Illustration of a man praying by Joshua Dennis

July 20–26

Alma 36–38

“Look to God and Live”

As you prayerfully study Alma 36–38, impressions may come to you about the children you teach. Record these impressions; they might spark ideas for learning activities.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Invite all the children to share something that their parents have taught them. Ask them if they know what Alma taught his sons.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Alma 36:6, 20, 24

Repentance brings me joy.

Teaching children about the joy of repentance when they are young can inspire them to repent as they get older.

Possible Activities

• Read Alma 36:20 to the children, and ask them to listen for how Alma felt. Invite them to name some things that bring them joy. Show a picture of the Savior, and explain that Alma felt joy because Jesus Christ forgave his sins.

• Give each of the children a piece of paper with a happy face on one side and a sad face on the other. Ask them to listen while you read Alma 36:6 and to choose which face they should hold up. Explain that Alma repented and felt joy because Jesus Christ forgave him for making bad choices. Ask the children to listen while you read Alma 36:24 about the good choices he made later and to hold up the correct face.

• Sing together a song about Jesus Christ, such as “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35). Bear your testimony that Jesus came to earth to save us from sin and bring us joy.

Alma 37:6–7

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.”

How can you teach the children to recognize that the Lord uses small or simple things to accomplish His work?

Possible Activities

• Read Alma 37:6–7, and invite the children to crouch down every time you read the word “small.” Show them a few small things that can make big things happen or move big things, such as a battery or a car key. What big things happen or move because of these small things? Help the children think of some small or simple things God wants us to do. What big things can happen because of these small or simple commandments?

• Show a picture or two of small things that accumulate into big things, such as a blade of grass and a field, or a raindrop and a lake. Testify that even small, simple actions can make a big difference in our lives and in the lives of others. Encourage the children to talk about some simple, good things they do every day, or share your own examples. Invite the children to pick one simple, good thing they can do this week and to draw a picture of themselves doing it. Invite them to take their drawings home and share them with their families.

Alma 37:38–47

The scriptures can help us every day.

Though many young children can’t read, you can help them gain a testimony of the power of the scriptures to guide their everyday lives.

Possible Activities

• Display a picture of the Liahona (such as Gospel Art Book, no. 68), or invite the children to draw one while they share what they remember about it (see 1 Nephi 16:10, 28–29). Hold up the scriptures, and ask the children to share how the scriptures are like the Liahona. Use Alma 37:38–47 and this week’s activity page to add to this discussion.

• Sing together a song about scripture study, such as “Search, Ponder, and Pray” or “As I Search the Holy Scriptures” (Children’s Songbook, 109; Hymns, no. 277). What blessings of scripture study are mentioned in the song?

  

  The scriptures teach us how to follow God.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Alma 36

I can be “born of God” when I follow Jesus and repent of my sins.

“Conversion … is a change in our very nature. It is such a significant change that the Lord and His prophets refer to it as a rebirth” (“Conversion,” Gospel Topics, topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Possible Activities

• Review with the children the story of the conversion of Alma the Younger in Alma 36:6–21. Write on slips of paper words and phrases from these verses that describe how Alma felt, and put them on the board. Ask the children to sort the slips of paper into two groups: things Alma felt before he remembered what his father taught about the Savior and things he felt after he remembered. Read together Alma 36:17–20, and testify to the children that Jesus Christ forgives us when we repent.

• Write Born of God and the following scripture references on the board: 1 John 4:7; Mosiah 5:7; 27:25–26; Alma 5:14; 22:15. Help the children read the verses and look for phrases that describe what it means to be born of God. How does a person act after being born of God? How can we show that we have been born of God?

Alma 37:6–9, 38–47

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.”

Help the children you teach see that reading the scriptures for even a short time each day can bring them great blessings.

Possible Activities

• Draw or display a bucket. How many drops of water would it take to fill the bucket? Help the children recognize that many small drops will be needed to fill the bucket. How does this relate to Alma 37:6–7? How is reading the scriptures like adding little drops of water to a bucket?

• Invite the children to look in Alma 37:6–9 for blessings that come from the “records,” or scriptures. As a class, make a list of what they find. How has reading the scriptures blessed our lives? Share your testimony of the scriptures, and encourage the children to do the same.

• Show or display a picture of the Liahona (such as Gospel Art Book, no. 68), and ask the children to review what they remember about the Liahona from 1 Nephi 16:10, 28. Help the children read Alma 37:38–42. How did the Liahona work? How is this similar to the way the scriptures work? Read together verses 43–47 to help answer this question. Invite the children to complete the activity page as part of this activity.

Encourage Learning at Home

Encourage the children to share one reason they are grateful for the scriptures and to invite members of their families to do the same.

Improving Our Teaching

Help children become better learners. Your purpose in teaching children is not just to impart truth to them. You should also help them become self-reliant seekers of truth. For instance, instead of simply telling the children truths found in the story of Alma’s conversion, you could plan activities during which they can discover truths in the story for themselves.