Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream, by Grant Romney Clawson

October 31–November 6

Daniel 1–6

“There Is No Other God That Can Deliver”

As you read Daniel 1–6, make note of truths you feel impressed to help the children discover.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Display pictures of the events in Daniel 1–6 (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families or Gospel Art Book, nos. 23, 24, 25, 26). Ask the children to share what they know about events in the pictures. Invite them to share a time when they chose to follow the Savior, like Daniel and his friends did.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Daniel 1:1–17

Heavenly Father wants me to take care of my body.

Daniel and his friends refused the meat and wine the king offered them because they wanted to follow God’s commandments and avoid harming their bodies. Today the Word of Wisdom helps us avoid substances that would harm our bodies.

Possible Activities

• Share with the children “Daniel and His Friends” (in Old Testament Stories), or summarize Daniel 1:1–17. Invite the children to act out the story. Help them understand how the Lord blessed Daniel and his friends for choosing to obey Him (see verse 17). What blessings do we receive from God when we choose the right?

• Show the children pictures of things the Word of Wisdom teaches us to eat or use and things it tells us not to eat or use (see Doctrine and Covenants 89). Invite the children to pretend to eat the good things and say no to the bad things. Testify that the Lord blesses us when we care for our bodies. Sing together a song about caring for our bodies, such as “The Lord Gave Me a Temple” or “The Word of Wisdom” (Children’s Songbook, 153, 154–55). What does this song teach us?

Illustration of Daniel and his friends refusing the king’s food, by Brian Call

Daniel 1; 3; 6

God will bless me as I choose to follow Jesus Christ.

The book of Daniel contains stories of people who chose to follow God’s commandments even when doing so was hard. How will you help the children learn from these examples?

Possible Activities

• Find pictures of the stories in Daniel 1, 3, and 6 (see this week’s activity page, this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, or Gospel Art Book, nos. 23, 25, 26). Place the pictures facedown on the board or on the floor. Invite a child to turn over one of the pictures, and help him or her tell the story it represents. (For help, see “Daniel and His Friends,” “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,” and “Daniel and the Lions’ Den” in Old Testament Stories.) After each story, discuss questions like these: What did the people do to follow the Lord? How did the Lord bless them? Share how you have been blessed for choosing to follow Jesus Christ. Ask the children to share their experiences.

• Invite the children to act out situations where they can show their faith in God by keeping His commandments. These could include being kind to a sibling, telling someone about the Savior, or praying each night. Show a picture of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace (see Gospel Art Book, no. 25), and ask the children to count the people in the furnace. Read Daniel 3:24–25 to find out who else was in the furnace. Share your testimony that the Lord is with us as we follow Him.

Daniel 6

Heavenly Father wants me to pray often.

Daniel was willing to risk his life so he could pray to Heavenly Father each day. How can you help the children develop a similar desire to pray?

Possible Activities

• Tell the story in Daniel 6 (see “Daniel and the Lions’ Den” in Old Testament Stories), and invite the children to draw a picture of the story. Ask them to use their pictures to tell the story to each other. Why does Heavenly Father want us to pray to Him? Share why prayer is important to you.

• Talk with the children about times when they can pray, such as when they are scared, when they make mistakes, or when they need help in school. Why is it good to pray in these situations? Teach the children that no matter where they are, they can always pray in their hearts.

• Sing together a song about prayer, such as “We Bow Our Heads” (Children’s Songbook, 25). Talk with the children about things we can pray for.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Daniel 1; 3; 6

I can do what is right even when it’s hard.

The stories in Daniel 1, 3, and 6 can give the children you teach courage and faith to make good choices, even when they feel alone.

Possible Activities

• Draw on the board several arrows all pointing in the same direction and then one arrow pointing in the opposite direction. How are Daniel and his friends like this one arrow? Invite the children to give examples from the stories in Daniel 1, 3, and 6 (see “Daniel and His Friends,” “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,” and “Daniel and the Lions’ Den” in Old Testament Stories). Ask the children why they think it might have been hard for Daniel and his friends to make good choices. How did the Lord bless them for choosing the right?

• Help the children think of situations when they might be pressured to make a wrong choice. Invite them to share experiences when they were blessed for choosing the right even when it was hard. Sing together a song related to this topic, such as “Choose the Right” (Hymns, no. 239).

Daniel 2

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth.

When Daniel gave his inspired interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he saw a stone “cut out of the mountain without hands” (Daniel 2:45). This stone represents The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is destined to fill the earth.

Possible Activities

• Read Daniel 2:31–35, 44–45 with the children, and invite them to draw a picture of what Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. Ask the children what they learn from these verses about the stone in the dream. Explain that this stone represents The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ask the children to name some things Heavenly Father did to set up His Church in the latter days. To give them ideas, show pictures of events in the Restoration of the Church (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 90–95).

• Give each child a crumpled-up piece of paper to represent the stone in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Ask each child to share how he or she knows that the Church was restored by God. As the children share, invite them to give their “stones” to you. Wrap the stones together using tape or string to form a large stone. Testify that as we strengthen our testimonies and share the gospel with others, we unite our faith to help the kingdom of God “[fill] the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35).

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to do something this week that shows their faith in Jesus Christ.

Improving Our Teaching

Help the children recognize the Spirit. As you have spiritual experiences with the children, help them recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost.