October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Elder Thabo Lebethoa › Children

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

Jesus Christ Is the Light

From “Jesus Christ Is the Light and Life of the World,” by Elder Thabo Lebethoa · Sunday afternoon session, October 2026 General Conference

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The big idea

Jesus Christ is the light, and I can let more of His light into my life.

Objective

Children will say that Jesus Christ is the light and show three things they can do to let in more of His light: trust Him, read the scriptures, and try again when they make a mistake.

Before you teach

  • Bring a flashlight and a blanket or thick towel.
  • Bring paper and crayons for each child.
  • Bring a copy of the Book of Mormon to hold up.
  • Plan to dim the room a little. Do not make it fully dark.

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 gather

  1. Sing the song Teach Me to Walk in the Light and have a child pray.
  2. Ask the question below and let several children answer.
  3. Say: Today we will learn who gives us the best light of all.
Ask
  • When it is dark, what helps you see?
5 min3–8

The light under the blanket

  1. Dim the room a little. Turn on the flashlight and cover it completely with the blanket. Ask if the light is still on.
  2. Let a child lift one corner of the blanket. Let another lift more. Then take the blanket off.
  3. Say: The light was shining the whole time. We let more of it in.
  4. Tell the children that Jesus said, “I am the light and the life of the world.”
  5. Teach the one short truth and repeat it together three times, first in a whisper, then in a normal voice, then standing tall: Jesus Christ is the light.
Ask
  • What happened each time we lifted the blanket?
4 min8–12

Elder Lebethoa’s story

  1. Tell the children: Elder Lebethoa is a Church leader from South Africa. His name, Thabo, means joy.
  2. Say: One evening he and his wife disagreed. They became upset and stopped talking to each other. Have the children fold their arms and turn away without a sound.
  3. Hold up the Book of Mormon. Say: Then he remembered words Jesus spoke in the Book of Mormon. Jesus does not want us to be angry with each other.
  4. Say: Those words were like a light in his mind. They helped him know what to do. Have the children turn back, unfold their arms, and smile.
Ask
  • How did the words of Jesus help Elder Lebethoa?
6 min12–18

Three ways to let the light in

  1. Stand in a circle. Teach three actions. Trust Jesus: hands on heart. Read the scriptures: hands open like a book. Try again: turn all the way around and face the front.
  2. Explain each in one sentence. I trust that Jesus knows me and will help me. I read the scriptures and learn about Jesus. When I make a mistake, I turn back to Jesus and try again, and He helps me.
  3. Call out the three ways in mixed order, faster and faster, while the children do the actions. Shine the flashlight on the ceiling each time they get one.
  4. Let a child be the caller for a round.
  5. For the scripture action, hold up the Book of Mormon and share Elder Morgan’s words from the aligned quotes.
5 min18–23

Draw the light

  1. Give each child paper and crayons. Help them fold the paper into three parts.
  2. Ask them to draw a bright light at the top and, in the three parts, themselves trusting Jesus, reading the scriptures, and trying again.
  3. Walk around and ask each child to tell you about one of their pictures.
4 min23–27

Pass the light

  1. Sit in a circle with the room dimmed a little. Pass the flashlight from child to child.
  2. Whoever holds the light finishes this sentence: This week I can let in the light of Jesus by…
  3. Help any child who is unsure by pointing to their drawing. Thank each child.
Ask
  • Which of the three ways will you try first?
3 min27–30

A new day

  1. Say the truth together one more time: Jesus Christ is the light.
  2. Tell the children that Elder Lebethoa promised that for everyone who comes to Jesus Christ and receives His light, today can be a new day and tomorrow will be a better day. Share your own testimony in a sentence or two.
  3. Ask the children to take their drawing home and show someone the three ways. Tell them you will ask next week what they did.
  4. Sing the song Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam if time allows, and close with prayer.

Key passages from the talk

“Jesus Christ can bring light in our moments of darkness and restore hope where there is hopelessness.”

Elder Lebethoa’s talk, paragraph 9

“Through Him, today can be a new day and tomorrow can be a better day.”

Elder Lebethoa’s talk, paragraph 9

“the answer is always Jesus Christ”

Elder Lebethoa’s talk, paragraph 8

Scriptures

  • 3 Nephi 11:11 Say the Savior’s words about being the light during the flashlight activity. An older child can read the first part of the verse aloud.
  • Psalm 119:105 Hold up the scriptures during the game and explain in your own words that God’s word is like a light that shows us where to walk.
  • Matthew 11:28 At the close, tell the children that Jesus invites everyone to come to Him. Older children can find and read the verse.

Other voices that agree

“No time or effort is ever wasted in reading the Book of Mormon.”

Elder Morgan · The Infinite Power of God in Our Covenants, paragraph 6

Three things to remember

  • Jesus Christ is the light.
  • I can trust Jesus, read the scriptures, and try again.
  • Jesus helps me, and tomorrow can be a better day.

Ways to act this week

  • Show your drawing to someone at home and teach them the three actions.
  • Read or listen to a verse from the Book of Mormon each day this week.
  • When you feel upset with someone, stop, remember Jesus, and use kind words.
  • When you make a mistake, pray, turn back to Jesus, and try again.

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

Music

  • Teach Me to Walk in the Light
  • Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

Adapting the lesson

  • Ages 3–7. Keep the room mostly light and let every child have a turn lifting the blanket. Repeat the short truth often and play the action game twice instead of adding speed. In the drawing time, ask for one picture only: me and the light of Jesus. A helper can sit beside children who need one.
  • Ages 8–11. Have a child read 3 Nephi 11:11 aloud and another read Matthew 11:28. Let an older child lead the action game. Ask a harder question: Why do you think reading the words of Jesus helped Elder Lebethoa know what to do? Invite them to write one sentence under each drawing about what they will do this week.

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.