October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Elder Ronald A. Rasband › Children

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

Arms Open Wide

From “Love Like Jesus,” by Elder Ronald A. Rasband · Saturday afternoon session, October 2026 General Conference

Watch the talkRead the full talk

The big idea

Jesus loves everyone, and I can love others like Jesus does.

Objective

Children will be able to say that Jesus loves everyone and show one way they will love someone this week.

Before you teach

  • Read paragraphs T18.11–T18.14 and T18.19–T18.21 of Elder Rasband's talk and Luke 15:20.
  • Bring a flashlight, a soft ball, paper and crayons.
  • Clear a little space so children can walk from one side of the room to the other.
  • Be ready to sing Love One Another.

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 begin

  1. Invite a child to pray.
  2. Sing Love One Another together. Tell the children that Elder Rasband, an Apostle, quoted this song in general conference.
  3. Teach today's truth with actions: Jesus loves everyone (arms open wide), and I can love like Jesus (hands on heart). Say it together three times.
5 min3–8

The father who ran

  1. Tell the story Jesus told, in simple words: a son went far away from home. After a while he was sad and wanted to come back. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him, felt love for him, and ran to him.
  2. Act it out. Choose one child to be the father on one side of the room. The other children walk slowly to the far side, then turn and walk back. The father watches, then hurries to meet them with arms open wide.
  3. Do it again with a new father so more children have a turn.
  4. Explain that Elder Rasband taught that love is what brought the son home, and that Heavenly Father holds out His arms to all His children.
Ask
  • How do you think the son felt when he saw his father running to him?
  • How does it feel when someone is happy to see you?
5 min8–13

Light that reaches everyone

  1. Dim the lights if you can. Turn on the flashlight and shine it on the floor near you. Invite a child to stand close, in the light.
  2. Ask another child to stand far across the room. Ask the class if the light can reach that far. Shine it all the way to that child.
  3. Let two or three children take a turn holding the flashlight and shining it gently on the floor by a friend who is far away.
  4. Say that the love of Jesus is like this light. It reaches people who are near and people who are far. Repeat today's truth with the actions.
Ask
  • Is there anyone the love of Jesus cannot reach?
6 min13–19

What love looks like

  1. Read the second key quote slowly and show what a cheerful countenance is: a happy, friendly face. Have everyone show you theirs.
  2. Tell the children that Elder Rasband taught we become more like the Savior when we are peacemakers and when we are patient, forgiving and kind.
  3. Sit in a circle and roll or gently toss the ball. Whoever catches it names one kind thing they can do or say, then passes it on. Help younger children with ideas: share, say sorry, sit by someone, smile, help.
  4. Play a quick round of show me: name a simple situation, such as a friend drops their crayons or someone new comes to class, and let the children show with their bodies what love would do.
Ask
  • What is one way someone showed love to you this week?
4 min19–23

Love prays

  1. Read the third key quote. Explain that one way we love people is to pray for them.
  2. Tell the children that in the Book of Mormon a father named Alma prayed with much faith for his son, and Heavenly Father heard his prayers.
  3. Invite the children to fold their arms, close their eyes, and think of one person they love. Give them a quiet moment to think about what they could ask Heavenly Father to bless that person with.
  4. Ask one or two children to share the kind of thing they might pray for, such as help to feel happy or help at school.
5 min23–28

Draw your open arms

  1. Give each child paper and crayons. Invite them to draw themselves with arms open wide, and next to them a person they will show love to this week.
  2. As they draw, move around the room and ask each child what they will do for that person. Write their words on the paper for them if they need help.
  3. This is your check for understanding: each child should be able to tell you one thing they will do.
2 min28–30

Say it once more

  1. Have the children hold up their drawings and say today's truth one more time with the actions.
  2. Say Elder Fale's words from this conference together (see the aligned quote). Bear a short testimony that Jesus Christ loves each of them and everyone they love.
  3. Ask them to take the drawing home and do what they drew. Tell them you will ask next week what they did.
  4. Close with prayer.

Key passages from the talk

“Jesus Christ is the perfect embodiment of love.”

Elder Rasband’s talk, paragraph 11

“Love is being there with arms outstretched and a cheerful countenance.”

Elder Rasband’s talk, paragraph 12

“Love is expressed in prayer.”

Elder Rasband’s talk, paragraph 14

Scriptures

  • Luke 15:20 Open the Bible to this verse as you tell the story so the children see where it comes from; an older child can read it aloud before you act it out.
  • John 15:12 After singing Love One Another, show the children this verse and tell them the song comes from what Jesus asked us to do.
  • Mosiah 27:14 Show the verse during the prayer segment and explain in your own words that Heavenly Father heard a father's prayers for his son.

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

  • Jesus loves everyone, near and far.
  • I can love like Jesus with kind words, open arms and a happy face.
  • I can pray for the people I love.

Ways to act this week

  • Do the kind thing you drew for the person in your picture.
  • Say a prayer this week for someone you love and use their name.
  • Greet someone with a smile and open arms when they come home or come to class.

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

Music

  • Love One Another
  • Jesus Said Love Everyone

Adapting the lesson

  • Ages 3–7. Keep each part short and moving. Act out the father running two or three times, repeat the truth with actions after every activity, and roll the ball instead of tossing it. Let a helper sit with the youngest during drawing and write their words. Shorten the prayer segment to one quiet moment with folded arms.
  • Ages 8–11. Have a child read Luke 15:20 and John 15:12 aloud and let an older child lead the ball game or the flashlight activity. Ask a harder question: Elder Rasband taught that love is being interested in other people's lives; what is the difference between being kind to someone and really being interested in them? Invite them to write, not only draw, their plan.

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.