Oct. 20-26, Free Come Follow Me, Primary lesson helps
- redwallace
- Oct 9
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 19
With God, my trials can be for my good.
To help your children imagine what it would have been like for Joseph Smith and his friends in Liberty Jail, you could read together “Chapter 46: Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail” (in Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 172–74) or “Voices of the Restoration: Liberty Jail” or watch part of the video “Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration” (Gospel Library, beginning at 41:30). Then, as you read together Doctrine and Covenants 121:1–9, you could talk about how the Savior helped Joseph feel peace. How do we find peace in the Savior, even during hard times?
This is a helpful visual aid for learning these scriptures. After assembling, the students can pull the string and repeat the scriptures.
Download B&W Here and color Here
To help your children recognize that our trials can “be for [our] good” (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7), you could talk with them about how our muscles grow when we carry something heavy. You could even invite them to lift a heavy object. Then you could talk about how going through hard times can help our spirits grow—as we turn to the Lord for help. Share some examples from your life.
Attach these cards to heavy objects, such as large cans of food or rocks. Pull them out of the backpack and discuss how each of these things can be beneficial for us. "You lost a toy, how can God turn this into a good thing that makes us stronger?" After you discuss each item and how it can make us stronger, zip up the bag and let he students carry it, to make them stronger. If you took the backpack and never let them carry it, what would happen to their muscles? Our loving, perfect Heavenly Father knows that if we are going to grow, we need to have some heavy things to carry.
Older students:
Ask two children to hold the ends of a string that is long enough to stretch across the room. If you have a ball of yarn, that is even better. Tape off the end of the yarn. Read Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8, and explain that the string represents the years of eternity and that the small point is like our years on earth. What does it mean that our trials on earth are for “a small moment”?
For Older students, lay out the struggle cards, and see if they can guess what they can learn from their trials. When they guess it correctly, hand it to them, and they make a match.
For younger students, lay out all the cards. When a child makes a match, read the words.
There is an additional Trials to Treasures game that you might like. From a couple of weeks ago.
Another gift tag that says "If there were no storms, we would never have Rainbows" might be something you'd like.
Righteousness brings the “powers of heaven.”
Perhaps an analogy would help your children understand “the powers of heaven.” For example, you could compare God’s power to electrical power. What might prevent an electrical device from receiving power? What decreases our spiritual power? What increases it? (Look for words and phrases in Doctrine and Covenants 121:34–46; see also General Handbook, 3.5, 3.6, Gospel Library.)
For older students:
Attach the arrow and point it to high power or low power as you read. You could even give each child their own and have them write the high-power and low-power words in the different areas on the scale.
Jesus Christ knows what I am going through.
After reading Doctrine and Covenants 122:7–9 with your children, you might share an experience when you felt the Savior was with you during a difficult trial. You could also sing together a song such as “Jesus Once Was a Little Child” (Children’s Songbook, 55) and testify that Jesus Christ can help us because He knows how we feel.
For younger students:
Before class, cut out the cards and put them in a paper bag or bowl. During class, read D&C 122:8, then lay the picture of the child (with blank face) on the floor (I usually sit on the floor with everyone in a circle). Have them draw out a face and put it on the blank face of the child, and ask them how that child is feeling. See if they can make that same face with their eyes and mouth. Then ask them when they are feeling sad (angry, hurt, happy), if Heavenly Father and Jesus understand those feelings? Bear your testimony (after each feeling) that our Savior and Heavenly Father understands when we are feeling like this because they have felt this way also, and they know how to help us perfectly. (May want to point out that it isn’t wrong to feel angry, it is how we act out those feelings that matters.)
Sing together “Jesus Once Was a Little Child” (Children’s Songbook, 55), and testify that Jesus Christ can help us because He knows how we feel.
Even small things can make a big difference in God’s service.
To help your children understand Doctrine and Covenants 123:15–17, you could share with them a picture of a large ship and a small helm, or share with them Elder David A. Bednar’s explanation in “The Principles of My Gospel” (Liahona, May 2021, 125–26). Then you could talk about small ways we can cheerfully serve our family and friends.
It think it would be fun for the students to all make their own basic boats. I keep it white so they can color their own boat. Bring a casserole dish filled with water for them to float their boat on. (At home, use a bathtub) Let them try to blow on their boat with a straw to make it move down the casserole dish. (I only had one boat it would be funner with multiple boats). It will be really hard for them to make their boats go the direction they want it to, because the boats don't have a helm to guide them. Point out how the wind could move their boats, but without a helm their boats would be lost without direction. Review the scriptures Doctrine and Covenants 123:15–17 What are the small things that make a big difference in our lives and give us direction?
(Print on card stock)
HAGA CLIC EN LA IMAGEN PARA VER LA LECCIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
