The next topic in the “For the Strength of Youth” manual is “Repentance.” This is a great topic and should apply to any family. It can be taught at whatever level your family is ready for, and the lesson can actually reach different age groups at the same time.
Open your lesson by reading Doctrine and Covenants 58:42 as a family. After you read this read the “Repentance” section from the “For the Strength of Youth” manual. You may want to review the basic repentance process with your family. The basics steps are acknowledging that you have sinned, feeling sorrow for the sin, confessing that you have sinned, asking forgiveness for your sin forsaking the sin, and rectifying the wrongs that you have caused. You will also want to talk about when it is appropriate to confess the sin to the bishop. You may want to review the story of Alma the Younger and how he repented. You can find this story in Alma 36:6-24. It is important to teach your children that while repentance is possible and you can be forgiven, it is better not to commit the sin at all. You may want use “Do You Know How to Repent?” and “Clean Again!” to add further insight to your lesson. This is a great Mormonad that goes along with repentance.
You may want to this object lesson as well. You take a cup of water and a few drops of food coloring to it. The water will become cloudy. Then you add bleach to the water, and stir it until the water becomes clear. You explain that the food coloring is like sin, and then the bleach is like repentance and that you can become clean again.
If you are teaching Primary age children you may want to use these pictures to tell the story of Alma the Younger. Another great story to tell is the story of Jonah. These are flannel board figures for the story, and these are figures, which are already colored. This is a coloring page that goes along with the story of Jonah. You may also want to have your children complete this craft, which is a “Repentance Reminder.”
If you are teaching adults you will still follow the basic outline. The articles mentioned in the youth section are great articles for adults as well. You may want to refer to “The Path to Peace and Joy” by Elder Richard G Scott and “A Mighty Change of Heart” by President Ezra Taft Benson. You may want to open the lesson to more discussion about how repentance has blessed your lives.
“How Gentle Gods Commands” p 125 and “Father in Heaven, We Do Believe” p 180 are both excellent hymns on repentance. You may want to sing “Repentance” p 98 and “Help Me, Dear Father” p 99 are both songs on repentance in the “Children’s Songbook.” Don’t forget to have refreshments and play a game after the lesson!