Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
Prophets are like watchmen who warn us of danger.
Ezekiel was like a watchman, warning the Israelites of dangers they could not see. Help the children see how our prophets today are like watchmen.
Possible Activities
Read to the children what the Lord told Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:17. Invite them to do actions that go with the words, like pointing to their eyes, ears, and mouth when you read the words “watchman,” “hear,” and “mouth.”
Do the actions (as you read the scripture) and then ask the children who they think the watchman is. Tell them that you have some clues that will help them. Show them this picture and read the scripture again as the children put the pieces on the prophet. Then ask them if they know who the watchman is.
Lead the children on a hike around the room. Warn them about pretend dangers on the trail, like rivers to jump over, branches to duck under, or animals to avoid. Let other children take turns being the leader. Talk about how our prophet warns us of dangers we cannot see.
(Click on the image.)
Show a picture of the current prophet while you sing together a song about prophets, such as the last verse of “Follow the Prophet” (Children’s Songbook, 110–11). Tell the children how the prophet is like a watchman for you.
Click on the image, to be take to this weeks lesson plans about prophets.
The scriptures teach me about Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel compared the house of Israel to two sticks that become one. These sticks also symbolize the Bible and Book of Mormon, which unitedly testify of Christ.
I created this when we were learning about the Book of Mormon, but it is great for this lesson also. I don't think many children realize where and why we have these two books. If this is too small, you can do something similar on the chalk board, with gospel art pictures.
Possible Activities
Give some children copies of the Book of Mormon; give others copies of the Bible. Summarize Ezekiel 37:15–19 by explaining that the Lord told Ezekiel to write on two sticks representing the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Read verse 17, and invite each child to find someone who has a book of scripture different from theirs and “join them” together so that they “become one in [their hands].” Talk about how both the Bible and the Book of Mormon help us strengthen our faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
I think it would be really cool if you had an actual stick that can be broken and have the children line up the stick so it fits together like a puzzle. Then you can tape it together as you read the scripture. You could even cut out the Bible and Book of Mormon from this picture and put them on the ends of your sticks.
But if you don't have that, there is this printable that you can use, cut down the middle and let the children put it together as you teach these principles. It might be fun to hide them in different places in the room, for the children to find.
Using pictures from the Gospel Art Book or from past years’ Come, Follow Me books, help the children share stories about Jesus from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Ask them to share why they are thankful to have these two books of scripture.
Here are some little books, they can look at and share stories about Jesus Christ.
This is how you assemble the mini books.
You can use pixie sticks or glow sticks.
Great blessings come from the temple.
Ezekiel’s vision of a healing river that flowed out of a temple can help the children learn that temples bring blessings into our lives.
Possible Activities
Show the children a glass of water. How does water bless us? Tell the children about Ezekiel’s vision of water flowing out of the temple (see Ezekiel 47:1–12). Show the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families (see also the video “And the River Will Grow,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Tell the children about blessings you receive that, like the river in Ezekiel’s vision, flow from the temple.
Click on the image to be taken to the churches website to watch this.
Put this on the top of your board, and let the children draw pictures of the blessings that flow from the river of the temple.
Black and White Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves going to the temple. Sing together a song that describes temple blessings, such as “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 188). What does this song teach about how temples bless us?
(Click on this image to be take to the page to print this.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
Jesus Christ can help me change my heart.
Ezekiel used phrases like “new heart” and “new spirit” to teach about the kind of change the Savior brings into our lives.
Possible Activities
Ask the children to search Ezekiel 2:3–4; 3:7 for words that described the Israelites. Then invite them to read Ezekiel 36:26–27 to learn how the Savior offered to help them change. What words could describe the “new heart” and “new spirit” He gives us? (see, for example, Mosiah 3:19; 5:2).
Ask the children to think of things “stiffhearted” or “hardhearted” people (Ezekiel 2:4; 3:7) might do. For example, how might they react to counsel from a parent or the prophet? What might they do when they see someone in need? How do we act differently when the Savior has softened our hearts?
You can print these out for all the children to make list, or you could just print one and cut out the hearts and put them on the board, and make two lists (together) that compare the actions of each heart.
There is this handy printable, that just fits so well.
Here is a great object lesson, with a rock and a sponge. The water can represent the spirit, or teachings of the gospel.
The Bible and the Book of Mormon help “gather” us to Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel’s “stick of Judah” (the Bible) and “stick of Joseph” (the Book of Mormon) work together to gather Israel to the Savior (see Ezekiel 37:19).
Possible Activities
Hold up a copy of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and ask the children why they feel it’s good to have both of these books. Read to them Ezekiel 37:19, and explain that “the stick of Joseph” refers to the Book of Mormon, which was written by the descendants of Joseph of Egypt, and “the stick of Judah” refers to the Bible, which was written mostly by the Jews. Then read together verses 21–23 and 2 Nephi 3:12, and list blessings that come from having both of these books.
I have a interactive printable in the junior primary section, similar to this (Go look at that). But for Senior primary, I suggest putting something like this on your chalk board, briefly explain where the different books came from, or let a child teach it. Then have a pile of gospel art pictures, with stories. Let the children sort out whether the story is from the Bible or the Book of Mormon. Then share the scripture in Ezekiel and bear your testimony about the truth we can have when we have both books.
You can use pixie sticks or glow sticks with this gift tag.
Put a picture of Jesus in the middle of the room, and invite the children to move their chairs to different places along the walls of the room. Then ask them to use the Topical Guide to find scriptures in the Bible and Book of Mormon that teach about Jesus Christ (if needed, show them how to do this). After each child shares a scripture, invite all the children to move their chairs closer to the picture of Jesus. Continue until everyone has been “gathered” back to Him.
I recommend a Gospel art picture, but if you can't access that, you are welcome to mine.
Temple blessings can heal our hearts and families.
The water flowing from the temple in Ezekiel’s vision brought life to everything it touched. Similarly, the blessings that flow from the temple can heal us spiritually and bring us eternal life.
Possible Activities
List on the board some key words and phrases related to Ezekiel 47:1–12, such as temple, river, desert, Dead Sea, multitude of fish, and fruitful tree. Invite each child to pick one of these things to draw. Then read the verses together, and invite the children to share their drawings when their elements are mentioned. What blessings came from the river in this vision? (see verses 8–9, 12). Help the children see how these blessings are like the blessings Heavenly Father and the Savior offer those who keep temple covenants.
Show the video “And the River Will Grow” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Or read together what Elder Dale G. Renlund taught about Ezekiel’s vision in “Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 47–48). Tell the children how family history work and the temple have brought you the Savior’s healing. Invite the children to share their feelings about the temple.