October 2–8

Ephesians

“For the Perfecting of the Saints”

As you study the Epistle to the Ephesians, think about what principles you could emphasize to bless the children you teach. Record any ideas that come to mind while you read.

Invite Sharing

Invite the children to stand in a line. Starting at the front of the line, give each child a chance to share something he or she recently learned about the gospel during family scripture study, in Primary, or elsewhere.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Ephesians 2:19

Members of the Church should be friends and “fellowcitizens.”

Are the children in your class more like “strangers” or “fellowcitizens” with each other and with other ward members? Help them understand that although we have differences, the Savior helps us be unified and love one another.

Possible Activities

• Place a picture of the Savior in the center of the room. Invite the children to stand in different parts of the room to represent “strangers” or “foreigners.” Help them understand that these words mean people we don’t know yet. As you read Ephesians 2:19, invite them to move toward the picture of Christ until they are standing close together. Tell them that as we come closer to the Savior, we can become united with others as “fellowcitizens,” or friends.

• Find pictures of children from different parts of the world, and hide them around the room. Place a picture of the Savior in the front of the room. Invite your class to pair up like missionaries and take turns finding a picture of a “stranger” to place near the picture of the Savior. Help them understand that when people are baptized, they become part of our Church family, or the “household of God.” How can we help someone who is new feel welcome?

Ephesians 6:1–3

Heavenly Father wants me to obey my parents.

As you read Ephesians 6:1–3, think of ways you can help the children understand why it is important to obey their parents.

Possible Activities

• Read Ephesians 6:1 to the class, or help one of the children read it. Help them think of times when they obeyed their parents. Ask them to share how they were blessed for obeying and how they felt when they obeyed. Why is it important to obey our parents?

• Sing together a song about obedience, such as “Quickly I’ll Obey” (Children’s Songbook, 197). Let the children take turns naming something their parents ask them to do, and invite them to pretend to do that thing.

• Show a picture of Jesus Christ being baptized (see Gospel Art Book, no. 35), and share how the Savior obeyed Heavenly Father by being baptized (see 2 Nephi 31:6–7). Share an experience in which you obeyed your parents and were blessed. Why does Heavenly Father want us to obey our parents?

Ephesians 6:10–18

The armor of God can protect me from evil.

How will you help the children understand that doing righteous things is like putting on armor?

Possible Activities

• Show a picture of a person wearing armor, such as the one in this week’s activity page or this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. As you summarize Ephesians 6:10–18, show the children how different pieces of armor protect different parts of the body. (See “The Whole Armor of God,” Friend, June 2016, 24–25.)

• Bring several items to class that could represent the pieces of armor mentioned in Ephesians 6:14–17 (for example, a hat or an apron), or make simple pieces of armor from paper. Let the children take turns putting on the “armor.” Help them understand how we put on the armor of God (for example, by studying the scriptures, serving others, praying, obeying, and so on). Discuss how doing these things protects us from evil.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Ephesians 2:13–19

We are “fellowcitizens” in the household of God.

Children are strengthened when they have good friends in the gospel. How can you help them develop better friendships with each other?

We are “fellowcitizens” with the Saints of God.

Possible Activities

• Read Ephesians 2:19 together, and discuss what it means to be a stranger or foreigner. Share an experience in which you felt like a stranger or foreigner and someone helped you feel welcome and accepted. Invite the children to share similar experiences. What can we do to become “fellowcitizens” rather than strangers? Are there any children in your class who do not attend often, perhaps because they feel like strangers? Help the children come up with a plan to help those members feel welcomed and loved.

• To help the children strengthen their relationships with each other, write some questions on the board that prompt them to share something about themselves, such as When have you had a prayer answered? or What’s your favorite thing to do with your family? Divide the children into pairs, and invite them to ask each other the questions. What did we learn about each other?

Ephesians 6:1–3

Heavenly Father wants me to obey and honor my parents.

Think about ways you can help the children understand why it is important to obey their parents.

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to read Ephesians 6:1–3 individually and identify phrases that stand out to them. Invite them to share these phrases and why they feel the phrases are important.

• Help the children find and talk about examples of people in the scriptures who obeyed and honored their parents, such as the Savior (see Luke 2:42–52), Ruth (see Ruth 1), or Nephi (see 1 Nephi 3:1–8). Why is it important to obey and honor our parents?

• Give each child a piece of paper with the word honor at the top. Discuss what the word means. Invite the children to write or draw on their papers something they can do to show that they honor their parents.

Ephesians 6:10–18

The armor of God can protect me from evil.

As you read Ephesians 6:10–18, think of some of the spiritual dangers that children face and how you can help strengthen the children against them.

Possible Activities

• As one child reads Ephesians 6:10–18, ask another child to list or draw on the board the pieces of armor mentioned. Why is armor important in a battle? How can we put on spiritual armor every day?

• Assign each child to draw and label a piece of armor described in Ephesians 6:14–17. How might these pieces of armor protect us from evil? What does the Lord promise to those who put on the armor of God? (see Ephesians 6:13). What does it mean to “withstand in the evil day”?

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to be watching this week for someone who might feel like a stranger. Challenge them to do something to reach out to that person.

Improving Our Teaching

Help young children learn from the scriptures. Young children can learn from the scriptures, but they may need to focus on a single verse or even just a key phrase. You might invite the children to stand up when they hear a specific word or phrase. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 25–26.)