COME, FOLLOW ME Activities to Make Learning Fun!
Doctrine & Covenants LESSON 1
Here are Instant COME FOLLOW ME Activities for JANUARY (week 1) Theme: “Hearken, O Ye People” Doctrine and Covenants 1
You’ll find our popular SCRIPTURE SCHOLARS to get them reading.
Then scroll down to find COME FOLLOW ME lesson-match activities and song visuals for this week’s lesson theme. There are tons of fun lesson plans that even KIDS CAN TEACH.
It all starts here. Don’t miss the BUNDLES to save $ (HERE)
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS / Church History
Lesson 1: Dec. 28 – Jan. 3, 2021
Doctrine and Covenants 1
“Hearken, O Ye People”
Discussion Topics (activities below) ⇓
PRIMARY – HOME
CLICK HERE FOR LESSON ⇒
• Through His prophets, the Lord warns us of spiritual danger.
• Joseph Smith is God’s prophet.
• The prophet’s words are God’s words.
• The Lord knew the challenges we would face, so He restored the gospel through Joseph Smith.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s “true and living church.”
• The word of the Lord lasts forever.
INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES
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• The Lord invites me to “search these commandments.”
• God speaks through His servants, and His words will be fulfilled.
• If I am humble, the Lord’s chastening can lead me to repent.
• The Lord restored His gospel to help me face the challenges of the latter days.
SUNDAY SCHOOL / SEMINARY – TEENS
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• The Lord invites us to “search these commandments.”
• God speaks through His servants, and His words will be fulfilled.
• The Lord restored His gospel to help us face the challenges of the latter days.
• The Lord uses “the weak and the simple” to accomplish His work.
Lesson 1 Scripture Scholars
Week’s Scripture Scholars BOOKMARKS & scripture POP-UP Includes:
• BOOKMARKS with Come, Follow Me scriptures to read and discuss topics for Primary and Individuals and Families. Also, for Sunday School (teens).
• POP-UP to glue in scripture binding next to scripture you underline.
EXTRA ITEMS (not included) … THERE’S MORE:
• STAMP. Award readers with a STAMP for the week’s scripture reading. See below to find matching STAMPS.
• STAMP KEEPER. These can be placed on the STAMP KEEPER (see below) where you can collect 50 stamps for the year.
The January STAMPS and STAMP KEEPER are in the BUNDLE above and can be downloaded individually below.
January STAMPS
For JANUARY Lessons 1-5 (Doctrine and Covenants). STAMPS to award scripture readers for reading scriptures on the BOOKMARKS. Place these on the STAMP KEEPER (found below/right)
Doctrine and Covenants STAMP KEEPER
Here children and youth can collect 50 weekly STAMPS to place on the STAMP KEEPER. These STAMPS match the weekly scripture reading BOOKMARKS.
STAMPS for January Lessons 1-5 are included.
. . . 5 LESSONS & 50 ACTIVITIES . . .
Step 1 CHOOSE LESSON
Step 2 CHOOSE ACTIVITY
Step 3 CLICK ON POSTER
Step 4 DOWNLOAD ACTIVITY
. . . WARNINGS OF SPIRITUAL DANGERS . . .
Through His prophets, the Lord warns us of spiritual danger.
The Lord declared that His voice is a “voice of warning.” How will you inspire the children to hear and obey the warnings He gives?
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Let the children hold pictures of warning signs—such as traffic hazards, bad weather, or poison—and talk about how they warn us of danger. Or tell a story about a time when you obeyed a warning. Compare these warnings to the warnings the Lord gives us through His prophets. Testify that He warns us because He loves us and wants us to be safe (see also this week’s activity page).
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Read to the children from Doctrine and Covenants 1:4: “And the voice of warning shall be unto all people.” Share something that the prophet has recently taught that can keep us safe. Show related pictures, if possible. Talk about how you are following the prophet’s counsel.
ALL AGES
AGES 1-5
AGES 4-7
AGES 8-11
TEENS
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
. . . JOSEPH SMITH, GOD’S PROPHET . . .
Doctrine and Covenants 1:17, 29
Joseph Smith is God’s prophet.
As you and the children begin studying the Doctrine and Covenants, help them build their testimonies of Joseph Smith’s divine calling.
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Show a picture of the Prophet Joseph Smith (see Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families; see also Gospel Art Book, no. 87). Ask the children to stand next to the picture and share what they know about Joseph Smith.
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Let the children hold a picture of the Savior and a picture of Joseph Smith. Talk to them about what the Savior gave us through Joseph Smith, such as commandments (see verse 17) and the Book of Mormon (see verse 29). Tell the children that in the Doctrine and Covenants they will learn about the commandments the Lord gave to the Church through Joseph Smith.
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Share your feelings about Joseph Smith, and testify that God “called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven” (verse 17).
