Here are 15 Montessori-inspired activities to help young children learn the principles in 3 Nephi 8-11 from the Book of Mormon:
Activity 1: Light in the Darkness – Candle Lighting
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 8:20-21
- Materials:
- Small candles or LED candles
- Dark room or space
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 8:20-21, discussing the darkness that covered the land after Christ’s death.
- Light a candle in a dark room and observe how it lights up the space.
- Discuss how Christ is the light in our lives and helps us find our way even in dark times.
Activity 2: Rebuilding After Destruction – Block Tower
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 8:14
- Materials:
- Building blocks
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 8:14, discussing the destruction that occurred.
- Use building blocks to create a structure, then gently knock it down to simulate destruction.
- Encourage the children to rebuild the structure, discussing how we can rebuild our lives after challenges with God’s help.
Activity 3: Prayer and Reflection – Prayer Rock Craft
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 9:13-14
- Materials:
- Smooth stones
- Paint or markers
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 9:13-14, focusing on Christ’s invitation to come unto Him.
- Give each child a smooth stone and have them paint or decorate it with symbols or words that remind them to pray.
- Encourage them to place the stone by their bed as a reminder to say their prayers daily.
Activity 4: Recognizing Christ’s Voice – Whisper Game
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 9:1
- Materials:
- None
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 9:1, discussing how the people heard Christ’s voice.
- Play a whisper game where one person starts by whispering a message to the next person.
- Discuss how important it is to listen carefully to Christ’s voice in our lives.
Activity 5: Forgiveness and Healing – Heart Puzzle
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 9:13
- Materials:
- Heart-shaped puzzle (make a heart and cut it into pieces)
- Markers
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 9:13, focusing on Christ’s call for repentance and healing.
- Give each child a piece of the heart-shaped puzzle.
- Write on each piece something they can do to repent or be kind.
- Have the children work together to put the heart puzzle back together.
- Discuss how repentance helps heal our hearts.
Activity 6: Faith – Planting Seeds
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 10:12
- Materials:
- Small pots or cups
- Soil
- Seeds (flowers or herbs)
- Water
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 10:12, discussing the faith of those who followed Christ.
- Provide each child with a pot, soil, and seeds. Let them plant the seeds, water them, and place them in a sunny spot.
- Talk about how the seeds need care to grow, just like our faith.
- Check the plants daily, using the growth process to discuss how nurturing our faith helps it grow stronger.
Activity 7: Obedience – Simon Says Game
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 10:6
- Materials:
- None
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 10:6, focusing on Christ’s desire for the people to return to Him.
- Play a game of “Simon Says” to teach obedience.
- Explain how following instructions promptly and correctly is important, just as we need to obey God’s commandments.
Activity 8: Building on a Strong Foundation – Rock and Sand Experiment
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 11:39-40
- Materials:
- Sand
- Small rocks
- Water
- Tray or container
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 11:39-40, discussing the importance of building on the foundation of Christ.
- In a tray, create two foundations: one of sand and one of rocks.
- Pour water over each foundation and observe how the sand washes away while the rocks remain firm.
- Discuss how building our lives on Christ helps us stay strong.
Activity 9: Unity and Cooperation – Team Building Game
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 10:5
- Materials:
- Large sheet or blanket
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 10:5, emphasizing Christ’s desire to gather His people together.
- Spread a large sheet or blanket on the floor.
- Have the children stand around the edges and work together to lift and move the blanket without letting any objects (balls, stuffed animals) fall off.
- Discuss how unity and working together help us achieve our goals.
Activity 10: Gratitude – Thankful Tree
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 11:17
- Materials:
- Large paper or cardboard
- Construction paper leaves
- Markers and tape
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 11:17, discussing how the people praised Christ.
- Create a “Thankful Tree” by drawing a large tree on paper or cardboard.
- Have the children write or draw things they are grateful for on the leaves and tape them to the tree.
- Discuss how recognizing our blessings helps us stay close to God.
Activity 11: Listening to Christ – Whisper Game
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 11:3
- Materials:
- None
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 11:3, focusing on how the people heard Christ’s voice.
- Play a whisper game where one person starts by whispering a message to the next person.
- Discuss how important it is to listen carefully to Christ’s voice in our lives.
Activity 12: Service – Helping Hands
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 11:11
- Materials:
- Cleaning supplies
- Simple service project ideas (e.g., making cards, picking up trash)
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 11:11, discussing how Christ served and sacrificed for us.
- Choose a simple service project to do together, like making cards for neighbors or picking up trash in a park.
- Discuss how helping others is a way to show love and follow Jesus Christ’s example.
Activity 13: Trust in Christ – Trust Walk
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 11:14
- Materials:
- Blindfolds
- Safe area for walking
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 11:14, discussing how the people came forward to feel Christ’s wounds and knew they could trust Him.
- Set up a trust walk where one child is blindfolded and another guides them through a safe area using verbal instructions.
- Switch roles so everyone has a turn being guided and guiding.
- Discuss the importance of trusting in Christ and His guidance.
Activity 14: Repentance – Footsteps to Change
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 9:22
- Materials:
- Paper footprints
- Markers
- Tape
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 9:22, discussing Christ’s invitation to repent and come unto Him.
- Create a path using paper footprints, each labeled with a step in the repentance process (e.g., recognizing wrong, feeling sorry, asking for forgiveness, making it right).
- Have the children walk the path, discussing each step as they go.
Activity 15: Faith in Christ – Planting Seeds
Scripture Inspiration: 3 Nephi 11:10
- Materials:
- Small pots or cups
- Soil
- Seeds (flowers or herbs)
- Water
- Directions:
- Read 3 Nephi 11:10, discussing how Christ declared Himself to be the light and life of the world.
- Provide each child with a pot, soil, and seeds. Let them plant the seeds, water them, and place them in a sunny spot.
- Talk about how the seeds need care to grow, just like our faith in Christ.
- Check the plants daily, using the growth process to discuss how nurturing our faith helps it grow stronger.
