Mitzi from comefollowmekid.com noticed that this is actually a very good story for teaching children.
Come Follow Me- for Individuals and Families references:
Elder Shayne M. Bowen's article "Agency and Accountability"
Here is the story:
There is a story told of an old Cherokee teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil: he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good: he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
The children can lift up the snouts to feed the wolves.
Here is the wolf food:
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
My Heavenly Father loves me.
How can you use Paul’s words to teach the children that Heavenly Father will always love them?
Possible Activities
Help the children memorize the phrase “[Nothing] shall be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:39). Think about a way to illustrate this truth. For instance, you could bring two boards you have nailed together, one labeled “us” and the other “the love of God.” Let the children see if they can separate the boards.
You can use the heart puzzle to learn the scripture, and have the children help you tape it together, so nothing can separate it. LOTS of tape(:
(Print on card stock)
Show a picture of the sun, or invite the children to look out a window and see the sunshine. How is the sun like Heavenly Father’s love? Help the children 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. Sing together a song about Heavenly Father’s love, such as “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228–29).
Click on images to be taken to Etsy.
Faith comes by hearing the word of God.
As children hear the word of God and listen carefully to it, their faith in God will grow.
Possible Activities
Read Romans 10:17 to the children, and show them pictures of settings in which they can hear the word of God (like family scripture study, church classes, 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.
(Use the black and White setting on your printer, to print this in B&W)
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 magazine. Ask the children to find these things and share how each makes it possible for us to hear God’s word.
You can purchase these slinkies at Dollar Tree in the party section, set of 4.
I can say thank you to those who help me.
Paul was grateful for the people who helped him. You can help the children notice the kind things others do for them and remember to thank them.
Possible Activities
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 read these 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.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
Heavenly Father wants me to prepare to receive all that He has.
Heavenly Father’s plan makes it possible for us to become like Him and inherit all that He has. This truth can inspire the children you teach to live the gospel more faithfully.
Possible Activities
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” (Children’s Songbook, 164–65), looking for answers. What other answers can the children think of?
Object lesson
Pass out a little bag of potato chips to everyone.
Together open the bag of potato chips. Ask the children to pretend earth life is like the inside of a potato chip bag. They may laugh, you can laugh too, tell them to bear with you(: We think Earth life is wonderful, so shiny, and here we are so happy eating our potato chips. We can't image a world that can be more wonderful than this.
But outside that Earth life is sooo much more, more color, more beauty, more everything. And God wants to give it all to us. If we live righteous we can receive "All that the Father hath." D&C 84:38 reads: And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father's kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
How do we receive the Father? (Covenants and promises, living righteous)
4. The only thing standing in the way of all those blessings is us. Let us use the Savior's Atonement so we will be worthy to be with our Heavenly Father forever and be joint heirs in His kingdom.
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 message “Remember Who You Are!” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 121). Why is it important to remember that we are children of Heavenly Father and born to someday be like Him? How does this truth affect the choices we make here on earth?
The kids can color/ draw while you tell the story.
Faith comes by hearing the word of God.
Children have many opportunities to hear the word of God. Help them see how hearing God’s word can strengthen their faith.
Possible Activities
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.
Give one child a picture of the Savior healing someone and tell him or her not to let 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 help others learn about the Savior so they can have faith in Him?
Each child can have a picture they can discribe.
“Let us not … judge one another.”
When children interact with others who make different choices than they do, they may be tempted to be judgmental. Consider how Paul’s counsel to the Romans can help them avoid such judgment.
Possible Activities
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).
