October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Elder Dale G. Renlund › Children

30-minute lesson · Children · Ages 3–11: Primary or home

Jesus Keeps His Promises

From “How Long Will It Be Ere They Believe Me?,” by Elder Dale G. Renlund · Saturday afternoon session, October 2026 General Conference

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The big idea

Heavenly Father and Jesus have done great things for me, and They always keep Their promises.

Objective

Children will name good things Heavenly Father and Jesus have done for them and say that Jesus keeps His promises to them.

Before you teach

  • Read the first five paragraphs of Elder Renlund’s talk and his story about his sister, Linda.
  • Bring a large picture (a Gospel Art picture of the Savior works well) and a sheet of paper rolled into a tube.
  • Bring a blanket or sheet, a soft ball, paper, crayons, and a pencil with an eraser for each child.
  • Write on the board: Jesus keeps His promises.

Lesson plan

Thirty minutes in 6 parts. Times are a guide; let the Spirit and the learners set the pace.

4 min0–4

Peek through the tube

  1. Greet each child by name and invite a child to pray.
  2. Hold the picture facing you. Let each child look through the paper tube at one small corner of it and guess what the picture is.
  3. Turn the picture around so everyone sees all of it. Say: When we look at only one little part, we miss the big picture.
  4. Teach the truth on the board with actions: point up for Jesus, cross your arms like a hug for keeps, and stamp both feet for promises. Say it together three times.
Ask
  • What could you see when you looked at the whole picture?
4 min4–8

The grumpy breakfast

  1. Tell the story simply. Elder Renlund was a doctor. A man named Mr. Martin was very sick because his heart did not work well. He was given a new heart, and it worked beautifully. He was getting better and could soon go home. That was a great blessing.
  2. Then one morning Mr. Martin was grumpy. Invite the children to show a grumpy face. He said his oatmeal was not hot and his milk was not cold.
  3. Explain that Mr. Martin was looking at one little thing, like looking through the tube. He forgot the great big blessing.
  4. Say the truth together again with the actions.
Ask
  • What big blessing did Mr. Martin forget?
  • What helps you feel better when you are grumpy?
6 min8–14

Through the Red Sea

  1. Tell the children that long ago Heavenly Father led His people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt, where they had been slaves.
  2. Have two helpers hold the blanket low like water. The people came to the Red Sea and could not get across. The Lord made a path through the sea. Lift the blanket high and let the children walk under it to the other side.
  3. On the other side, say: The people were hungry and thirsty, and the Lord gave them food and water. Have the children pretend to gather food from the ground.
  4. Say: Even after all that, the people sometimes grumbled and forgot. Show a grumpy face, then a remembering face. Walk back under the blanket saying: The Lord helped us.
  5. Tell them the Lord said, “I will never break my covenant with you.” A covenant is a sacred promise. Say the truth with actions.
Ask
  • What great things did the Lord do for His people?
5 min14–19

Remember ball

  1. Sit in a circle. Explain that Elder Renlund taught us to remember the good things the Lord has done.
  2. Roll the ball to a child. That child names one good thing Heavenly Father or Jesus has given or done for them, then rolls the ball to someone else. Offer ideas if a child is unsure: the sun, my body, the scriptures, prayer.
  3. After each answer, everyone says together: Thank you, Heavenly Father.
  4. Go around until every child has had at least one turn.
6 min19–25

Erase the star

  1. Give each child paper and a pencil. Tell them Elder Renlund’s sister, Linda, once thought God’s blessings were for everyone except her. It was as if she saw a little star mark that meant not you. Then she learned that the blessings were promised to her too.
  2. Have each child draw a small star in pencil in the corner of the paper. Say together: God’s promises are for me. Then let them erase the star.
  3. Hand out crayons. Invite each child to draw one good thing Heavenly Father or Jesus has done for them.
  4. As they draw, go to each child, ask about the picture, and say: Jesus keeps His promises to you.
Ask
  • Who are God’s promises for?
5 min25–30

Sing and share

  1. Sing “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” or the chorus of “Count Your Blessings.”
  2. As a check, ask the children to finish your sentence: Jesus keeps His… Then let two or three children hold up their drawings and tell about them.
  3. Invite the children to tell Heavenly Father one thing they are thankful for in their prayer each night this week, and to take their drawing home to show someone.
  4. Read Elder Fale’s words from the aligned quotes and have the children repeat them. Bear a short testimony that Heavenly Father and Jesus always keep Their promises. Next week, begin by asking what they thanked Heavenly Father for.

Key passages from the talk

“I will never break my covenant with you.”

Elder Renlund’s talk, paragraph 8

“We can trust the Lord, especially His promises. These promises apply to you.”

Elder Renlund’s talk, paragraph 17

“You can rely on God’s promises.”

Elder Renlund’s talk, paragraph 14

Scriptures

  • Exodus 14:21–22 Tell this story in your own words while the children walk under the blanket. An older child may read verse 22 aloud.
  • Judges 2:1 Share the Lord’s promise from this verse, as Elder Renlund quoted it, after the Red Sea activity. Explain that a covenant is a sacred promise.
  • Moroni 10:3 For older children: read it aloud and ask what Moroni wants us to remember. Use it to introduce the remember ball.

Other voices that agree

“I am a child of God and He loves me.”

Elder Fale · I Am a Child of God, paragraph 1

Three things to remember

  • Heavenly Father and Jesus have done great things for me.
  • I can remember my blessings and say thank you.
  • Jesus keeps His promises to me.

Ways to act this week

  • Tell Heavenly Father one thing you are thankful for in your prayer each night.
  • When you feel grumpy, stop and name one good thing Heavenly Father has given you.
  • Show your drawing to someone at home and tell them that Jesus keeps His promises.

Suggestions written for this lesson, not the speaker’s words.

Music

  • My Heavenly Father Loves Me
  • Count Your Blessings

Adapting the lesson

  • Ages 3–7. Keep the stories to three or four sentences each and repeat the truth with actions after every activity. Let helpers hold the blanket and go under it twice. Draw the star for children who need help and let them do the erasing. In the remember ball, accept any answer and offer a choice of two if a child is shy.
  • Ages 8–11. Have a child read Exodus 14:22 and another read Moroni 10:3 aloud. Let an older child lead the remember ball. Ask a harder question: Why do you think the people forgot the Red Sea so quickly, and what helps you remember? Invite them to write three blessings beside their drawing.

This lesson is an independent study aid written for this site. It is not an official lesson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Quotations are word for word from the official talk; paragraph numbers count the paragraphs of the talk as published at churchofjesuschrist.org, not counting headings or picture captions. The activities, questions and ideas for acting are suggestions; follow the Spirit and adapt them to those you teach.