Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
Jesus Christ will come again.
In section 133, the Lord describes His Second Coming and invites His people to prepare for this glorious event. How can you help the children look forward to the Savior’s return?
Possible Activities
Hide a picture of the Savior’s Second Coming behind a cloth, as if the cloth were a curtain (you could use the image in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families or Gospel Art Book, no. 66). Invite the children to take turns moving the “curtain” aside and pretending they are looking out a window. Ask them to share how they would feel if they looked out the window and saw Jesus coming down from heaven. Read the phrase “go ye out to meet him” (verse 19), and help the children repeat the phrase.
Under each child’s chair, hide a picture depicting something we can do to prepare for Jesus Christ’s Second Coming (such as read the scriptures, share the gospel, or serve our families). Let the children find the pictures, and talk about how doing these things helps us get ready to meet the Savior when He returns.
Sing together a song about the Second Coming, such as “When He Comes Again” (Children’s Songbook, 82–83). Share your love for the Savior and your feelings about His return to the earth. Invite the children to share their feelings too.
Jesus Christ is loving and kind.
These verses describe some of the many ways the Lord has shown His “loving kindness” to His people. What can you do to help the children feel the Savior’s love for them?
Possible Activities
Display a picture that shows that Jesus is loving and kind (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 42, 47). Ask the children to share other things that Jesus has done to show His love and kindness. Read the phrase “they shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord” (verse 52), and help the children think of ways they can tell others about the Savior’s love.
Here is a puzzle you can put together. It is actually a drawing I did from my own daughter, so it is kind of special to me(:
Here is something for older children:
Sing a song about the Savior’s love, such as “Jesus Is Our Loving Friend” (Children’s Songbook, 58). Share your testimony of how the Savior has shown His love for you.
The Lord wants me to obey the law.
Young children often have rules to follow at home, at school, and elsewhere. You can help them understand that the Lord expects us to follow the rules and laws in our community and nation.
Possible Activities
Invite the children to play a simple game without following any rules, and then have them play it with rules. How do rules help us? Express your gratitude for the laws of the land.
Here is a movie about a little girl that doesn't want to stay buckled in her seat belt, and learns an important lesson about obeying and laws.
Help the children repeat the twelfth article of faith. Emphasize key words, like “obeying, honoring, and sustaining,” and talk with the children about what those words mean. Share with them why it is important to obey the law.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
The Lord wants me to be clean.
Doctrine and Covenants 133 can help the children understand how to keep themselves clean from the worldly influences around them.
Possible Activities
Invite the children to read “Babel, Babylon” in the Guide to the Scriptures (scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org) to find out what Babylon is and what it represents. Then read together Doctrine and Covenants 133:4–5, 14–15. What does it mean to “go ye out from Babylon”? (verse 5). What are some places and situations the Lord wants us to stay away from? What can we do to avoid them?
Place a sign on one side of the room that says “Zion,” and place another sign on the other side that says “Babylon.” Write on strips of paper words from Doctrine and Covenants 133:4–5, 14–15 that describe either Zion or Babylon (such as “wicked,” “clean,” or “destruction”), and invite the children to place each paper under the appropriate sign.
Jesus will reign on the earth.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson said, “It is supremely important to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ” (“Preparing for the Lord’s Return,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 81). How will you help the children understand how they can participate in this critical work?
Possible Activities
Display the picture from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, and invite the children to make a list of things they know about Jesus Christ’s Second Coming. Then, using Doctrine and Covenants 133:19–25, 46–52, invite them to add things to their list. Share your testimony that the Second Coming will be a joyful day for the righteous.
To help the children understand verse 19, talk to them about how a bride might prepare for her wedding (perhaps someone who was recently married could help with this conversation). How are we like a bride preparing “for the coming of the Bridegroom,” Jesus Christ? If you think it would be helpful, review with the children the parable of the ten virgins (see Matthew 25:1–13). Why is it important to prepare for the Savior’s Second Coming? What can we do now to prepare?
The Lord wants me to obey the law.
Although there are different forms of government around the world, the Lord wants us to “sustain and uphold the … governments in which [we] reside” (Doctrine and Covenants 134:5).
Possible Activities
Invite the children to list rules or laws they obey. What would life be like if no one obeyed these laws? Read Doctrine and Covenants 134:1–2 with the children, helping them understand any words or phrases they might not understand. Why does the Lord want us to have government and laws?
Write each word or phrase from the eleventh and twelfth articles of faith on a separate slip of paper. Mix the papers up, and ask the children to work together to put them in the right order. How do we show that we believe what these articles of faith teach?
