2–3.

Ask a child to read Matthew 3:11. How is the Holy Ghost like fire? For instance, fire is comforting, and it gives light to guide us (see John 15:26; 2 Nephi 32:5).

Invite the children to close their eyes and hold out their hands. Then lightly brush their palms with a feather or string. Invite them to tell you when they feel it. What does this activity teach about recognizing the impressions of the Holy Ghost?

Invite the children to share experiences they have had with the Holy Ghost. Why does keeping our covenants help us to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost?

Tell the story of Jesus’s temptations from Matthew 4:1–11. (See also “Chapter 11: Jesus Is Tempted,” New Testament Stories, 30–31, or the corresponding video on LDS.org.) At appropriate points in the story, ask, “What do you think Jesus should do?”

Display a picture of Jesus Christ, and then describe choices a young child might make. For each good choice, ask the children to take a step toward the picture. For each bad choice, ask them to take a step away from it.

Help the children learn the words to “Choose the Right Way,” Children’s Songbook, 160–61, using pictures, objects, or other visual aids that correspond to the lyrics.

Read Luke 4:18–19 to the children, and explain what Jesus Christ was sent to earth to do (teach, comfort, and heal people). Share how He has done this for you.

Invite a few children to pretend to be confused, sad, or sick. Ask the other children to role-play what they could do to help them. Testify that Jesus Christ came to teach, comfort, and heal us, and that we should follow His example.

Show pictures of Jesus fulfilling aspects of His mission (see Gospel Art Book), and ask the children to describe what Jesus is doing. Also show pictures of people trying to be like Jesus (you might find some in Church magazines).

Write on strips of paper phrases that begin with “Because of Jesus Christ” (such as “Because of Jesus Christ, my family can be together forever”). Invite each child to pick one of the paper strips, and help him or her read the phrase.

Invite two children to pretend to be Simon Peter and Andrew as you read Matthew 4:18–22. Help the children identify what these men gave up to follow Jesus.

Let the children take turns telling the story from these verses using the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families.

Sing together “I Will Follow God’s Plan,” Children’s Songbook, 164. What can we learn from this song about following Jesus Christ?

Use this week’s activity page to discuss with the children how they can be “fishers of men” by following Jesus. You could also play a matching game: cut out two copies of each fish, place them facedown, and invite the children to turn them over one at a time to make a match.

Make a chart on the board labeled Satan’s Temptations and Jesus’s Responses. Help the children fill in the chart using Matthew 4:1–11 and Luke 4:1–13. Ask the children how they can follow Jesus’s example.

Write down some scenarios in which a child might be tempted to make a wrong choice. Let a child select one to read, and discuss as a class how they could resist temptation in that situation.

Invite a child to read aloud Matthew 4:1–2 using the Joseph Smith Translation revisions found in the footnotes. What did Jesus do to “be with God”? Share how fasting has helped you feel closer to Heavenly Father.

Invite children who have fasted before to share their experiences. How would they explain fasting to someone who has never fasted before?

Write questions about fasting (such as why, when, or how we fast) on pieces of paper, and place them in a bowl. Invite children to pick a question and try to answer it. What experiences can you or the children share about fasting?

Invite a child to come to class prepared to summarize Luke 4:16–30. It might be helpful to use “Chapter 17: Angry People in Nazareth,” New Testament Stories, 42–43; the corresponding video (LDS.org); or the video “Jesus Declares He Is the Messiah” (LDS.org).

Read Luke 4:18 aloud while the children follow along. Ask them to create a list of things the Savior said He came to do. Invite the children to share examples of times when Christ did these things, either in the scriptures or in their lives.

Invite the children to read Matthew 4:18–22 and Luke 5:1–11. How did Jesus’s disciples respond to His call to follow Him? What can we do to follow their example?

Show the children some fishing equipment or a picture of a fisherman. What does it mean to be “fishers of men”? What tools do we have to help us be fishers of men?

Summarize the story of Jesus teaching Nicodemus. Promise the children that when they are baptized, Heavenly Father will give them the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Use John 3:5 and this week’s activity page to teach that we need to be baptized and confirmed to live with Heavenly Father again.

Ask the children to talk about what they do to wash their hands. Show the picture Girl Being Baptized (Gospel Art Book, no. 104), and help the children compare washing our hands with water to becoming spiritually clean through baptism.

Ask the children to complete sentences like this one: “Because my parents love me, they. …” Read John 3:16. Then help each child repeat John 3:16, replacing the words “the world” with his or her own name, and have the children listen for what Heavenly Father did because He loves us. Invite the children to draw pictures of things that help them feel Heavenly Father’s love for them (such as family, nature, the scriptures, and so on). Let them share their drawings with each other.

Let the children hold up a picture of Jesus every time they sing “Son” in “He Sent His Son,” Children’s Songbook, 34–35.

Use the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families to tell the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Ask the children to retell the story.

Show a glass of water, and ask the children what would happen if we were very thirsty and the glass was empty. Briefly summarize John 4:5–15, and testify that Jesus Christ and His gospel give life to our spirits, just as water gives life to our bodies.

Invite the children to read John 2:1–11 and take turns retelling parts of it in their own words.

Ask the children to list things their mother might need help with. Invite them to practice what they could say to her using some of Jesus’s words: “What wilt thou have me to do for thee?” (John 2:4, footnote a).

Invite some mothers to visit your class and share what their children do to show respect for them.

Scramble the Savior’s words in John 3:3 and let the children put them in the correct order. How is being baptized and confirmed like being born again?

Display a picture of a newborn baby and of someone getting baptized and confirmed (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 104 and 105). How are we like a newborn baby after we are baptized and confirmed? (see John 3:3–5).

Invite the children to share memories of their baptisms. Read Mosiah 18:8–10 and Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 to review the baptismal covenant. Teach the children that taking the sacrament thoughtfully every week is a way to continue the process of being born again.

Help the children memorize Articles of Faith 1:4.

Ask the children to draw a picture of their favorite gift and the person who gave them that gift. Then ask a child to read John 3:16. What gift did Heavenly Father give us? How does this gift show His love?

Ask the children to listen for answers to the question, “Why did Heavenly Father send us Jesus Christ?” as they sing or listen to “He Sent His Son,” Children’s Songbook, 34–35.

Give the children a drink of water, and ask them to share experiences when they were thirsty. Talk about how it felt to finally get a drink of water.

Write summary sentences from the story of the woman at the well, and ask the children to refer to John 4:6–23 to put the sentences in the correct order. What was Jesus trying to teach the woman?

Draw on the board a cup of water and a spring or river. Invite the children to name things that, like a cup of water, satisfy us for the moment. What things are like “living water” that can satisfy us forever?

Write on the board How is the gospel like water? Ask the children to think about how they would answer this question as they read John 4:6–23.

Read Matthew 5:9 to the children, and explain that peacemakers make any place a peaceful place, no matter where they are. Share a few fictional scenarios, and help the children identify whether or not the people involved are being peacemakers.

Invite a few of the children’s parents to visit your class and share examples of times when their children were peacemakers in the home.

Write on strips of paper several difficult situations the children might face (for example, siblings fighting over a toy). Invite each child to pick a strip of paper. As you read the scenarios, ask them to share how they could be a peacemaker in that situation.

Show the children several items that give light, including a picture of children. Read Matthew 5:14–16, and tell the children that we all have a light within us. How can we use our light to bring others to God?

Shine a flashlight around the room. How does light help us? How can we be a light to the world? Cover the flashlight. What happens if we don’t share our light or if we hide it?

Hide a flashlight in the room, and turn off the lights. Let the children try to find it. Review Matthew 5:15, and talk about why we shouldn’t hide our light.

Shine a flashlight on the wall, and invite the children to follow the light with their eyes. Use the light to lead their eyes to a picture of the Savior. Ask the children to share how we can be a light that leads others to Jesus Christ.

Help the children find and color the hidden candles in this week’s activity page.

Sing with the children “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam,” “Shine On,” or “I Am like a Star,” Children’s Songbook, 60–61, 144, 163.

Restate Matthew 5:44 using words and situations the children will understand and relate to. Ask the children to share times when they showed love for someone even though it was hard. How did these experiences make them feel?

As a class, sing “I’ll Walk with You,” Children’s Songbook, 140–41. What do we learn from this song about loving others?

Give the children paper hearts labeled with the words “I will show my love for everyone.” Ask them to decorate the hearts and hang them in their homes as a reminder to love others.

Help the children learn the actions to go with “Love One Another,” Children’s Songbook, 136–37, as suggested in the Children’s Songbook.

Create a chart on the board with two columns, labeled Blessed are … and Blessing. Invite the children to search Matthew 5:3–12 for who Jesus says is blessed and the blessings He promises them.

Write each of the qualities and their corresponding blessings from these verses on cards, and let the children match the qualities and the blessings. Ask the children to pick one of the qualities in these verses that they want to develop.

Invite a child to read Matthew 5:9. Then ask: What is a peacemaker? What are ways we can be peacemakers with our families and friends? (For some ideas, see verses 21–24, 38–47.)

Ask each child to think of a situation that would need the help of a peacemaker. What would a peacemaker do in the situation?

Invite the children to share times when they showed love for someone, even if that person was different from them or was difficult to love.

Help the children memorize Matthew 5:16. Write the verse on the board. Read it together several times, erasing a few words each time. After the children have memorized the verse, you could also sing “Shine On,” Children’s Songbook, 144.

Ask the children to draw things that give us light. Read Matthew 5:14–16. Ask them why Jesus wants us to be a light to the world.

Invite the children to draw things they can do to be a light to others. You could show the video “Light the World: 25 Days of Service” (LDS.org). Invite two children to face each other, and ask one to try to make the other smile without touching him or her. Talk about the power the children have to bring happiness to others.

Review Jesus’s teachings about prayer found in Matthew 6:5–13. You might use “Chapter 20: Jesus Teaches about Prayer,” New Testament Stories, 51–52, or the corresponding video (LDS.org).

Use this week’s activity page to help the children remember the different parts of prayer.

Trace each child’s hand on a piece of paper. Talk about what we should do with our hands and arms while we pray. On each tracing, write something we do to show reverence when we pray (for example, bowing our heads, closing our eyes, and so on).

Help the children make a poster or chart that will help them remember to pray morning and night, and invite them to share it with their families.

Sing a song about prayer with the children (such as “We Bow Our Heads,” Children’s Songbook, 25), and bear your testimony of the power of prayer. You could also invite the children to share their experiences with prayer.

Read Matthew 7:12, and paraphrase it in simple words that the children can understand. Help the children think of several ways to complete a sentence like the following: “I like it when others for me.” After each sentence, invite them to repeat with you, “So I should for others.”

Sing with the children “Jesus Said Love Everyone,” Children’s Songbook, 61, and make up simple actions to accompany the song. Ask the children what they learn about how we should treat others from the Savior’s example.

Invite the children to list kind things their parents or other family members do for them. Read Matthew 7:12, and invite the children to make a list of kind things they can do for their families.

Sing with the children “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man,” Children’s Songbook, 281, and use actions to go along with the words.

Use Matthew 7:24 to teach about the differences between the wise man and the foolish man. Invite the children to pretend they are building a house. How can we be like the wise man?

Let the children draw pictures of the parable of the wise man and the foolish man.

Remind the children that they have been learning about what Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount. What truths can they remember learning about last week?

Write on the board some phrases from the Sermon on the Mount and some other phrases that are not from the scriptures. Invite the children to identify which phrases come from the Sermon on the Mount and share what they learn from them.

Select several verses from Matthew 6–7 that you feel will be meaningful to the children. Write the scripture references on cards, and hide them throughout the room. Let the children find them, read the verses, and explain why these teachings are important to them.

Share a favorite passage from Matthew 6–7, and explain why you like it. If the children have a passage they like, invite them to share why they like it and what they learn from it.

Sing “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, 78–79, with the children and stop the song when you come to a phrase that relates to a principle taught in Matthew 6–7 (such as “learning to serve my friends”). Help the children make connections to things they are learning from these chapters.

Invite the children to read Matthew 6:9–13 out loud and then list things the Savior said in His prayer. How can we follow His example when we pray?

Sing a song about prayer with the children, such as “Did You Think to Pray?” Hymns, no. 140. Help the children search the lyrics to find reasons we pray and blessings that come from prayer.

Help the children memorize Matthew 7:7 by playing a game like the following: One child recites the first word or phrase from the verse and then tosses a ball to another child, who then recites the next word or phrase.

Act out Matthew 7:9–10 with the children using simple props. Ask the children to share what this teaches them about prayer.

Share an experience in which your prayers were answered.

Bring a “treasure” box filled with objects or pictures that represent things the world values—for example, money or toys. Read Matthew 6:19–21 together, and then ask the children to help you think of heavenly treasures that could replace the worldly items in the box.

Invite the children to name or draw some things they could do to “lay up … treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20).

Share the account of the man with palsy from Mark 2:1–12. For help, see “Chapter 23: The Man Who Could Not Walk,” New Testament Stories, 57–58, or the corresponding video (LDS.org). Tell the children that the man with palsy could not walk. Help them recognize that this man was healed and forgiven by the Savior.

Invite the children to pretend they are “waking up” like the daughter of Jairus as you read from Mark 5:22–23, 35–43. Help them understand that Jesus has made it possible for all of us to have eternal life.

Read Mark 5:34. Help the children memorize the phrase “Thy faith hath made thee whole,” perhaps by giving each child a word and then having the children say their words in order. Has anyone they know ever been healed when they were sick?

Ask the children to close their eyes and listen as you read from Matthew 9:27–30. When you read about Jesus healing the blind men, invite the children to open their eyes. How would the children feel if Jesus had healed them?

Invite the children to talk about a time when they were sick. Tell one of the accounts of Jesus healing the sick, and testify that Jesus’s power can heal and bless us as we pray and receive priesthood blessings. Explain that although the Lord sometimes does not give us the miracles we desire, He loves us and is aware of our needs. He will give us the comfort we need.

Help the children imagine that they are on the ship as you read Mark 4:35–41. (See also “Chapter 21: Jesus Commands the Winds and the Waves,” New Testament Stories, 53, or the corresponding video on LDS.org.) Ask the children to describe how they might have felt if they had been there. When have the children been scared? How did they find comfort?

Invite the children to make the sounds of a storm and stop when someone says “Peace, be still.” Testify that just as Jesus can bring us peace when there is a storm outside, He can bring us peace in our hearts when we feel bad on the inside.

Think of actions to accompany the third verse of “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, 57.

Ask the children to pick one of the following miracles to read about and draw: Mark 2:1–12; Mark 5:22–23, 35–43; or Mark 5:24–34. Invite the children to explain their drawings to the class. What do they learn about Jesus from these stories?

Ask the children to act out how they feel when they are sick, sad, afraid, or worried. How can Jesus help us when we have these feelings? Testify that Jesus can help the children in all of these situations.

Invite the children to share experiences when they or someone they know received a priesthood blessing. How was that person healed or blessed?

Choose one or more of Jesus’s miracles to review with the children, such as those in Mark 2:1–12; Mark 5:22–23, 35–43; or Mark 5:24–34. (See also the videos “Jesus Forgives Sins and Heals a Man Stricken with Palsy,” “Jesus Raises the Daughter of Jairus,” and “Jesus Heals a Woman of Faith” on LDS.org.) Invite the children to share a time when they helped someone in need and how they felt.

Show the video “Gordon Hinckley: Lessons I Learned as a Boy” or “The Coat” (LDS.org). How did the boys in these videos follow Jesus’s example? Invite the children to share other situations when someone might be in need. What can we do to help them?

Remind the children that helping others is part of their baptismal covenants (see Mosiah 18:8–10; Alma 34:28).

Ask one of the children to use Mark 4:35–41 and the picture Jesus Calms the Storm (Gospel Art Book, no. 40) to tell the story of Jesus calming the storm. Ask the children to describe how they might have felt if they had been there.

Invite the children to share experiences when they felt peace after praying for help. Remind them that this peace comes from the Savior.

Sing “Master, the Tempest Is Raging,” Hymns, no. 105, with the children, inviting them to whisper when they sing “Peace, be still.”

Give each child a paper rain cloud, and ask them to write on it a trial that someone might have. Put all of the clouds on the board, covering a picture of the Savior. Invite a child to remove one of the clouds and suggest ways we could help someone with that trial to find peace. When all the clouds are removed, testify of the Savior’s power to calm the storms in our lives.

Summarize Matthew 10:1–10 in simple terms. (See Christ Ordaining the Apostles, Gospel Art Book, no. 38.) Explain that Jesus calls Apostles to help Him build His Church.

Let the children count the Apostles in the picture Christ Ordaining the Apostles (Gospel Art Book, no. 38) and in a picture of the current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see LDS.org or a general conference issue of the Ensign or Liahona). Explain that we have twelve Apostles today, just as in Jesus’s time.

Hide pictures of the modern-day Apostles around the room (for pictures, see a recent general conference issue of the Ensign or Liahona). Invite the children to find the pictures, and tell them a little about each Apostle (see “Meet Today’s Prophets and Apostles” on LDS.org).

Invite a child to hold up a picture of the First Presidency and a picture of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask the child to lead the other children around the room to a picture of Jesus. Testify that the prophets and apostles lead us to Jesus Christ.

