October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Elder Neil L. Andersen › Children

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

Jesus Helps Me Be Brave

From “Courage Born of Our Faith in Jesus Christ,” by Elder Neil L. Andersen · Sunday morning session, October 2026 General Conference

Watch the talkRead the full talk

The big idea

Because I have faith in Jesus Christ, I can be brave and choose the right.

Objective

Children will say that Jesus helps them be brave and will draw one brave, right choice they can make this week.

Before you teach

  • Read Elder Andersen's talk, especially T21.02, T21.06–T21.07 and T21.10–T21.13.
  • Bring building blocks (or small boxes or paper cups to stack).
  • Bring paper and crayons for each child.
  • Fold one sheet of paper in half like a small booklet for the first story.

Lesson plan

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

3 min0–3

Stand tall

  1. After the prayer, ask the children to curl up small like someone who feels afraid. Then ask them to stand tall like someone who is brave.
  2. Teach the truth for today with actions: “Jesus” (point up), “helps me” (hands on heart), “be brave” (stand tall, arms strong). Say it together three times, a little louder each time, then once in a whisper.
  3. Tell them that at general conference Elder Andersen, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, taught that faith in Jesus helps us be brave to choose the right.
5 min3–8

Rosemary and the little book

  1. Hold up the folded paper. Tell the story simply: Rosemary was seventeen and lived in a country called Zimbabwe. Missionaries left a pamphlet about Joseph Smith at her home. She read it and felt right away that it was true. Joseph really did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. She was taught and was baptized.
  2. Act it out. Choose a child to be Rosemary, who finds the pamphlet, reads it and puts a hand on her heart. The others are missionaries who teach her. Repeat with a new Rosemary if time allows.
  3. Explain that Rosemary chose to follow Jesus, and she was a good example to her mother and father, who joined the Church many years later.
  4. Say the truth with actions again.
Ask
  • How do you think Rosemary felt inside when she knew it was true?
  • What brave thing did Rosemary choose to do?
5 min8–13

Moroni would not say no to Jesus

  1. Tell the children that Moroni lived long ago and wrote in the Book of Mormon. He was all alone. He had no friends and nowhere to go. People around him wanted him to say he did not believe in Jesus.
  2. Read Moroni's words from the talk: “And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ.” Explain that deny means to say I do not believe.
  3. Play Stand for Jesus. The children sit. Each time you say something a follower of Jesus would do (pray, tell the truth, be kind to someone left out, say sorry), they jump up and stand tall. For anything else (push in line, tell a lie), they stay sitting and shake their heads.
  4. Ask the question below.
Ask
  • Who helped Moroni be brave when he was all alone?
5 min13–18

The quiet meadow

  1. Tell the children that when Elder Andersen was a boy he lived on a small dairy farm. On summer mornings after milking he got on his horse and took the cows up to a high meadow to eat grass.
  2. Let the children be cows walking slowly around the room while you lead on a pretend horse. Then say: Now we are in the meadow. Everyone sit down. It is very quiet here.
  3. Sit in silence together for thirty seconds. Whisper that Elder Andersen spent the whole day there with his thoughts, and he taught: “We need stillness to nourish our faith in Christ.” Explain that nourish means to feed and help grow.
  4. Teach that when we are still and pray to Heavenly Father by ourselves, He helps us be brave to choose the right. Have the children fold their arms and think quietly for a moment about Heavenly Father.
Ask
  • When is a quiet time that you can pray?
6 min18–24

Building my faith

  1. Set the blocks in the middle. Put down the first block and say: This is my faith in Jesus Christ.
  2. Give a simple pretend situation, such as: A boy sees someone sitting alone at recess. What is the brave, right choice? When a child answers, that child adds a block. Other situations: a girl broke something and no one saw; friends are saying unkind words; it is time to pray and a boy feels shy; a new child comes to Primary.
  3. As the tower grows, explain what Elder Andersen taught: when we are brave and choose the right, our faith in Jesus grows stronger. If the tower falls, smile and build again; we can always try again.
  4. Share President Oaks's words from the talk (see aligned quotes). Explain that he was once asked to do something that felt very big, and he used all his faith and said yes.
Ask
  • What happened to our tower each time someone chose the right?
4 min24–28

My brave choice

  1. Give each child paper and crayons. Ask them to draw themselves making one brave, right choice this week.
  2. Walk around and ask each child to tell you about the drawing. Help write a few words on it if they wish.
  3. Sing “Choose the Right Way” quietly while they finish, if the children know it.
2 min28–30

Show and say

  1. Invite two or three children to show their drawings and tell their brave choice.
  2. Say the truth with actions one last time. Bear a simple testimony that Jesus Christ lives and helps you be brave.
  3. Ask the children to take the drawing home and put it where they will see it. Tell them that next week you will ask them to tell about their brave choice.

Key passages from the talk

“Faith and courage are hallmarks of disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Elder Andersen’s talk, paragraph 3

“And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ.”

Elder Andersen’s talk, paragraph 7

“We need stillness to nourish our faith in Christ.”

Elder Andersen’s talk, paragraph 10

Scriptures

  • Moroni 1:3 Show the children where Moroni's words are in the Book of Mormon; an older child can read the verse aloud during the Moroni segment.
  • John 14:23 For older children: read it at the end and ask what Jesus promises those who love Him and keep His words.

Other voices that agree

“Gathering all my faith, I accepted the call.”

President Dallin H. Oaks, quoted in this talk (paragraph 16)

Three things to remember

  • Jesus helps me be brave.
  • I can choose the right even when it is hard.
  • When I am quiet and pray, Heavenly Father helps me.

Ways to act this week

  • Make the brave choice you drew, and tell a grown-up about it.
  • Find one quiet moment each day to pray to Heavenly Father by yourself.
  • Say the words and do the actions for Jesus helps me be brave when you feel afraid.

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

Music

  • Choose the Right Way
  • A Child's Prayer

Adapting the lesson

  • Ages 3–7. Keep each story to three or four sentences and act everything out. Repeat the action truth after every segment. Let every child be a cow and add a block, with a helper guiding hands. Shorten the meadow silence to ten or fifteen seconds and make the drawing a simple picture of the child standing tall.
  • Ages 8–11. Have a child read Moroni 1:3 aloud and another read the sentence about Rosemary from the talk. Let an older child lead the Stand for Jesus game and make up the block situations. Ask a harder question: Why does choosing the right when it is hard make faith stronger? Have them write one sentence under their drawing about when and where they will make their brave choice.

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.