ALL AGES
AGES 1-5
AGES 4-7
AGES 8-11
TEENS
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
. . . GOSPEL WAS RESTORED . . .
Doctrine and Covenants 1:15–17, 29–30
The Lord knew the challenges we would face, so He restored the gospel through Joseph Smith.
You can help the children prepare for future challenges by teaching them how the Restoration of the gospel provides spiritual protection.
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Help the children think of some of the problems in the world today. Review Doctrine and Covenants 1:15–16 with them, and help them identify some of the problems that the Lord prophesied would occur. Invite them to discover in verses 17 and 29–30 what the Lord has done to help us face the challenges of our time.
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Ask the children to imagine they are preparing for a trip. What would they pack?
DOWNLOAD Second Coming Suitcase preparedness packing (HERE) to of things to get ready to meet Jesus. -
How would it help them to know that it would rain during their trip or that their car would get a flat tire?
• DOWNLOAD car (with a flat tire) in this Trip to the Temple activity (HERE)
• DOWNLOAD car (with a flat tire) in this Moving Toward the Temple puzzle (HERE)
Read together verse 17, and discuss what the Lord knew would happen to us and how He prepared for it. (If necessary, explain that a “calamity” is a disaster or terrible thing.) How do God’s commandments help us deal with the challenges of our time? -
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s “true and living church.”
How can you help the children appreciate the great blessings of belonging to “the only true and living church”?
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Invite the children to list some things that are living and some things that are not (if possible, bring pictures or examples). What is the difference between a living thing and a nonliving thing? Read together verse 30. What does it mean that the Church is “true”? that it is “living”?
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Display a picture, such as a painting of the Savior, and ask the children to describe it with the lights in the room turned off. Use this activity to help the children see that for many people, the Savior’s true Church is in “obscurity” and “darkness.” How can we help others learn about the Church?
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ALL AGES
AGES 1-5
AGES 4-7
AGES 8-11
TEENS
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
. . . LEARN GOD’S COMMANDMENTS . . .
The Lord invites me to “search these commandments.”
A preface introduces a book. It identifies the book’s themes and purposes and helps readers prepare to read.
DOWNLOAD Which Standard Work? (HERE or below) to learn why the Doctrine and Covenants is different than the other books of scripture
As you read section 1—the Lord’s “preface” to the Doctrine and Covenants (verse 6)—look for the themes and purposes the Lord gave for His revelations. What do you learn from section 1 that will help you get the most benefit from your study of the Doctrine and Covenants? For example, you might ponder what it means to “hear the voice of the Lord” in these revelations (verse 14) or to “search these commandments” (verse 37).
DOWNLOAD Search, Ponder, and Pray song visuals (HERE or below)
See also the introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants.
Doctrine and Covenants 1:1–6, 23–24, 37–39
God speaks through His servants, and His words will be fulfilled.
Section 1 begins and ends with God’s declaration that He speaks through His chosen servants (see verses 4–6, 23–24, 38). Write down what you learn from this revelation about the Lord and His voice. What do you learn about the Lord’s servants? When have you heard the Lord’s voice in the voice of His servants? (see verse 38).
The prophet’s words are God’s words.
The children you teach may have heard the President of the Church speak, but they may not realize that his words come from God. Help them learn to recognize the words of the prophet as God’s words.
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Play a simple game by giving instructions to one child and asking him or her to repeat the instructions for the other children. Help them see that following the child’s instructions is the same as following your instructions and that following the prophet is the same as following the Lord. Read to them the last line of Doctrine and Covenants 1:38: “Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”
DOWNLOAD Doctrine and Covenants 1:38 poster/card set (HERE, below)
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Sing together a song about prophets, such as the last verse of “Follow the Prophet” (Children’s Songbook, 110–11). Share your testimony that the prophet speaks the word of God.
DOWNLOAD Follow the Prophet song visuals (HERE) -
Share a picture, recording, or video clip of the living prophet. Bear your testimony that the prophet tells us what God wants us to know. Invite the children to share how they feel about the prophet.
ALL AGES
AGES 1-5
AGES 4-7
AGES 8-11
TEENS
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
. . . HUMBLE CHANGES . . .
Doctrine and Covenants 1:3, 24–28, 31–33
If I am humble, the Lord’s chastening can lead me to repent.
Notice that in verse 3 and verses 24–28, the Lord said that people’s sins and errors would be made known. In one case this is a painful, sorrowful experience, and in the other case it is instructive. Why are these situations so different? Consider how you react when you become aware of your sins and weaknesses. What qualities do you find in verses 24–28 that can help you respond in the right way? What do these verses, along with verses 31–33, teach you about how the Lord views your weaknesses and sins?
See also Proverbs 3:11–12; Ether 12:27; Moroni 6:8.
ALL AGES
AGES 1-5
AGES 4-7
AGES 8-11
TEENS
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES
ALL AGES