Share your testimony of the Lord’s Apostles.

Read Matthew 11:28–30 and show the picture of yoked oxen in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Point out that yoked oxen can pull more weight together than if they pull separately. Testify that when we feel sad, worried, or scared, we can seek Jesus and He will help us.

Ask a child to lift a heavy object. When he or she struggles, offer to help. How does Jesus help us do hard things? Have the children ever felt His help?

Read Matthew 12:10–13 out loud. Invite the children to stand up and sit down every time you say “Sabbath,” and repeat with them the phrase “It is [right] to do well on the sabbath days” (Matthew 12:12). What do they think that means?

Show a calendar to the children and highlight the Sabbath day for them. What do we do on other days of the week? What can we do on the Sabbath to make it different from other days? (see Isaiah 58:13–14).

Ask the children to draw good things they can do on the Sabbath day (see this week’s activity page).

Invite the children to come up with actions to help them remember ways we get ready for the Sabbath as they sing the song “Saturday,” Children’s Songbook, 196.

Draw eyes, ears, a mouth, and hands on the chalkboard. Ask the children to tell you what each of these parts of our bodies can do to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Show pictures of the Apostles in Jesus’s time and in our day (see Christ Ordaining the Apostles, Gospel Art Book, no. 38, and a recent conference issue of the Church magazines). Ask the children to read Matthew 10:1–10 and Mark 3:14–15 to find out what Apostles do.

Invite a few children to come prepared to share a story told by one of the living Apostles. How are the living Apostles helping us become more like the Savior?

Write the names of the modern-day Apostles on pieces of paper. Invite the children to match each Apostle’s name with his picture (LDS.org). This activity could be repeated several times.

Share several examples of modern-day Apostles’ testimonies of Christ with the children (see recent general conference messages or “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” Ensign or Liahona, Apr. 2000, 2).

Help the children memorize and understand Articles of Faith 1:6.

Invite the children to share a time when they were worried or anxious about something. Invite them to search Matthew 11:28–30 for counsel that can help them in similar circumstances.

Invite the children to draw pictures of what they are doing to come unto Jesus and learn of Him. The fourth article of faith could give them ideas.

Invite a child to role-play the man whose hand was healed by the Savior (see Matthew 12:10–13). Another child could interview him or her about the experience.

Read together Matthew 12:12. What are some good things we can do on the Sabbath? Let the children draw their ideas on this week’s activity page, cut out the pieces, and take turns putting each other’s puzzles together.

Hide several pictures of people doing things that show love for Heavenly Father on the Sabbath day. Ask the children to find the pictures and share how doing the things in the pictures shows our love for God.

Give each child a bag to fill with ideas of good things to do on the Sabbath. They can find some ideas in “Sabbath Day Observance” in For the Strength of Youth, 30–31.

Display different kinds of soil (or pictures of soil) as you summarize Matthew 13:3–8. Give each child a seed to plant in soil. Ask the children what we can do to help our seeds grow. Explain that having faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is one way we help our testimony “seed” grow.

Use this week’s activity page to help the children understand what each type of soil described in Matthew 13 teaches about our hearts. Ask the children which type of heart Jesus wants them to have in order to learn His teachings.

Read Matthew 13:9, 15, and invite the children to point to different parts of their body when they hear them mentioned. How can we use these body parts to learn the teachings of Jesus?

Let the children act out the parable of the wheat and the tares (see Matthew 13:24–30). Explain that the wheat represents people who make righteous choices, and the tares (harmful weeds) represent people who do not. One day, Heavenly Father will gather the righteous people to live with Him.

Tell some simple stories of children making choices. Ask the children to say “wheat choice” when the children in the stories choose the right and “tare choice” when the children make a wrong choice.

Bring pictures of stalks of wheat, and let the children draw on the pictures some ways they can be righteous.

Create a game in which children match details from the parable of the sower with the interpretation in Matthew 13:18–23.

Hide pictures of a treasure chest and a pearl in the room, and let the children find them. Use the pictures to help you teach about the parables in Matthew 13:44–46. What would the children give to have a beautiful pearl or treasure in a field? Explain that sometimes we give up something good for something better. Tell the children why the gospel is valuable to you.

Place in a box or chest several objects or pictures that represent “treasures” in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as temples or the Book of Mormon. Ask each child to choose an object or picture and talk about why it is a treasure.

Sing together “The Church of Jesus Christ,” Children’s Songbook, 77, and ask the children to listen for blessings that come from being a member of the Church. Testify of the blessings you’ve experienced because of your membership in the Church.

Assign each child to read about one of four types of soil in Matthew 13:4–8. Invite them to look for and share what happens to the seed in the type of soil they read about. How can our hearts be like the different types of soil? (see Matthew 13:19–23).

Give each of the children two seeds, and invite them to plant their seeds in soft soil and in a pile of rocks. Which seed will have a better chance of growing? How can we make sure our hearts are like the soft soil so that we can receive the Savior’s teachings?

Invite the children to read Matthew 13:9–17. Draw an eye, ear, and heart on the board. How do we use each of these body parts to learn the teachings of Jesus?

Invite the children to draw different scenes from the parable of the wheat and the tares, found in Matthew 13:24–30, and share their drawings with the class. Ask them to label their drawings using the interpretation of the parable found in Matthew 13:36–43. Explain that tares are harmful weeds.

If possible, display a picture of wheat and tares. Explain that the wheat and tares will grow together until the end of the world. This teaches us that we live with both good and evil around us, and we must be careful to choose the right. Ask the children to share how they can tell the difference between good and evil.

Invite the children to read Matthew 13:44–46 to themselves and share the parables in their own words with another class member.

Cut out several circles to represent coins, and put them in a treasure box. Invite the children to pick a coin and draw or write on it one thing they love about being a member of the Church. Ask the children to share what they put on their coin.

Invite a ward member to share his or her conversion story with the children and tell what he or she sacrificed to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Use the picture Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda (Gospel Art Book, no. 42) to tell the children the story in John 5:1–9. Or show the video “Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath” (LDS.org). Ask the children to imagine that they are the person Jesus healed. How would they feel when Jesus healed them?

Ask the children to name some things that are hard for them or that make them sad. Tell them about a time in your life when you received help from the Savior during a difficult trial. Testify that Jesus knows about all our problems and wants to help us.

Show the children a basket and some bread as you tell the story in Matthew 14:13–21. Explain that even though Jesus had tried to find a place to be alone, the people wanted to be near Him. Share the rest of the story with the children, and ask them to listen for what Jesus did to show kindness and love for them.

Ask the children to share ways in which someone has been kind to them. What can they do this week to be kind to others? For every answer they give, draw a loaf of bread or a fish on the board. Tell the children that when they do these things, they are following the example Jesus set when He fed the five thousand people who were hungry.

Show the picture Jesus Walking on the Water (Gospel Art Book, no. 43) as you tell the story in your own words. Consider using this week’s activity page to help the children tell the story back to you. You could also bring a small bowl of water and invite the children to pretend to “walk” their fingers across the surface of the water.

Show the video “Wherefore Didst Thou Doubt?” (LDS.org), and ask the children to watch for what caused Peter to be afraid. Then ask them to tell about times when they felt afraid and share what helped them. Help them see that faith in Jesus Christ helps us overcome fear.

Create two sets of matching cards labeled with words that Jesus used to teach about Heavenly Father in John 5, such as love, life, and works (see John 5:20, 26, 36). Lay the cards face down, and ask the children to look for matches by flipping over two cards at a time. As each match is made, read the verse that contains the word, and ask the children what the word teaches us about Heavenly Father.

Ask the children to read John 5:30, and then complete this sentence: “I seek not mine own will, but …” How did Christ do the will of His Heavenly Father? How can we do Heavenly Father’s will?

Divide a few crackers or pieces of bread among the children. Help them imagine how large a crowd of five thousand people would be. What would it be like to feed that many people with only five loaves of bread and two fish?

Invite a child to tell the story of the feeding of the five thousand in his or her own words. How can we be like the boy in John 6:9? Invite the children to draw loaves and fish on paper and write on them some things they can give to the Lord to help in His work.

Give the children a small puzzle to complete. What would happen if one of the pieces of the puzzle were missing? Explain that we are each like a puzzle piece—we all have something important to contribute to the lives of others. How do the children contribute to their families or class?

Show the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Ask the children to find a verse in Matthew 14 that describes the picture.

Ask the children to look for signs of faith and signs of fear as they read Matthew 14:22–33. You could also show the video “Wherefore Didst Thou Doubt?” (LDS.org). What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ? How do we replace fear with faith?

Ask the children to imagine they were present and had a camera when Jesus and Peter walked on the sea. Which moment would they choose to photograph and why? Suggest that they search Matthew 14:22–33 for ideas. Invite them to draw a picture of the moment they chose, share their pictures, and explain why they chose that moment.

Ask the children to listen for what Peter said as you read Matthew 16:15–17. (See also “Chapter 32: Peter Testifies of Christ,” New Testament Stories, 76–77, or the corresponding video on LDS.org.) Explain that Peter was bearing his testimony of Jesus Christ. Read the verses again. (Or show the video again.) This time ask the children to listen for who told Peter that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.

Bear your testimony of Jesus Christ, and explain how you received it. Invite the children to seek their own testimonies from Heavenly Father.

Show the children a rock as you read Matthew 16:18 with them. Repeat with them the phrase “upon this rock I will build my church,” adding actions to go along with the words. Explain that the Church is built upon the “rock” of revelation.

Show the children some keys and ask what we use keys for. Explain that Peter and the other Apostles received priesthood keys from Jesus. These keys “unlock” blessings for us and open the way to heaven. For example, priesthood keys allow us to be baptized and take the sacrament. Give the children paper keys, and have them write some blessings that priesthood keys “unlock.”

Show a picture of the President of the Church, and bear your testimony that he holds all of the priesthood keys today, just as Peter did.

Invite the children to take turns drawing big mountains and small seeds on the board as you read Matthew 17:19–20 with them. Explain that the mountains we have to move are usually things that seem hard for us to do. What are some things that can feel like mountains to us? Use this week’s activity page to help the children think about how faith can help them do things that God wants them to do.

Place a picture of a mountain on one side of the room, and write on it words like fear, doubt, or worry. Ask the children to name some things they can do to gain more faith in Jesus Christ. Let each child who suggests something move the mountain closer to the other side of the room. Read Matthew 17:19–20, and testify of the power of faith in your life.

Ask the children to sing “Faith,” Children’s Songbook, 96–97, and then give each child a seed to take home. Invite them to plant the seed and put it somewhere where they can watch it grow to help them remember to have faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Ask the children what they would say if someone asked them, “Who is Jesus?” Invite the children to read Matthew 16:13–17 to find out how Peter answered that question. How did he gain his testimony of Jesus? What can we do to strengthen our testimonies?

Help the children compare the way we know spiritual truths with the ways we know other truths. For example, how do we know how tall a person is or what the weather is like? How do we know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

Bear your testimony of Jesus Christ, and challenge the children to gain or strengthen their own testimonies.

Write Matthew 16:19 on the board, leaving out a few words, including the word “keys.” Ask the children to find the missing words.

Show the video “Priesthood Keys: The Restoration of Priesthood Keys” (LDS.org) or review the information on priesthood keys in True to the Faith, 126–27. What are priesthood keys? How are priesthood keys like real keys?

Help the children list on the board the people who have priesthood keys. (True to the Faith, 126–27, has a list that can help them.) Invite someone in your ward who holds these keys to talk to the class about why priesthood keys are important.

Hide several keys (or pictures of keys) around the room, and invite the children to find them. After each key is found, help the children think of blessings we enjoy because of priesthood keys (for example, eternal families, baptism, and the sacrament).

Invite the children to draw pictures of the Transfiguration of Christ, as found in Matthew 17:1–9. Ask them to explain their pictures to each other. (See also this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families.)

Give the children time to ponder what this story teaches them about Jesus Christ. Invite them to write their thoughts on the board. Invite a few children to share how they know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Teach the children that because we all sin, we cannot return to God without a Savior who suffered for our sins. Jesus Christ can save us from our sins if we repent. Hold up a mirror, and let the children take turns looking into it. As each child does, say, “Jesus loves [child’s name], and He can save [child’s name].”

Show the picture Jesus Praying in Gethsemane (Gospel Art Book, no. 56) as you tell the story of Jesus suffering in Gethsemane for the sins of the world (see Matthew 26:36–46; Luke 22:39–44). Explain that because of His suffering, we can be forgiven when we make a wrong choice. You could also use “Chapter 51: Jesus Suffers in the Garden of Gethsemane,” New Testament Stories, 129–32, or the corresponding video (LDS.org).

Sing together “I Feel My Savior’s Love,” Children’s Songbook, 74–75. What words in the song describe the Savior’s love? Ask the children how they can help others feel the Savior’s love.

Teach the children the story of Easter using pictures of Christ in Gethsemane, on the cross, and after His Resurrection, found in the Gospel Art Book (nos. 56, 57, 58, 59, and 60), and the full-page picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Let a few children hold the pictures while you tell the story. Tell the children about a few of the people who saw Jesus after He was resurrected, such as Mary (see John 20:1–18) or Thomas (see John 20:24–29).

Find out if the children know why we celebrate Easter. Explain that on Easter we celebrate the most important day in history—the day Jesus Christ was resurrected. Ask if any children would like to share what their families do to remember Jesus Christ’s Resurrection.

Explain that resurrected means to live again after we die. Bear your testimony that because of Jesus Christ, we will be resurrected—we will live again after we die, and we will never die again.

Use a glove to teach the children that we all have a body (represented by the glove) and a spirit (represented by a hand). When we die, our spirits continue to live, but our bodies do not. When we are resurrected, our spirits and bodies come together again. Let the children take turns putting the glove on and taking it off.

Sing together an Easter song, such as “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” or “Jesus Has Risen,” Children’s Songbook, 64, 70, and show the children pictures of Jesus after He was resurrected (Gospel Art Book, nos. 59, 60, 61).

Display a picture of someone you know who has died. Share your testimony that he or she will be resurrected because of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Watch together the videos “Jesus Is Resurrected” or “The Risen Lord Appears to the Apostles” (LDS.org). Additional Easter messages can be found on mormon.org/easter.

Read with the children Luke 22:39–44 and selected verses from Matthew 27:29–50. Invite them to look for words that help them understand what the Savior experienced in Gethsemane and on the cross.

Help the children memorize the third article of faith. Bear your testimony that Jesus Christ has the power to save us from sin and from death.

Help the children prepare short talks about the Atonement of Jesus Christ that they can share with others. Encourage them to include a scripture and their testimonies in their talks. If they need additional help, they could read “Atonement of Jesus Christ” in True to the Faith (14–21).

Display Gospel Art Book, nos. 57, 58, and 59, and ask the children to match the pictures with the following passages: Matthew 27:29–38, 59–60; John 20:10–18.

Invite children to individually read “Resurrection” in the Bible Dictionary and write test questions they could ask about what they read. Give the children time to ask each other their questions and find the answers together.

Help the children look in the topical index of the Children’s Songbook to find a song they would like to learn about Jesus Christ or the Resurrection. Sing the song together a few times. Ask the children what they learn from this song.

Before class, invite a few children to come prepared to share their testimonies about the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection. Invite the children to write down their testimonies to share at home.

Read Matthew 18:21, and invite the children to say “I forgive you” seven times. Ask, “Is forgiving seven times enough?” Read verse 22 and explain that Jesus wants us to choose to forgive always.

Tell the parable of the unmerciful servant (see Matthew 18:23–35). If necessary, explain that when someone does something unkind to us, we will probably feel angry or sad at first. But forgiveness means we can feel peace again. (You may feel prompted to help the children understand that if someone is hurting them, they should tell their parents or another trusted adult.)

Write I forgive you on the board, and tell the children that these words can help turn sad moments into happy ones. Draw a sad face on the board, and share some examples of children forgiving one another. After each example, invite a child to change the sad face to a happy one.

Sing with the children “Help Me, Dear Father,” Children’s Songbook, 99. Ask them to stand up when they hear the word help. Share your testimony that Heavenly Father will help us forgive others.

Ask each child, “Who is your neighbor?” Explain that Jesus taught that anyone who needs our help is also our neighbor, even if he or she doesn’t live nearby, and we should treat that person with love.

Read Luke 10:25–37 as the children act out the parable of the good Samaritan, taking turns playing different roles. After each performance, ask them to share how they can be like the good Samaritan.

Write a few examples of situations where someone would need help, and hide the papers around the room. Ask the children to find the papers and explain how they could show kindness to the person in that situation.

Sing with the children “Jesus Said Love Everyone” and “Kindness Begins with Me,” Children’s Songbook, 61, 145. Divide the children into pairs, and invite each pair to think of a few ways they can show love or kindness to others. Ask each pair to share their thoughts with the class.

Invite the children to write down ways they can show love for others on small slips of paper. Make a paper chain from these slips and invite the children to hang the paper chain in their home, where it can remind them to be kind.

Read Matthew 18:23–35 with the children; explain that the lord or king represents Heavenly Father, the servant represents us, and the fellow servant represents those who offend us. Ask the children, “When have you found it difficult to forgive someone? How did you let go of those hurt feelings? When have you needed to be forgiven for a wrong choice?”

Show the video “Forgive Every One Their Trespasses: The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant” (LDS.org) to help the children visualize this parable.

Write on the board the multiplication problem 70 × 7, and help the children solve it. Ask someone to read Matthew 18:21–22, and explain that Jesus used this number to teach us that we should always forgive.

Give everyone a piece of paper, and invite the children to draw a picture of a child being unkind to another child. Then ask them to trade their papers with their neighbor and draw on the back of the new paper a way they can show forgiveness to others.

Ask the children to help you think of a few situations where someone might need to forgive another person. Invite the children to act out how they would show forgiveness in those situations.

Sing with the children “Help Me, Dear Father,” Children’s Songbook, 99. Help the children understand each line of the song and what it teaches us about forgiving others.

Assign each child part of the parable of the good Samaritan to draw. Invite them to put their pictures in order and use them to tell the story.

Explain to the children that the Jews disliked the Samaritans so much that when they traveled from Jerusalem to Galilee, they would go around Samaria to avoid interacting with any Samaritans (see Bible Maps, no. 1, “Physical Map of the Holy Land”). Why would Jesus use a Samaritan as an example of kindness in this parable? What does this story teach us about helping others in need? (See also Mosiah 4:16–22.)

Ask the children to share an experience when someone was like the good Samaritan toward them.

Challenge the children to set a goal to be like the good Samaritan this week. For example, do they know someone who is sick or lonely? or someone who does not attend church regularly? Ask the children how they could help that person.

Summarize John 7:17 in words the children will understand. Help them know that obeying the commandments helps us feel closer to Jesus Christ, perhaps by singing together “Keep the Commandments” or “Choose the Right Way,” Children’s Songbook, 146–47, 160–61. Ask the children to listen for how we will be blessed when we keep the commandments.

Share an experience when you learned a commandment was from God because you lived it, such as paying tithing or forgiving someone who was unkind. Invite the children to think of an experience they had when they obeyed a commandment. Ask, “How did you feel after you obeyed?”

Select some of the commandments and draw two sets of simple pictures that represent each commandment. Lay all of the pictures face down on the ground and invite the children to take turns matching the commandments together. Testify of the importance of commandments and how following them has strengthened your testimony.

Help the children repeat what Jesus said about Heavenly Father in John 8:29: “I do always those things that please him.” Ask them to share things Jesus did that made Heavenly Father happy. Show them some pictures from the Gospel Art Book to give them ideas.

Ask the children what makes them happy. Then ask what they could do this week to make a family member or friend happy. Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves doing those activities to take home and remind them.

Invite a parent of one of the children to share an experience when the child did something that made the parent happy. Let the child share how he or she felt.

Ask the children to draw a picture that represents something in the parable of the good shepherd, like sheep, a robber, or a wolf. Read John 10:1–18 to the children, and ask them to hold up their pictures when they hear you read about what they drew. Explain that just like the “good shepherd” guides and loves his flock, Jesus loves us and guides us all back to Him. Dress up one of the children like a shepherd, and let the children share how Jesus is like a shepherd to us.

Show the picture of Jesus and the lambs in this week’s outline in Come Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. How do we know Jesus loves the lambs? How can we tell that the lambs love Jesus?

Help the children complete this week’s activity page.

Write each verse of John 7:14–17 on different pieces of paper and display them in random order. Ask the children to put them in the correct order and check John 7:14–17 to see if they are right. Invite the children to split into pairs and share their understanding of each verse with their partner. How has obedience to God’s commandments helped them know the commandments are true?

Share examples from the scriptures showing how people were blessed for living gospel truths, such as Daniel (see Daniel 6) or Nephi (see 1 Nephi 3–4).

A few days before class, invite one of the children to write about a time when he or she gained a testimony of a commandment by living it. During class, ask the child to share what he or she wrote.

Invite the children to read John 8:31–36 and share what they think it means to be a servant of sin. How do the teachings of Jesus help us be free?

Ask a child to help you lightly wrap a rope, scarf, or necktie around your wrists to demonstrate how we become bound to sin when we commit it over and over again without repenting.

Show a lock to represent sin and a key to represent how truths of the gospel can make us free. For example, knowing about the Savior’s Atonement can give us freedom to repent and be forgiven of our sins. Or knowing about the Word of Wisdom can give us freedom to avoid addictions.

Write good shepherd and hireling on the board. Explain that a hireling is someone who is hired to do a job for money. Ask the children to list differences they find in John 10:1–18 between a good shepherd and a hireling. Why would you want to follow the good shepherd rather than the hireling?

Draw or show a picture of a door. Read together John 10:7–9, and ask the children how Jesus is like a door. According to verse 9, what blessings come to those who “enter in” the door? How do we enter the door that Jesus Christ provides us?

Give one child a coin, another child a picture of a sheep, and another child a picture of the prodigal son (LDS.org). Tell the three parables found in Luke 15 and invite the children to hold up their coin or picture when you mention it. You could invite the children to retell the parables to each other in their own words.

Ask the children to share a time when they lost something. Explain that people can become lost spiritually when they don’t feel God’s love or when they turn away from Him. Testify that these parables teach that God wants us to help people who are lost come back to Him.

Invite the children to think of other children who don’t come to Primary. Help them write notes inviting these children to attend Primary or a Primary activity. How else can we help these children feel Heavenly Father’s love for them?

Tell the story of the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. Show the picture found in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families and invite the children to count to ten on their fingers. Then ask them to put down nine fingers to show the one leper who thanked Jesus. When have the children expressed their gratitude to a friend or loved one?

Invite each child to act out something he or she is grateful for, and have the rest of the children guess what it is. Ask the children to share ways we can show Heavenly Father that we are thankful for our blessings.

Summarize the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (see also “Chapter 43: Jesus Brings Lazarus Back to Life,” New Testament Stories, 107–9, or the corresponding video on LDS.org) and show a dead branch and a living plant. Bear your testimony that because of the power of Jesus Christ, people who are dead will be resurrected and live forever.

Help the children memorize the phrase that Jesus said to Martha: “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). Explain that because of the Savior’s Resurrection, we will once again see our loved ones who have died.

Assign each child to read silently either the parable of the lost sheep or the parable of the lost coin, found in Luke 15:1–10, and share what they learned.

Write these names on the board: father, older son, and younger son. Show the video “The Prodigal Son” (LDS.org) and pause it occasionally so the children can write on the board some of the feelings of the people listed.

Ask a child to leave the room while the other children hide a coin or paper sheep. Have the child return and look for the coin or sheep. Remind the children that people can become lost to the blessings of the gospel. Invite them to suggest ways they can reach out to such people. Sing together with the children “Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd,” Hymns, no. 221, and testify of the joy that comes when people return to God.

Explain that Jesus used the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son to represent people who are “lost” because they do not have the blessings of the gospel. Invite the children to think of people they know who don’t come to church. What can they do to help these people feel Heavenly Father’s love for them?

Read together the account of the ten lepers. How was the leper who gave thanks blessed for his gratitude? Why is it important to thank God for our blessings?

Invite the children to list things they are grateful for that start with each letter of their name.

Ask the children to write thank-you notes to Heavenly Father for the blessings He gives them. They could hang the notes by their beds to remind them to express gratitude when they pray.

Write on the board some statements spoken by people in John 11. Invite the children to guess who said each statement, and ask them to search John 11 to check their guesses. How would they feel if they were Jesus, Martha, Mary, or Lazarus? How can believing in Jesus help us when we are sad or scared?

Read Martha’s testimony, found in John 11:20–27. Ask the children to look for words and phrases that show that Martha had faith. What can we do to have faith when it is hard?

Help the children memorize John 11:25. Explain that everyone will be resurrected, but only the righteous will receive eternal life and live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again.

Read Mark 10:6–8 to the children, and display a picture of a married couple. Ask the children to point to the man and the woman when they hear you read the words male and female. Explain that Heavenly Father intends for a man and woman to marry each other (see Genesis 1:27–28).

Display pictures of a family and a temple. Explain that Heavenly Father wants us to be sealed to our families in the temple so we can be with them forever. Be sensitive to children whose parents are not yet sealed.

Sing “A Happy Family,” Children’s Songbook, 198. Invite the children to point to themselves whenever they sing “I,” “me,” “us,” and “we.” This activity could be repeated several times. Invite the children to share fun things they have done with their families. Why are they thankful for their families?

Sing a song about the temple or families, such as “I Love to See the Temple” or “Families Can Be Together Forever,” Children’s Songbook, 95, 188. Let the children hold pictures of temples or families, and invite them to hold up their pictures when they sing “temple” or “family.” Why is it important to get married in the temple?

In your own words, share the account in Mark 10:13–16. You might also show the video “Suffer the Little Children to Come unto Me” (LDS.org). When have the children felt Jesus’s love for them? Bear your testimony to the children that Jesus loves them and wants to bless them.

Display the picture Christ and the Children (Gospel Art Book, no. 47). Explain that if we want to be like the children sitting next to Jesus then we can follow His commandments and love Him and other people. What can the children do to be like the children sitting next to Jesus?

Let the children draw pictures of themselves being blessed by Jesus (see Mark 10:16).

Read the story of the rich young man in Mark 10:17–22 with the children. (See also “Chapter 42: The Rich Young Man,” New Testament Stories, 105–6, or the corresponding video on LDS.org.) Ask them to listen for what Jesus told the young man to do and how the young man responded.

Tell one or more stories about children who ask for advice or direction from their parents but don’t follow or obey. What are some things Heavenly Father asks us to do? How do we feel when we obey His commandments?

Share experiences when you received personal promptings to do something to be better.

Ask one of the children to read Mark 10:6–8 out loud. Explain that cleave means to “stick to” or “hold tight to” something. Why is it important that husbands and wives join together, love each other, and work as partners?

Share the following statement from “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” and help the children understand what it means: “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”

Ask the children to help you think of answers to questions like “Why are families important in the Church?” or “Why is it important for you to get married in the temple?” Sing together “Families Can Be Together Forever,” Children’s Songbook, 188. Share your testimony of eternal marriage and family with the children. Invite them to share their testimonies as well.

Invite each of the children to read a scripture from this list: Mark 10:6–8; 1 Corinthians 11:11; D&C 42:22; 131:1–4; and Moses 3:18, 21–24. What do these scriptures teach about marriage?

Ask the children to find a verse in Mark 10:17–22 that describes the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Explain that the counsel Jesus gave to the young man was personal, and we can all receive personal direction from the Lord through the Spirit.

Read together Mark 10:17–22. Invite the children to write on the board the commandments that the Savior told the rich young man to obey (see verse 19). What else did he have to do? (see verse 21). Encourage the children to think about things they might need to begin doing or stop doing to better follow Jesus. What are some ways we can find out what Jesus wants us to do?

Show the picture Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Tree (LDS.org). Help the children identify Zacchaeus and say his name. Create actions for the children to do as you tell the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus—for example, standing on their toes to see over a crowd or pretending to climb a tree. Explain that the Savior saw Zacchaeus and called him by name. Testify that the Savior also knows each of the children and their names.

Bring an empty picture frame to class, or make one out of paper. Invite each child to take turns holding the frame around his or her face while the rest of the class says, “Heavenly Father and Jesus know [child’s name].”

Invite the children to take turns pretending to climb a tree, as Zacchaeus did. Have the rest of the class say, “Heavenly Father and Jesus know [child’s name].”

Sing together “I Am a Child of God,” Children’s Songbook, 2–3, and help the children listen for things that help them know Heavenly Father loves them.

Show the picture Jesus Cleansing the Temple (Gospel Art Book, no. 51), and tell the story as recorded in Matthew 21:12–14. Help the children find images of money and animals in the picture. Then discuss why the Savior wanted the money changers and the people selling animals to leave the temple.

Show pictures of temples (for example, see Gospel Art Book, 117–21), and ask the children to share how they feel when they see a temple. Tell the children that those feelings are the Holy Ghost telling us that the temple is a special place. Ask the children to act as they would if they were inside the temple. For instance, they could talk in whispers and sit reverently. Sing together “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, 95, and invite the children to make a goal to go inside the temple someday.

Draw a picture of two sons on the board, and use the drawings as you recount the parable in Matthew 21:28–32. Which son did the right thing in the end? Ask the children to name things they can do to be obedient at home. Let them draw pictures of themselves doing one of those things.

Invite the children to share experiences they have had being obedient to their parents or another guardian or leader. How were they blessed for being obedient? How can they be more obedient in the future?

Read Luke 19:1–10, pausing every few verses to discuss what we learn about Zacchaeus. What did Zacchaeus do so that he could see Jesus? How did he respond when Jesus asked him to come down from the tree? Ask each child to share one reason why they would want to see Jesus. If the Savior came to your city, what would you do to prepare?

Invite the children to think of people they know who, like Zacchaeus, might be seeking the Savior. Ask the children what they might do to help someone else learn about the Savior.

Invite the children to share experiences when they felt that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were aware of them and loved them.

Invite the children to read Matthew 21:12–14. Show the picture Jesus Cleansing the Temple (Gospel Art Book, no. 51), and ask them which verse is depicted in the picture. Ask them to draw pictures of what the temple might have looked like before and after Jesus cleansed it.

Invite the children to share how they have felt when they went inside a temple, visited temple grounds, or looked at pictures of temples. What helped them know the temple is a sacred place?

Invite one or more youth to come to class and talk about how they have prepared to enter the temple. If they have been to the temple, ask them to talk about how they felt when they were there.

Cut a picture of a temple into puzzle pieces, and give each child one piece. Ask the children to write on the back of their puzzle piece one thing they can do to prepare to enter the temple. As each child shares an idea, add his or her piece to the puzzle.

As you read Matthew 23:25–28 with the children, consider sharing this definition of hypocrite from the Bible Dictionary: “One who pretends to be religious when he is not.” Why is it bad to be a hypocrite?

Show the children a cup that is clean on the outside but dirty on the inside to help illustrate the metaphor in Matthew 23:25. How can we make sure we are clean and pure on the inside?

Show a map, globe, or picture of the earth (see Gospel Art Book, no. 3) and help the children say, “This Gospel … shall be preached in all the world” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:31). Why does God want all of His children to hear His gospel?

Invite the children to march in place as you sing together “I Want to Be a Missionary Now” and “Called to Serve,” Children’s Songbook, 168, 174. Invite full-time or recently returned missionaries to share their experiences with sharing the gospel and help the children think of ways they can share the gospel.

Bring several coins to use as you tell the parable of the talents, found in Matthew 25:14–30. You could ask three children to represent the three servants. Explain that in Jesus’s day, talents referred to money, but today talents can mean our gifts and abilities.

Ask the children to name ways their parents, siblings, teachers, or friends have helped them. What abilities do these people have that help them serve others?

Write a small note to the children telling each of them about the gifts or abilities you notice in them. Wrap each note like a gift and invite the children to open their “gifts.” Encourage them to improve their gifts and use them to serve others.

Summarize the parable in Matthew 25:34–46. Help the children understand that when we are serving others, we are serving Jesus.

Hold up a picture of a child in your class with a picture of Jesus hidden behind it. What can we do to serve this child? Remove the child’s picture and explain that when we serve each other, we are serving Jesus.

Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves serving others in the ways the Savior describes in Matthew 25:35–36. Ask the other children to guess what they are drawing.

Invite the children to share experiences when someone has shown Christlike service to them or their families.

Invite the children to share blessings they have received or will receive because they are members of Christ’s Church. Read together Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:31, and ask the children how the gospel will bless God’s children throughout the world.

Show the children a map of the world or of your country, and help them identify some places where a family member or friend has preached the gospel on a mission.

Invite a few children to come prepared to share how their family members or their ancestors were introduced to the gospel. If possible, ask someone in the ward who served a full-time mission to share an experience with sharing the gospel.

Ask each child to write the name of someone he or she can talk to about the gospel or invite to church. Also ask the children to list things they can do to be missionaries now.

Ask a child and one of his or her parents to come prepared to share how they learned about the parable of the ten virgins at home this week.

Draw an oil lamp on the board, and label it testimony. Give each child a piece of paper shaped like a drop of oil, and ask each child to write on it something he or she will do to become more converted to the gospel. Attach their drops to the board around the lamp.

Invite the children to help you make a list of things to do to prepare for a special visitor. How are these things similar to or different from ways we can spiritually prepare for the Savior’s Second Coming?

On five strips of paper, write things that cannot be borrowed. On five other strips, write things that can be borrowed. Shuffle the strips, and ask the children to sort them into these two groups. Read together Matthew 25:1–13. Why is it important not to rely on others for our conversion to the gospel?

Invite half of the class to read Matthew 25:14–30 and the other half to read Matthew 25:31–46. Ask the groups to act out the parables for the class.

Invite the children to read Matthew 25:35–36 in pairs and make a list of things they can do to show their love for Jesus Christ.

Use the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families to help tell the story in John 13:1–17. Invite the children to point out details from the story that are in the pictures.

Show pictures of Jesus serving others (see the Gospel Art Book or Church magazines for ideas). Let the children take turns holding the pictures as you tell the stories depicted (let them help tell the stories if they can).

