Compiled by Barbara Pratt from
submissions from members of:
September 14, 2002
LESSON submitted by Deborah
The principle of faith can sometimes be hard to explain to children. below is a lesson outline that will help children more fully understand what faith is and how to increase their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Feel free to adjust the information according to your family’s needs.
Opening Song: Faith, Children’s Songbook pg. 96
Lesson: Begin by reading the poem entitled Faith on page 23 in the January 1999 Friend magazine.
Explain to the children that faith is believing in something that they cannot see. Perform the following demonstration:
Have a child close his/her eyes and place his hand in a bowl of beans. Ask him if he can tell you what is in the bowls. Ask them how they knew what was in the bowl when they couldn't see. Explain that we feel with our hands.
Have a child close her eyes. Cut a fresh orange in half and hold it under the child's nose. Ask the child what you are holding. Ask the child how she knew it was an orange when she couldn't see. Explain that we can smell things with our nose.
Hold up a picture of Gordon B. Hinckley. Ask a child who it is. Explain that we can see with our eyes.
Have children close their eyes. Blow a whistle. Have them guess what it was. Ask them how they knew it was a whistle. Tell them we can hear with our ears.
Hold up a salt shaker with sugar in it. Sprinkle some of the sugar on the children's hands and tell them to lick it. Ask them what it is. Explain that we taste with our mouth.
Hold up a picture of Jesus Christ. Ask them who it is. Explain that even though we have never seen Jesus or talked with him we can know that he
lives. This is faith.
Next tell the children that in order to have faith we must nuture it and help it to grow. Read Matthew 17:20: "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
Next explain to the children that a mustard seed is very small. If possible, buy some mustard seed from the spice section of your local grocery store to show to the children. Tell them that even though the mustard seed is very small it can grow to be a very big tree. To illustrate this point you will need a tape measure.
Discuss with the children what things are needed to grow a tree.
Next, place the tape measure on the floor and have a child hold it in place. Extend the tape measure straight up into the air until it reaches 10 feet tall. If you have low ceilings you may need to do this outside. Explain to the children that mustard seeds, if nourished and cared for properly, can grow into a tree that is 10 feet tall or more! (you may want to draw a 'tree top' to tape onto the top of the tape measure).
Next, discuss with the children what things they need to do to nourish their faith in Jesus Christ. Things such as prayer, scrpture study, going to church, etc. should be mentioned. Reinforce the idea that even though our faith may be as small as a mustard seed it can grow to be as tall as a mustard tree.
Activity: Have children decorate a paper cup with paints, markers, construction paper, etc. Place a bit of planting soil in each cup. Have each child plant a seed (mustard seeds will grow) and cover with a bit of the soil. Have the children care for their plant each day and watch it grow!
Refreshments: Popcorn (show them how the seeds 'grow')
1. Opening Song – “Faith” pg. 96
2. Opening Prayer
3. Scripture – Alma 32:21
4. Lesson – tell the story of the brother of Jared using Storyteller Flannel Book, gospel art pictures, Children’s Scripture Reader, or any other pictures you may have.
The Brother of Jared and the Jaredites Had Faith
Explain that Jesus Christ told the Jaredites to gather together all their families and their possessions, including their flocks of animals and seeds of every kind. He told them that after they had gathered everything together, he would lead them to a choice land.
The Jaredites were faithful and obeyed Jesus. He talked with the brother of Jared from a cloud and led the Jaredites into the wilderness. They crossed many waters and traveled to the great sea.
Remind the children that the brother of Jared was blessed because he had great faith. He showed his faith by asking Heavenly Father to help his people and then by doing what Heavenly Father commanded.
Jesus Christ instructed the brother of Jared to build eight barges, like boats or ships, to carry the Jaredites across the ocean to the promised land. The Jaredites followed his directions and built the barges.
The Savior told the brother of Jared that the barges would be under the water some of the time, so they were to be built so that water could not leak in.
Explain that because of the tightness of the barges, there was not any light inside, nor could fresh air get to the people and animals inside the barge. The people wondered how they would see or breathe while they were crossing the ocean. Jesus Christ instructed them to cut a hole in the top and bottom of each barge. These holes could be plugged up. Then, when the barges were on top of the water, the Jaredites could open the top hole to let in fresh air. If water started coming in, they could plug up the hole again.
The brother of Jared knew they still needed light inside the ships. He prayed and asked what they could do for light.
Jesus did not give the brother of Jared an answer but asked instead what help he needed.
Explain that the brother of Jared went to a mountain and melted sixteen small, clear stones out of a rock.
The brother of Jared carried the stones to the top of a mountain and prayed. In his prayer he said that he knew that if the Lord touched the stones, they would give off light. In this way they could have light inside their ships as they sailed across the sea.
After he had finished his prayer, a wonderful thing happened.
Read Ether 3:6
What did Jesus Christ do to the stones? (He touched them with his finger.)
When the brother of Jared saw Jesus Christ’s finger touch the stones, he was so surprised that he fell to the ground. When the Lord asked him why he fell to the ground, the brother of Jared said that he didn’t know that the Lord had a finger like a man. Then Jesus asked the brother of Jared if he believed all the words that the Lord had spoken. When the brother of Jared said yes, the Lord told him that because of his great faith, the Lord could show himself to him. Then Jesus showed himself to the brother of Jared and told him that never had a man shown as much faith as he had.
Explain that the brother of Jared knew that if Jesus touched the stones, they would give light inside the eight barges, and they did.
The Jaredites also had great faith in Jesus Christ. Soon the Jaredites boarded their ships. Because of their faith in him, they were guided safely to the promised land.
a. Play hangman using “Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” as the answer the children have to guess
1. Closing Song – “I Know My Father Lives” pg. 5
Song: Faith, Friend, Apr. 1990, 22-23
For Little Friends: Faith, Mar. 1986, 32 (poem)