May 18-24, Free Come Follow Me, LDS Primary lesson helps.
- redwallace
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
Ideas for Teaching Children
“Be strong and of a good courage.”
Here is one way to help your children “be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:6) through Jesus Christ. Invite them to find a phrase that is repeated in Joshua 1:6, 9, and 18, and write it down or memorize it. Help your children think of situations where they might need this message, just as Joshua did. You could also review together some of the stories in Joshua 1–4; 6 (see also “Joshua the Prophet” and “Rahab and the Spies” in Old Testament Stories, 85–91). How did the people in these stories show courage and strength in the Lord?
I created footprint puzzle pieces that tell the story of Joshua 1–4; 6 . As the story unfolds, each footprint connects to the next, creating a path of faith. After the lesson, the children can walk on the footprints themselves and experience what it means to “walk in faith,” just as Joshua and the Israelites did.
There are 7 total footprints.
Studying the scriptures brings me blessings.
Reading Joshua 1:8 could inspire your children to read the scriptures on their own. Help them find words in this verse that teach them how and why we should read the scriptures. They could look for the same thing in 1 Nephi 15:23–24; 2 Nephi 31:20; 32:3; Jacob 4:6; Helaman 3:29–30. You could also help them make and carry out a plan to read the scriptures.
Movement activity, then ask what the Lord wants us to think (meditate) about day and night?
What does he promise us if we do?
Color the triangles to show the time you spend sleeping, eating, school, work, screen time, and scriptures, and label them. How can meditating on the scriptures help us have success in the other things we do each day?
I must be baptized to enter the kingdom of heaven.
You might use the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River as a symbol of baptism—giving up our old life in the wilderness and starting a new one in a covenant relationship with God. So as you read together Joshua 3–4 (or “Joshua the Prophet” in Old Testament Stories, 85–89), you could also look at a picture of Jesus being baptized and explain that Jesus was baptized in the same river the Israelites crossed. You could then sing a song such as “Baptism” (Children’s Songbook, 100–101). Share with each other how being baptized is like starting a new life in Jesus Christ’s kingdom.
There are many ideas for teaching about baptism on this 5th Sunday page. Click the image to go there.
I can choose to serve Jesus Christ.
What could you do to help your children learn to choose to follow Jesus Christ, as Joshua invited the Israelites to do? You might invite them to:
Memorize a short phrase from Joshua 24:15. Try to make it fun for your children. The number of words they memorize may depend on their age.
Find stories about people who chose to serve Jesus Christ. They could look in the Friend magazine, the Gospel Art Book, or Old Testament Stories and other scripture stories books.
Role-play situations in which they can choose to follow and serve the Savior.
This song names many stories of people from the scriptures. And it is beautiful!