Ask the children how they feel when someone helps them. Let the children draw pictures of how they can follow Jesus’s example by serving someone.

Give each child a paper heart to decorate. Invite them to hold up their hearts every time they sing the word “love” in “Jesus Said Love Everyone” and “Love One Another,” Children’s Songbook, 61, 136.

Help the children memorize John 14:15 by holding up their paper hearts as they say, “If ye love me,” and a picture of stone tablets as they say, “Keep my commandments.”

Invite the children to take turns acting out a kind action they could do for someone to show their love for Jesus. Have the rest of the children guess what they are doing.

Complete this week’s activity page with the children.

Show the picture The Last Supper (Gospel Art Book, no. 54). Explain to the children that at the Last Supper, Jesus taught His disciples about the Holy Ghost.

Invite the children to put their hands on their hearts and on their heads. Open the scriptures to Doctrine and Covenants 8:2, and explain that the Holy Ghost can speak to us “in [our] mind and in [our] heart,” or through our thoughts and feelings.

Turn out the lights and hold up a picture. Then shine a flashlight on the picture. Ask the children how the flashlight is like the Holy Ghost.

Together with the children, sing “The Holy Ghost,” Children’s Songbook, 105, in a “still small voice.” Invite them to listen for things that the Holy Ghost does.

Help the children memorize John 13:34–35. One way to do this is to sing “Love One Another,” Children’s Songbook, 136–37, and help the children learn actions to go with it.

Invite the children to write on the board ways Jesus has shown He loves us. You might show pictures from the Savior’s life to help them (for ideas, see the Gospel Art Book). How can we show love for others as He did? Invite each child to stand and share one way he or she will “love one another” (John 13:34).

Invite a child to read John 14:15. Let the children take turns drawing pictures that represent someone keeping a commandment, while the rest of the children guess what he or she is drawing. For examples of commandments, see For the Strength of Youth. How does keeping these commandments show the Savior that we love Him?

Give the children the following verses to read in pairs: John 14:26; 15:26; and 16:13. Ask them to find words that teach them what the Holy Ghost does. Write the words on the board.

Share an experience when the Holy Ghost guided you, comforted you, warned you, or testified of truth to you. Invite the children to share any experiences they have had with the Holy Ghost. How did they recognize the Holy Ghost’s influence?

Invite each child to draw his or her face on a paper bag. Shine a flashlight, representing the Holy Ghost, into the bags. Then put things in the bags that block the light, such as a scarf or tissues, to teach that our wrong choices can limit the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Let the children remove the scarf or tissues from their bags to represent repentance.

Display a plant as the children take turns reading verses in John 15:1–8. How is Jesus like a vine? How are we like branches? What can we do to stay close to the Savior?

Read aloud John 17:3. Ask the children what they are doing to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Share how you are coming to know Them.

Summarize the account of Jesus introducing the sacrament. You might use “Chapter 49: The First Sacrament,” New Testament Stories, 124–26, or the corresponding video (LDS.org). See also the video “Sacrament” (LDS.org). Help the children understand that we remember Jesus during the sacrament.

Ask children if they know what the sacramental bread and water represent. Explain that these emblems help us remember that Jesus died for us and rose from the dead. Display a piece of bread and a cup of water while you help the children memorize the phrase “In remembrance of [Him]” (Luke 22:19).

Ask the children to close their eyes and think of someone they love, and then invite them to tell you about that person. Ask them to close their eyes again, think of the Savior, and then share things they know about Him. Encourage them to think about Jesus during the sacrament each week.

Invite the children to demonstrate what they can do to remember Jesus and be reverent during the sacrament.

Help the children make the booklet described on this week’s activity page. Suggest that they use it to help them think about Jesus during the sacrament.

Help the children search some Church magazines for pictures of Jesus and create a collage they can look at during sacrament meeting.

Invite the children to think of a time when they felt sad or hurt. As appropriate, invite a few children to share. Show the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Explain that Jesus, in some way that we do not fully understand, felt all the pain and sadness that everyone has ever felt. This means that He can help us feel better when we feel sad, hurt, or upset.

Sing “I Feel My Savior’s Love,” Children’s Songbook, 74–75, with the children. Invite them to share ways in which they have felt Jesus’s love.

Invite the children to take turns reading the verses in Mark 14:22–24 (see also Joseph Smith Translation, Mark 14:20–24 [in the Bible appendix]) and Doctrine and Covenants 20:75–79. What words and ideas are similar in the two passages?

Ask the children what they do to help them think about Jesus during the sacrament. Help them find scriptures or words from sacrament hymns that they could read during the sacrament, and then list them on a card that the children can refer to the next time they take the sacrament. Sing a few of these songs with the children (see Hymns, nos. 169–97).

Write key phrases from the sacrament prayers on the board, and help the children memorize them. What do these phrases mean? Why are we grateful that we get to renew our baptismal covenants every week?

Invite an Aaronic Priesthood holder to tell the children about his experience preparing, blessing, or passing the sacrament. What helps him prepare to do this? How does he feel as he does it? How do the bread and water remind him of the Savior?

Ask children who have been baptized to share what they remember about their baptisms. How did they feel? What covenants did they make? (see Mosiah 18:8–10). Tell them that every week when we partake of the sacrament, it can be like being baptized again—we can be forgiven of our sins, and we renew our covenants.

Invite the children to read Matthew 26:36–42, looking for words or phrases that describe how Jesus felt in Gethsemane. What was Jesus experiencing that caused Him to feel this way? Give the children the opportunity to share their feelings about Jesus and His sacrifice for us.

Invite the children to share a time when they were sad or in pain. Ask them if they know anyone who has felt the same thing. Explain that in Gethsemane, Jesus felt all the pain and sadness that everyone has ever felt. He did this so He could comfort us when we need it (see Alma 7:11–12).

Give a child a stick that is longer than the width of the classroom doorway, and ask him or her to hold it horizontally and try to walk through the door. Explain that the stick represents our sins, which keep us from entering God’s kingdom. Take the stick away to demonstrate that Jesus took upon Himself our sins so that we can be forgiven when we repent.

Memorize with the children the phrase “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42) and discuss what it means. What can we do to obey Heavenly Father’s will?

Help the children identify some commandments they have obeyed. Ask: What blessings did you receive by being obedient to Heavenly Father, even when it was hard? Invite them to share their experiences and testimonies.

Tell the story of Luke 22:41–43 to the children (perhaps by using “Chapter 51: Jesus Suffers in the Garden of Gethsemane,” New Testament Stories, 129–32, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). Explain that when Jesus prayed, Heavenly Father sent an angel to strengthen Him. Who does Heavenly Father send to strengthen us?

Display the image of the angel comforting Christ in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, and share an experience in which you felt strengthened by Heavenly Father.

Show the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families as you tell about Jesus’s trial, Crucifixion, and burial (see also Gospel Art Book, nos. 57 and 58). Invite the children to share what they know about these events. Emphasize that on the third day, Jesus was resurrected, meaning that He came back to life.

Ask the children to name some things their parents do for them that they cannot do for themselves. Show a picture of the Savior. Explain that because of Jesus, we can be resurrected—something we cannot do ourselves.

Show a picture of someone you know who has died. Share your testimony that because of Jesus that person will live again.

Describe how the soldiers were unkind to Jesus (see Matthew 27:26–37), and then read Luke 23:34. Explain that when we forgive others, we let go of bad feelings toward them and show love.

Share scenarios in which someone says or does something unkind. Invite the children to show how they would forgive that person.

Write words or phrases from “Help Me, Dear Father,” Children’s Songbook, 99, on the board. Invite the children to sing the song multiple times, erasing some words each time until they have learned the entire song. According to this song, whom should we forgive? Who can help us when forgiving is hard?

Search a recent issue of the Friend or Liahona to find a story about a child who forgave someone. Share this story with the children.

Summarize Luke 23:32–33, 39–43, and point out the two thieves in picture 57 in the Gospel Art Book. Explain that when the first thief made fun of Jesus, the second thief admitted that he had done something wrong—he was beginning to repent.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 19:16 to the children. Why did Jesus suffer for us?

Show the video “The Shiny Bicycle” (LDS.org). Explain that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can help us fix our sins and mistakes and receive forgiveness.

Let the children make chalk marks on the board to represent wrong choices. Then ask them to erase the board to represent repentance. Show a picture of the Savior, and testify that we can repent because of Him.

List key events from Matthew 27:11–66 (for help doing this, see “Chapter 52: The Trials of Jesus” and “Chapter 53: Jesus Is Crucified,” New Testament Stories, 133–38). Invite the children to study these verses and place the events in the correct order.

Show the videos “Jesus Is Condemned before Pilate” and “Jesus Is Scourged and Crucified” (LDS.org). (See also “The Atonement,” LDS.org.) Why was Jesus willing to suffer for us?

Ask a child to read Matthew 27:54, and invite the children to share things about Jesus that help them know He is the Son of God.

Ask the children what they learn about the Crucifixion from “Behold the Great Redeemer Die,” Hymns, no. 191, or another sacrament hymn.

Invite the children to take turns reading about the soldiers being unkind to Jesus in Matthew 27:26–37 and Jesus forgiving them in Luke 23:34. (See the insight provided by the Joseph Smith Translation in Luke 23:34, footnote c.) What do we learn from Jesus’s example?

Write on the board What can you do to forgive someone who is unkind to you? Let the children take turns writing ideas on the board, such as Pray to have kind feelings toward the person or Think of something good about the person.

Invite the children to draw pictures of situations in which someone is unkind and how they would forgive that person. Let them share their drawings with the class.

Invite a child to read Luke 23:32–33, 39–43. Explain that the two people being crucified with Jesus were thieves. How did one of the thieves show that he was beginning to repent?

Write the following sentence on the board, leaving blanks for the italicized words: “I can be forgiven when I repent because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” Give the children clues to help them fill in the blanks.

Invite a child to hold a bag, and fill it with small rocks as the other children name wrong choices someone could make. Help the children compare the bag to the spiritual burden we carry when we sin. How is repentance like taking rocks out of the bag?

Use the article “You Can Repent and Forgive” (Friend, Aug. 2015, 10) to teach the children how to repent.

Tell the story of Jesus’s Resurrection in your own words. Ask the children to take turns repeating the story back to you. You might refer to “Chapter 54: Jesus Is Risen,” New Testament Stories, 139–44, or the corresponding video (LDS.org). Explain that when Jesus died, His spirit left His body. When He was resurrected, His spirit and His body came together again.

Invite several ward members to act as the soldiers, the angels, Mary Magdalene, Peter, John, the disciples, and Thomas and tell what they witnessed after Jesus’s Resurrection.

Show the video “What Happens after We Die?” (LDS.org), and tell about someone you know who has died. Share your testimony that everyone will be resurrected someday. Invite the children to share their testimonies.

Consider singing together “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” and “When He Comes Again,” Children’s Songbook, 64, 82. Ask the children to imagine what it will feel like to see the resurrected Jesus. Let them share their thoughts with the class.

Show the picture Christ Approaches Thomas (LDS.org) while you tell about Thomas’s experience in John 20:24–29. Repeat the story later in the lesson, but this time ask the children to provide some of the details.

Show a box with an object inside that the children can’t see, and describe the object to the children. Ask them if they believe the object is really inside the box and why. Then show them the object, and explain that faith is believing in things we can’t see. The most important faith we can have is faith in Jesus Christ.

Read John 21:15–17, or show the video “Feed My Sheep” (LDS.org). Jesus didn’t want Peter to spend all of his time fishing. Instead, He wanted Peter to share the gospel and invite everyone to come to Him. Give each of the children a paper sheep, and ask them to write on it something they can do to help feed Jesus’s sheep.

Ask several children ahead of time to share things they are doing to love and serve others, or ways others have served them.

Write the name of every child in your class on pieces of paper cut into the shape of sheep, and scatter these sheep around the room. (Include the names of children who don’t attend regularly.) Invite the children to gather the sheep by finding the one with their name on it. What can we do to serve any lost sheep we might know?

Invite the children to close their eyes and imagine that they are sitting by Jesus’s tomb while you read John 20:1–17 or summarize the story of His Resurrection (see also “Chapter 54: Jesus Is Risen,” New Testament Stories, 139–44, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). What would it have been like to see the resurrected Savior?

Ask each child to study the experience of someone who saw the resurrected Savior and share with the rest of the class what he or she learned.

Watch one or more of these videos with the children: “Jesus Is Laid in a Tomb,” “Jesus Is Resurrected,” “Christ Appears on the Road to Emmaus,” and “The Risen Lord Appears to the Apostles” (LDS.org).

Invite a few children to take turns reading verses in John 20:24–29. (See also the video “Blessed Are They That Have Not Seen, and Yet Have Believed,” LDS.org.)

Write each word in the phrase “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” on separate pieces of paper. Invite the children to put the words in order. Invite them to tell of experiences in which they felt the Savior’s love even if they did not see Him.

Invite the children to draw pictures of things they can do to strengthen their faith. As they draw, share what you have done to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ.

Before reading John 21:1–17 together, ask the children if they have gone fishing before. What was it like? Ask if anyone ever caught a “multitude of fishes” (John 21:6).

Read John 21:15–17, but replace Simon’s name with names of the children. Who are Jesus’s sheep? How can we feed His sheep?

Share a simple snack with the children. As they are eating, ask them how sharing the gospel with someone is like feeding them.

Show the full-page picture from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Ask the children why they think the men are looking at the sky. Summarize the account from Acts 1:1–11. See also “Chapter 55: The Apostles Lead the Church,” New Testament Stories, 145–47, or the corresponding video (LDS.org).

While the class looks at the picture from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, invite a child to hold up a picture of the current Apostles. Who leads the Church when Christ is not on the earth? How do they lead the Church?

Play a matching game with two sets of pictures of the living First Presidency and Twelve Apostles. When a match is made, share the Apostle or President’s name and something about him.

On the back of a picture of Jesus, tape small pictures of things a prophet might teach about, like baptism or a temple. Let each child take a turn looking at one of the pictures and telling the rest of the class, “The prophet teaches us about [the topic on the picture].”

Invite the children to do actions that go along with the story in Acts 3:1–10, such as putting out their hands for money and leaping for joy. How did Heavenly Father bless the man who couldn’t walk?

Bring a bag containing pictures that represent ways that we can bless and serve others. Let the children take turns choosing pictures from the bag and sharing how they can bless others in that way.

Ask the children to share a time when they helped someone.

Help the children act out the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Explain that although we won’t die when we tell a lie, this story shows how important being honest is to Heavenly Father.

Sing together a song about honesty, such as “I Believe in Being Honest” (Children’s Songbook, 149). Help the children understand that part of being honest means always telling the truth and not taking things that belong to someone else.

Use paper-bag puppets to act out simple situations in which someone is being honest or dishonest. Ask the children to stand up if the person was being honest or sit on the floor if the person was being dishonest.

Write on the board How does Jesus Christ lead the Church when He is not on the earth? Invite the children to look for answers to the question as you read the Savior’s words to the Apostles in Acts 1:8.

Read together Acts 1:22–26. As a class, identify how the Apostles called a new Apostle.

Ahead of time, ask a child and his or her parent to read about a recently called Apostle (perhaps on LDS.org). Invite the child to share what he or she learned with the class and, if possible, what the Apostle said about his call in his first general conference message.

Ask a child to read Acts 3:1–10 while the other children act out the story. (For help, see also “Chapter 56: Peter Heals a Man,” New Testament Stories, 148–49, or the corresponding video on LDS.org.) You could also show the video “Peter and John Heal a Man Crippled Since Birth” (LDS.org). In what way was the blessing this man received greater than the money he asked for?

Pass around a bag of coins. As the children hold the bag, ask them what they can buy with money. Then take back the bag of coins and ask the children what blessings they cannot buy. Invite them to share how they can serve somebody without using money (Acts 3:6).

Read together Acts 2:36–37. What does it feel like when the Holy Ghost tells us something in our hearts?

As a class, make a poster with the words What shall we do? at the top. Display the poster each week, and add ways the children can act on what they learn in each week’s lesson.

Invite the children to find the good things the people did after they were baptized in Acts 2:41–47. What good things can we do to show we are thankful for the gift of the Holy Ghost we received when we were baptized?

Help the children create actions to go with a song about choosing the right, such as “Stand for the Right” (Children’s Songbook, 159). Use Acts 7:51–60 to tell the children how Stephen taught about Jesus Christ, even though doing so made the Jewish leaders very angry (see also “Chapter 57: Wicked Men Kill Stephen,” New Testament Stories, 150–51, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). How did Stephen stand for the right?

Give the children several scenarios of children who have to make a choice between right and wrong. Ask the children what they would do to stand for the right.

Pull two chairs together to create a chariot. Invite two children to sit in the chariot, one to represent Philip and the other the Ethiopian man. Then tell the story of how Philip taught the gospel to the man from Ethiopia.

Have you ever felt the Holy Ghost tell you to share the gospel with someone, similar to the experience Philip had in Acts 8:29? Share your experience with the children.

Summarize the story of Saul’s conversion, found in Acts 9:1–20 (see also “Chapter 59: Saul Learns about Jesus,” New Testament Stories, 154–55, or the corresponding video on LDS.org).

