We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning

Read the Savior’s invitation, “Come, follow me,” found in Luke 18:22. Play a game where one child does an action and then tells the other children, “Come, follow me.” Invite the other children to repeat the action.

Show pictures of people following the Savior in different ways, during His mortal ministry and in our day. You can find pictures in the Gospel Art Book or Church magazines. You can also show the video “Light the World” (LDS.org). Let the children identify how the people are following the Savior.

Help the children think of things they are doing to follow the Savior. Singing “Seek the Lord Early,” Children’s Songbook, 108, could give them some ideas. Let them draw pictures of themselves doing these things.

Invite the children to tell about favorite gifts they have received for birthdays or other occasions. Bring a gift-wrapped copy of the scriptures, let a child open it, and testify that the scriptures are a gift to us from Heavenly Father.

Show the children some books containing fictional stories, and ask them about their favorite stories. Show them the scriptures, and testify that the scriptures contain the word of God for us and tell of people who really lived and events that really happened.

Share the messages found in 2 Timothy 3:15 and Moroni 10:3–5, helping the children to repeat a few phrases. Help them understand that they can know the scriptures are true for themselves.

Hide a picture of the Savior, and give the children clues to help them find it. Help the children understand how searching the scriptures can help us know Jesus Christ. Let the children take turns hiding the picture and giving clues to other children.

Sing together “Seek the Lord Early” and “Search, Ponder, and Pray,” Children’s Songbook, 108–9, and help the children make up actions to go with the words. Share with the children one or two of your favorite scriptures, and tell them how you came to know the scriptures are true. If the children have favorite scriptures or scripture stories, invite them to share.

Invite the children to talk about a close friend they know and describe how this person became a friend. Read and discuss John 5:39 and John 14:15 to find ways we can feel close to Jesus. Ask the children to share times when they felt close to Him.

Take your class on a walk around the meetinghouse. Invite the children to raise their hands when they see something on the walk that reminds them of a way they can follow the Savior (such as the baptismal font or a picture).

Sing with the children “Come, Follow Me,” Hymns, no. 116. Invite the children to share times when they have followed the Savior’s example.

Read aloud John 5:39 and Acts 17:10–11, and ask the children what they learn about how to study the scriptures.

Select a few simple, powerful scriptures from the New Testament, write each on a piece of paper, and hide the papers. Create clues that will lead the children on a “treasure hunt” within the classroom or church building to find these scriptures. After they find each scripture, discuss what the scripture means and why it is such a treasure.

Share a few scriptures you treasure and explain why they are meaningful to you. As a class, keep a list of treasured scriptures the children find in the New Testament this year—at home or during Primary.

Have a discussion with the children about why it is sometimes hard to read the scriptures. Ask the children to share advice with each other about studying the scriptures. Ask them also to share any positive experiences they have had with the scriptures.

Help the children make simple calendars that they can use to mark how often they read the scriptures. These calendars could remind them to read the scriptures every day.

Share the story of the ten virgins (see Matthew 25:1–13; see also “Chapter 47: The Ten Virgins,” New Testament Stories, 118–20, or the corresponding video on LDS.org). Ask the children: How are our testimonies like the lamps? Why is it important to have our own testimonies?

Discuss what we can do to strengthen our testimonies. For ideas, invite the children to search John 7:17 and Moroni 10:3–5. Invite them to share things they know are true.

Ask the children to help you label building blocks with phrases that describe things we do to build our testimonies, such as praying. Let the children build a structure representing a testimony using the blocks.