Ideas for Teaching Children
Joseph Smith was a prophet.
Consider how you can teach your children about the great work that God accomplished through Joseph Smith. To begin, you could help your children find the word “seer” in 2 Nephi 3:6 and explain that prophets are called seers because Heavenly Father helps them see things we can’t see.
For older children: Use this to help memorize the scripture. Read it together, then have them choose what shape they want to cover which words. Then read it again, repeat, until the scripture is memorized and the picture is complete.
For younger children: (I like to all sit on the ground together) Pass out the shapes to the children, read the scripture together and then do it the second time with them placing their shapes, completing the picture. Ask them if they know who Joesph Smith is and what they know about him. Then teach as the manual recommends. Tip: It's really beneficial for pre-readers to have you point to the written words as you read; they can learn the rhythm of reading as well as develop awareness of the letter sounds.
Share why you are grateful to have a seer leading the Church.
The students can draw/write somethings in the circles that the prophet spoke about in the last conference.
The Gospel Art Book has several pictures you could use to teach about the work God did through Joseph Smith (see pictures 89–95). Let your children share what they know about the pictures. Why is Joseph Smith called a “choice seer”? What did Joseph Smith do that is “of great worth”? (verse 7).
You can get bigger pictures from the library, they are here incase you can't get them. The students will just have to pass them around if you use these.
If you students are old enough it would be fun to have them try to put the pictures in the correct order. Just write the numbers 1-6 on the board and have them try to figure out what came when as you talk about each event together.
Here is something for younger children, they can interchange the prophets.
Add velcro if you'd like. Talk about the messages from the lesson as you do this together. Bear you testimony that both are prophets of God.
You can go HERE to print this.
Click on the image to be taken to Etsy.
Here is a fun valentine treat. Click on the image to be taken to Etsy.
I love “the things of the Lord.”
What makes us happy? Consider reading together verses from 2 Nephi 4 to find out what delighted Nephi or made him happy (see verses 15–16, 20–25, 34–35). In his message “The Things of My Soul,” Elder Ronald A. Rasband shared seven “things of the Lord” that are precious to him (Liahona, Nov. 2021, 39–41). Perhaps you could review his list together and talk about “things of the Lord” that are precious to you.
Click on this image to be taken to the talk.
Here is a tri-fold sheet that can help with the students discussion and study.
2 Nephi 5 also describes things that helped the Nephites live “after the manner of happiness” (verse 27). You could provide some words or pictures that represent these things and help your children match them to verses in chapter 5. Some examples include family (verse 6), God’s commandments (verse 10), the scriptures (verse 12), work (verses 15 and 17), temples (verse 16), and Church callings (verse 26). How do these things bring us happiness?
Click on the image to be taken to Etsy.
The temple is the house of the Lord.
As you read 2 Nephi 5:15–16 to your children, they could pretend they are helping Nephi build a temple. You could also show them pictures of different buildings, including a temple. How are temples different from other buildings? Share with each other why the temple is important to you (see also “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, 95).
Movement activity: Place these pictures on 4 different walls. Describe one of the buildings and the students can go stand under it, then repeat with another building. Saving the temple for the last. After the students move to stand under the temple ask them what they know about it. Bear your testimony of the temple.
For older students: Put the pictures on the board like this:
The students can write in the overlapping circles what is similar between those buildings, then the circles that all over lap in the middle they can write what is similar between all of those buildings. Also have them write what is unique about the temple.
For any other temple ideas you would like here is an older lesson you can look through. Just click on the image.
This is a video from the lesson.