Holy Ghost -- Talk Ideas
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I used two strong magnets to show how if we are going in the right direction and doing the things we need to be, that the Holy Ghost "the other magnet" will be attracted to us, but when we are going the wrong way (give examples and turn around the first magnet) it repels the spirit away from us...

Then give them the magnets (my son was already fascinated by magnets, so it worked well).

Natalee Lance



I've come across a few more ideas to add to the Holy Ghost gift box. I was able to purchase inexpensive miniatures at a craft store to put in a heart shape gift box to represent God's love. I used 5 of the above ideas to give to my niece during a baptism talk so I could impress upon her to remember these 5 important attributes of the holy ghost.

-Tupu
Irvine, California


Take a hard boiled egg (representing ourselves) and explain that we all sin and make mistakes. Take a crayon and make marks on the egg, then explain that after you are baptized all of our sins are washed away. Crack the egg and peel off the hard shell. You have a white (clean/pure) egg. Explain that when you receive the Holy Ghost, it brings you a warm feeling. Cut the egg open and they see the yellow (warm/fuzzy).
-Teresa Baldry

Holy Ghost Talk
This talk works very well to keep children's attention. Start with a mason canning jar or a clear vase. Explain that this represents the person being baptized (Johnny). Hold up a shiny new quarter and explain that this is the Holy Ghost. Drop it into the jar and shake it around. Ask the children if they can hear the Holy Ghost. This represents the Holy Ghost helping us to choose the right. Add a small scoop of dirt to the jar and explain that Johnny promised his mother he would clean his room before going out to play, but he forgot. Shake the jar again and ask if the children can hear the Holy Ghost still. (They should be able to.) Keep adding small scoops of dirt and explain the mistakes that Johnny has made. Soon the children will not be able to hear the Holy Ghost. Explain that when we sin, the Holy Ghost withdraws from us and can't speak to us. Ask the children how we can make it so we can hear the Holy Ghost again. (Discuss Repentance). Dump the dirt from the jar and put the quarter back in. Explain that we can be forgiven of our sins and be clean in Heavenly Father's eyes, but we will be able to remember the mistakes we have made to help remind us not to do them again. (I tell them that is why the jar stays slightly dirty.) We are clean, but have a memory of the sin so we don't repeat it. Kids love the dirt and listening for the Holy Ghost. This works well at baptisms if you have a tablecloth or something to keep the mess to a minimum.
Have fun!
-Jill Dearden
South Weber, Utah
I gave a talk in a stake baptism about the Holy Ghost.  I took a shoe box and made a door that opens and closes in each side of the box. I put a candy bar inside one door, and a set mouse trap in the other. Ask for a volunteer.  I turned around so the child couldn't see me spin the box around.  Now the child has no idea which door has which surprise.  I asked him if he would want to stick his hand in one of the doors. (They always say no!)  I asked him if he had someone to tell him where the candy was, if he would try it then.  They always say yes.  So I tell them to choose someone to help them.  Someone they trust completely to tell them the truth.  The helper comes up.  I lift the lid of the box and allow the helper to see where the candybar and mousetrap are.  Then the child may ask his helper where the candy is.  The helper tells him, and the child can safely take the candy.

Then compare this experiment to the Holy Ghost-how he will guide us through life and keep us safe.  Also that we can always trust him.  Once I had a child pick someone he didn't trust as much-he was pretty hesitant to put his hand in the box!

It would also be wise for you to make sure he doesn't put his hand in the trap too!
--Angie Lloyd


I used the Sun analogy being that there is one sun that can only be in one place at a time but we can all feel it's warmth.  You can expand on that in what ever way you feel comfortable.

The other analogy  I have used is a comforter (a nice thick quilt) that a child uses as a comfort and security.  In fact I have actually brought a small comforter with me and used for an example.  And if I was closely involved with that person being baptized then I made them a quilt, nothing especially fancy but a tied one that I had all the kids help with and then present to them at their baptism.

As we come to earth it is like walking in a dark storm, difficult to see.  Sometimes some lightening will light our way for a moment, but then go away.  This is like the Holy Ghost helping those searching for the right path who have not yet been baptized and received the Holy Ghost.  For those who have been baptized and received the Holy Ghost, it is like walking through the dark storm with a flashlight helping you to constantly see the right path.

