New Features in the 2019 Friend Support Come, Follow Me Curriculum
Contributed By Eleanor Cain Adams, ChurchofJesusChrist.org Church News staff writer
This year the Friend is adding new features to help parents and Primary teachers use Come, Follow Me lessons with children at home and in the classroom, such as this color-by-number scripture chart.
Article Highlights
- New changes in the 2019 Friend will support the Come, Follow Me curriculum.
- Children are invited to send in garden-themed cutouts telling how they’ve shown or experienced kindness.
This year the Friend is adding new features to help parents and Primary teachers use Come, Follow Me lessons with children at home and in the classroom.
“The new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families,” said President Russell M. Nelson. “I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time … your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease” (“Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints,” Oct. 2018 general conference).
The following additions in the Friend will give parents and Primary teachers resources for home-centered, Church-supported learning. For children worldwide, these features will also be included in the new Friend section of the Liahona. (See related story.)
1. Come, Follow Me color-by-number scripture reading chart
Children can track their family’s scripture reading each week by filling in the color-by-number scripture chart in the January issue. Each week of 2019 is assigned a different New Testament scripture corresponding with the Come, Follow Me curriculum, giving children and families a fun, visual way to track their progress over the months.
2. Illustrated Come, Follow Me scripture stories
Each issue of the Friend will include a beautifully illustrated scripture story from the month’s Come, Follow Me passages, told in language simple enough for young children to understand. A related coloring page will help children remember the stories they’re learning about at home and in the classroom.
A diamond-shaped icon denotes each Friend article or activity that is correlated with the Come, Follow Me program.
3. New icon for Come, Follow Me support
Look for the diamond-shaped icons to find stories and activities that support the Come, Follow Me lessons for families and Primary. For example, the Family Night Fun page includes home evening ideas to support the new curriculum.
4. Help the Friend grow a kindness garden!
To help children worldwide follow the Savior’s example of kindness, the Friend is inviting them to send in paper flowers, bugs, and other garden creatures, along with a short description of a kind deed that they’ve done or that someone has done for them. Each month the Friend will show how the kindness garden is growing. More instructions on how to send in a submission can be found here.
5. “Apostles around the World” articles
Each issue will feature a new article showing members of the Quorum of the Twelve ministering around the world. The articles will appear in order of seniority, starting with President M. Russell Ballard.
Children will learn each month about a new section of “The Living Christ.”
6. Learn about “The Living Christ”
Each month the Friend will help children accept President Nelson’s invitation to study “The Living Christ.” A monthly activity page will encourage them to memorize a short portion of “The Living Christ.” Then they can do a related activity and color and cut out a key word to remind them what they learned.
7. Travel the world with the Friend
Children will learn that they belong to a worldwide family of Saints as they learn about a different country each month. The new feature includes testimonies from Primary children in that country, information about the Church there, and other fun cultural facts. Readers can then turn the page to find a true story about a child from that country.
For more Come, Follow Me ideas, visit lessonhelps.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. You can also subscribe to the Friend here or submit your feedback on the new features by emailing friend@ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The new Apostles around the World page features the ministry of each Apostle.
This year children are invited to send in garden-themed cutouts telling how they’ve shown or experienced kindness.
Each issue will feature a new country for children to learn about.
Each issue of the Friend will include an illustrated scripture story from the month’s Come, Follow Me passages.
