pond at sunrise

May 10–16

Doctrine and Covenants 49–50

“That Which Is of God Is Light”

As you read Doctrine and Covenants 49–50, look for messages or principles that you feel will be especially meaningful to the children you teach. A few are suggested in this outline.

Record Your Impressions

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Invite Sharing

Show the picture from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, and help the children talk about how Jesus Christ is like a good shepherd.

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Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Doctrine and Covenants 49:12–14

I can follow Jesus Christ.

Help the children understand that they can follow Jesus Christ by believing in Him, repenting, being baptized, and receiving the Holy Ghost.

Possible Activities

• Display four paper footprints and four pictures representing believing in Jesus Christ, repenting, being baptized, and receiving the Holy Ghost. Read Doctrine and Covenants 49:12–14, and ask the children to point to the correct picture when each is mentioned in the verses. Let the children help you place the footprints on the floor with the pictures beside them, and invite the children to take turns walking on the footprints. Bear your testimony that when we do the things in these pictures, we are following Jesus Christ.

• Use this week’s activity page to make finger puppets that can help the children learn how they can follow Jesus Christ by having faith, repenting, being baptized, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Doctrine and Covenants 50:23–25

My spiritual light can grow brighter and brighter.

Abstract concepts like truth and spirit can be hard for young children to understand, but comparing them to light, as the Lord does in Doctrine and Covenants 50:23–25, can help.

Possible Activities

• Use an activity that illustrates how our spiritual light can grow brighter and brighter. You could show pictures of things that give light (such as a candle, a light bulb, and the sun) and let the children arrange them in increasing order of brightness. Or invite the children to pretend to be lights getting brighter by bending down and slowly standing and stretching up their arms. Help them think of good things they can do to make their spiritual light brighter.

• Sing with the children a song about their spiritual light, such as “Shine On” (Children’s Songbook, 144). Testify about how Heavenly Father has helped your light grow brighter. Tell the children about the light you see in them.

Doctrine and Covenants 50:41–44

Jesus Christ loves me.

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. We are His sheep, and He loves each of us. What will help the children you teach feel His love for them?

Possible Activities

• Show a picture of Jesus Christ with children (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 47, 84, or 116), and ask the children how they know Jesus loves children. Share how you know Jesus loves you and each of the children in the class.

• Make paper sheep, write on them the names of the children in the class, and hide them around the room. Display a picture of the Savior, and read Doctrine and Covenants 50:41–42. Help the children understand what these verses teach about how Jesus Christ feels about them. Let them find the sheep around the room and put them on the board near the picture of Jesus so “none of them … shall be lost” (verse 42).

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Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Doctrine and Covenants 49:12–14

I can follow Jesus Christ.

The Lord needs all of us to teach others that they can come unto Him by having faith, repenting, being baptized, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to compare Doctrine and Covenants 49:12–14 with what Peter taught in Acts 2:38 and with the fourth article of faith. What similarities do they find? Why are these truths important?

• Invite the children to work in pairs and pretend that one of them wants to know how to follow Jesus Christ. The other child in the pair can teach him or her using Doctrine and Covenants 49:12–14.

Doctrine and Covenants 49:15–17

Marriage between man and woman is essential to God’s plan.

The children you teach may face confusing messages about marriage. Doctrine and Covenants 49:15–17 can help them understand how the Lord feels about marriage.

Possible Activities

• Explain that the Shakers were a group that believed people should not get married (see the section heading to Doctrine and Covenants 49). Invite the children to find things the Lord taught about marriage in Doctrine and Covenants 49:15–17.

• Help the children understand what the phrase “marriage is ordained of God” means. Invite them to work in pairs to compare Doctrine and Covenants 49:15–17 with the first three paragraphs of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” Why is marriage so important to Heavenly Father?

• Sing together the second verse of “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 188) or another song about families. Help the children think of ways they can prepare to be married in the temple someday and have an eternal family.

  couple outside temple

  Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.

Doctrine and Covenants 50:40–46

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd.

Doctrine and Covenants 50:40–46 contains imagery that can help the children you teach understand how the Savior feels about them.

Possible Activities

• Make a matching game using phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 50:40–46. For instance, you could write “Fear not, little children” on one card that would match with another card that says “for you are mine” (verse 41). Read Doctrine and Covenants 50:40–46 together. Then mix up the cards on the floor, a table, or the board, and ask the children to match the phrases. What do these phrases teach us about Jesus Christ?

• To help the children understand how the Savior is like a good shepherd, ask them to read Doctrine and Covenants 50:40–46 together. Then show the video “Jesus Declares the Parable of the Lost Sheep” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), and ask them to find something in the video that reminds them of what they read. How does Jesus rescue us? How can we be good shepherds to others?

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Encourage Learning at Home

Prepare a note for each child with these words: Ask me about . Let the children fill in the blank with something they learned in class (give them help if needed) and pin the note to their clothes to prompt a discussion at home.

Improving Our Teaching

Modify activities for the age of the children you teach. As children grow, they have more to contribute to class. They have more experience and may be better at sharing their thoughts. When teaching younger children, you may need to explain more than with older children. Always give children an opportunity to participate on their own, and then help them as needed.

activity page: I can follow Jesus Christ