Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
Heavenly Father wants all of His children to return to Him.
Think about the children in your class, including those who may not attend regularly. How can you help them feel Heavenly Father’s love? How can you inspire the other children to help you reach out to them in love?
Attention Getter:
Write the children’s name on the sheep, and hide them in the classroom. Prep the children that if they see someone else’s name to not say anything, just find the sheep with their name. When they have found their sheep they can bring it to the front and place it next to the shepherd. Have an extra sheep hidden that has the name of a child that doesn't come to church (or a blank one that represents the children not at church). Have this one hidden in a difficult spot. You may have to give the children hints to find it. Play hot and cold(: When they do find it, tell them that Jesus talks about lost sheep in the scriptures....then go into the lesson.
Possible Activities
Give one child a coin, another child a picture of a sheep, and another child a picture of the prodigal son (see ChurchofJesusChrist.org or this week’s activity page). 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.
Here are some extra pictures they can hold up while you read the scriptures.
Ask the children to share a time when they lost something. How did they find it? Explain that people can become lost spiritually when they don’t follow Heavenly Father. Testify that God wants people who are lost to come to Him, and we can help them.
Invite the children to think of other children who don’t come to Primary. Help them color or 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?
Here are some songs you can play while the children are working on their cards to their friends.
Click on the image to be taken to Etsy, to purchase this gift tag.
I can show my love for Heavenly Father by being grateful for my blessings.
How might the story of the ten lepers encourage the children to be thankful?
Possible Activities
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.
Help the children think of someone they could thank for a kind or helpful action.
Fold over "thank you" cards that the children can color.
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.
You can still play this gratitude game with a big bag of skittles, if you don't want to purchase this.
(Click on the image to be taken to Etsy)
We believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Martha, who was Lazarus’s sister, told Jesus: “I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God” (John 11:27). The story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus can strengthen the children’s testimonies of Jesus Christ.
Possible Activities
Summarize the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (see also “Chapter 43: Jesus Brings Lazarus Back to Life,” in New Testament Stories, 107–9, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Show the children a dead branch and a living plant, and ask them which one is dead and which one is living. Bear your testimony that because of the power of Jesus Christ, people who are dead will be resurrected and live forever.
(click on the image to be taken to the churches website to watch this.)
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.
Cut out the shapes and pass them out to the children. Point to each group of words and read the scriptures together. Even if your children aren’t old enough to read the rhythm and written word are still really good for pre-readers to focus on. Have a child put the first shape on and read it again. Then the 2nd shape and read it again. Until the scripture is memorized and the picture is complete. Repeat if they are still interested.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
I can help Jesus find His lost sheep.
We all know someone who is in some ways like the lost sheep, the lost coin, or the prodigal son in the Savior’s parables. Consider how you can inspire the children to reach out to these people with love.
Possible Activities
Help the children read 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” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) and pause it occasionally so the children can write on the board some of the feelings of the people listed. How do Heavenly Father and Jesus feel about those who have sinned?
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. What are some ways people can feel “lost” like the coin or the sheep? Invite the children to suggest ways they can reach out to them. Sing with the children a related song, such as “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 have these blessings in their lives. What can they do to help these people feel Heavenly Father’s love for them?
Click on the image to be taken to Etsy.
I can show my love for Heavenly Father by being grateful for my blessings.
The story of the ten lepers might be a good way to inspire the children to express gratitude to Heavenly Father for their blessings.
Possible Activities
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?
They can write what they are thankful for in the petals.
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.
Click on the image to be taken to Etsy.
We believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
How can you use the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to help the children know, as Martha did, that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of God”? (John 11:27).
Possible Activities
Write on the board some statements spoken by people in John 11. Ask the children to identify who said each statement, and invite them to search John 11 to check their answers. 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 in Jesus Christ. What can we do to have faith in Him?
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.
Thank you so much for all of the hard work you go to for these lessons. You have made lesson planning so easy and lesson time so fun!
This valuable material is beautiful! Thank you so much for the time and dedication to create it, and for sharing it! I am living in Colombia, South America, and I am a teacher for the younger children. Right here we do not have the means that they have in USA, in fact, many buildings do not have a library, tv, not even magnetic white boards, among other useful material that are so needed and appreciated... So having your site, and being able to use this great content is so helpful! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are the clear example of our Heavenly Father's love for each one of His children, and of His awareness of all and each…