From posters that adorn bedroom walls to fun activities or a video slide show, the Friend magazine is launching some new features — in print and online — to appeal to children in the Church, said Jan Pinborough, the magazine's assistant managing editor. In addition to the Friend, one of the features will appear monthly in the Liahona, the Church's magazine for international subscribers.

Here is a rundown of the new features:

 "Articles of Faith" is a comprehension activity that will appear in each print issue of the magazine in 2011. Young readers might, for example, be invited to work a crossword puzzle based on one of the Articles of Faith. An online companion to this feature is "Articles of Faith Memory Quest," a fill-in-the-blank game in which a player may drag words from a list to fill in missing words in one of the Articles of Faith. (Please see the link on the home page of the magazine's website, www.lds.org/friend.)

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"Bringing Primary Home" is a new monthly feature in the Friend that reinforces the sharing time theme taught in Primary.

"Bringing Primary Home" is a monthly feature that contains a very short lesson and activity reinforcing the monthly theme taught during sharing time in Primary. Sister Pinborough said it is ideal for a short family home evening lesson, or an older child could do the activity on his or her own. This is the item that will also be featured in each monthly issue of the Liahona.

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"Articles of Faith," a new monthly feature in the Friend, is a comprehension activity for young readers.

A scripture poster is being published on the inside back cover of each issue of the magazine in 2011. Included is a dotted line that facilitates cutting the poster out of the magazine for posting on, say, a bedroom wall or a locker. Sister Pinborough displayed a sample poster that depicts John the Baptist preaching the gospel. The poster includes a caption saying that John the Baptist prepared the way for and devoted his life to teaching others about Christ, that Jesus came to him to be baptized. An inset button gives scriptural references where one can go to read about John the Baptist.

Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Poster depicting John the Baptist is an example of a monthly feature that will appear on the inside back cover of the Friend magazine. Readers may cut out and post it.

"If I Listen with My Heart" is a video slide show accompanied by the new song for the 2011 Primary sacrament meeting presentation. (The song, downloadable from the webside, is also in the magazine. Please see the link on the website at www.lds.org/friend.)

rscott@desnews.com