Fathers and mothers are responsible for teaching their children Church doctrine so that they will be able to return to Heavenly Father after death and become gods themselves. Tell children when they are young that Heavenly Father loves them and wants them to be happy. At age five, children have not yet learned to distinguish between imagination and reality. Heavenly Father is very real to them, and they are eager to learn about him.
Show the children a picture of Jesus Christ. Teach them that Jesus Christ is Heavenly Father's Son, and that Jesus taught us all how we should live. Tell them that men drove nails through Jesus's hands and feet and hung him on a cross until he died. Explain that Jesus was willing to suffer this pain because he loves us, and dying in this way saved us all from our sins and allows us to someday live with Heavenly Father.
Tell children about Satan and his angels and how they want us to use our decision-making ability to choose to follow them instead of choosing to do what is right and following Jesus. Describe the kind of things Satan would have them choose, such as: choosing to laugh when you see another child fall down; choosing to whisper to friends during the sacrament ritual; or choosing to bother other children by making noises.
Sources:
• Primary 2: Choose the Right A, (1995), 21–24
Show children a picture of Joseph Smith Jr. Teach them some facts about him, such as: He had blue eyes; He was a hard worker; He was honest; He was visited by angels; He saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Explain that he was the first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Have the children repeat back the name of Jesus's true church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sources:
• Primary 3, (1994), 15–19
• Primary 3, (1994), 20–23
Teach children that Jesus Christ himself chooses each prophet who leads the Church, and then that man becomes the president of the Church. Jesus talks to the president of the Church and then the president of the Church tells the rest of us what Jesus and Heavenly Father want us to do. Explain that the president of the Church will never tell us the wrong things to do.
Sources:
• Primary 3, (1994), 35–39
Study the scriptures every day—the four books containing God's revelations to man: The Bible, The Book of Mormon, the Doctrines and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. The inspired words of the living prophets are also accepted as scripture. Study the scriptures as a family and share their truths with your children so they will learn to love them and use the truths they contain. There are many false faiths, cults, and strange ideas in the world, but reading the scriptures will strengthen your family and protect you from deception.
Children have a natural curiosity. They will want to know how their bodies work and where babies come from. Answer all such questions immediately and clearly so that they will continue to come to you with questions rather than learn such things improperly from elsewhere. Teach your sons and daughters about modesty, sexual purity, proper dating standards, and the evils of drugs and pornography.
Teach children the song "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission", and have them sing it several times. Help them realize that Jesus has asked us all to help teach everyone the gospel, and teach them that they can do missionary work even now as children. Suggest that in the upcoming week they become missionaries by telling someone about the gospel of Jesus, or giving someone a copy of the Book of Mormon.
Sources:
• Primary 3, (1994), 112–16
• Primary 3, (1994), 117–21
Encourage children's desire to pay tithing by explaining that everything in life belongs to Heavenly Father, so that when we pay our tithing, we are just giving Heavenly Father back a small portion of all that he has given us. Give children a tithing envelope and a pencil and show them how to write their name and the amount of money being paid. Teach them to sing the song "I Want to Give the Lord My Tenth."
Sources:
• Primary 3, (1994), 208–12
Help children choose a special place to keep their tithing money separate from the rest of their money, and remind them that any time they earn or receive money, the first thing they should do is put one tenth of it into their special container. Tell the children that Heavenly Father and Jesus are pleased when we pay our tithes. Conclude by bearing your testimony about how your life has been blessed by paying tithes.
Sources:
• Primary 3, (1994), 208–12
NEXT:
Also from the creator of The Brick Book of Mormon:
