Families Can Be Together Forever

Purpose

To help each child understand that temples are sacred places where families can be sealed together forever, and to encourage each child to prepare to enter the temple.

Preparation

Prayerfully study Doctrine and Covenants 97:15–17 and 124:37–41. See also Gospel Principles (31110), chapter 36, and “Temple” in the Bible Dictionary.
Materials needed:
1. A copy of the Doctrine and Covenants.
2. Picture 1-5, Family with a Baby (62307); picture 1-7, A Loving Family; picture 1-54, Salt Lake Temple (Gospel Art Picture Kit 502; 62433); pictures of other temples as available (Gospel Art Picture Kit 505; 62434–62448, 62566–62569, 62583–62601, 62613–62619); the page of drawings at the end of the lesson.
Make the necessary preparations for any Enrichment Activities you want to use.

Learning Activities

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Show picture 1-54, Salt Lake Temple, and pictures of several other temples, including the temple in your temple district, if available. Allow the children to tell what they know about temples.

Have you ever seen a temple?
What do you think about when you see a temple?

Discuss the beauty of the temples, pointing out the spires, windows, and doors. Explain that on an outside wall of each temple are the words The House of the Lord. Members of the Church go to the temple to learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus and their love for us.

Activity

Have the children put their hands above their heads to make a temple spire. Ask them to stand straight and tall and pretend that they are a beautiful temple. Then ask them to sit down quietly.

The temple is a sacred place

Explain that a temple is a sacred place (see D&C 97:15–17). Ask the children to repeat the word sacred. This means that the temple is a very special place where everything reminds us of Heavenly Father and Jesus.

Tell the children that if they keep Heavenly Father’s commandments, they can go to the temple when they are older. Explain that in the temple we make special promises to Heavenly Father to obey his commandments. We can also be married in the temple, and we can be baptized for people who weren’t baptized while they lived on the earth.

Have the children hold up three fingers and repeat three things they can do in the temple when they are older:

“In the temple I can make special promises to Heavenly Father.”

“In the temple I can be married.”

“In the temple I can be baptized for others.”

Song

Have the children stand and sing or say the words to the first part of “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, p. 95), using the following actions:

I love to see the temple (interlock fingers and raise the forefinger of each hand to make a spire).
I’m going there someday (walk in place)
To feel the Holy Spirit (put hand over heart),
To listen and to pray (put hand behind ear, then fold arms).

Explain that because the temple is a sacred place, we wear white clothing when we are inside. The clothing reminds us that Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to be clean and pure and to always choose what is right.

What color of clothing are you wearing today?
What color of clothing will you wear inside the temple?

Explain that because the temple is a sacred place, we are reverent when we are inside. We whisper or talk softly. Have the children whisper, “I love Heavenly Father and Jesus.” Explain that we can feel happy and peaceful in the temple because we feel close to Heavenly Father and Jesus.

Story

Tell the following story about President Lorenzo Snow in your own words:

Lorenzo Snow knew that he would soon be the prophet of the Church. He went to the temple, put on his white clothing, and knelt down in a special room to pray. He wanted Heavenly Father to tell him what he should do to lead the Church. He prayed and prayed but did not receive an answer. As President Snow was leaving the room where he was praying, Jesus appeared to him. Jesus wore beautiful white robes and looked so bright and shining that President Snow could hardly look at him. Jesus looked as though he were standing on solid gold. Jesus told President Snow the things he had prayed to know (see LeRoi C. Snow, “An Experience of My Father’s,” Improvement Era, Sept. 1933, p. 677).

Why do you think President Snow prayed in the temple instead of some other place? (Because he could feel closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus inside the temple.)

Temples help families be together forever

Display picture 1-5, Family with a Baby, and picture 1-7, A Loving Family. Explain that temples can help families be together forever. When a man and a woman get married in the temple and obey the commandments, Heavenly Father promises them that they can be with each other and with all their children forever. We call this being sealed as a family.

Who are the people in your family?
How do you feel when you are with your family?
How can a family be together forever?

Assure the children that Heavenly Father and Jesus love every family and want every family to be sealed together forever. Explain that families who have not been sealed in the temple can prepare themselves by obeying Heavenly Father’s commandments. Then they can go to the temple to be sealed as a family.

Song

With the children, sing or say the words to the chorus of “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, p. 188) several times.

Families can be together forever
Through Heavenly Father’s plan.
I always want to be with my own family,
And the Lord has shown me how I can.
The Lord has shown me how I can.

I can prepare to go to the temple

Remind the children that everyone who obeys Heavenly Father’s commandments can go to the temple. Show the page of drawings included at the end of the lesson and let the children discuss the commandments illustrated. Explain that obeying these commandments will help the children be worthy to go to the temple when they are older.

Pray.
Obey parents.
Love each other.
Go to church.
Pay tithing.
Eat good foods (obey the Word of Wisdom).
Be honest.

Testimony

Share your feelings about the importance of families being together forever and about the blessings of the temple. Remind the children that obeying their parents and obeying Heavenly Father’s commandments are important ways to prepare to go to the temple.

Enrichment Activities

Choose some of these activities to use during the lesson.

Help the children understand that forever is a long time. You might tell them that it is longer than the time they have to wait until their birthday or the next holiday; it is longer than the time the oldest person they know has been alive; it is longer than back to the time when Adam and Eve were alive. Explain that forever means that something will never end.

Help the children do the actions to the following verse as you say the words:

How Long Is Forever?

How long is forever (point to head, as if thinking)?

It’s longer than a year (put fist under chin, rest elbow on other hand).

It’s longer than the time it takes (put other fist under chin, rest elbow on hand)

For Christmas to be here.

How long is forever (point to head, as if thinking)?

It’s not too long to spend (shake finger back and forth)

With families that you love (hug self),

For it will never, ever end!
With the approval of your Primary president, invite the parents of a child in your class to share their feelings about the importance of being sealed in the temple.
Make a copy of the page of drawings at the end of the lesson for each child. Let the children color the drawings.
With the approval of your Primary president, invite a family in your ward who recently went to the temple to be sealed to tell the class about that experience.

Additional Activities for Younger Children

Help the children do the actions to the following verse while you say the words:

I Am a Helper

Now that I am big and tall (stand on tiptoes and stretch arms up high),

A good helper I will be.

A helper to father (hold up first finger),

Who is kind and good;

I’ll do for my mother (hold up second finger)

The things that I should.

A helper to sister (hold up third finger),

To brother too (hold up fourth finger);

A helper to all my friends so true (hold up thumb).

And God’s helper I’ll try to be

By loving others as he loves me (fold arms).

I want to be a helper of all (sweep arms wide),

Now that I am big and tall (stand on tiptoes and stretch arms high).
Help the children do the actions to the following activity verse while you say the words. Repeat as many times as you want.

Make a circle with everyone standing, holding hands. Hold hands throughout the activity.

We all lived together with Heavenly Father (everyone comes close together, bringing hands to the center of the circle).

He sent us down to earth to live (spread out into a big circle).

He gave us families to love and teach us (come close together again).

Our families will help us live with him again (spread out into a big circle again).
Provide a simple outline of a temple on paper for the children to color.