To help the children be valiant in their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1. Prayerfully study:

   • Daniel 3:1–7—King Nebuchadnezzar commands the people to worship a golden image.

   • Daniel 3:8–18—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship the idol.

   • Daniel 3:19–27—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are cast into a fiery furnace and come forth unharmed.

   • Daniel 3:28–30—Nebuchadnezzar recognizes the power of God and gives Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego more responsibility in his kingdom.

2. Study the lesson and decide how you want to teach the children the scripture account (see “Preparing Your Lessons,” p. vi, and “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii). Select the discussion questions and enrichment activities that will best help the children achieve the purpose of the lesson.

3. Materials needed:

   1. A Bible for each child.

   2. A T puzzle for each child or a large one for the class (see the attention activity).

   3. Picture 6-14, Three Men in the Fiery Furnace (Gospel Art Picture Kit 116; 62093).

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

You may use one or more of the following activities any time during the lesson or as a review, summary, or challenge.

1. Help the children practice saying the names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Divide the children into three groups and give each group one of these names. Explain that as you teach the story of these three men, the children are to say the name of the person they have been assigned when you point to their group. Practice this a few times; then proceed with the account, pointing to the three groups when referring to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

2. Write the word Valiant on one side of the chalkboard. Ask the children what words they can think of to describe someone who is valiant.

   As the children suggest words, write them below the word Valiant. The list could include such words as brave, obedient, courageous, loving, kind, loyal, strong, true, faithful, honest, unselfish, righteous, and forgiving.

   Ask the children how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were valiant.

3. Tell the children that they are already valiant in many ways and that you hope they can become even more valiant. Explain that they are going to discover how many valiant words can be made a part of their names. Give the children each a piece of paper and a pencil. Have them write their names vertically down the center of the paper.

   To demonstrate how to do this, write Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego vertically on the chalkboard and see how many of the words in the valiant list have a letter that is also in this name. For example:

   

   Help the children write valiant words that include the letters of their names, as was done in the above example. Encourage them to make these traits part of their lives. Suggest that they take their papers home and share the ideas on being valiant with their families.

   *Lesson Ideas
   THE ABOVE ACTIVITY ILLUSTRATES THE FOLLOWING Enrichment Activity 4:

4. Prepare the following five wordstrips:

   desire

   pray

   learn

   obey

   Holy Ghost

   Ask the children how we strengthen our testimonies of Jesus Christ and his gospel. To help answer this question, have a child choose a wordstrip and read it to the class. Help the children decide how that word or phrase relates to strengthening our testimonies. Include the following ideas:

   Desire:	We have the desire to gain a stronger testimony. This desire helps us want to work to receive a testimony.
   Pray:	We pray to Heavenly Father and tell him of our desire to know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that the gospel is true. We ask him to help us gain a strong testimony.
   Learn:	We learn about Jesus and about what he wants us to do. We do this by reading the scriptures; attending family home evening, Primary, and sacrament meeting; and listening to our parents, teachers, the living prophet, and other righteous leaders.
   Obey:	If we want to know the gospel is true, we live it. We obey the commandments and follow the teachings of Jesus.
   Holy Ghost:	Our testimonies come to us through the Holy Ghost. He speaks to our hearts and minds and lets us know within ourselves that the gospel is true.

   Refer to the T and the word Testimony on the chalkboard. Have the children write Testimony on one piece of their individual puzzles and have them write something they can do this week to strengthen their testimonies on each of the other three pieces. Suggest that they share these ideas with their families.

5. Draw the following illustration on the chalkboard. Remind the children that when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fiery furnace, they were protected and not burned. When they walked out, their clothing and hair did not even smell of smoke or fire. (See Daniel 3:27.)

   

   Explain that the fire in the furnace could be compared to temptation. Have the children imagine that they are the figures surrounded by fire. Ask the children how we can help protect ourselves from temptation so it does not burn us or harm us in any way.

   Explain to the children that we can be protected from temptation by learning the commandments of the Lord and being valiant in obeying them. Then, even if we are surrounded by temptations, we can resist them and be protected.

6. Review the first article of faith and discuss the importance of gaining a strong testimony of each member of the Godhead and of their roles in our lives.

7. Sing or read the words to “I Will Be Valiant” (Children’s Songbook, p. 162) or “Dare to Do Right” (Children’s Songbook, p. 158).