Invite Sharing
You might start this week’s lesson by reading 1 Corinthians 14:26 aloud. Point out that when we come together at church, we can edify (or build up and help) others when we share what we are learning. Ask the children what they can share to edify someone in class today.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
I can live with Heavenly Father after I die because Jesus Christ was resurrected.
How can you teach the children that because Jesus Christ was resurrected we can live again?
Possible Activities
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) or show the video “Jesus Is Resurrected” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Explain that we will all die someday, but because Jesus was resurrected, we will all come back to life after we die.
I love this object lesson!
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.
Here is a mobile that the kids can color and put together.
Click on the images to be taken to Etsy. Look at all the pictures on the-listing so you know what size you would like to buy.
I can be baptized for people who died.
As the children prepare for their own baptisms, consider how you can help them look forward also to the opportunity of being baptized for the dead.
Possible Activities
Help the children think of things they cannot do for themselves. 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 needs our help to be baptized.
If you just want a family tree.
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. Ask the children if they 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.
Here is a simple coloring/activity book.
Click on the image to be taken to Etsy.
Heavenly Father wants me to live with Him in the celestial kingdom.
How can you teach the children about the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial kingdoms? These activities could help.
Possible Activities
To introduce this, I think it would be fun to hide the different puzzle pieces under the chairs, for the students to find and assemble as a team. Feel free to cut the pieces smaller so everyone has a piece.
(Print on Card stock)
Write on the board celestial, terrestrial, and telestial. Help the children learn to say these words.
Show pictures of the sun, moon, and stars. Invite the children to put them in order from the brightest to the least bright. Read 1 Corinthians 15:40–41 to the children (see also the Joseph Smith Translation in verse 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.
You can print these and cut them out for the children to put in order, or you can print it in b&w for a coloring page that you can send home with the children, if you don't have time to cover everything.
Give the children a copy of this week’s activity page to color. While they are coloring, share with them your feelings about the Savior and what He has done to make it possible for us to live with Heavenly Father again.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
Because of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection, I will be resurrected.
Do the children you teach understand the importance of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection? These ideas may help.
Possible Activities
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, they could review a song about the Savior’s Resurrection, such as “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” (Children’s Songbook, 64). See also the video “Until We Meet Again” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Bear your testimony of the Resurrection of Christ.
I can prepare to go to the temple to be baptized for the dead.
Baptism for the dead is a joyful labor of love on behalf of our ancestors. How can you help the children prepare to participate in this work?
Possible Activities
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 help his or her child come prepared to share a family tree or to tell a story about an ancestor. You could also share about your ancestors.
Invite a member of the bishopric or a youth in your ward to share some things the children can do to prepare to enter the temple. Ask the children to add their ideas. Invite them to make a goal to go to the temple someday.
Here is a game that covers all the material in the senior primary lesson.
Download File HERE
Click on the image to be taken to Etsy.
After I am resurrected, I can live in the celestial kingdom.
To teach the Corinthians about the bodies we will receive in the Resurrection, Paul mentioned three degrees of glory: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial.
Possible Activities
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 related to this topic, such as “The Lord Gave Me a Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 153). Or show the video “Our Eternal Life” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What does the song or the video 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.
You can study these scriptures while you sort out which kingdom they would go into.
If you have a chalk board you could just draw the sun, moon and stars.
You can do something similar to this on a board, a bigger version.
This is from the Friend magazine, I really like how it gets the students into the scriptures.
This isn't super kid friendly, but maybe it will help you teach it.
Encourage Learning at Home
Invite the children to ask their parents to tell them a story about one of their ancestors. They could share the story with the class next week.
Thank you for everything! I am completely out of my comfort zone, but you have helped be so much!
Crystal: I love your lesson ideas and use them every week. You are the best and I wish the church would let you do all the lessons. I thought I'd share this game I made that leads kids to Jesus, but the photo won't upload. I drew a road on poster board similar to "Chutes and Ladders" and decorated it with stickers, with Jesus at the end of the road. I made about 30 cards with good deeds the kids can do, such as, "I helped my Mom do dishes," with a number on the card that tells them how many squares to move. I used buttons for the game pieces. Maybe I got this idea from you? Adrienne
Your Etsy downloads are not working this week. Can you send a new link for Reese’s peanut butter cups and dots
Yay it worked, thank you so much! These lesson helps are so appreciated thank you for all the time you spend to help others!
I just wanted to let you know how much i appreciate this. It helps me to Teach my kiddos (3 to 5 yr old sunbeams) I just received my calling a couple of months ago and this is such a HUGE help to me to be able to relate to the children in class. they Love the visuals that you supply and i leave them up all month so we can review the lessons. Plus we have 2 other wards that share my classroom so i hope it helps them when i do this and leave them up throughout the class room.
Again THANK YOU so so much. i look forward to more weekly lesson helps and hope its gonn…