List or bring in pictures of things that change, such as a tadpole, which changes into a frog, or trees during different seasons. How did Saul change when Jesus Christ visited him?

Draw a forked road on the board. Invite the children to name places they would like to visit, and write them at the top of one road. What would happen if we turned onto the wrong road? How is repentance like getting back on the right road?

Ask the children to repeat what Saul said to the Lord: “What wilt thou have me to do?” What does the Lord want us to do?

Read Acts 6:5–15 and 7:51–60 with the children. How was Stephen a witness of Jesus Christ? Invite one or more children to pretend to be Stephen and share what they believe in and why.

Invite the children to take turns reading Acts 6:3–10, searching for qualities Stephen had that helped him serve.

Ask the children to help you think of situations in which they can stand as witnesses of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Help them role-play some of these situations. Ask the children to read Mosiah 18:9. Point out that being a witness of Jesus Christ is included in the promises we make at baptism.

Write the names Stephen and Philip on the board. Under Stephen’s name, write ways we can be examples to others. Under Philip’s name, write ways we can share the gospel with others. How does being an example of a disciple of Jesus Christ help us to share the gospel?

Summarize the story of Simon, found in Acts 8:5–24 (see also “Chapter 58: Simon and the Priesthood,” New Testament Stories, 152–53, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). Why can’t we receive the priesthood by buying it? How does someone really receive the priesthood? (see Articles of Faith 1:5).

Give the children pretend money, and display pictures of things that can be bought with money. Ask the children how much of their pretend money they would give for these things. Then show pictures of the sacrament, a temple (representing temple blessings), a baptism, and other blessings we receive through the priesthood. Explain that these gifts from God are priceless and cannot be bought with money.

Invite the children to fold a piece of paper in half. Ask them to write Before on one half and After on the other half. Read with the children Acts 8:1–3; 9:1–2; and 9:17–22, looking for words or phrases that describe Saul before and after he saw the Lord.

Invite a ward member to share his or her conversion story and how being a member of the Church has changed his or her life, as Saul’s life was changed.

Draw a “road to Damascus” on the board. Invite the children to read Acts 9:6, 11, 18, 20–22, searching for what Saul did to repent and turn to Christ, and write these actions along the road. What do we learn from Saul about how we can become more like Christ?

Invite the children to draw their favorite part of the account of Saul’s conversion and share their drawing with the class.

Show the picture Christ and Children from around the World (Gospel Art Book, no. 116) as you read Acts 10:34–35. Explain that in Peter’s time some people believed that God loved only some groups of people, but Peter learned that God loves all of His children, and He wants all of them to learn the gospel.

Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves. Share your testimony that Heavenly Father loves each of them and all of His children, no matter what they look like or where they are from.

Sing a song about loving others with the children—for example, “I’ll Walk with You” (Children’s Songbook, 140–41). Invite them to share ways that they can show love to everyone—even to those who are different from them—just as Jesus did.

Ask each child’s parents ahead of time to share a few admirable characteristics of their child. Share their answers in class, and testify that Heavenly Father loves each of the children.

Point to each child one by one and say, “Heavenly Father loves [name].” Let the children take turns pointing to one another and saying this phrase.

Read Acts 11:26 to the children. Explain that someone who believes in and follows Jesus Christ is called a Christian, so we are Christians.

Sing “The Church of Jesus Christ” (Children’s Songbook, 77) with the children. How should we act at church, at school, and at home because we are followers of Jesus Christ and belong to His Church?

Let the children color the badge on this week’s activity page and wear it home.

Invite the children to act out the account of Peter being freed from prison in Acts 12:1–17 as you summarize the story. How did Heavenly Father answer the prayers of those who were praying for Peter?

Sing a song about prayer—for example, “We Bow Our Heads” (Children’s Songbook, 25)—and create actions to help the children learn how to pray. Invite the children to share examples of things they can thank Heavenly Father for and ask Him for in prayer.

Show pictures of people praying (see, for example, Gospel Art Book, nos. 111 and 112) as you share an experience when Heavenly Father answered your prayers.

Ask the children if they can tell what someone is like just by looking at them or guessing where they are from. According to Acts 10:35, how does God determine if someone is “accepted with him”?

Read Acts 10:34–35; 15:6–11 with the children. Explain that in Peter’s time, Jews believed that God did not accept people who weren’t Jews (these people were called Gentiles). But God taught Peter that God loves all of His children, both Jews and Gentiles. Sing together “I Am a Child of God” (Children’s Songbook, 2–3). Invite the children to substitute each other’s names for words like I or me.

Invite the children to share something unique about someone else in the class. Explain that the statement “God is no respecter of persons” means that Heavenly Father loves all His children, and because He loves them, He wants all of His children to hear the gospel.

Invite the children to read Acts 11:26; 3 Nephi 27:3–8; and Doctrine and Covenants 115:4. Write Christian on the board and underline the part that says “Christ.” Ask the children to share what they think it means to be a Christian.

Ask the children to name different groups they belong to, such as their families or Primary class. Invite them to share reasons why they are grateful to be a Christian and belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How can we show others we are Christians?

Display several objects or pictures that represent truths unique to the Church of Jesus Christ, such as a picture of a priesthood blessing. Ask a child to pick one of the objects or pictures and describe how it is a blessing in our Church. Explain that while Christians throughout the world belong to many different churches, we belong to the same Church that Jesus Christ established on the earth.

Show the video “True Christianity” (LDS.org). Invite the children to draw things they can do to be true Christians.

Invite the children to act out the story of the angel freeing Peter from prison in Acts 12:1–17 while you recount the story in your own words.

Ask the children what they think it means that “prayer was made without ceasing” (Acts 12:5). How were the people’s prayers answered? Invite the children to share experiences in which Heavenly Father answered a personal or family prayer. You could also share an experience in which He answered your prayer in a way that was different from what you expected or wanted. Testify that God loves us, and He will answer our prayers in the way and timing that is best for us.

Help the children act out Acts 16:25–34 as you summarize the account of Paul and Silas sharing the gospel in prison (see also “Chapter 61: Paul and Silas in Prison,” New Testament Stories, 158–60, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). Explain that missionaries today also teach people about Jesus and help them prepare to be baptized.

Create missionary name tags for the children to wear, and help them write their names on the tags. Teach the children simple statements of doctrine that they can share with others, such as “God is our loving Heavenly Father,” “God speaks through a living prophet,” or “Jesus Christ is our Savior.”

Invite the children to share details about someone they know who is on a mission. They could draw a picture or write a note to send to a missionary.

Place several copies of the scriptures around the room, and let the children find them. Help one of the children read the phrase “They … searched the scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). Invite the children to point to each day of the week on a calendar as they repeat this phrase with you.

To teach the children that the scriptures testify of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, help them turn to a chapter in the scriptures, like Acts 17 or 18, and find instances of the words God or Lord. You may want to mark these words so the children can find them more easily. Each time they find one of these words, invite them to share something they know about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Invite the children to repeat the phrase “We are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29), and explain that offspring means child. Bear your testimony to each child, one by one, that he or she is a child of God. Ask them how they feel when they hear that they are children of God. Invite them to share how they feel about their Heavenly Father.

Show pictures of children with their families (if possible, use pictures of the children in your class). Explain that we are the children of our mothers and fathers, and all of us are spirit children of our Heavenly Parents.

Sing a song about Heavenly Father, such as “I Know My Father Lives” (Children’s Songbook, 5). With help from the children, write words or draw pictures on the board that represent things we learn about Heavenly Father from the song.

Read to the children these words from Acts 17:27: “He be not far from every one of us.” Talk about times when you have felt close to Heavenly Father, and invite the children to do the same.

Invite the children to read Acts 16:14–15, 25–34; 18:7–8, 24–28 and make a list of the people Paul and Apollos shared the gospel with. Then invite them to make a list of people they can share the gospel with. Let the children role-play how they might tell these people about Jesus Christ or invite them to church. You could also invite the children to write notes bearing testimony of a gospel truth to these people.

Invite current full-time missionaries, returned missionaries, or ward missionaries to visit the class and tell about their experiences with sharing the gospel. Encourage the children to ask questions about how they can share the gospel with others.

Have the children read Acts 17:2–4, 10–12; 18:28, and invite them to look for what these passages have in common. According to these verses, what helped people believe the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Invite the children to share their favorite stories about Jesus that they have learned from the scriptures this year. On slips of paper, write scripture references that teach about the Savior, and hide them around the room. Then invite the children to find them. Help the children look up the references they find, and ask them to share with each other what each scripture teaches about Jesus.

Ask the children to help you create a simple chart that they can mark when they read about or learn about Jesus from the scriptures. Display it each week for the rest of the year, and help the children find places in the scriptures that teach about Jesus.

Show the children a stone, and explain that in Paul’s day, people worshipped gods they made out of stone and other materials. Ask the children to read Acts 17:27–29. What do we learn about God from these verses? Explain that offspring means children. Ask the children how it makes them feel to know that they are children of God.

Ask the children to read Acts 17:27. Invite the children to draw pictures of ways they can “feel after” or seek God. When have they felt that He is “not far from [them]”?

Share the story in Acts 23:10–11 of the Savior visiting Paul in prison. Or show the video “Be of Good Cheer” (LDS.org), which portrays this story. Share a time when you had a trial and received guidance and comfort from God. Ask the children to share times when they felt comforted by God.

Help the children memorize what Jesus said to Paul: “Be of good cheer.” Ask the children to think of someone they can invite to be of good cheer—perhaps someone who is sad or worried.

Bring a crown to class and let a child wear it and pretend to be King Agrippa. Invite another child to stand before the king to represent Paul as you summarize Paul’s testimony and the reaction of King Agrippa, found in Acts 26:1–29 (see “Chapter 63: Paul Finishes His Mission,” New Testament Stories, 162–66, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). Explain that we can share our testimonies with others, as Paul did.

Ask the children to listen while you sing or read a song about testimony, such as verse 2 of “Testimony” (Hymns, no. 137) or “I Know My Father Lives” (Children’s Songbook, 5). Invite the children to raise their hands when they hear something they can bear testimony about. You may want to sing the song several times; invite the children to join you once they’re familiar with the words. Ask them to share some things about the gospel that they know are true.

Use this week’s activity page to help the children think about something they could say when they bear their testimony. Invite them to share their testimony with someone in their family.

Invite the children to pretend that they are on a ship that is being wrecked in a storm. Read Paul’s warning to the people, found in Acts 27:9–10, and share the story of the shipwreck that happened because they didn’t listen to his warning (see verses 11, 39–44). Show a picture of the President of the Church. What kinds of warnings does he give us?

Place several pictures or objects around the room that represent things prophets have taught us to do, such as attend church or be baptized. As a class, walk around the room, stopping at each picture or object to talk about how following the prophet’s teachings helps to keep us safe.

Using Acts 23:10, explain that Paul was put in prison because he taught the people about Jesus. Then read Acts 23:11 with the children. Or show the video “Be of Good Cheer” (LDS.org), which portrays this story. Why could Paul “be of good cheer” even though he was in prison?

Write on the board Acts 23:10–11; Acts 27:18–26; and Acts 28:1–6. Show pictures of a jail, a ship, and a snake, and invite the children to review these verses and match them with the pictures. In each of these accounts, how did the Lord show Paul that He was with him?

Invite someone from the ward to share an experience when the Lord was with him or her during a difficult time. Perhaps you or the children could also share experiences.

Invite the children to read Acts 26:1–29 and find some gospel truths that Paul taught to King Agrippa. Why might it have been scary for Paul to share these things before the king? Invite the children to list some gospel principles they know to be true. Ask them to think of someone they know who needs to hear their testimony of these truths.

Invite the children to use this week’s activity page to write something they might say in their testimony.

Cut a piece of paper shaped like a ship into puzzle pieces. Invite the children to write Paul’s warnings in Acts 27:9–11 on the pieces and put the puzzle together. Why didn’t the people listen to Paul? (see verse 11). Invite the children to read verses 18–20 and 40–44 to find out what happened as a result. (Explain that because the people followed Paul’s later counsel to stay on the ship, no one died in the shipwreck; see verses 30–32.) What can we learn from this experience about following the prophet?

Bring a recent conference message by the President of the Church and share with the children any warnings or counsel he gave. Invite the children to think of ways they can follow the prophet.

Show the video “Blessed and Happy Are Those Who Keep the Commandments of God” (LDS.org). How are prophets like the man with the binoculars?

Write down a few activities the children can do that will help them learn about the role of a prophet—for example, “Read Doctrine and Covenants 21:4–7” or “Sing ‘Follow the Prophet’” (Children’s Songbook, 110–11, or use another song about prophets). Hang the list of activities outside the classroom, and invite one child to stand at the door and read one activity at a time to the rest of the children, allowing them to complete the activity before reading another one. Explain that just as one child has given direction to the others, a prophet teaches us what God would like us to do. Ask the children to share what they learned about prophets from the activities.

Help the children find Rome on a map. Explain that the book of Romans contains a letter that Paul wrote to Saints in Rome to help them understand gospel principles such as faith.

Read Romans 1:17 to the children, and help them memorize the phrase “The just shall live by faith.” You could assign each child one word in the phrase and ask them to say that word when you point to them. Explain that this phrase means that we should live each day with faith in Jesus Christ. Do the children know what faith is? Show a picture of Jesus Christ and explain that we believe He is real even though we haven’t seen Him. This is faith—believing in something even though we haven’t seen it.

Explain that we show our faith in Jesus Christ by obeying Him. Hide pictures around the room of people doing what Jesus has asked us to do. Let the children take turns finding and describing the pictures. What can we do to follow Jesus?

Blindfold one of the children, and guide him or her across the room toward a picture of Jesus. Let each child have a turn. Help the children understand that they should follow Jesus’s teachings just as they followed your guidance.

Invite the children to repeat the phrase “Walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Explain that when we are baptized, we are forgiven of our sins. We have the chance to go forward by making good choices, repenting when we make mistakes, and striving to become more like Jesus. Use this week’s activity page to teach the children that baptism helps us become a new person.

Tell the children how you felt when you were baptized, and invite them to share experiences when they have attended a baptism. Invite them to draw pictures of themselves on their future baptism day and share what they can do to prepare for their baptisms.

Sing with the children a song about baptism, such as “When I Am Baptized” (Children’s Songbook, 103). What do we learn about baptism from this song?

Ask a child to find Rome on a map. Help the children understand that over the next few weeks, they will learn from letters Paul wrote to Church members in various places, beginning with his letter to the Romans.

Write the text from Romans 1:16 on the board, replacing a few words with blanks. Ask the children to look up the scripture and fill in the blanks. Point out the phrase “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” and invite children to share what this phrase means to them.

Invite a child to read aloud Romans 1:17, and ask the other children to listen for a word that is repeated. What does it mean to “live by faith”? Help the children find a definition of faith in a resource such as Guide to the Scriptures, “Faith,” scriptures.lds.org. How would our lives be different if we did not have faith in Jesus Christ?

Show the children a plant and a seed, and ask how we help a seed become a plant. Explain that when we plant and water a seed, we are showing that we have faith that it will grow. How do we show that we have faith in Jesus Christ? Consider singing a song about faith, such as “Faith” (Children’s Songbook, 96), as part of this activity.

Invite one of the children to read Romans 3:23–24. What do the children think these verses are teaching us? Explain that “grace” in verse 24 means the Savior’s gift of love and mercy, which makes it possible for us to receive forgiveness for our sins.

Hang a treat or picture high on a wall or in another place that the children cannot reach by themselves. Let them try to reach it, and compare this to what Paul teaches in Romans 3:23. Then help them reach it. What has the Savior done for us that we cannot do for ourselves? Invite the children to share how they feel about the Savior when they think about what He has done for them.

Invite a child to read Romans 6:3–6. What did Paul say baptism is “in the likeness of”?

Discuss how baptism symbolizes death and resurrection. Consider showing the video “The Baptism of Jesus” (LDS.org). Why are death and resurrection good symbols of what happens when we are baptized?

Read together the sacrament prayers (see D&C 20:77, 79). Remind the children that when we take the sacrament, we renew the commitment we made when we were baptized to follow Jesus Christ. How does the sacrament help us “walk in newness of life”?

Invite the children to make posters that show what it means to them to “walk in newness of life.” The children could hang these in their rooms to help them remember to make good choices.

Help the children memorize the phrase “[Nothing can] separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:39). To illustrate this truth, nail two boards together, and label one “us” and the other “the love of God.” Let the children see if they can separate the boards.

Take the children outside to feel the sunshine, or show a picture of the sun. How is the sun like Heavenly Father’s love? Help them see that although the sun is far away, it can help us feel warm. We can feel Heavenly Father’s love all the time, even though He is not physically with us. You could also sing together “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228–29).

Read Romans 10:17 to the children, and show them pictures of situations in which they can hear the word of God (like family scripture study, church, or general conference; see this week’s activity page). Ask the children when they have heard God’s word.

Tell a story about a child who listens to the word of God in various ways. While you are telling the story, blow up a balloon little by little to represent how the child’s faith grows each time he or she hears the word of God.

To help the children understand that their faith can grow, help them sing “Faith” (Children’s Songbook, 96–97). As they sing, ask them to pretend to be seeds by crouching down. Every time they sing the word faith, have them rise up a little like a growing plant.

