Watching our children learn and grow is one of life's sweetest joys. Every new skill they master, from tying their shoes to riding a bike, brings a sense of wonder and pride. Helping our children learn to make and to keep promises is another important milestone, one that helps them build integrity and trustworthiness.
In this Come Follow Me lesson for kids, children will learn the importance of keeping promises. Expect to learn why promises are important to the Lord and how promises help us become more like the Savior.
Download and print this week's Lesson Bundle HERE!
Download all Latter Day Kids videos HERE!
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
Write “promise” on a sheet of paper. Write “promise” on another sheet of paper and tape it to something hard like a cutting board or a book.
➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 K A R A O K E V I D E O : "Dare to Do Right"
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Hold up the paper that says “promise” on it. Discuss the following questions:
1) “What is a promise?” (Lead a short discussion about what a promise is.)
Now, tear the paper in half and discuss the following questions:
1) How does it feel when someone breaks a promise? (Discuss.)
2) When someone breaks a promise, was that a weak promise, or a strong promise? (A weak
promise.)
3) What kind of promises do you think Heavenly Father makes? Weak promises? Or strong
promises? (Strong promises!)
If we make a weak promise, then it will be weak like this paper (hold up the torn pieces of paper) and we will break our promise easily.
But, if we learn to keep our promises, they can be strong like this! (Hold up the hard object and attempt to tear it like the paper to show how strong it is.)
Explain that when Heavenly Father makes a promise, it’s always super strong because He never breaks a promise!
🎥 V I D E O : "Sully the Seagull/ A Story About Keeping Promises"
Say: “Now we are going to watch a video about a seagull who makes a promise. Let’s see if the seagull’s promise was a strong promise or weak promise.
Click HERE to download this video to your device.
Click the image below to watch on Youtube:
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) Was Sully’s promise a strong promise or a weak promise? (Weak.)
2) When Sully broke his promise, did the other seagulls keep believing him? (No.)
3) Why do you think they didn’t believe Sully any more? (Discuss.)
4) Who makes the strongest promises? (Heavenly Father.)
5) Will Heavenly Father ever break a promise? (Never!)
6) If Heavenly Father makes a promise to us and we make a strong promise to Him, what is that called? (A covenant.)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Say: “The Anti-Nephi-Lehites used to fight and kill lots of people before they believed in Jesus Christ. But, later, they were converted to Jesus Christ and they knew that what they did was wrong. They didn’t want to use their swords and weapons any more.”
16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall ago to our God and shall be saved.
1) What did they do with their swords and weapons? (They buried them.)
18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.
1) Why did they do this? (So they would never use them again.)
2) What did they promise to God? What covenants did they make? (That they wouldn’t shed blood again, even if they had to die. They also promised to work hard and give to others.)
3) Do you think they will keep their promises? (Discuss.)
20 And it came to pass that their brethren, the Lamanites, made preparations for war, and came up to the land of Nephi for the purpose of destroying the king, and to place another in his stead, and also of destroying the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi out of the land.
21 Now when the people saw that they were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword.
1) Who came to attack the Anti-Nephi-Lehies? (The Lamanites.)
2) What did the Anti-Nephi-Lehies do? (They laid themselves down on the ground and began to
pray.)
3) Do you think it was easy or hard for them to keep their promise? (It was probably hard!)
4) Did they keep their promise? Or break it? (Kept it.)
24 Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.
25 And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them.
1) When the Lamanites saw the Anti-Nephi-Lehies praying and saw that they wouldn't fight, how did they feel? (Their hearts were swollen/they felt sad.)
2) What did the Lamanites do next? (They threw down their weapons and they stopped fighting.)
3) Can you think of blessings you have seen in your life when you have kept your promises?
(Discuss.)
➤ A C T I V I T Y
Download the craft activity HERE!
Download the coloring page HERE!
Pass out coloring pages and/or activity pages.
Follow the directions on the activity pages. Use this activity as an opportunity to discuss the importance of keeping our promises and keeping our covenants.
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
How to Download Latter Day Kids' Videos!
The BEST way is with the Living Scriptures Streaming app! Just open the app, find the videos you want to save, and click the download button! Then, you can watch the downloaded video anytime on your device without a wifi signal!
New to Living Scriptures Streaming?
Right now you can try it out for 30 days without spending a dime! Watch all Latter Day Kids videos, plus more than 5,000 other faith promoting and inspirational titles! It's like Netflix for LDS families! Our family loves it and we think you will too!
See for yourself:
'Come, Follow Me' is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.