Jesus Teaching the People by the Seashore, by James Tissot

February 20–26

Matthew 6–7

“He Taught Them as One Having Authority”

Start by reading Matthew 6–7, thinking about the children you teach. What messages from these chapters do they need to hear? Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families and this outline can help give you teaching ideas as needed.

Invite Sharing

Ask the children to share what they did during the past week to be a light or example for someone.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Matthew 6:5–13

I can pray to my Heavenly Father as Jesus did.

Children can learn to pray by listening to others’ prayers. How can you help them learn from Jesus Christ’s prayer in these verses?

Possible Activities

• Review Jesus’s teachings about prayer found in Matthew 6:5–13. You might use “Chapter 20: Jesus Teaches about Prayer” (in New Testament Stories, 51–52, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Use this week’s activity page to help the children remember the different parts of prayer.

• Trace each child’s hand on a piece of paper. Talk about what we should do with our hands and arms while we pray. On each tracing, write something we do to show reverence when we pray (for example, bowing our heads, closing our eyes, and so on).

• Sing a song about prayer with the children, such as “We Bow Our Heads” (Children’s Songbook, 25), and bear your testimony of the power of prayer. Invite the children to share their experiences with prayer.

I can pray to my Heavenly Father as Jesus did.

Matthew 7:12

I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 7:12—also known as the Golden Rule—provides a simple guide for how to treat others. What will help the children you teach live by this principle?

Possible Activities

• Read Matthew 7:12, and paraphrase it in simple words that the children can understand. Help the children think of several ways to complete a sentence like the following: “I like it when others for me.” After each sentence, invite them to repeat with you, “So I should for others.”

• Sing with the children a song that you feel reinforces Matthew 7:12, such as “Jesus Said Love Everyone” (Children’s Songbook, 61). Make up simple actions to accompany the song. Ask the children what they learn about how we should treat others from the Savior’s example.

• Invite the children to list kind things their parents or other family members do for them. Read Matthew 7:12, and invite the children to name kind things they can do for their families.

Matthew 7:24–27

I can build on a strong foundation by following Jesus.

Using the Savior’s parable about building a house on sand or on a rock can be a memorable way to teach children about the importance of acting on what we learn.

Possible Activities

• Sing with the children “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Children’s Songbook, 281), and use actions to go along with the words.

• Use Matthew 7:24–27 to teach about the differences between the wise man and the foolish man. Invite the children to pretend they are building a house. How can we be like the wise man?

• Let the children draw pictures of the parable of the wise man and the foolish man.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Matthew 6–7

The Sermon on the Mount contains messages for me.

These chapters have many messages that could apply to the children you teach. Read them with the children in mind. What stands out to you?

Possible Activities

• Remind the children that they have been learning about what Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount. What truths can they remember learning about last week?

• Write on the board some phrases from the Sermon on the Mount and some other phrases that are not from the scriptures. Invite the children to identify which phrases come from the Sermon on the Mount. Ask them to share what they learn from these teachings.

• Select several verses from Matthew 6–7 that you feel will be meaningful to the children. Write the scripture references on cards, and hide them throughout the room. Let the children find them, read the verses, and explain why these teachings are important to them.

• Share one of your favorite passages from Matthew 6–7, and explain why you like it. If the children have a passage they like, invite them to share why they like it and what they learn from it.

• Sing with the children a song about the Savior and His teachings, such as “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79). Stop the song when you come to a phrase that relates to a principle taught in Matthew 6–7. Help the children make connections to things they are learning from these chapters.

Matthew 6:5–13; 7:7–11

Heavenly Father will hear and answer me when I pray.

As you study Matthew 6:5–13; 7:7–11, what do you feel the children need to understand about prayer?

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to read Matthew 6:9–13 out loud and then list things the Savior said in His prayer. How can we follow His example when we pray?

• Sing a song about prayer with the children, such as “Did You Think to Pray?” (Hymns, no. 140). Help the children search the lyrics to find reasons we pray and blessings that come from prayer.

• Help the children memorize Matthew 7:7 by playing a game like the following: One child recites the first word or phrase from the verse and then tosses a ball to another child, who then recites the next word or phrase.

• Act out Matthew 7:9–10 with the children using simple props. Ask the children to share what this teaches them about prayer.

• Share an experience in which your prayers were answered.

Matthew 6:19–21

I can seek eternal treasures instead of earthly treasures.

How will you help the children you teach place greater value on eternal things than on worldly things?

Possible Activities

• Bring a “treasure” box filled with objects or pictures that represent things the world values—for example, money or toys. Read Matthew 6:19–21 together, and then ask the children to help you think of heavenly treasures that could replace the worldly items in the box.

• Invite the children to name or draw some things they could do to “lay up … treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20).

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to share with their families their favorite teaching from the Sermon on the Mount.

Improving Our Teaching

Seek to understand your class members. You know the children you teach. The ideas in these outlines may need to be modified to best address the needs of your class. You may want to review all the activities listed in this outline, not just the activities designated for the age of children you teach, in order to find ideas for your class. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 7.)