Hide in the classroom a set of scriptures, a picture of the President of the Church, and a copy of the Friend or Liahona magazine. Ask the children to find these things and share how each makes it possible for us to hear God’s word.

Explain that Paul was thankful for the help he received from a woman named Phebe and a married couple named Priscilla and Aquila (see Romans 16:1–4). Ask the children to draw pictures of Paul and these three people as you share words and phrases from the verses.

Invite each child to share something nice that someone did for him or her recently. Help the children make thank-you cards for those people.

Help the children learn how to say thank you in different languages. The song “Children All Over the World” (Children’s Songbook, 16–17) can help.

Read together Romans 8:16–18. What do we learn from these verses about who we are and who we can become? Explain that an “heir” is someone who inherits, or receives, what his or her parents have. Write on the board What do we need to do to inherit all that our Father in Heaven has? Sing together a song about obedience, such as “I Will Follow God’s Plan for Me” (Children’s Songbook, 164–65), looking for answers. What other answers can the children think of?

Ask the children to think about a king who wants his sons and daughters to rule in his kingdom someday. Explain that Heavenly Father is like a king, and we are His royal sons and daughters. You could share the story of the son of King Louis XVI of France, found in Sister Elaine S. Dalton’s talk “Remember Who You Are!” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 121). How can remembering that we are children of Heavenly Father and born to someday be like Him help us live righteously here on earth? (For further information, see True to the Faith, 74–76.)

Write the following sentence on the board: cometh by , and by the of . Ask the children to fill in the blanks after reading Romans 10:17. Share a time when someone taught a gospel truth that helped to strengthen your faith—perhaps you could share a favorite scripture or quotation from general conference. Invite the children to share their own experiences.

Label several glasses of water with things where we find the word of God (like the scriptures, church meetings, and general conference). Discuss how the word of God increases our faith as you pour each glass into a container labeled “Faith.”

Give one child a picture of the Savior healing someone without letting the other children see the picture. Ask the child to give clues to help the other children guess what the picture shows. How can we share with others what we know about the Savior so they can have faith in Him?

Invite a child to read Romans 14:10, 13. Ask the other children to count how many times Paul used the word judge. What does it mean to judge someone? Why should we avoid judging others?

Show a picture of someone, and ask the children what we know about this person only by looking at the picture. What are some things we don’t know about him or her? Why is the Lord the best one to judge this person? (see 1 Samuel 16:7).

Show objects or pictures that represent ways we learn about the world (such as a school, book, or cell phone). What can we learn when we use these things? Explain that in 1 Corinthians 2:11, 14, Paul taught that we can learn about God only through the Spirit of God, which is the Holy Ghost. What can we do to learn “the things of God”?

Clap your hands as you say each syllable in the sentence “The Holy Ghost teaches us truth.” Ask the children to clap their hands and repeat the phrase. Share with the children an experience when the Holy Ghost helped you know that something was true.

Sing together a song about the Holy Ghost, such as “The Holy Ghost” (Children’s Songbook, 105). Help the children find words and phrases in the song that teach how the Holy Ghost speaks to us and what He teaches us.

Read 1 Corinthians 3:11 to the children, and explain that Jesus Christ is our foundation. Show the children several pictures of things we can have testimonies of, including a picture of Jesus Christ. Help them arrange the pictures so that the picture of Jesus is on the bottom, like a foundation, and the other pictures “build” on a testimony of Him.

Create actions for the song “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Children’s Songbook, 281), and sing the song with the children. Give each child a rock with “Jesus Christ is my foundation” written on it. Let them take the rocks home to remind them what they learned.

Share pictures that depict some of your favorite stories from the Savior’s life, and ask the children to tell you what is happening in the pictures. Let them share some of their favorite stories about Jesus. Bear your testimony that Jesus Christ is the foundation of your faith.

Show the children pictures of temples (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families), and read these words from 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.” Help the children understand that Heavenly Father wants us to keep our bodies clean and holy, like a temple.

Display a picture of a child, and put pictures around it of things that are good for our bodies and things that are bad. Invite the children to take turns identifying the good things and removing the bad ones.

Sing together a song about bodies, such as “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (Children’s Songbook, 275), and ask the children why they are thankful for their bodies.

Read 1 Corinthians 1:23–25 together, and help the children find the words wisdom and foolishness. Explain that many people thought Paul’s teachings were foolish, but Paul explained that believing Christ’s gospel is true wisdom. Why is it wise to believe what God teaches?

Help the children role-play how they could respond to people who think Church teachings are “foolish”—teachings such as believing in the Savior, keeping the Word of Wisdom, or obeying the law of tithing. For example, they could testify of the blessings that come from living these teachings.

Share an experience when others thought that your beliefs were foolish, or share an example from the scriptures. Could the children share similar experiences? How can 1 Corinthians 1:25 help us remain faithful when others call our beliefs foolish?

Make a list of ways we learn about the world—for example, books, school, and the internet. Then read together 1 Corinthians 2:11–14. What do these verses teach about how we learn “the things of God”?

Invite the children to share a time when they felt the promptings of the Holy Ghost, also called “the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11–14). Such times could include when they were at church, praying, or reading the scriptures. Help them understand that the Holy Ghost was teaching them truth, as Paul described.

Invite each child to read one of these scriptures: 1 Corinthians 2:11–14; 1 Nephi 10:17; Moroni 10:3–5; and Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3. Ask the children to share what they learned from these scriptures about how the Holy Ghost teaches us. Encourage them to write these references in the margins of their scriptures.

Bring a wrapped gift with pictures of a child and a temple inside. Invite the children to read 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 and guess what is in the gift. Let them unwrap the gift and discuss how our bodies are like temples.

Talk with the children about how we should treat a temple. If our bodies are like temples, how should we treat our bodies? Singing or reading the words to a song about temples, such as “The Lord Gave Me a Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 153), can help answer this question. When we make mistakes, how can we make our “temples” clean again?

Read together the section titled “Physical and Emotional Health” in For the Strength of Youth (2011, 25–27). Invite the children to list on the board the counsel they find about how to care for our bodies.

Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 to the children, inviting them to turn away from you when they hear the words “tempted” or “temptation.”

Create small stop signs for the children. Tell some brief stories of people who are about to make a wrong choice. As the children listen, invite them to hold up their signs when the person in the story makes a wrong choice. What would be the right choice? Testify that Heavenly Father will help them choose the right.

Show a picture of Jesus, and sing with the children a song about Jesus Christ, such as “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79). How does remembering Jesus help us make good choices? Show pictures of other things that help us make good choices, such as parents or scriptures. Ask the children what helps them make good choices.

Read together 1 Corinthians 12:7–11, and identify the spiritual gifts Paul named. Help the children think of actions that could go with these gifts of the Spirit, and use the actions to help the children remember the gifts.

Ask the children to draw a picture of a favorite gift they have received. Explain that Heavenly Father gives us spiritual gifts to strengthen our faith and help us bless others.

Write a note for each child, describing a spiritual gift you have seen in him or her (or you could invite parents to write these notes). Wrap the notes like gifts. Allow the children to open their gifts, and help them read about their spiritual gifts.

Read 1 Corinthians 13:8 and Moroni 7:47, and help the children repeat the phrase “Charity is the pure love of Christ.” Show pictures of Jesus being loving and kind, and ask the children how He showed love to others (see Gospel Art Book for ideas).

Choose a child to stand in the front of the room. Ask the child how he or she would serve another person in the class. Explain that this is one way we can show charity to others. Invite other children to take turns showing charity.

Sing a song about loving others, such as “Jesus Said Love Everyone” or “Love One Another” (Children’s Songbook, 61, 136), with the children. Show pictures of different people (such as a parent, teacher, or friend), and ask the children to share how they could serve that person. Invite the children to think of someone they could serve and write a note or draw a picture to give that person. If they need other ideas, show the video “Pass It On” (LDS.org).

Invite the children to read 1 Corinthians 10:13 in pairs and summarize the verse in their own words. Ask the children to share an experience in which Heavenly Father helped them avoid or resist temptation. What can we do to rely on Heavenly Father when we are tempted?

Write on slips of paper temptations children may face today. Invite the children to each choose a paper and share what Heavenly Father has given to help us avoid or resist these temptations. For some ideas, read together Alma 13:28–29.

Ask a child to read 1 Corinthians 11:28. What does it mean to “examine” ourselves before taking the sacrament? Ask the children to think of other people who examine things, like doctors, detectives, or scientists (for example, doctors examine our bodies for wounds or diseases that need to be healed). What does their work teach us about how we should examine ourselves when we partake of the sacrament?

Ask the children to make a list of things they can think about when they partake of the sacrament. Invite them to use their lists as a reminder to examine themselves during the sacrament.

Ask the children to write on the board the spiritual gifts they find in 1 Corinthians 12:7–11; 13:2. Invite them to find any additional gifts mentioned in Moroni 10:8–18 and Doctrine and Covenants 46:13–26. Share with them some additional spiritual gifts mentioned by Elder Marvin J. Ashton: “The gift of asking; the gift of listening; … the gift of avoiding contention; … the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; … the gift of caring for others; … the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony” (“There Are Many Gifts,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 20). Invite the children to talk about the spiritual gifts they see in each other.

Before class, ask the parents about the gifts they see in their children, or think about their gifts yourself. Tell the children about these gifts, and ask them to guess which child has that gift. Invite the children to write down one way they will use their gift to bless someone this week.

Share different situations in which people could use a spiritual gift from 1 Corinthians 12:7–10. Invite the children to identify the spiritual gifts that could be used in each situation.

Repeat the following phrase several times with the children: “In Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Show a picture of the resurrected Savior (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Explain that we will all die someday, but because Jesus was resurrected, we will all come back to life after we die.

Use an object lesson like this one to teach about the Resurrection: Show the children a jacket, which represents our physical bodies. When we are alive, our spirits are in our bodies, and our bodies can move (put the jacket on). When we die, our spirits leave our physical bodies, and our bodies cannot move (remove the jacket and lay it on a table or chair to represent a body without its spirit). When we are resurrected, our spirits return to our bodies (put the jacket on again), and they are never separated again. Let the children take turns putting the jacket on and taking it off while another child explains what happens when we are resurrected.

Help the children think of things they cannot do for themselves (such as carrying something heavy or reaching something on a high shelf). Who helps them do these things? Show a picture of one of your ancestors who died without being baptized. Tell the children about this person, and explain that this person can’t be baptized without help from someone on earth.

Ask the children if they have any family members who have been to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead. Show pictures of a temple baptismal font. Do the children know what happens here? Explain that in the temple we can be baptized for people who have died without being baptized. Then those people can choose whether to accept the baptism.

Write on the board celestial, terrestrial, and telestial. Help the children learn to say these terms.

Show pictures of the sun, moon, and stars. Which shines the brightest? Read 1 Corinthians 15:40–41 to the children (see also Joseph Smith Translation, 1 Corinthians 15:40, footnote a). Explain that the sun, moon, and stars represent the kingdoms we can live in after we are resurrected. In the celestial kingdom, we can live with Heavenly Father.

Draw the sun on the board and place small pieces of paper, or steps, on the ground leading to the sun. Each paper could represent something we need to do to enter the celestial kingdom (see D&C 76:50–53). Allow the children to share ideas and take steps toward the celestial kingdom.

Invite the children to take turns reading verses in 1 Corinthians 15:12–22, looking for answers to the question “What would happen if there were no resurrection?”

Invite the children to role-play how to explain resurrection to someone. For ideas, see Thomas S. Monson’s message “Mrs. Patton—the Story Continues” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 21–24). See also the video “Until We Meet Again” (LDS.org). Bear your testimony of the Resurrection of Christ.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:29. What were the Saints in Paul’s day doing that we also do today?

Ask the children why we are baptized for the dead. If necessary, explain that many of our ancestors did not have the opportunity to be baptized and confirmed during this life. In the temple, we can be baptized and confirmed for them.

A few days before class, ask a parent of one of the children to come prepared to share his or her family tree, or to tell a story about an ancestor. You could also share about your own ancestors.

Invite a member of the bishopric to share some things the children can do to be worthy to enter the temple. Ask the children what they can do to remember to do these things. Write their ideas on the board. Invite them to make a goal to go to the temple someday.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:40–41 and invite a child to draw a sun, moon, and star on the board. Ask class members to identify which kind of resurrected body is represented by each drawing.

Sing together a song about temples, such as “The Lord Gave Me a Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 153). What does this song teach us about preparing to live in celestial glory?

Explain that Joseph Smith had a vision in which he saw three kingdoms that match the kinds of bodies Paul describes. Help the children find phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 76:50–53, 70; 76:71–79; 76:81–82 that describe these three kingdoms.

Bring objects to class that provide comfort, such as a blanket or bandage. Ask the children what comforts them when they are sad or afraid or have other problems. Read 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 with the children, and explain that “tribulation” is another word for difficult problems. Share some ways in which Heavenly Father has comforted you, and testify that He will comfort the children as well.

Show pictures of people being baptized (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 103 and 104) while you read 2 Corinthians 1:4 and Mosiah 18:8–9 to the children. Explain that at baptism we promise to comfort others. How can we follow Paul’s counsel to “comfort them which are in any trouble”?

Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves helping someone in need. Let them explain how doing these things can bring comfort to others.

Explain to the children that Paul wanted the Corinthian Saints to forgive a man who had sinned. Read 2 Corinthians 2:7–8, 10, and invite the children to place their hands over their hearts every time they hear the words forgive and forgave.

Invite the children to role-play how they could respond in situations when someone has done something unkind. Let them take turns saying “I’m sorry” and “I forgive you.” How do we help people know that we forgive them? Explain that one way might be to “confirm your love,” or show love to them (2 Corinthians 2:8).

Help the children memorize the phrase “We believe in being honest” (Articles of Faith 1:13). Write this phrase on paper bracelets the children can decorate and wear home. Explain that being honest means telling the truth.

Ask the children to raise their hands when you say something that is true and lower them when you say something that is not true. Make simple but obvious statements, such as “Today is Sunday” or “I have three noses.” Repeat the activity a few times, letting the children take turns being the one who makes true and false statements. Why is it good to be honest?

As you read 2 Corinthians 1:3–4, ask the children to listen for an answer to the question “What does God do for us?” Help the children list ways in which God comforts us. Invite the children to share experiences when they were sad or worried or afraid and God comforted them.

Invite the children to share ways in which we can comfort others. Give them time to think of someone they know who needs comfort and make a plan to reach out to that person.

Tell the children that someone in Corinth had sinned and “caused grief” for the Saints (see 2 Corinthians 2:5). Ask the children to search 2 Corinthians 2:7–8 to find what Paul wanted the Saints to do.

Share an experience when you forgave someone—or someone forgave you—and how you felt afterward.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:6–7 and Alma 32:21 with the children, and ask them to look for words and phrases that help to define faith. Ask them to write down their definitions, read them aloud, and place them on the board.

Blindfold one of the children, and ask the other children to give directions to help him or her complete a task such as building a tower with blocks, putting together a puzzle, or walking across the room. How does this activity help us understand what it means to “walk by faith” in God?

Show the video “Pure and Simple Faith” (LDS.org), and ask the children how the young woman walked by faith. Share an experience when you had to have faith in God. Invite the children to share any experiences they have had with walking by faith.

Explain that in 2 Corinthians 7:8–11, Paul referred to a letter he had previously written to the Saints, boldly warning them about their sins. Read these verses together. Why was Paul glad that the Saints were sorrowful? Point out that this kind of sorrow is called godly sorrow.

Ask the children to close their eyes and think about a time when they did something wrong and felt bad about it. Invite them to ask themselves, “Why did I feel bad?” Write on the board some reasons people feel bad after doing something wrong, such as “I was afraid I would be punished” or “I was ashamed of what people would think of me” or “I knew Heavenly Father was disappointed in me.” Which of the answers on the board seem like “godly sorrow”? Why is godly sorrow better than other kinds of sorrow we can feel after doing something wrong?

Invite the children to repeat the phrase “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). What does it mean to be “a cheerful giver”? Show a picture of a happy face and a sad face, and ask the children which one looks like a cheerful giver.

Sing together a song about service, such as “When We’re Helping” (Children’s Songbook, 198), several times. The first time, ask the children to sing cheerfully; then ask them to sing the song with different emotions or attitudes, such as sad, tired, angry, or scared. Remind the children that Heavenly Father wants us to help others gladly. Then sing the song cheerfully again.

Give the children pictures of smiling faces. Ask them to hold up their pictures when they hear the words smile or smiling as they sing “Smiles” (Children’s Songbook, 267). They could do the same thing with pictures of frowning faces and the words frown and frowning. Tell the children that a frowning face is not cheerful; one way to be cheerful and serve others is to smile and help others smile.

Plan a class activity to serve someone, such as a child who does not attend Primary or a ward member or neighbor in need. You might plan to visit this person’s home, write kind notes or draw pictures, or make a treat to share.

Invite each child to plan an act of cheerful service for a member of his or her family. During next week’s lesson, ask them to share what they did.

