October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › Elder Ulisses Soares › Children

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

We Pray and We Share

From “A Higher and Holier Fast,” by Elder Ulisses Soares · Saturday morning session, October 2026 General Conference

Watch the talkRead the full talk

The big idea

Fasting is a special way to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus: we pray, and we share with people who need help.

Objective

Children will be able to say that when we fast we pray and we share, and will choose one way to pray or share this week.

Before you teach

  • Bring a flashlight, a blanket, a picture of the Savior, paper, and a box of crayons.
  • Place the picture of the Savior at the front of the room where every child can see it.
  • Be ready to sing “A Child’s Prayer.”
  • Do not ask children to go without food. Parents guide when and how their children begin to fast. Today the children practice praying and sharing.

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 pray

  1. Invite a child to pray. Sing “A Child’s Prayer” together.
  2. Ask the question and let several children answer.
  3. Say: Today we will learn about a special way to feel close to Heavenly Father and Jesus. It is called fasting.
Ask
  • How do you feel when you talk to Heavenly Father in prayer?
4 min3–7

Light like the morning

  1. Explain simply: When people fast, they choose to go without food for a little while. They do it to think about Heavenly Father, to pray, and to share with people who need help.
  2. Turn off the lights if the room allows. Hold the flashlight under the blanket, switched on, so the light is hidden. Ask: Can you see much light?
  3. Let a child pull the blanket away. Say: The prophet Isaiah said that when we fast the way the Lord asks, light comes like the morning, and when we call to the Lord He says, “Here I am.”
  4. Teach the short truth with actions: We pray (fold arms) and we share (open hands). Say it together three times.
5 min7–12

Jesus fasted and prayed

  1. Lay the blanket on the floor to be a quiet place. Tell the story: Before Jesus began teaching the people, He went to a quiet place called the wilderness. He fasted and prayed for 40 days to be close to His Father.
  2. Invite the children to walk on quiet feet to the blanket and kneel or sit with arms folded. Count to 40 together softly by tens, showing ten fingers each time.
  3. Say: Fasting and praying made Jesus strong to choose the right. Invite the children to stand up tall and strong.
  4. Ask the question.
Ask
  • Why do you think Jesus wanted to be close to His Father?
5 min12–17

Steps closer to Jesus

  1. Have the children line up at the back of the room, facing the picture of the Savior.
  2. Explain: I will say something a child might do. If it helps us come closer to Jesus, take one step forward. If it does not, stand still as a statue.
  3. Call out, one at a time: saying a prayer, sharing a toy, grabbing something from a friend, helping someone who is sad, saying unkind words, giving to help people in need, thanking Heavenly Father.
  4. When the children reach the picture, say: Elder Soares, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, promised that when we fast in a higher and holier way, we will draw nearer to the Savior. Repeat together: We pray and we share.
5 min17–22

Sharing the crayons

  1. Sit in a circle. Give the whole box of crayons to one helper and a blank paper to every child. Ask: Can everyone draw? What could we do?
  2. Let the helper share the crayons until every child has some. Ask how it felt to give and how it felt to receive.
  3. Explain: When people fast, they also give a fast offering. That is money they share so people who need food or other help can have what they need.
  4. Tell the children in your own words what President Eyring shared at this conference, quoting President Spencer W. Kimball: Heavenly Father watches over us, and He often helps people through another person. We can be that person.
Ask
  • Who is someone you could share with or help this week?
6 min22–28

Draw: I pray, I share

  1. Have each child fold their paper in half. On one side they draw themselves praying. On the other side they draw themselves sharing or helping someone.
  2. Walk around and ask each child to tell you about their drawing. Write I pray and I share at the top for those who want help.
  3. Check for understanding: ask each child, one at a time, What do we do when we fast? Listen for: we pray and we share.
2 min28–30

Choose and close

  1. Invite each child to point to one side of their drawing and choose it as the thing they will do this week.
  2. Share your testimony in one or two sentences: Heavenly Father hears our prayers, and Jesus is happy when we share.
  3. Ask the children to take their drawing home and show their family. Follow up: next week, ask who prayed or shared, and let them tell about it.

Key passages from the talk

“when we call upon the Lord, He is near”

Elder Soares’s talk, paragraph 6

“You will draw nearer to the Savior, receive strength to overcome your weaknesses, and become more sensitive to the needs of others.”

Elder Soares’s talk, paragraph 14

Scriptures

  • Isaiah 58:8–9 After the flashlight activity, read verse 9 aloud (or have an older child read it) and ask what the Lord says when we call to Him.
  • Matthew 4:1–2 Tell this story in your own words while the children act it out; an older child can read verse 2 aloud.

Other voices that agree

“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.”

President Spencer W. Kimball, quoted by President Eyring · “Fear Not, I Am with Thee”, paragraph 13

Three things to remember

  • Heavenly Father hears me when I pray.
  • Jesus fasted and prayed to be close to His Father.
  • I can share to help people in need.

Ways to act this week

  • Say a prayer this week and thank Heavenly Father for three things.
  • Share something of yours with a brother, sister, or friend.
  • Show your drawing to your family and tell them: we pray and we share.
  • On the next fast Sunday, ask a grown-up if you can help by saying a prayer for someone who needs help.

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

Music

  • A Child's Prayer
  • Kindness Begins with Me

Adapting the lesson

  • Ages 3–7. Keep each part short and repeat We pray and we share with the actions after every activity. Use only four statements in the stepping game and say the answer with them. Let a helper hold the flashlight. For the drawing, one picture is enough: me praying.
  • Ages 8–11. Have a child read Isaiah 58:9 and another read Matthew 4:2. Let an older child lead the stepping game and think of statements. Ask: Fasting did not take away every hard thing for Jesus. How did it help Him? Invite them to write one sentence under each 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.