Invite Sharing
Place several pictures that represent things in Exodus 7–13 (such as a frog, flies, and a lamb) under a cloth on a table. Invite several children to take one of the pictures from under the cloth, and invite the class to share what they learned about this picture at home this week.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
The Lord has power over all things.
The Israelites were in captivity and could not free themselves, but the Lord showed His power and delivered them. How can you use this story to help the children trust the Lord and His power?
Possible Activities
Read selected verses from Exodus 7–11 to teach the children about the ten plagues that the Lord sent upon the Egyptians (see also “Moses the Prophet” in Old Testament Stories). Invite the children to draw pictures that portray some of the plagues. Ask the children to hold up their pictures as you review the plagues again. Read phrases from Exodus 7:5 and 9:14 to explain why the Lord sent the plagues to Egypt.
(click on the picture)
Share with the children how the Lord has shown you “that there is none like [Him] in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14). Let the children share how they know that the Lord is powerful.
The sacrament can help me remember Jesus.
The Passover taught the Israelites about the Savior and the sacrifice He would one day make for us. Today, we take the sacrament to remember Jesus’s sacrifice.
Possible Activities
Using Exodus 12:1–13, tell the children what the Lord told the Israelites to do so they would be saved from the last plague (see also “The Passover” in Old Testament Stories). Show the picture Jesus Carrying a Lost Lamb (Gospel Art Book, no. 64), and point out similarities between the lamb used in the Passover and Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
(click on the picture)
Ask the children to name things we do to remember important events such as birthdays and holidays. Read Exodus 13:10, and explain that the Lord asked the children of Israel to celebrate the Passover each year to help them remember that He saved them from the Egyptians. What are some ways we can remember that Jesus saved us from sin and death?
If possible, visit the sacrament table with the children, and talk about how the sacrament helps us remember Jesus Christ. Sing together “The Sacrament” (Children’s Songbook, 72) or another reverent song about Jesus Christ. Help the children notice the peaceful feeling they have when they think about the Savior, and invite them to seek that feeling when they take the sacrament.
Give the children pieces of paper with the words “I can remember Jesus Christ during the sacrament by …” written at the top. Invite them to draw pictures they can look at during the sacrament to help them remember Jesus.
There is a sacrament book you can print off here and other sacrament activities, just click on the picture.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
The Lord has power to deliver me.
Children face challenges and need the Lord to help them. The story of the ten plagues the Lord sent to free the Israelites can help the children understand that He also has the power to help them.
Possible Activities
Give each child a paper divided into ten sections, and invite the children to draw pictures of the plagues described in these verses: Exodus 7:17–18; 8:1–4; 8:16–17; 8:20–22; 9:1–6; 9:8–9; 9:22–23; 10:4–5; 10:21–22; 11:4–7. What do the plagues teach us about God’s power? Why is it important to know about His power?
Ask the children about times when they felt they needed the Lord’s help. How can He help us in these situations? Encourage them to talk about times when they or their family have experienced the Lord’s power in their lives. Bear your testimony that the Lord has the power to help us.
The Lord can help me have a soft heart.
Pharaoh chose to harden his heart when the Lord told him to release the children of Israel. How can you inspire the children you teach to choose to have a soft heart so they are willing to serve the Lord and do His will?
Possible Activities
Bring to class one object that is hard, such as a rock, and another that is soft, such as a sponge. Read with the children a few verses describing how Pharaoh responded to the plagues sent by the Lord (see Exodus 8:28–32; 9:7), and ask the children which object best represents Pharaoh’s heart or attitude. What does it mean to have a soft heart? (see Mosiah 3:19).
Here are a lot of activities that teach about a soft heart, just click on the picture.
With the class, make a list of some actions that might show we have a hard heart (for example, fighting with a sibling or being unwilling to pray). How can we show the Lord we want to have soft hearts?
The Passover symbolizes the atoning power of Jesus Christ.
The Passover taught the children of Israel that the Lord delivered them from Egypt. The Passover is also symbolic of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which delivers us from sin and death. Today, the sacrament helps us remember Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us. Teaching the children about the Passover can help them have a more meaningful experience with the sacrament.
Possible Activities
Ask some of the children to read Exodus 11:5–6 to learn about the final plague the Lord sent upon the Egyptians. Ask the other children to read Exodus 12:3, 5–7, 13 to learn about how the children of Israel were saved from that plague.
To help the children understand that the Savior is the Lamb who saves us, show a picture of a lamb. Invite the children to read Exodus 12:3–7 to find out what kind of lamb God wanted the people to use for the Passover meal. How is this lamb like Jesus Christ? (For example, Jesus was perfect, and Jesus shed His blood to save us.) What other symbols help us think about Jesus Christ?
Read the sacrament prayers together (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79), and watch the video “Always Remember Him” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How is the sacrament similar to the Passover? What can we do to think about Jesus during the sacrament?
Share with the children one of your favorite sacrament hymns (see Hymns, nos. 169–96), and talk about how it helps you remember the Savior’s sacrifice. Invite the children to share a hymn that does the same for them.
This lesson is mostly for families that want to do CFM at home, or for primary teachers that want to add a little bit to March 27th lesson.
Here is my Easter Banner Countdown, just click on the picture to take you to Etsy.
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