March 20–26

Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13

“Who Hath Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear”

Parables are simple stories that can be engaging for children. This outline and Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families can help you use the Savior’s parables to teach children important truths.

Invite Sharing

Bring several items that could help the children remember some of the parables in Matthew 13, such as a seed, a pearl, or a treasure box. Invite the children to share what they remember about the parables.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Matthew 13:1–23

I need to prepare to learn the teachings of Jesus.

Younger children may not be able to understand all of the symbolism in the parable of the sower, but they can learn the simple gospel truths it teaches. How can you help them better understand how this parable relates to them?

Possible Activities

• Display different kinds of soil (or pictures of soil) as you summarize Matthew 13:3–8. Give each child a seed, and ask what they could do to help the seeds grow. Explain that our testimonies are like seeds. How do we help our testimony “seeds” grow?

• Use this week’s activity page to help the children understand what each type of soil described in Matthew 13 teaches about our hearts. Ask the children which type of heart Jesus wants them to have in order to learn His teachings.

• Read Matthew 13:9, 15, and invite the children to point to different parts of their body when they hear them mentioned. How can we use these body parts to learn the teachings of Jesus?

Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43, 47–48

Heavenly Father wants me to choose the right.

Some of Jesus’s parables teach that at the last day, God will separate the wicked from the righteous. How can you use the parables to inspire the children to choose the right?

Possible Activities

• Let the children act out the parable of the wheat and the tares (see Matthew 13:24–30). Explain that the wheat represents people who make righteous choices, and the tares (harmful weeds) represent people who do not. One day, Heavenly Father will gather the righteous people to live with Him.

• Give the children some examples of right and wrong choices. Ask the children to say “wheat choice” when you describe a right choice and “tare choice” when you describe a wrong choice.

• Bring pictures of stalks of wheat, and let the children draw on the pictures some ways they can be righteous.

Matthew 13:44–46

My membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a treasure.

How can you use the imagery of treasure and precious pearls to help the children understand the value of belonging to Christ’s Church?

Possible Activities

• Hide pictures of a treasure chest and a pearl in the room, and let the children find them. Use the pictures to teach about the parables in Matthew 13:44–46. Talk about why someone might give up everything they have for a beautiful pearl or a treasure in a field. Explain that sometimes we give up something good for something even better. Tell the children why the gospel is valuable to you.

• Place in a box or chest several objects or pictures that represent “treasures” in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as the Savior, temples, or the Book of Mormon. Ask each child to choose an object or picture and talk about why it is a treasure.

• Sing together “The Church of Jesus Christ” (Children’s Songbook, 77), and ask the children to talk about reasons they’re thankful for the Savior’s Church. Testify of the blessings you’ve experienced because of your membership in the Church.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Matthew 13:1–23

I need to prepare my heart to receive the teachings of Jesus.

How can you help the children recognize the importance of having a soft and willing heart so that Jesus can teach them?

Possible Activities

• Assign each child to read about one of four types of soil in Matthew 13:4–8. Invite them to look for and share what happens to the seed in the type of soil they read about. How can our hearts be like the different types of soil? (see Matthew 13:19–23).

• Show the children a picture of a garden. What does the soil need to be like in order for plants to grow in it? Show a picture of rocky or thorny soil. Why would plants have a hard time growing in this kind of soil? How can we make sure our hearts are like the good soil so that we can receive the Savior’s teachings?

• Invite the children to read Matthew 13:15–17. Draw an eye, ear, and heart on the board. How do we use each of these things to learn the teachings of Jesus?

Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

I can choose the right even when those around me do not.

When you read these verses with the children in mind, what impressions come to you?

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to draw different scenes from the parable of the wheat and the tares, found in Matthew 13:24–30, and share their drawings with the class. Ask them to label their drawings using the interpretation of the parable found in Matthew 13:36–43. You may need to explain that tares are harmful weeds.

• If possible, display a picture of wheat and tares. Explain that the wheat and tares will grow together until the harvest (the end of the world). This teaches us that we live with both good and evil around us, and we must be careful to choose the right. Ask the children to share how they can tell the difference between good and evil.

Matthew 13:44–46

My membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a treasure.

Do the children you teach see their membership in the Church as a valuable treasure? Perhaps discussing the parables in Matthew 13:44–46 can help them share their feelings about the Savior’s Church.

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to read Matthew 13:44–46 to themselves and share the parables in their own words with another class member.

• Cut out several circles to represent coins, and put them in a treasure box. Invite the children to pick a coin and draw or write on it one thing they love about being a member of the Church. Ask the children to share what they put on their coin.

• Invite a ward member to share his or her conversion story with the children and tell what he or she sacrificed to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Or ask the children to talk about sacrifices they make for the Lord and His Church.

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to teach their families about one of the parables they learned in Primary.

Improving Our Teaching

Children like to share what they are learning. Although they are young, children can strengthen their family members. Encourage them to share with their families the things they learn in Primary. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 30.)