October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Elder Kevin J. Hathaway › Children

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

Jesus Helps Me When Things Are Hard

From “Jesus Christ Is the Great Deliverer!,” by Elder Kevin J. Hathaway · Saturday morning session, October 2026 General Conference

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The big idea

Jesus Christ helps me when things are hard.

Objective

Children will be able to say that Jesus Christ helps them when things are hard and will choose to pray the next time they feel sad or afraid.

Before you teach

  • Read the freeway story near the beginning of Elder Hathaway's talk so you can tell it simply.
  • Bring a bag or backpack with three or four books in it. It should be heavy enough to notice but safe for a child to lift.
  • Bring a flashlight, plain paper, and crayons.
  • Write on the board or a paper: Jesus Christ helps me when things are hard.
  • Set chairs in two short rows to be two cars.

Lesson plan

Thirty minutes in 7 parts. Times are a guide; let the Spirit and the learners set the pace.

3 min0–3

Sing and say

  1. Sing the first verse of “A Child's Prayer” together and invite a child to pray.
  2. Teach today's truth with actions: Jesus Christ (hand on heart) helps me (hug yourself) when things are hard (push both hands forward as if pushing something heavy).
  3. Say it together three times: loud, soft, then in a whisper.
5 min3–8

The heavy bag

  1. Set the bag of books on the floor. Let a few children take turns carrying it across the room alone. Ask how it felt.
  2. Now carry it with each child, both holding the handle. Ask the first question below.
  3. Tell them that in the Book of Mormon, Alma's people had very hard things to carry. They prayed to God with all their hearts, and the Lord made them strong so their burdens felt light. Later He led them to freedom. Show the children where this is in Mosiah 24:14–15.
  4. Explain: Sometimes Jesus takes the hard thing away. Sometimes He makes us strong enough to carry it. Either way, He helps. Say the truth together with the actions.
Ask
  • What changed when someone helped you carry the bag?
  • Who can help us with hard things that no one else can see?
6 min8–14

Act out the story

  1. Seat the children in the two rows of chairs. Say: Elder Hathaway and his family were driving in two cars to begin serving a mission. Let the children hold pretend steering wheels and drive.
  2. Say: Suddenly two big tires came off a truck and hit their cars. The cars were broken and could not go anymore. Have the children stop, climb out, and stand by the side of the road.
  3. Ask how the family might have felt. Let children show the feeling on their faces. Say that they wondered why this had happened when they were going to serve the Lord.
  4. Say: Right then, the Holy Ghost gave them peace. They felt that everything would be all right. Invite the children to put a hand on their heart, take a slow breath, and whisper, “Everything would be all right.”
  5. Finish the story: Many kind people helped them. No one was badly hurt, and they got to their mission on time. Have the children climb back in and drive on, waving thank you to the helpers.
  6. Ask the questions below, then say the truth together.
Ask
  • What did the family feel in their hearts before their problem was fixed?
  • Who sent them that peace?
4 min14–18

Be not afraid

  1. Tell the children that once a father named Jairus was very worried about his daughter. Jesus said to him, “Be not afraid, only believe.” Jairus believed, and Jesus helped his family.
  2. Practice the words together. You say, “Be not afraid,” and the children answer, “only believe.”
  3. Play a walking game. The children walk quietly around the room. When you say, “Be not afraid,” they freeze, put a hand on their heart, and answer, “only believe.” Play four or five rounds, changing how they move each time: tiptoe, giant steps, slow motion.
  4. Sit down together and ask the question below.
Ask
  • When might you want to remember these words of Jesus?
6 min18–24

Draw it

  1. Give each child a paper folded in half and some crayons.
  2. On one half, invite them to draw something that can feel hard for a child, such as being afraid of the dark, feeling left out, or being sick.
  3. On the other half, invite them to draw themselves praying or Jesus helping them.
  4. While they draw, move from child to child and ask them to tell you about their picture. Write today's truth at the top of each paper, or let older children write it themselves.
3 min24–27

Pass the light

  1. Gather the children in a circle and turn on the flashlight. Say that the peace the Holy Ghost brings is like a light that tells us Jesus is helping us, even while we wait.
  2. Pass the flashlight around the circle. Each child who holds it finishes this sentence: When something is hard, I can…
  3. Accept every sincere answer, such as pray, ask for help, or remember Jesus. Help the youngest by whispering an idea.
3 min27–30

Choose and close

  1. Read Elder Lebethoa's words from this conference (see aligned quotes) and tell the children in one or two sentences how you know Jesus Christ helps us.
  2. Invite each child to choose: This week, when something feels hard, I will say a prayer. Ask them to show the drawing to someone at home and tell what they chose.
  3. Say the truth one last time with the actions, and close with prayer.
  4. Follow up next week: begin by asking who prayed when something was hard and what happened.

Key passages from the talk

“Jesus Christ is the Great Deliverer!”

Elder Hathaway’s talk, paragraph 1

“the Spirit brought us peace: Everything would be all right.”

Elder Hathaway’s talk, paragraph 5

“In His time and way, Jesus Christ will deliver you.”

Elder Hathaway’s talk, paragraph 19

Scriptures

  • Mosiah 24:14–15 After the heavy bag activity, show the children where this is in the Book of Mormon and tell in your own words how the Lord helped Alma's people. Older children can read verse 15 aloud.
  • Mark 5:36 Use for the walking game. The Savior's words in this verse are quoted in the talk, so the children can repeat them. An older child can find and read the verse first.

Other voices that agree

“Whatever concerns, challenges, and struggles we may have in our lives, the answer is always Jesus Christ.”

Elder Lebethoa · Jesus Christ Is the Light and Life of the World, paragraph 8

Three things to remember

  • Jesus Christ helps me when things are hard.
  • When I am sad or afraid, I can pray.
  • The Holy Ghost can help me feel peace.

Ways to act this week

  • Pray to Heavenly Father when something feels hard this week.
  • Show your drawing to someone at home and teach them the truth with the actions.
  • Be a helper: notice someone carrying something heavy or having a hard day, and offer to help.

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

Music

  • A Child's Prayer
  • I Feel My Savior's Love

Adapting the lesson

  • Ages 3–7. Keep each part short and repeat the truth with actions after every activity. Carry the bag with every child, since each will want a turn. In the story, give simple directions one at a time (drive, stop, hand on heart). For the drawing, let them draw only themselves praying, and have a helper write the words. Explain that deliver means to rescue or help.
  • Ages 8–11. Invite a child to read Mosiah 24:15 and another to read Mark 5:36 aloud. Let an older child lead the walking game and narrate part of the story. Ask a harder question: Why might Jesus give us peace first and fix the problem later? Have them write on their drawing one thing they will do the next time something is hard.

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.