We have used a sea shell to represent the Still Small Voice.  We talk about how if we are listening carefully when we place the sea shell close to our ear we can hear the ocean.  If we are not listening, we cannot hear it. When the Holy Ghost is speaks to us, we need to listen carefully.  We then give the child a sea shell so that when he looks at it, he will remember to listen to the still small voice.

--Gwen Thompson


A friend of mine told me about a Sister that used three lollypops this past week. One red, green and yellow like the stop signals,to explain that sometimes the Holy Ghost tells us something is ok to do (green), sometimes it cautions (yellow) and other times to stop (red).
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I have one where I use a cut out that resembles a window and how like the sun can shine through the window because it is clean and not blocked so can the Holy Ghost be with you.  And then I put up papers with different things printed on like, not praying, telling lies, not reading scriptures, not listening to parents...etc.  and as we do each one, (I cover the opening of the window, until it is filled) we block the influence of the Holy Ghost on our lives.  Then on the other side of each paper I have the positive aspect, praying, etc and I say as we do these things (pulling the papers off ) we open ourselves to being able to have the Holy Ghost to guide and direct us.

Probably my favorite talk on the Holy Ghost was by the aunt of a little friend of ours. She had a small, nice tin and told him there was a very special gift inside. She told us she had thought about the important assignment of teaching Jon something about the Holy Ghost. As we lived in Lethbridge, Alberta (a.k.a. Windy City -- North), she thought about how we cannot see the wind. Sometimes we can hear it, though, and sometimes we can definitely feel it. So, her gift to him was this little tin of "wind". She said it is very much like the Holy Ghost, in that it is not something we can see, but sometimes we can hear it whisper to us, and sometimes we can definitely feel it. Those are all the details I can remember, but I'm sure you can piece together the rest. I thought it was a good parallel.

I recently gave a talk on the Holy Ghost at my nephew's baptism.  I borrowed from a few ideas I have seen on this list over the past several months and other talks I have seen.  I wrapped the following in white tissue paper and put them all in a white gift box with a white bow:  a compass and map, a flashlight, a baby comforter.  I told the boys that they were about to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  I then let them unwrap the items in the box, one at a time, as I explained what they represented.  The compass and map means that the Holy Ghost can guide us.  When we want to know if something is right or wrong, we can pray, and the Holy Ghost will show us the right way.  The flashlight means that through the Holy Ghost, we can learn the truth (light) (Moroni 10:5).  If we want to gain a testimony, we can search, ponder, and pray, and the Holy Ghost will tell us what is true. Finally, the comforter represents comfort.  I urged the boys to be obedient and keep their baptismal covenants so that they could have the Holy Ghost as a companion at all times.

Lori in MO 


(This one was done for a 14 year old convert) -  I brought a comforter from home and talked about how the Holy Ghost is the Comforter.  Then I held up a small wall hanging I had made using the attic windows quilt block and talked about how each of these 'windows' could represent a different role of the the Holy Ghost (Comforter, companion, etc.) and as she grew in the gospel she would learn more roles and open more windows of knowledge.

Object lesson: Blindfold a family member.  Have another family member stand by the door.  Turn the blindfolded person around several times. Ask him to point to the door.  Then have the blindfolded person put his hands at his side.  Now, have the other person softly say, "The door is over here."  Have the blindfolded person point in the direction of the voice.

Liken this to the Holy Ghost.  In this life sometimes we feel as thought we have been blindfolded and spun around until we are no longer sure which way is which. That is when we must listen even more carefully to the still small voice of the spirit.  The Holy Ghost will always tell us which is the best and safest direction we can go.

One person was speaking at a baptism, and brought a baby blanket that the child's mother had made for her baby.She talked about how the Holy Ghost is like a comforter, and that's one of his names is “the comforter”.The one thing that she said that truly struck me was that just like we miss Jesus, He misses being with us every day, like He was in the pre-existence.And the Holy Ghost is one way that Christ can feel OUR presence, as well.

