“Guiding Children toward the Savior,” Liahona, Aug. 2023.
Guiding Children toward the Savior
How the Children and Youth program is inspiring Christlike growth one step at a time.
Christ’s Image, by Heinrich Hofmann
Despite the weight of His mission, the Savior took time to minister to children. He invited them to come to Him and be blessed. (See Mark 10:13–16.) Just as Christ took time to guide children in their early stages, so can we.
The Church launched the Children and Youth program in 2019 to help children and youth build their faith in Jesus Christ as well as recognize and understand the promptings from the Holy Ghost as they seek to understand Heavenly Father’s plan for them. It helps them grow personally and take part in the work of salvation and exaltation. The core of this program is guiding young members to “follow the Savior’s example as [they] grow.”1 We learn in the scriptures that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). This pattern from the Savior’s early life helps young people grow in four ways: intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.
While reflecting on the activities and service projects below, ask your children what they would like to try. More ideas can be found at childrenandyouth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
A ward in Missouri, USA, learned more about the Book of Mormon in an activity called “Camp Nephi.”
Photograph by Sheri Skog
Spiritual
“Jesus increased in ‘favour with God.’ You can grow spiritually by showing your love for God and your willingness to live the gospel.”2
Gloria Pereira, a mother from Chile, said, “[Children] build their spiritual identity by developing goals that go along with their personalities and desires.”
Daniela Moreira, a Primary president from Mendoza, Argentina, said that children in her ward worked toward understanding the purpose of the temple. To meet this goal, they visited the construction of the Mendoza Argentina Temple. They also learned how families can be sealed in the temple and later made temple models.
“The activities of the spiritual aspect are those that leave the greatest mark on the little ones,” Daniela said. “They learn to recognize and feel the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit and become familiar with the feeling.”
Spiritual activity ideas: Host a testimony meeting; memorize your favorite scriptures; hold a question-and-answer night with the bishopric or branch presidency; attend a baptism; do family history to prepare names for the temple; read the scriptures listed under your favorite hymns; take a break from social media.
Dayra—a young woman from Nuevo León, Mexico—painted words of encouragement on rocks to give to neighbors.
Photograph by Melissa Sue Lara Garza
Social
“Jesus grew in ‘favour with … man.’ You can grow socially by showing love to all people.”3
Melissa Lara from Mexico shared how her daughter, Dayra, set a goal to deliver messages of encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic: “She decorated stones with phrases, distributed them in her block, and left them at the door.” At one house, an older woman opened the door and asked what she was doing. After Dayra explained her project, the woman asked what phrase Dayra had for her. Dayra told her, “You can keep moving forward. We are with you.”
Melissa said, “The lady with tears in her eyes says, ‘Thank you; those are the words that I needed to hear. I’m going through a challenge and prayed. Then you came to my door to bring me a message I needed.’ I’m grateful my daughter shared her testimony. She told me, ‘Mom, I didn’t know that what I was doing had that impact.’”
Social activity ideas: Talk to someone who has your dream job; tutor a younger sibling; write letters to missionaries; sit with someone new at lunch; invite a friend to a Church activity; memorize the names of ward or branch members; introduce yourself to a neighbor you don’t know; have a formal dinner to learn etiquette.
Physical
“Jesus grew in ‘stature.’ You can learn to work and take care of your body, your mental health, and God’s creations.”4
Karla Duarte, a mother from Nicaragua, shared this example: “Several children set a goal to collaborate in cleaning activities at home, to learn how to make a food dish, and to make small gardens with the help of other family members.”
When we care for our bodies as a temple, we allow the Holy Ghost to dwell within us. Health varies with needs and abilities, but young people can set unique goals to improve their own health.
Physical activity ideas: Plan a fun exercise routine; go on a hike; weed a neighbor’s yard; pack a 72-hour emergency kit; talk with a counselor about depression; practice breathing deeply and relaxing your body; cook healthy meals; learn about the Word of Wisdom; practice first aid.
Intellectual
“Jesus grew in ‘wisdom.’ You can study in school, learn new skills, and improve your talents.”5
Avigail Rodriguez from Bolivia watched her then-six-year-old son, Bruno, set and complete his goal of learning the Articles of Faith. Although Bruno had struggled with reading, Avigail said that reaching this goal helped Bruno become “an excellent reader. His next goal was to read the Book of Mormon completely before his baptism, and he achieved it.”
Children can increase their knowledge in areas that inspire them to learn. From astronomy to zoology, there is always something to discover.
Intellectual activity ideas: Have a talent night; write in a journal; read a book; go stargazing; learn to play a musical instrument; make origami; study how cameras work; conduct science experiments; practice spelling long words.
The Role of Parents
While children are encouraged to take part in activities and service projects as a ward or branch, inspiring growth starts at home. The Lord tells parents, “I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:40). Youth leaders can offer support, but parents know their children best. They can work with their children individually in their personal growth, because “our talents and goals really are as unique as we are.”6
President Russell M. Nelson urged parents to give children “love, encouragement, and counsel. But resist the temptation to take over for them. They will do best as they exercise their own agency.”7
Anahi Hernández, a mother from Mexico, said, “At the beginning I suggested to my kids what goals to set, such as playing the piano. But I realized that the program is focused on what children want to learn and develop.”
Anahi allowed her children to choose the activities they wanted to try: “Every time I invited my kids to work on their goals, I asked them, ‘What do you want to learn?’ ‘What do you want to try?’ And then they express their desires, and I get to know them better.”
Ten-year-old Karla from Managua, Nicaragua, set a goal of learning to paint.
Photograph by Karla Valeria Duarte Manzanares
Children and Youth Want to Grow
Inspired by the Light of Christ, our children are eager to learn, grow, and serve. They want to become like their Savior through personal improvement.
Shelem Castañeda, a Primary president from a branch in Mexico, said, “I give 11-year-olds the role of leader, and they organize and have initiative to carry out other activities. I am amazed by their maturity, their willingness to help and learn.”
Children are entitled to personal revelation by prayerfully discovering and working toward a meaningful objective. Our aim is to “let the young people lead,”8 recognizing they can and truly want to progress.
So where can you start? Cole Rosenberg, a ward youth adviser from the United States, said, “We work to model what successful planning looks like, then step back and let the youth organize planning sessions and execute activities.”
Help your children (1) recognize promptings from the Holy Ghost, (2) discover goals, (3) plan how to meet them, (4) act on that plan, and (5) reflect on their experience. In general, the older the children, the more they can do these steps on their own.
Following these five steps lets children become stewards of their growth through plans, initiative, and Christlike desire to improve.
The mission of the Children and Youth program is to “help children, youth, and their families progress along the covenant path as they meet life’s challenges.”9 As we guide the children and youth of the Church toward their Savior, let us remember how He grew. We have the honor of seeing that growth firsthand.