Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
God has given me a way to be with my family forever.
In a vision, Joseph Smith saw members of his family together in the celestial kingdom. How can you use his vision to teach the children that families can be together forever?
Possible Activities
Show a picture of someone in your family, and talk about how much you want to be with him or her in the celestial kingdom. Explain that Joseph Smith’s brother Alvin died as a young man and Joseph missed him very much. Read Doctrine and Covenants 137:1, 5, and ask the children who Joseph Smith saw in his vision of the celestial kingdom (see also Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 152–53). Invite the children to stretch their arms out wide to show how much they love their families, and ask them to share why they want to be with their families in the celestial kingdom.
Our sunbeams really loved the paper doll families that the manual suggested making 2 weeks ago. I thought it would be neat to show them some paper dolls of Joseph Smith's family. You could even cut Alvin out and then tape him back into the family to show that they will be together forever.
Use Doctrine and Covenants 137:1–5 and this week’s activity page to help the children discover details about Joseph Smith’s vision of the celestial kingdom. Invite them to draw a picture of themselves and their family on the activity page while you play or sing a song about families, such as “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 188).
Click on the picture and it will take you a page that will give you more ideas for teaching about eternal families, along with this printable interactive song.
The Holy Ghost can help me understand the scriptures.
The scriptures can sometimes be difficult to understand, especially for children. Doctrine and Covenants 138:11 teaches that the Holy Ghost can open “the eyes of [our] understanding.”
The Holy Ghost can help us understand what we read in the scriptures.
Possible Activities
Show a picture of President Joseph F. Smith (see Gospel Art Book, no. 127). Explain that he was the sixth President of the Church, and one day he was reading the scriptures and pondering them (thinking about what they meant). As you read Doctrine and Covenants 138:6, 11, invite the children to pretend they are President Smith and do actions that go along with the words.
I thought it would be fun for each of the children to hold a bible and wear the Joseph F smith mask while they repeat after you reading D&C 138:6,11.
Tell the children about a time when you pondered something in the scriptures and the Holy Ghost helped you understand it. Sing together a song about scripture study, such as “Search, Ponder, and Pray” (Children’s Songbook, 109). What does this song say we should do to understand the scriptures?
(Click on the picture and it will take you to a page where you can print this interactive song, but it also has other ideas for teaching children to pray)
All of Heavenly Father’s children will have the chance to hear the gospel.
After Jesus Christ was crucified, He visited His faithful Saints in the spirit world. He instructed them to teach the gospel to those who had not received it.
Possible Activities
Show a picture of a tomb (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 58, 59 or Bible Photographs, no. 14), or draw a picture of a tomb on the board. Show a picture of the Savior in the spirit world while His body was in the tomb (such as the one in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). As you do, ask questions to help the children notice key details in Doctrine and Covenants 138:18–19, 23–24, 27–30, such as who Jesus visited, how they felt, and what He asked them to do.
Show a picture of missionaries (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 109, 110), and ask the children to share what missionaries do. You may also invite them to act out some of the things that missionaries do. Read Doctrine and Covenants 138:31–34 to the children. Explain that just as there are missionaries here on earth, there are also missionaries in the spirit world who teach the people there.
(click on the picture, to take you to a printable of this)
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
God has given me a way to be with my family forever.
Joseph Smith had a vision of the celestial kingdom and saw his parents and his brother Alvin there. This vision teaches us that if we are righteous, our family relationships can continue in the next life.
Possible Activities
Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 137:1–5 and draw a picture of what they read (see also this week’s activity page). How might Joseph Smith have felt when he saw members of his family in the celestial kingdom?
Show the video “Families Can Be Together Forever” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), or sing a song about families, such as “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 188). What does the video or the song teach us about what we can do to make our families eternal?
Click on the picture
When I ponder the scriptures, the Holy Ghost can help me understand them.
What can the children learn from President Joseph F. Smith’s example that might improve the way they study the scriptures?
Possible Activities
Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 138:1–11, and help them write a one-sentence summary of President Joseph F. Smith’s experience. What did he do that led to his remarkable vision? What does it mean to ponder or reflect on the scriptures?
Ask the children what they do when they have questions about the gospel. Share some examples from the scriptures or your own life of when pondering the scriptures brought understanding from the Spirit (see, for example, 1 Nephi 11:1–6; Doctrine and Covenants 76:19–24; Joseph Smith—History 1:11–12).
All of Heavenly Father’s children will have the chance to hear the gospel.
President Joseph F. Smith learned that the work of preaching the gospel continues in the spirit world. This work ensures that everyone will have a chance to accept the gospel.
Possible Activities
On the board, list some verses from section 138. Then list, in a different order, statements that summarize each set of verses. Invite the children to match the statements with the correct verses. Verses could include 12–16 (righteous spirits gather to wait for Jesus to appear), 18–19 (the Savior appears to the righteous spirits), 29–30 (Jesus appoints messengers to preach the gospel), 31–35 (the righteous spirits preach the gospel), and so on. After the children make a match, ask them to share what they learn from the verses.
Ask some of the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 138:33 to find out what principles of the gospel were taught to the spirits of the dead. Ask other children to read the principles taught in Articles of Faith 1:4. What is similar in these verses, and what is different? What does this teach us about Heavenly Father and His plan?
