Opening Connection
Begin class by holding up a small, cracked or chipped object, a broken crayon, a cracked eraser, or a chipped cup, and an identical object that is whole and new.
Ask the children: "Has something you really loved ever gotten broken or lost? How did that feel?"
Let two or three children share briefly. Then hold up both objects and say: "Today we are going to learn about something amazing, that Jesus Christ has the power to heal and restore things that seem completely broken. Isaiah, one of the greatest prophets who ever lived, promised this. And here is the best part: Isaiah was talking about us."
Place both objects where the children can see them throughout the lesson. Tell them that by the end of class, they will know exactly how Jesus heals broken things.
Scripture Discovery
Open to Isaiah 35 together. Invite one child to read Isaiah 35:5–6 aloud slowly while the others listen with their eyes on the page:
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.
Ask: "Who do you think is the only person powerful enough to do all of these things?" (Jesus Christ.)
Now turn to Isaiah 25:8–9 and read it together as a class, one phrase at a time:
He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.
And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Ask: "What does it mean that God will 'wipe away tears from off all faces'? When do you feel like you really need someone to do that for you?"
Explain in simple language: Isaiah wrote these promises about 700 years before Jesus was born, and they all came true. The blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked, and death was conquered on the morning of the Resurrection.
Core Gospel Principles
1. Jesus Christ is our Savior and He was promised long ago.
Isaiah saw Jesus coming hundreds of years in advance. When he wrote that God would "swallow up death in victory" (Isaiah 25:8), he was describing the Resurrection. Jesus made that happen. He kept every promise Isaiah wrote.
2. Pride, trusting ourselves instead of God, leads to spiritual danger.
The people in Isaiah's day tried to solve their problems without God. They made secret deals with other countries instead of praying and trusting Heavenly Father. Isaiah described this as like a cracked wall that is about to fall down (Isaiah 30:13). When we think we don't need God's help, we end up more lost, not less.
3. The Lord can restore anything that is broken or lost.
"A marvellous work and a wonder" (Isaiah 29:14) is how Isaiah described what God would do to restore His gospel and His people. That Restoration happened through Joseph Smith. And personally, Jesus can restore us too, healing our hearts, forgiving our mistakes, and bringing us back to Him no matter how far we have wandered.
Interactive Learning Activities
Object Lesson: The Cracked Wall *(Object Lesson)*
Materials: Two stacks of blocks or books; one stack built straight, one built leaning or wobbly.
Instructions:
- Build one solid, straight tower. Say: "This is a person who trusts Jesus, built on a sure foundation." (Isaiah 28:16 calls Jesus a "sure" cornerstone.)
- Build a second wobbly tower. Say: "This is what happens when we try to handle everything alone, without God's help."
- Gently tap each tower. The wobbly one falls; the solid one holds.
- Ask: "Can you think of a time at school or with a friend when you tried to fix something by yourself and it got harder? What would it look like to ask Heavenly Father for help first?"
Connection: Isaiah 28:16 promises that the person who trusts in the Lord's cornerstone "shall not make haste", they won't panic or rush into bad choices.
Object Lesson: The Cracked Wall *(Object Lesson)*
Materials: Two stacks of blocks or books; one stack built straight, one built leaning or wobbly.
Instructions:
- Build one solid, straight tower. Say: "This is a person who trusts Jesus, built on a sure foundation." (Isaiah 28:16 calls Jesus a "sure" cornerstone.)
- Build a second wobbly tower. Say: "This is what happens when we try to handle everything alone, without God's help."
- Gently tap each tower. The wobbly one falls; the solid one holds.
- Ask: "Can you think of a time at school or with a friend when you tried to fix something by yourself and it got harder? What would it look like to ask Heavenly Father for help first?"
Connection: Isaiah 28:16 promises that the person who trusts in the Lord's cornerstone "shall not make haste", they won't panic or rush into bad choices.
Game: "Heal It!" Matching Game *(Game)*
Materials: Index cards prepared before class, write one Isaiah promise on each card and one matching "need" on another card. Pairs:
- "Eyes of the blind shall be opened" / "Can't see clearly, feeling lost"
- "Wipe away tears from off all faces" / "Feeling sad and alone"
- "The lame man shall leap" / "Feeling too weak to keep going"
- "Everlasting joy upon their heads" / "Worried and afraid"
Instructions:
- Shuffle all cards and spread them face-down on a table or the floor.
- Children take turns flipping two cards. If a promise matches a need, they keep the pair and share one thing Jesus can do to help.
- After all matches are found, ask: "Which of these promises from Isaiah means the most to you right now?"
Connection: Ties directly to Isaiah 35, where Isaiah lists these healing miracles as proof that Jesus is the Messiah and that God restores broken things.
Creative Expression: My "Highway of Holiness" Card *(Hands-On Craft)*
Materials: Half-sheets of paper or card stock, crayons or colored pencils.
Instructions:
- Give each child a card. Ask them to draw a simple road or path, their personal "highway of holiness" from Isaiah 35.
- On one side of the road, they write or draw one thing that makes it hard to follow Jesus (a temptation, a hard choice, something scary).
- On the other side, they write or draw one thing Jesus does to help them keep walking (prayer, scriptures, a kind friend, forgiveness).
- At the end of the road, they write: "I will return to Jesus by _____________ this week."
Allow 4–5 minutes. Invite one or two children to share what they drew.
Connection: Isaiah 35:8 describes a "way of holiness" that God builds specifically so His people can come home to Him. This card helps children picture their own path back to Jesus.
Life Application Bridge
Say to the class: "Isaiah lived in a really scary time. Armies were destroying whole countries. People were making bad choices. But Isaiah kept teaching one simple truth: the Lord has the power to restore and heal, and He wants to do that for you."
Ask the children to think about this week:
- Is there something at home or school that feels broken or hard?
- Is there a time this week when you could choose to trust Jesus instead of panicking or trying to fix it alone?
Remind them that Isaiah 30:15 says that "in returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." That means that coming back to Heavenly Father, through prayer, scripture reading, or just being still and trusting, is the most powerful thing they can do.
Testimony Time
Invite the children to sit quietly for a moment, holding their Highway of Holiness cards.
Ask gently: "Is there something you learned today about Jesus that you want to remember? Maybe something He can do for you, or something He has already done?"
Give the children 60 seconds of quiet thinking time. Then invite any who would like to share one sentence about what they feel. Keep this open and unforced.
You might say simply and naturally: "I know that Isaiah was right. Jesus Christ really does heal broken things, including broken hearts. That is not just an old promise. It is something I have felt to be true."
Take-Home Challenge
This week, when something feels hard, broken, or too big to fix, instead of trying to solve it alone, stop and pray first. Then look for how Jesus helps.
On the back of their Highway of Holiness card, children can write:
"This week I will trust Jesus with _______________."
Encourage them to put the card somewhere they will see it, on their pillow, their bathroom mirror, or inside their scriptures.
Teacher Tips
1. Adapt the matching game for smaller or larger groups. If you have fewer than four children, reduce the card pairs to two or three. If the group is large and energetic, have children run to tap matching cards posted on the wall instead of flipping table cards, it adds movement and excitement.
2. Keep the object lesson tower available all lesson. Returning to the solid tower versus the wobbly tower at different points in the lesson (especially during the Life Application Bridge) reinforces the doctrinal message visually without extra materials. Children in this age group respond strongly to recurring physical anchors.