We had a speaker in Sacrament Meeting that said, "You know how you get invited to a birthday party, and you spend DAYS and maybe even WEEKS searching for just the PERFECT gift.You finally found the right gift.Something that you would want if it were YOUR birthday, you would love to have.You are all excited and go to the party, give the person the gift, and they look at it, and say, “.....mmmmm, uhhhh,

Thanks,”and set it aside.Then a few weeks later, you go over to that person's house, and notice your perfect gift still sitting there, in the box, in the same place.That's how Heavenly Father feels when he gives us the gift of the Holy Ghost, and we say, “Oh, yeah, ummmmm...Thanks,”and then we never use it.

I have heard the holy ghost described as a door knob.Imagine a door in front of you with no door knob on your side.The holy Ghost is on the other side. For the door to be opened the Holy Ghost must do it.After you receive the gift of the holy ghost it is like getting a door knob on your side so you can open the door anytime. 

We used this idea once for an activity and made a door with a removable door knob.After the children read a scripture we gave them the door knob in symbolism of receiving the gift of the holy ghost.

I saw a very effective demonstration done with a cutout like the old paper dolls that are joined together at the hand. You have only two dolls joined together. You talk about how we can only see one person but how the children (you could make one for each child and put there name on it) seem to be alone as they are making their decisions. Then you open up the other doll and show them that it was there all the time even though other people couldn't see it. Tell them thatas they go through life but really the holy ghost is always inside them helping them to make decisions, warning them of danger and protecting them.

A really good story I heard about was told by a sister missionary in Belgium or Holland. It compares the HolyGhost to riding a bicycle. Before you have the gift of the Holy Ghost given to you it is like riding a bike in the dark. Every so often you come to a street light and it gives you light for that situation -but when you are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is like someone putting a light on the front of your bicycle and it is there for you every time you need it. It goes along with you and is always there for you as long as you do the things necessary to keep the power flowing to it. (making sure the contacts are clean and that you are pedaling the bike and doing your share by keeping the commandments). You could make comparisons about each thing that keeps it running- light bulb, battery or generator, etc.

 The speaker holds up a compass and talks about how the Holy Ghost directs us like a compass.A spiritual compass.At the end of the talk, the speaker presents the compass to the child being baptized.

The speaker holds up 3 suckers: red, yellow and green. Use these to represent a traffic light.The Holy Ghost is like a traffic light and it guides us when to stop, proceed with caution and when to go.Point out the consequences of not obeying a traffic signal (crash, ticket, etc.) and the consequences of not following (and the good consequences of following) the Holy Ghost’s promptings.Give the child being baptized the suckers as a reminder.

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A story is told of a man who is traveling on a path in the middle of the night.It is very dark, and he is having trouble staying on the path.During the night, there is a lightning storm.Whenever a flash of light goes across the sky, the man has enough light to get back onto the path and continue his journey, but it is very slow going.Eventually, he comes to a house, and is given lantern to help him on his way.Now he is able to stay on the path with the help of the lantern.

Everyone can have moments when they feel the Holy Ghost, just like the bursts of lightning that helped the man come back onto the path.But when you are baptized, you are given the gift of having the Holy Ghost with you all the time, like the man receiving the lantern to light his way. 

Before the Baptism, speak to three family members or friends of the child being baptized.Ask them to read a favorite passage of scripture when you ask during your talk.

At the beginning of the talk, ask the children in the room to close their eyes.Then, in turn, have the pre-assigned readers read their scriptures.Have the children raise their hands if they know who is speaking.Of course, the children recognized the voices of their parents as they read the verses.

Talk about how the Holy Ghost is someone that loves us like our parents, who is wise like our parents, who wants to help us like our parents… Who can only help us if we listen, and we have to learn to recognize his promptings as well as we can recognize the voice of our parents.

Talk about some of the ways we can become familiar with the Spirit’s presence, and then ask all of the people in attendance to think about how they are feeling at that moment.Let them think for a minute.Remind them that the good, warm feelings they are having are the Holy Ghost letting them know that what is being said is true.

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I gave a talk on baptism and had the child who was going to be baptised leave the room. I then called her to come back in. Of course she couldn't hear me so I went and had her re-enter the room.I asked why she didn't answere me and then I explained how it is important to listen and be prepared so the holy ghost can be our companion. There are things we can do that will prevent us from hearing his promptings and we must be careful to always keep the door open to hear them.