Show the children a plant with thorns (or a picture of one). Help them imagine what it would feel like to have a thorn stuck in their skin for a long time. Summarize 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 for the children, using words they will understand. Explain that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a trial, such as a physical weakness. Even though Paul asked God to remove the trial, God did not. Instead, God taught Paul that challenges can help us learn to be humble and trust Him. Then God can make us strong.

Testify that Heavenly Father knows what is best for us, and He will give us what we need, even if it is different from what we think we need. You might also share an experience when your prayers were answered in a way or at a time that was different from what you expected. The story “Don’t Forget to Pray for Erik” (Friend, Jan. 2017, 36–37) can also help.

Sing with the children a song about Heavenly Father’s love, such as “A Child’s Prayer” (Children’s Songbook, 12–13). Ask the children what they would say to someone who wonders whether Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. Sing the song again, and point out lines that describe how Heavenly Father feels about us.

Write the words of 2 Corinthians 9:7 on the board, with key words left blank. Invite the children to guess what the missing words are. Then let them read the verse in the scriptures to fill in the blanks. What does it mean to give “grudgingly, or of necessity”? What does it mean to be “a cheerful giver”?

Invite the children to help you find pictures of the Savior serving others (there are several in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Ask them what they see in these pictures that helps them know that Jesus served others with love. Set a goal as a class to say yes when family members or others ask us to serve in the coming week, such as by helping around the house or caring for others.

Help the children decorate small stones. Invite them to carry their “service stones” in their pockets this week to help them remember to cheerfully serve others.

Help the children come up with new verses to a song about service, such as “Fun to Do” (Children’s Songbook, 253), that teaches that it is fun to serve others in a variety of ways.

Invite the children to compare 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 and Ether 12:27. What words or phrases are repeated? What are these verses teaching? (You may need to explain that Paul was comparing his challenge to a thorn in his skin.) What did God teach Paul about trials?

Invite the children to list some trials people have in life. Help them consider how someone might learn from these trials and and be blessed by them.

Read with the children “Will Heavenly Father Always Answer My Prayers?” (Friend, Jan. 2017, 12–13). Ask the children to share experiences when they prayed for something and did not receive it. Ask them to share what they learned from their experiences. You might have your own experiences to share as well. Bear your testimony that Heavenly Father always answers our prayers in the way and at the time that will bless us the most.

Display or show pictures of several kinds of fruit, and ask the children to describe how each fruit tastes. Explain that just as fruits have different flavors, we can feel the Holy Ghost in different ways, such as love and peace. Ask them to describe how the Holy Ghost feels to them.

Read Galatians 5:22–23 with the children, and explain words they may not be familiar with. Invite each child to select a fruit of the Spirit mentioned in these verses and tell about a time when he or she experienced that fruit of the Spirit. Invite the children to draw simple pictures of their experiences.

Show a picture of a child being baptized (such as Gospel Art Book, no. 104). Ask the children what the child is doing. Explain that when we are baptized, we make covenants, or promises. Read Galatians 6:2 or Mosiah 18:8 to help the children learn one of the things we promise to do: bear one another’s burdens. Invite the children to draw pictures of ways they can help others who are carrying burdens.

Read to the children this phrase from Galatians 6:2: “Bear ye one another’s burdens.” To illustrate what this means, give one of the children something heavy to carry. Then ask for a volunteer to help the child carry the object. Explain to the children that many things can feel like a burden, such as being sick or feeling sad or lonely. What could we do to help a person with this kind of burden?

Display a seed and a vegetable. Read Galatians 6:7–9 to the children. Ask the children to pretend to plant a seed when they hear the word “soweth.” Ask them to pretend to pick a vegetable from a plant when they hear the word “reap.”

Show the children several kinds of vegetables, and help them find the seeds in each. Put the seeds in a container, and let the children take turns choosing one and telling what vegetable will grow if they plant it. Help them see that just as the seeds we plant determine the vegetable we get, the choices we make determine the consequences and blessings we ultimately receive.

Make a line on the floor with tape. Place a happy face and a sad face on opposite ends of the line. Invite a child to stand in the middle of the line, and let the other children name choices that will lead to happiness or sadness (you may need to provide a few examples). For each choice, ask the child in the middle to step toward the happy side or the sad side. Repeat the activity several times, and let other children take turns standing on the tape.

Invite the children to read Galatians 5:1. In what ways did Jesus Christ make us free so we could return to Heavenly Father? Show pictures of Jesus’s suffering in Gethsemane and His Resurrection to help the children understand how Jesus freed us from sin and death (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 56, 59).

Sing together and review the words to a song about the Savior, such as “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136). Ask the children to find words in this song that describe ways Jesus Christ can free us from spiritual bondage.

Give each child a piece of paper shaped like a fruit, and ask the children to find a “fruit of the Spirit” listed in Galatians 5:22–23. Invite them to write one of the fruits on one side of their paper and a word that means the opposite on the other side. (Help them understand words they aren’t familiar with.) Invite them to share their fruits with the class.

Invite the children to read about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23 and write about or draw a picture of a time when the Holy Ghost helped them feel one of those fruits. Ask them to share their story or picture with another person in the class. Why is fruit a good way to help us understand how the Spirit influences us?

Read together Galatians 6:7–9. Invite the children to draw simple pictures in which someone plants the seed of one fruit and harvests a different fruit. Why would this be impossible? How is making wrong choices and experiencing positive consequences just as impossible?

As a class, make a maze like the one on this week’s activity page. Invite the children to think of other words than those in the maze that represent good feelings from the Holy Ghost or bad choices that might drive Him away. Discuss the consequences of the choices they thought of.

Invite the children to list some of the blessings they hope to receive from Heavenly Father. Help them think of the “seeds” they must sow in order to “reap” these blessings.

Place a picture of the Savior in the center of the room. Invite the children to stand in different parts of the room to represent “strangers” or “foreigners.” As you read Ephesians 2:19, invite them to move toward the picture of Christ until they are standing close together. Tell them that as we come closer to the Savior, we can become united with others as friends and “fellowcitizens.”

Find pictures of children from different parts of the world, and hide them around the room. Place a picture of the Savior in the front of the room. Invite your class to pair up like missionaries and take turns finding a picture of a “stranger” to place near the picture of the Savior. Help them understand that when people are baptized, they become part of our Church family, or the “household of God.” How can we help someone who is new feel welcome?

Read Ephesians 6:1 to the class, or help one of the children read it. Ask them to role-play times when they obeyed their parents. What might have happened if they hadn’t obeyed?

Sing together a song about obedience, such as “Quickly I’ll Obey” (Children’s Songbook, 197). Stop after the first line, and ask a child to name something that a parent asks him or her to do; then finish the song. Repeat a few times so other children can have a turn.

Share an experience in which you obeyed your parents and were blessed. Or share the story about Chloe from Sister Carole M. Stephens’s talk “If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 118–20) or show the video “Going to Grandma’s” (LDS.org).

Show a picture of a person wearing armor, such as the one in this week’s activity page or this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. As you summarize Ephesians 6:10–18, show the children how different pieces of armor protect different parts of the body. (See “The Whole Armor of God,” Friend, June 2016, 24–25.)

Bring several items to class that could represent the pieces of armor mentioned in Ephesians 6:14–17 (for example, a hat or an apron), or make simple pieces of armor from paper. Let the children take turns putting on the “armor.” Discuss what it means to be protected from evil and how putting on each piece of armor can protect them. How do we put on the armor of God? (for example, by studying the scriptures, serving others, praying, obeying, and so on).

Read Ephesians 2:19 together, and discuss what it means to be a stranger or foreigner. Share an experience in which you felt like a stranger or foreigner and someone helped you feel welcome and accepted. Invite the children to share similar experiences. What can we do to become “fellowcitizens” rather than strangers? Are there any children in your class who do not attend often, perhaps because they feel like strangers? Help the children come up with a plan to help those members feel welcomed and loved.

To help the children you teach draw closer to one another, write some questions on the board that prompt them to share something about themselves, such as When have you had a prayer answered? or What’s your favorite thing to do with your family? Divide the children into pairs, and invite them to ask each other the questions. What did they learn about each other?

Invite the children to read Ephesians 6:1–3 individually and identify phrases that stand out to them. Invite them to share these phrases and why they feel the phrases are important.

Invite the children to share examples of people in the scriptures who obeyed and honored their parents, such as the Savior (see Luke 2:42–52), Ruth (see Ruth 1), or Nephi (see 1 Nephi 3:1–8). Why is it important to obey and honor our parents?

Give each child a piece of paper with the word honor at the top. Discuss what the word means. Invite the children to write or draw on their papers something they can do to show that they honor their parents.

As one child reads Ephesians 6:10–18, ask another child to list or draw on the board the pieces of armor mentioned. Why is armor important in a battle? How can we put on spiritual armor every day?

Assign each child to draw and label a piece of armor described in Ephesians 6:14–17. How might these pieces of armor protect us from evil? What does the Lord promise to those who put on the armor of God? (see Ephesians 6:13). What does it mean to “withstand in the evil day”?

Read Philippians 1:3–4 and Colossians 1:3, 9 aloud, and ask the children to fold their arms and bow their heads every time they hear the words pray, praying, and prayer. Explain that the Apostle Paul prayed for Church members, just as our Church leaders pray for us today.

Show a picture of Jesus Christ, and share examples of Him praying for someone (see Luke 22:32; 3 Nephi 19:21, 23). What did Jesus ask for when He prayed for others?

Help the children name some of their Church leaders, such as the Primary president, the bishop, and the President of the Church. Explain that these leaders ask Heavenly Father to bless the children and help them live righteously. Consider telling the children what you say when you pray for them.

Ask the children to listen for a repeated word as you read Philippians 4:4. Ask the children to show you what they might do when they rejoice. Help them understand that to “rejoice in the Lord” means to feel happy because we have the gospel and because Jesus Christ loves us.

Bring objects or pictures that represent things that help you “rejoice in the Lord.” You could bring a beautiful creation of God or a picture of a temple, the resurrected Savior, or a family. Let the children take turns selecting a picture or object, and then tell them why it makes you happy. Invite them to share things that help them rejoice in the Lord.

Read Philippians 4:8 together, and help the children think of things that fit the descriptions in the verse (see also Articles of Faith 1:13). Give the children pieces of paper and let them draw pictures of these things to help them “think on” the things Paul described.

Show the picture of a tree from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families while you read key phrases from Colossians 1:23; 2:6–7. (Or show the video “Spiritual Whirlwinds” on LDS.org.) What would happen to this tree if a storm came and the tree did not have strong roots? Let the children stand and pretend to be a tree that has weak roots in a storm and then a tree with strong roots. How can faith in the Savior help us be like a tree with strong roots?

Invite a child to draw a tree on the board. Ask the children to name some things they can do to be “rooted” in Jesus Christ. Each time a child names something, invite him or her to add a root to the drawing.

Ask the children to imagine that they are in prison, just as the Apostle Paul was when he wrote the epistle to the Philippians. Read Philippians 4:4–13 with the children and ask them to look for the following words: rejoice, peace, content. Why was Paul able to rejoice and feel peace even in prison? Help the children find the words Lord, God, and Christ in the verses. Help them understand that Paul’s faith in Jesus Christ made it possible for him to rejoice.

Invite the children to help you complete sentences like the following: I can be in the dark and still see if I have a . I can be outside on a hot day and still feel cool if I have a . I can have hard times and still find joy if I . Help the children think of ways they can find joy in Jesus Christ when they have hard times. They can sing a hymn, read a favorite scripture, serve someone, or say a prayer of thanks. What does Philippians 4:4–13 suggest? Share with the children some hymns or scriptures that help you be find joy during hard times.

Ask one child to read Philippians 4:8 aloud while the others look for words in Articles of Faith 1:13 that are the same or similar. Invite someone to write these words on the board. Provide simple definitions of these words and have the children match the definitions to the words. Why should we “think on” these things? How can we “seek after” them?

Ask the children to name things that fit the descriptions in Philippians 4:8. Invite them to keep a list this week of anything they notice that fits these descriptions. Encourage them to bring their lists to Primary next week and share what they found.

Invite the children to draw pictures that represent the truths they find in Colossians 1:23; 2:6–7. Let them share their pictures with the class and explain the truths their pictures represent.

Show the video “Spiritual Whirlwinds.” What are some temptations and false doctrines in the world today that can weaken our faith? What can we do to strengthen our faith so that we are “rooted” in Jesus Christ?

Invite a mother to talk about what it was like to wait for her baby to be born without knowing exactly when the birth would happen. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:2–3, and tell the children that Jesus Christ will come to earth again, but no one knows exactly when—just as a mother doesn’t know exactly when her baby will be born.

Ask the children to talk about a time when they prepared for a trip or event. What did they do to prepare? Bring a suitcase or bag and let the children pretend to pack it in preparation for a trip or event. Explain that we prepare for Jesus Christ to come again by praying, reading the scriptures, following the prophet, and living righteously each day. Ask the children to draw pictures of how they can do this and put them in the suitcase.

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:6 to the children and explain that if we are not preparing for Jesus to come again, it’s like we have fallen asleep and we won’t be ready for Him. Invite the children to pretend they are asleep. Explain that if we do prepare, it’s like we are awake and waiting for Him. Invite them to wake up. Sing together “When He Comes Again” (Children’s Songbook, 82–83).

After reading 2 Thessalonians 2:3 with the children, build a tower out of plastic cups or blocks. Tell the children that the cups or blocks represent important parts of the true Church, such as gospel truths, the priesthood, temple sealings, and prophets. After Paul and the other Apostles died, these things were lost, and the true Church was not on the earth for many years. Invite a child to knock the tower over, and explain that this was called the Apostasy or “falling away.” When Jesus Christ brought His Church back, it was called the Restoration. (See “Apostasy,” True to the Faith, 13–14.)

Display a Book of Mormon and pictures of the prophet and a temple. Invite the children to say “Apostasy” when you hide the items in a bag and “Restoration” when you bring the items back out.

Sing songs that teach truths that were taken away during the Apostasy and restored in our day, such as “I Am a Child of God,” “The Church of Jesus Christ,” and “I Love to See the Temple” and (Children’s Songbook, 2–3, 77, 95).

Invite a child to read 1 Thessalonians 5:1–6 while the other children follow along. After each verse, ask a child to summarize what he or she thinks the verse is saying. You may want to explain that “the day of the Lord” means the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Why do the children think the Second Coming is compared to a thief in the night or a woman about to have a baby?

Tell the children to imagine that the Savior will be visiting your class sometime today. How can we prepare our classroom for His visit? Help the children think of things we can do to prepare ourselves for the day Jesus Christ returns. For example, we can repent, forgive, improve our relationships with our family, follow the prophet, and keep our covenants. Encourage the children to choose one thing they will do to prepare themselves to receive the Savior at His Coming.

Invite one of the children to read 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3. According to these verses, what had to happen before “the day of Christ,” which means the Second Coming? Do any of the children know what “a falling away” means? Make sure that the children understand that it means the Great Apostasy, which occurred after the deaths of the Savior’s Apostles. You might want to share information from “Apostasy,” True to the Faith, 13–14.

Help the children list on the board some of the truths and blessings we enjoy because of the gospel. (Some examples might include temples, prophets, the priesthood, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.) Erase these things one by one, and ask the children how their lives would be different without these things. Explain that these truths were lost during the Great Apostasy. Why was it important that the Church of Jesus Christ be restored to the earth in the latter days? Invite the children to “restore” or rewrite the truths and blessings on the board.

Invite the children to take turns reading verses from 2 Thessalonians 3:7–13 and look for the problem the Saints were facing. Why does Heavenly Father want us to work? What would happen if we never learned to work hard? Let the children take turns acting out simple chores while the other children guess what they are doing.

Invite the children to talk about a time when they worked hard on a task, a project, or a goal. How did they feel about themselves when they finished? What does it mean to “be not weary in well doing”? (2 Thessalonians 3:13).

Draw a simple picture of your bishop on the board. Ask the children to name some things they know about the bishop. What is he like? What does he do? How does he bless the ward? (You can find some characteristics of a bishop in 1 Timothy 3:1–2 and Titus 1:7–9.) As the children share their ideas, write them on strips of paper and let the children place them on the board by the drawing.

Write the duties of a bishop on slips of paper—such as accepting tithing and fast offerings, extending callings, interviewing members, helping the poor and needy, and praying for others. Place these slips in a bowl, and invite each child to pick one. Then help the child to role-play these duties with you. Share your testimony that your bishop is called of God.

Invite the children to draw a picture of the bishop serving ward members. Suggest that they give their drawings to him to thank him. What can we do to help him?

Sing with the children “Do as I’m Doing” (Children’s Songbook, 276). Ask the children to follow your example by doing the actions you do. Let the children take turns leading the rest of the class in following their actions. Read 1 Timothy 4:12, and ask the children what they can do to be good examples to others.

Share an experience when you tried to be a good example to someone or when someone was a good example to you. Help the children understand that when they are good examples, they can help their family members and friends.

Display a set of scriptures, and help the children become familiar with them by showing them the title pages of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Invite a child to hold these books as you read 2 Timothy 3:15–17. Explain that Heavenly Father has commanded prophets throughout history to write the truths that He reveals to them. We can learn these truths as we read the scriptures.

