The Lord Is My Shepherd, by Yongsung Kim, havenlight.com

August 8–14

Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46

“The Lord Is My Shepherd”

This outline suggests some beautiful passages in the Psalms that will bless the children, but don’t feel limited to these. Follow the guidance of the Spirit.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

A few days in advance, invite a few children to bring to class drawings that represent things they and their families read about in the Psalms this week, such as a shepherd (see Psalm 23:1), a cup (see Psalm 23:5), or a heart (see Psalm 24:4). Invite them to talk about their drawings and a verse from the Psalms that mentions them.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Psalms 19:1; 33:5

“The heavens declare the glory of God.”

Psalms 19 and 33 teach that we can find evidence of the glory and goodness of God all around us in His beautiful creations. Help the children learn to see God’s hand in the world around them.

Possible Activities

• Show the children some pictures of beautiful things God has created, or look out a window together to see these things. Ask the children what they love about Heavenly Father’s creations. Read either Psalm 19:1 or 33:5, and ask the children how they feel about Heavenly Father when they see His creations.

• Sing together a song about God’s creations, such as “The World Is So Lovely” (Children’s Songbook, 233). Invite the children to pick something God has created (such as something mentioned in the song) and draw a picture of it to share with their families.

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd.”

If the children can learn at a young age that the Lord is their shepherd, they will be more likely to follow Him “in the paths of righteousness.”

Possible Activities

• Give each child a copy of this week’s activity page, or give each of them a picture from the activity page. Invite them to listen as you read Psalm 23. Ask them to point to or hold up a picture when they hear it mentioned in the psalm. Bear your testimony that Jesus takes care of us, just as a shepherd takes care of his sheep.

• Tell the children some ways you know that the Savior loves you. Invite the children to stand one at a time and share some ways they know Jesus loves them. Sing together a song that could give them ideas, such as “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (Children’s Songbook, 74–75).

Psalm 30:5

Jesus Christ can turn sadness into joy.

Ponder how you will help the children gain their own witness of the joy Jesus Christ offers us when we are sad.

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to pretend to cry while you read from Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may endure for a night.” Then ask them to be joyful as you read, “But joy cometh in the morning.” Repeat this phrase a few times, and testify to the children that because of Jesus Christ, the sadness we feel in this life can be replaced with joy.

• Show a picture of the Savior, and tell the children about some of the things He has done for you that bring you joy. Give each child a turn to hold the picture and share what Jesus has done that brings them joy.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Psalms 23; 27–28; 32; 46

The Lord offers me peace, strength, and guidance.

Many of the Psalms testify of the Lord’s blessings in our lives. You can use the Psalms to help the children learn to trust Him and turn to Him.

Possible Activities

• Write on the board The Lord is . Let the children choose one or more of the following scriptures to read: Psalms 23:1; 27:1; 28:1; 28:7; 32:7; 46:1. Ask them to complete the sentence on the board using what they learn from their scripture. Help the children discuss what these symbols teach us about the Lord.

• Show the children a picture of a lamb. Ask them to name some things a lamb needs to be safe and healthy, and encourage them to look in Psalm 23:1–4 for ideas. Then show a picture of a child. What do we need to be spiritually safe and healthy? Read together Psalm 23, and ask the children how the things the shepherd does in this psalm could be compared to what Jesus Christ does for us.

We must be spiritually clean and pure to enter the Lord’s presence.

Psalm 24:3–4

To enter the temple, we need “clean hands, and a pure heart.”

As the children look forward to entering the temple someday, help them understand that they can prepare by becoming spiritually clean through the Savior’s Atonement.

Possible Activities

• Show the children a picture of a temple. Invite them to read Psalm 24:3 and find words that remind them of the temple. Then read together verse 4 to learn who can enter the temple (define any unfamiliar words). How do our hands get physically dirty? How do our hands and hearts get spiritually dirty? How do we clean our hands physically? How does the Savior help us clean our hands and hearts spiritually? (If it is helpful, explain that “hands” in this verse can represent our actions and “heart” can represent our desires.)

• Review with the children the requirements to receive a temple recommend (see Russell M. Nelson, “Closing Remarks,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 120–22; or invite a member of the bishopric to discuss these requirements with the class). Invite the children to choose one thing they feel inspired to do to prepare to be worthy to enter the temple.

Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Taking time to be reverent and still, despite the busyness around us, can help us build our testimonies that God lives.

Possible Activities

• Help the children memorize the first line from Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Talk with them about what it might mean to “be still,” both physically and mentally. Share with the children an experience in which being “still” strengthened your testimony of Heavenly Father. Ask the children to share any experiences they have had. Why is being still an important way to know that God lives?

• Invite the children to review with you what they do during a typical day. Help them think of moments during their day when they could try to “be still” and feel close to Heavenly Father. Encourage them to set a goal to use such moments during the coming week to strengthen their testimony of Heavenly Father.

• Invite the children to list some things we can do to know for ourselves that Heavenly Father is real and that He loves us. Invite them to choose something from the list that they want to do.

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to choose a verse they like from the psalms they have talked about today. Encourage them to share that verse with a family member or a friend.

Improving Our Teaching

Focus on the needs of the children. As a teacher, you are in a unique position to understand the needs of those you teach. Your experience, your familiarity with the children, and the guidance of the Spirit will help you know which learning activities are most likely to build their faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.