And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.-- 3 Ne. 22:13
"Read us a story," 5-year-old Douglas said as he carried the Book of Mormon to his grandmother, Diane Nichols. "I want to hear about the army of Helaman," he suggested as he and his 3-year-old sister, Jessie, climbed onto their grandmother's lap.Before Sister Nichols could begin, Douglas stopped her. "First we have to sing the song." After the children helped their grandmother sing " . . . we are as the armies of Helaman, we have been taught in our youth," Sister Nichols taught her grandchildren that all of us can be obedient, true, and valiant like the 2,000 stripling sons in the Book of Mormon.
Children enjoy learning principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ from the Book of Mormon. From their earliest years, before they can even read, children can develop a love for the Book of Mormon. As they grow, they can further understand that:
Heavenly Father is speaking to us today through this sacred book.
The Book of Mormon contains true principles that can help us find answers to our problems.
Our lives will be blessed as we apply these gospel teachings in all we do.
Reading the Book of Mormon invites the Spirit into our lives and into our homes.
"Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness" ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World"), and the home is the most important place to teach, learn and apply gospel principles. In the year 2000, Sunday School classes and the Valiant classes in Primary will study the Book of Mormon and support parents in their important responsibility. Studying the Book of Mormon, which contains the fulness of the restored gospel, will help children better understand the mission, atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Set aside a regular time and place to study the Book of Mormon each day with your family, even if it is for just a short period of time. Prayerfully consider the ages and needs of your children as you decide how to study together. Be aware of what each child is capable of understanding, doing and feeling so all may feel included and can participate successfully. Whenever possible, help your children get their own copies of the Book of Mormon. You may wish to read the book in sequence from the beginning, or you may focus on certain gospel principles, subjects, stories, lives of individuals or themes. You may choose to refer to the curriculum in the Primary 4 manual or the Book of Mormon Class Study Guide.
Consider some of the following ideas as you teach your children from the Book of Mormon:
Read the Book of Mormon aloud with your children. Take turns, with everyone reading a verse or two. If children are too young to read, they could watch as you point to the words. You may notice even your young children beginning to recognize and sound out many words as your scripture reading progresses.
Help children become familiar with the language used in the Book of Mormon. Explain the meaning of important words and help them pronounce difficult words and names. Reading to small children, even infants, can help them love the scriptures. Young children learn new words daily, and their ability to understand is far greater than we tend to believe.
Tell a scripture account or story in your own words. As you tell the story, read some key verses at important points to capture the language of the scriptures. Help your children paint a mental picture of the events and the people as you describe what happened: help them walk with Nephi through the dark streets of Jerusalem as he returns to get the brass plates; help them hear the voice that pierced the Nephites to the very soul following three days of darkness and destruction, "Behold my Beloved Son . . . hear ye him." Help them see how blessings flow from obedience as they read about Lehi, Nephi and Alma.
Help your children understand what the scripture account teaches about Jesus Christ. Ask them how certain scriptures increase their faith in the Savior and help them feel His love.
Encourage your children to ask questions such as, "What is happening? Why is this happening? Who is speaking? How does this apply to me?" The prophet Nephi admonishes us to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning." (1 Ne. 19:23.) We need to help our children see how the experiences of the people in the Book of Mormon are like something our family members have experienced, or might experience, in their own lives.
Use the chapter headings to give a preview of what you will be reading and the context of the scripture. Have children listen for certain words, phrases, characteristics or ideas.
Use the study helps that are in the scriptures, such as the Topical Guide, Index to the Book of Mormon and the Bible Dictionary. The footnotes, Joseph Smith Translation, title and introductory pages, and the newly revised maps can enrich your study.
Make use of other books or materials produced by the Church, such as Scripture Stories, the illustrated Book of Mormon Reader, and stories from the Friend. The "Gospel Art Picture Kit" contains pictures of scripture stories, with summaries of the scripture account on the back of each picture. (Refer to Church Materials Catalog.)
Help children mark some important and meaningful passages or verses of scripture. You might help them write some comments in the margins identifying gospel principles, subjects or stories that will help them locate a scripture in the future.
Bear your testimony of the Book of Mormon to your children. They need to understand your love for the Savior and how this book has been a powerful influence in your life. Encourage your children to share how the Book of Mormon makes them feel when they read it. Help them recognize that the good feelings we have when we read the scriptures are feelings of the Spirit.
Use family home evenings to provide an additional opportunity to study the Book of Mormon in interesting and engaging ways for children. Refer to the newly revised edition of Teaching, No Greater Call for a variety of methods that will involve children in meaningful learning experiences and other ideas on teaching from the scriptures. Children would enjoy retelling a Book of Mormon story using homemade flannel board figures, or the Church-produced "Visual Aids Cutouts." (See Church Materials catalog.)
President Gordon B. Hinckley has counseled us, "Read to your children. Read the story of the Son of God. . . . Read to them from the Book of Mormon. It will take time, and you are very busy, but it will prove to be a great blessing in your lives as well as in their lives. And there will grow in their hearts a great love for the Savior of the world, the only perfect man who walked the earth. He will become to them a very real living being, and His great atoning sacrifice as they grow to manhood and womanhood, will take on a new and more glorious meaning in their lives." (Quoted in Church News, Dec. 6,1997, page 2.)