Older Primary Lesson Plan: Numbers 11–14;20–24;27

Opening Connection (Attention Getter: “Gratitude Goggles” Object Lesson)

Main theme: The Lord helps us in the wilderness, and He asks us to trust Him, follow His prophet, and look to Jesus Christ.

Materials: A pair of sunglasses (or paper “goggles” you cut out), small paper slips, pencil.

1. Hold up the sunglasses and say: “These are my gratitude goggles. When I wear them, I try to notice blessings instead of complaints.”
2. Ask: “What are some times kids might complain, at school, at home, or with siblings?”
3. Invite 2–3 children to share one blessing they sometimes forget (family, food, scriptures, friends, teachers).
4. Explain: This week, the children of Israel were in the wilderness, and sometimes they forgot the Lord’s blessings and complained (Numbers 11:4–10).

Transition: “Let’s discover what the Lord taught them, and what He can teach us.”

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Scripture Discovery (Interactive Partner Reading + Treasure Hunt)

Materials: Scriptures, crayons/colored pencils, small sticky notes (optional).

Passage 1: Following the prophet (Numbers 12:1–8)

1. Pair children up. Assign Partner A to read Numbers 12:1–2 and Partner B to read Numbers 12:6–8.
2. Treasure Hunt: Ask them to listen for who the Lord speaks to and how.
3. Read together key lines from Numbers 12:6–8:

“If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.” (Numbers 12:6) “With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:8)

Questions:

• “What did the Lord say about prophets?”
• “How did the Lord feel about people speaking against His servant Moses?”

Passage 2: Looking to Jesus Christ (Numbers 21:6–9)

Read aloud together:

“And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.” (Numbers 21:6) “Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned… And Moses prayed for the people.” (Numbers 21:7) “And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.” (Numbers 21:8) “And Moses made a serpent of brass… and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Numbers 21:9)

Question: “What did they have to do to be healed?”

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Core Gospel Principles (Simple, Building Truths)

1. Gratitude helps us remember God’s blessings. The Israelites forgot miracles and complained (Numbers 11:4–10). Gratitude helps our hearts stay soft and faithful.
2. God guides His Church through His prophet, and He wants us to follow. The Lord defended Moses and taught that prophets are called to lead His people (Numbers 12:6–8).
3. When we look to Jesus Christ in faith, He can heal us spiritually. The people were healed when they looked (Numbers 21:8–9). Book of Mormon prophets connected this to looking to the Son of God with faith (Helaman 8:15).

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Interactive Learning Activities

1) “Count Your Blessings Gallery” (Music & Movement)

Materials: Paper, crayons; optional: play/sing “Count Your Blessings” (Hymns, no. 241).

Steps:

1. Sing or listen to “Count Your Blessings” (as suggested in the bundle).
2. While the song plays, children draw one blessing on their paper.
3. After the song, have kids stand and do a simple “gallery walk” to see each other’s drawings.
4. Invite 3–4 children to share what they drew.

Connect to scripture: “The Israelites forgot blessings and complained (Numbers 11:4–10). We’re practicing remembering.”

Discussion questions:

• “How does gratitude change the way we feel?”
• “What blessing do you want to remember this week when something feels hard?”

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2) “Prophet Path: Follow the Leader Choices” (Game)

Materials: 8–10 paper footprints (or index cards) taped on the floor in a path; a small picture of Moses (optional).

Steps:

1. Explain: “This is our Prophet Path. We’re going to practice choosing to follow the Lord’s prophet.”
2. Put footprints in a simple path. On some footprints, write scenarios like:

• “A friend says prophets are old-fashioned.”
• “I hear counsel in conference that’s hard.”
• “I choose to listen and try.”

3. One child at a time walks the path. When they step on a scenario footprint, they answer:

• “What would a disciple do?”

4. After a few turns, read again the key phrase:

“Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:8)

Connect to scripture: Numbers 12 teaches the Lord wants His people to respect and follow His prophet (Numbers 12:6–8).

Discussion questions:

• “What are respectful ways to talk about prophets?”
• “How are we blessed when we follow the prophet?” (Use the bundle question: “How are we blessed when we follow the Lord’s prophet?”)

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3) “Look and Live Serpent Craft” (Hands-On Craft)

Materials: Paper strips, pencils/markers, tape or glue, scissors; a stick/pencil to be the “pole” (optional).

Steps:

1. Give each child a paper strip. Help them curl it into a simple “serpent” shape.
2. On the serpent, have them write one simple way to look to Jesus Christ (examples drawn from the bundle idea: “simple things they can do to ‘look upon the Son of God with faith’”).
3. Tape the serpent to a pencil/stick “pole” or to their paper.
4. Practice: Hold it up and say together: “Look and live!” then reread:

“...every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.” (Numbers 21:8)

Connect to scripture: The Israelites were healed when they looked (Numbers 21:8–9). The bundle links this to looking to the Son of God with faith (Helaman 8:15).

Discussion questions:

• “Why do you think looking could heal them?” (Let children answer simply from the story.)
• “What helps you remember to look to Jesus during a hard day?”

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Life Application Bridge (School/Home Connections)

Invite children to name “wilderness moments”, times they feel worried, left out, tempted to complain, or pressured by others.

Then connect to this week’s truths:

• At school: When you feel upset, try “gratitude goggles”, name one blessing instead of complaining (Numbers 11:4–10).
• With friends: If someone pressures you to choose wrong, remember Balaam’s desire to follow God (Numbers 22–24; see the bundle theme: “I can follow God’s will, even if others try to persuade me not to”).
• At home: When you’ve made a mistake, don’t hide, look to Jesus Christ and ask for help (Numbers 21:7–9).

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Testimony Time (Gentle Sharing Prompt)

Hold up the children’s serpent crafts and ask:

• “What is one way you want to look to Jesus Christ this week?”
• “What did you learn about prophets from Numbers 12:6–8?”

Invite 2–3 children to share. Share your own simple witness that the Lord guides His people and that Jesus Christ has power to heal as we look to Him in faith (Numbers 12:6–8; Numbers 21:8–9).

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Take-Home Challenge (One Clear Action)

This week: Each day, write or draw one blessing on a small paper slip and put it somewhere you’ll see (scripture case, backpack, mirror). When you notice yourself complaining, read your blessing and say, “Thank Thee.”

Connect back to the opening: “That’s wearing gratitude goggles on purpose.”

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Teacher Tips

1. Keep turns short and joyful. In the “Prophet Path” game, limit each child to one footprint scenario so everyone participates.
2. Support different learners. Let children who struggle with writing draw their “look to Jesus” idea on the serpent craft instead of writing words.