Ask the children to talk about their most prized possession. What do they do with it? Let them take turns holding the scriptures and carefully turning the pages. What do we use the scriptures for? Why should we take good care of them? Help the children create actions to go with songs about the scriptures, such as “Search, Ponder, and Pray” or “Book of Mormon Stories” (Children’s Songbook, 109, 118).

Read together 1 Timothy 4:12, and ask the children to find six ways Paul said we can be “an example of the believers.” Divide the children into pairs, and invite each pair to think of a situation in which they can be an example of the believers. Ask them to role-play their situation for the rest of the class.

Ask the children if they would like to share any experiences when they tried to be a good example to others. Tell them how they have been examples of the believers to you and how you have noticed them setting good examples for others.

Invite the children to talk about what they would buy if they had all the money in the world. Invite a child to read 1 Timothy 6:7–12, and ask the other children to summarize what Paul taught Timothy about money. Then invite the children to read the verses again, searching for things Paul mentioned that are more valuable than money.

Lay out pictures of worldly things (such as money, toys, or entertainment) and eternal things (such as families or temples). Invite the children to sort the pictures into two piles—things that bring us closer to Christ and things that might distract us from Christ if we love them more than we love Him. Why is “the love of money … the root of all evil”?

Invite the children to read 2 Timothy 3:15–17. Bring a picture depicting a story from each of the four standard works, and put the pictures in a covered box. Invite several children to pick a picture and tell the story. Ask the children if they can share something else about that book of scripture. How are the scriptures “able to make [us] wise unto salvation”?

Invite the children to share their favorite scripture verse or an experience when a truth in the scriptures has helped them. You may want to share your own verse or experience.

Ask a child to read Moroni 10:4–5. What did Moroni promise in these verses? Ask the children what they have done to gain a testimony that the scriptures are true. Invite them to read or listen to the scriptures regularly.

Using your own words, write on strips of paper truths about Jesus Christ that you find in Hebrews 1:2–10; 2:8–10, 17–18, and hide them around the room. Invite the children to find the paper strips. Help them read the truths written on the papers, and talk about what these truths mean. If necessary, explain that Jesus is called the Son of God because Heavenly Father is the father of both His spirit and His body.

Pass a picture of the Savior around the room, and let each child share why he or she is thankful for Jesus Christ while holding the picture.

Bring a sponge (or washcloth) and a rock to class. Invite the children to touch the objects and describe how the objects feel. Put a few drops of water on each object, and point out that more water soaks into the sponge than into the rock. Explain that our hearts need to be soft and not hard so that we can accept Heavenly Father’s truths into our hearts.

Cut a heart shape out of a soft material, such as cloth, and a harder material, such as cardboard. Tell the children that when we listen and obey we have a soft heart and when we don’t listen and don’t obey we have a hard heart. In your own words, share some examples from the scriptures of people who had soft hearts or hard hearts (such as Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel [1 Nephi 2:16–19], Paul [Acts 9:1–22], or Joseph Smith [Joseph Smith—History 1:11–20]). As you share each example, invite the children to point to the soft heart or the hard heart.

Read Hebrews 5:4 to the children. Ask a priesthood holder to explain what the priesthood is and share his experience receiving the priesthood.

Help the children memorize phrases from the fifth article of faith. Bear your testimony that people who are called to do God’s work are called by God through revelation.

Assign each child a few verses in Hebrews 1:2–10; 2:8–10, 17–18, and invite the children to search in those verses for truths about Jesus Christ. Let them share or write on the board what they find. What else do we know about Jesus Christ? The children might find some ideas in songs such as “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136) or “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35).

Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves with their parents. Ask them to share what they have in common with their parents. Explain that when Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus Christ is “the express image of [God’s] person,” it means that Jesus and Heavenly Father have the same qualities and attributes. Testify that we learn about Heavenly Father by learning about and following Jesus Christ.

Help the children think of people with whom they could share their testimony of Jesus Christ. Consider inviting them to practice sharing what they would tell those people about Jesus.

Ask the children to think of things that are hard and soft. (You may want to bring some examples to show them.) Read together Hebrews 3:8. What does it mean to have a hard heart? Why does God want us to have soft hearts?

In your own words, share the story of the Israelites hardening their hearts against the Lord in the wilderness (see Numbers 14:1–12; Hebrews 3:7–19). Let the children act out the story. What will happen if we harden our hearts against the Lord and His gospel?

Invite the children to read Matthew 13:15; Hebrews 3:15; Mosiah 11:29; and Moses 6:27. Ask them to draw on the board the body parts mentioned in these verses. What does it mean to have spiritually dull ears, blind eyes, and hard hearts? How can we make sure that our ears, eyes, and hearts are ready to receive God’s blessings?

Show the picture Moses Gives Aaron the Priesthood (Gospel Art Book, no. 15) while a child reads Hebrews 5:4. It may be helpful to explain that because Aaron was the first person to hold the Aaronic Priesthood, it was named after him. Help the children think of duties Aaronic Priesthood holders perform (such as baptizing, blessing and passing the sacrament, and inviting others to come unto Christ).

Help the children think about different ways in which people receive authority. For example, how does a teacher, doctor, or political leader receive authority? How does God give His authority? Invite the children to think about this question as they read Hebrews 5:4 and the fifth article of faith.

Briefly explain who Abraham was, and then use Hebrews 7:1–6 and Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 14:36–40 (in the Bible appendix) to teach that Abraham paid tithing to Melchizedek. Explain that Melchizedek held the higher priesthood, which is God’s power given to men on earth, and he used it to bless Abraham. The children may enjoy acting out the story with simple props, like a crown and a tithing envelope.

Invite an Aaronic and a Melchizedek Priesthood holder to visit the class and tell the children how they have used the priesthood to bless others. Then show the children pictures of different priesthood ordinances (for examples, see pictures 103–8 in the Gospel Art Book). Help the children determine which priesthood is required for each ordinance and give that picture to the appropriate priesthood holder to hold.

Display a picture of Jesus. Place around the room several objects to represent “evidences” that He is real even though we can’t see Him (such as the scriptures, a picture of the First Vision, and a picture of the earth). Invite the children to locate the items, and then share with them how each item helps us have faith that Jesus lives.

Bring a fan, and let the children take turns feeling the fan blow air across their faces. Teach them that we can’t see air, but we can feel it. Similarly, we can’t see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, but we can feel Their love and have faith that They are real.

Share the stories of one or more people mentioned in Hebrews 11:4–32. Consider using Old Testament Stories (see chapters 4–6, 8–10, 15–17, 23, and 28). What did these people do to show they had faith in something they couldn’t see? Share some blessings you have received because of your faith.

Review some New Testament stories the children have learned this year in which the Savior helped others, such as when He healed the man with palsy (see Luke 5:18–26) or fed the 5,000 (see Matthew 14:15–21). Help the children learn the phrase “The Lord is my helper” (Hebrews 13:6).

Invite the children to draw a picture of a time when they felt afraid. Read Hebrews 13:5–6 to them, and testify that Heavenly Father will help us and never leave us. Help the children cut out paper hearts large enough to cover the drawings. What are some things that help us feel closer to Heavenly Father? Write some of these things on the hearts.

Teach the children the second verse of “Tell Me, Dear Lord” (Children’s Songbook, 176). According to the song, what help can we receive when Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are near us? Talk about a time when Heavenly Father was near you and helped you.

Help the children list things they know about the two great priesthood holders Abraham and Melchizedek. They can find help in Hebrews 7:1–4; Abraham 1:1–2; and Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 14:25–40 (in the Bible appendix). What Christlike qualities did these men have that helped them honor the priesthood?

Ask the children to read Hebrews 7:1–2 and look for the titles used to describe Melchizedek. How do these titles remind us of Jesus Christ? Help them think of ways in which Jesus was a “King of peace.” Are they aware of any other priesthood holders who are also an example of following the Savior?

Share an experience in which a righteous priesthood holder helped you come closer to the Savior. Help the children think of ways priesthood service has blessed them.

Invite the children to make a list on the board of the things they learn about faith in Hebrews 11:1–3, 6. Give each of the children the name of someone mentioned in Hebrews 11, and invite them to read the verses associated with that person. Ask them to share clues about the person so that the other children can guess who it is. How did these people show faith, and how did Heavenly Father reward them? (For pictures of these people, see the Old Testament section of the Gospel Art Book).

After reading about some of the faithful examples in Hebrews 11, ask the children to write about a person they know who showed faith. Invite several children to share their examples with the class.

Read together Hebrews 12:5–11, and ask the children to find reasons why Heavenly Father chastens us (corrects or disciplines us). What does this teach us about why earthly parents also correct their children? How should we respond to loving correction?

Share examples of people in the scriptures who were chastened by the Lord and repented (for example, see 1 Nephi 16:25–27; Ether 2:13–15). How are they good examples of the principles in Hebrews 12:5–11?

After reading Hebrews 12:5–11, invite the children to write down a few things they will try to remember when they are corrected for their mistakes.

Help the children learn the phrase “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God” (James 1:5). How do we ask God questions? How does He answer us?

Show a picture of the First Vision (Gospel Art Book, no. 90), and share how reading James 1:5 prompted Joseph Smith to ask Heavenly Father to help him with a question (see Joseph Smith—History 1:1–15). Share your testimony that God answers prayers, and testify that the children can pray to Him when they have questions. Let the children draw their own pictures of Joseph Smith reading James 1:5 and praying to Heavenly Father.

Bring something sweet and something sour for the children to taste. Help them understand that we should use our tongues to say sweet (or kind) things and not say sour (or unkind) things (see James 3:10). Help them think of examples of nice things we can say to others.

Give each child a simple drawing of a person speaking. Invite the children to hold it up when you say something nice we can do with our tongues (such as telling the truth, giving compliments, and offering to help someone) and put it down when you say something that we shouldn’t do with our tongues (such as telling lies, calling other people names, and refusing to obey a parent).

Reinforce the message of James 3:1–13 by singing together a song about being kind, such as “Kindness Begins with Me” (Children’s Songbook, 145). Suggest that the children make a “kindness jar” they can fill with pebbles or other small objects whenever they say something nice to someone.

Help the children think of times when they have had to wait for something that they really wanted. Explain that waiting for something we want without complaining is called being patient.

Summarize James 5:7 in your own words, and show a picture of a seed or seedling. Why do we need patience when we grow plants? What would happen if we tried to pull on the seedling to make it grow faster? Testify that God has many blessings for us, but some of them require patience.

Share the story of Job, who is mentioned in James 5:11 as an example of patience (see “Chapter 46: Job,” Old Testament Stories, 165–69, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). How was Job blessed for being patient?

Ask the children to tell you the story of Joseph Smith’s First Vision in their own words (see Joseph Smith—History 1:5–19; see also the video “Joseph Smith’s First Vision” on LDS.org). How did James 1:5 help Joseph? Help the children think of examples of other people in the scriptures who received an answer to their prayers (such as Nephi [1 Nephi 11:1–6] and the brother of Jared [Ether 2:18–3:9]). What are some things we can ask Heavenly Father in prayer?

Read with the children Joseph Smith—History 1:10–14. Invite the children to find things Joseph did to receive answers to his questions. How can we follow Joseph Smith’s example when we have questions?

Show the children a flashlight without batteries, a pencil without lead, or something else that is useless or “dead.” Ask the children to read James 2:14–17. How do these objects illustrate the truth in these verses?

Invite the children to quietly read James 1:22–27; 2:14–26. Then invite them to share what they could do to show that they are doers of the word. For instance, do they know someone who is sick or lonely who they might visit, or could they resolve to serve their families more? You could also remind them of words they might have heard in sacrament meeting today. How can we be doers of these words?

Is there someone in the ward, perhaps one of the children you teach, who has worked with horses or knows something about boats? You could invite him or her to provide insights about James’s teachings in James 3:3–4 about using kind words, or provide some of your own insights. What do we learn about controlling our tongues from these examples?

Invite the children to read James 3:1–13 and to draw a picture of something they find that teaches about controlling our tongues. Give them time to share their picture and what they learned.

After reviewing James 3:1–13 together, review the standards for language in For the Strength of Youth (20–21). Help the children think of something they could do to improve the way they speak to others, and encourage them to set personal goals.

Invite the children to share hard things that Jesus endured, such as being crucified. Explain that we will have hard times in our lives. Read 1 Peter 1:6–7; 3:14 together, and share an experience when you faced a “trial of your faith.” Or you could share the Prophet Joseph Smith’s prayer in Liberty Jail and the comfort God gave him (see D&C 121:1–8; 123:17). How does having faith in Jesus help us find joy during hard times?

Sing together a song that teaches how to find happiness, such as “I Will Follow God’s Plan” (Children’s Songbook, 164–65).

Describe things that stand out from their surroundings, or show pictures of such things. For example, a temple stands out from the buildings around it or a mountain rises above a valley. Explain that when we keep the commandments, we stand out and other people can see our examples. Talk about some “good works” that you have seen the children do. Explain that good works like these “glorify God”—they help others feel more love for God and desire to serve Him.

Complete the activity page with the children. How are the people they found in the picture glorifying God?

Tell the children about someone you know who has died. Explain that when people die, their spirits leave their bodies and go to the spirit world. Read 1 Peter 3:19 and explain that when Jesus died, he went to visit the spirit world. There, He asked the righteous spirits to teach the gospel to other spirits who had not yet accepted the gospel (see D&C 138:30).

Put a row of chairs down the middle of the room to act as a barrier. Ask some of the children to stand on one side to represent spirits in the spirit world who were not baptized during their earth life. Give one of the other children a large paper key with “baptism for the dead” written on it, and ask him or her to remove the barrier. Then explain that Church members who are 12 years of age and older can go to the temple and be baptized for their ancestors who were not baptized while on earth. Then these ancestors can accept the gospel in the spirit world.

Help the children fill out a simple family tree (see an example at “Family History Coloring Pages,” LDS.org).

Summarize a few stories about Jesus being persecuted, or have the children read them—see, for example, Matthew 12:9–14 or Luke 22:47–54. Ask the children if they have ever been teased or mocked because they live the teachings of the gospel. Then read together 1 Peter 3:12–14; 4:13–14, 16, and ask the children to look for what Peter said about suffering “for righteousness’ sake.” Why can we still be happy when other people mock us for doing what is right?

Invite a ward member to share an experience when he or she found joy or peace during a trial, or share how the Prophet Joseph Smith found peace when he was in Liberty Jail (see D&C 121:1–8; 123:17). How can we find joy and peace during our trials?

Tell about a time when someone asked you a question about the Church, and describe whether you felt prepared to answer. Ask the children to talk about any times when people have asked them questions about the Church. Read together 1 Peter 3:15. How can we follow Peter’s counsel in this verse?

With help from the children, think of a few questions people might ask about the Church’s teachings. Let the children take turns explaining how they would answer these questions so that they can “be ready always.”

Draw on the board a circle with a line through the middle. Write Spirit Paradise on one half of the circle and Spirit Prison on the other half. Invite one of the children to read 1 Peter 3:18–20; 4:6 (see 1 Peter 4:6, footnote a, for revisions from the Joseph Smith Translation). Explain that when Jesus died, He went to spirit paradise. He instructed the righteous spirits there to teach the gospel to the spirits in spirit prison.

Invite a parent or an older sibling of one of the children to tell about going to the temple and completing work for one of their ancestors.

Invite the children to fill out a simple family tree (see an example at “Family History Coloring Pages,” LDS.org).

Ask the children to name things that produce light. Help them understand the benefits of light, like helping plants grow, allowing us to see, and giving warmth. Invite the children to take turns shining a flashlight at a picture of Jesus Christ as they say, “God is light” (1 John 1:5). Testify that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can bring light into our lives when we obey the commandments.

Darken the classroom, and invite the children to suggest ways light could be brought into the room. Help them think of ways we can bring the light of Jesus Christ into our lives. As they share their answers, turn on flashlights or uncover a window to gradually add light to the room.

Read 1 John 4:11 to the children, and sing a song about God’s love, such as “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228). Ask a few children to share how they know that Heavenly Father loves them. After each answer, invite the children to hug themselves and say, “God is love, and God loves me.”

Read 1 John 4:21 to the children. Invite them to share or act out various ways they could show love toward a friend, such as giving a hug or making a card. How do these things make our friends feel? How does Heavenly Father feel when we do kind things for others?

Read 1 John 5:3, and ask the children to listen for what this verse says about how we can show that we love God. Invite the children to name as many commandments as they can. How does Heavenly Father feel when we obey His commandments?

Invite the children to draw a picture showing one way they can express their love for Heavenly Father. For example, they could draw a picture of themselves keeping one of the commandments. Sing together a song about obedience, such as “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 160). How do we feel when we obey?

Ask the children to imagine that someone new has begun attending their school or ward and does not yet know anyone there. How might this person feel? Invite a child to read 1 John 4:7–8. What does this verse suggest about how we should treat this person? Share similar scenarios, or ask the children to think of situations in which they might have opportunities to show love.

Ask the children to read 1 John 4:7–8, 20–21, and invite them to each write one sentence to summarize what they think is the most important lesson in these verses. After they share their sentences, you might tell the story of Chy Johnson from Brother David L. Beck’s talk “Your Sacred Duty to Minister” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 55). How can the children follow the examples of the young men in the story who showed love for Chy? Invite the children to share other ways they can show love to those around them.