October 2026 General Conference › Lessons › President Henry B. Eyring › Children

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

Jesus Is with Me, and I Can Be His Helper

From “Fear Not, I Am with Thee,” by President Henry B. Eyring · Sunday morning session, October 2026 General Conference

Watch the talkRead the full talk

The big idea

Jesus is with me when things are hard, and He sends helpers. I can be one of His helpers.

Objective

Children will be able to say the words “Fear not, I am with thee” and name one kind thing they will do to help someone this week.

Before you teach

  • Bring a picture of the Savior.
  • Bring a blanket and four or five books.
  • Bring paper and crayons for each child, and a soft ball.
  • Read paragraphs 5–6, 11–13 and 16–18 of President Eyring's talk so you can tell the story in your own simple words.

Lesson plan

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

3 min0–3

Welcome and song

  1. Invite a child to pray. Sing the song I'm Trying to Be like Jesus.
  2. Hold up the picture of the Savior. Ask the question below and let several children answer.
  3. Tell them: today we will learn a promise from Jesus.
Ask
  • Who has helped you when something was hard? What did they do?
4 min3–7

Learn the promise with actions

  1. Explain that President Eyring taught us a promise from the scriptures and from a hymn: “Fear not, I am with thee.” Tell the children that thee means you.
  2. Teach actions. Fear not: shake your head and hold your hands out, palms forward. I am: point up. With thee: hug yourself.
  3. Say it together three times: once in a whisper, once in a normal voice, once standing tall.
  4. Tell the children that whenever you hold up the picture of the Savior today, everyone says the promise with the actions.
5 min7–12

The story of Hal and his mother

  1. Tell the story simply. When President Eyring was a little boy called Hal, he asked his mother why life is so hard. She smiled and told him it is supposed to be hard, because life is a test. His mother was sick for much of her life, but she knew Jesus was with her.
  2. Continue: when she was very sick and had to stay in bed, she kept one picture on her wall where she could see it. Ask the children to guess whose picture. Hold up the picture of the Savior and say the promise together.
  3. Continue: Hal's father slept on a little bed right beside her in the hospital so he could help her in the night. Nurses helped her too. Later, his father found every nurse, shook each one's hand and said thank you.
  4. Have the children stand, shake hands with two others and say thank you, the way his father did.
Ask
  • Who were the helpers in this story?
  • Who sent the helpers?
5 min12–17

The heavy blanket

  1. Lay the blanket on the floor and put the books in the middle. Ask one child to try lifting it by one corner. It sags and the books slide.
  2. Ask who could help. Have three more children each take a corner and lift together, slowly. Let other children take turns.
  3. Point out that the books are still heavy, but with helpers the load can be carried. Explain that Jesus is with us, and He sends helpers too.
  4. Hold up the picture of the Savior. Say the promise together.
Ask
  • How did it feel when your friends took the other corners?
6 min17–23

My helping hand

  1. Give each child paper and a crayon. Help them trace one hand.
  2. Say that President Eyring taught that even a warm smile or a few seconds of kindness can help someone know that Jesus is watching over them.
  3. Inside the hand, each child draws one kind thing they can do this week: smile at someone, say thank you to a teacher, pray for someone, sit by someone who is alone, say hello to the missionaries.
  4. Walk around and ask each child to tell you about their drawing.
4 min23–27

Helper ball

  1. Stand or sit in a circle. Say the first half of this sentence and roll or toss the ball to a child, who finishes it: I can be a helper for Jesus by ...
  2. The child names one way to help, then sends the ball to someone who has not had a turn. Keep going until everyone has had the ball.
  3. If a child is stuck, let them hold up their hand drawing and tell what is on it.
3 min27–30

Remember and go

  1. Hold up the picture of the Savior one last time. Say the promise together with the actions.
  2. Bear a short testimony: Jesus knows you. He is with you when things are hard. He is glad when you help.
  3. Invite the children to take their hand drawing home and do the kind thing they drew. Tell them that next week you will ask what they did.
  4. Close with prayer.

Key passages from the talk

“Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,”

President Eyring’s talk, paragraph 4

“He knows you perfectly. He knows your heart.”

President Eyring’s talk, paragraph 9

“Even your simple attention was a comfort.”

President Eyring’s talk, paragraph 16

Scriptures

  • Isaiah 41:10 Show the children where the promise is found. An older child reads the verse aloud while the others do the actions when they hear the words they learned.
  • Mosiah 18:8–9 After the blanket activity, an older child reads verse 8 aloud. Ask what the people were willing to do with one another's burdens.

Other voices that agree

“God does notice us, and he watches over us.”

President Spencer W. Kimball, quoted in this talk (paragraph 13)

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

Elder Rasband · Love Like Jesus, paragraph 12

Three things to remember

  • Jesus is with me when things are hard.
  • Jesus sends helpers to me.
  • I can be a helper for Jesus.

Ways to act this week

  • Do the kind thing you drew inside your helping hand.
  • Say thank you to someone who helps you, such as a teacher, a leader or a nurse.
  • Pray for someone who is having a hard time.
  • Say the promise with the actions when you feel afraid or sad.

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

Music

  • I'm Trying to Be like Jesus
  • Kindness Begins with Me

Adapting the lesson

  • Ages 3–7. Tell the story in four or five sentences and repeat the promise with actions after each part. Use only one book on the blanket and let every child have a turn at a corner. Trace hands for them and let them simply color; ask each child to tell you one kind thing. Roll the ball on the floor instead of tossing it, and accept a one-word answer such as smile or hug.
  • Ages 8–11. Have them find and read Isaiah 41:10 and Mosiah 18:8 aloud. Ask a harder question: Jesus promised to be with us, not to take every hard thing away. Why might that be better? Read Elder Rasband's sentence and ask what a cheerful countenance looks like. Let an older child lead the blanket activity or the ball game, and have them write the name of someone they will help inside their hand.

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.