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Follow Me!

Jesus begins His ministry: He fasts and prays to be close to Heavenly Father, chooses the right when Satan tempts Him, and tells His hometown that He is the Savior Isaiah promised. Then He tells tired fishermen to try one more time, fills their nets to bursting and invites them to follow Him. This week is all about following Jesus, one choice at a time.

  • Week 5
  • 📅 Jan 25–31, 2027
  • 📖 Matthew 4; Luke 4–5
Start with Monday
Read it togetherMatthew 4; Luke 4–5 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualNew Testament 2027, week 5

What your kids learn in class

Stories, verses and games for the week come from each child’s own Primary or youth lesson, so home matches Sunday.

Daily sparks

Five to ten minutes a day, Monday to Sunday. Grown-ups lead; kids act, play and answer. Where a step says to tap something, that’s in the Gospel Sparks app; on the web, use the “Play along” links.

Monday · 10 min · Story

Nets Full of Fish

🎣 Empty net? Try again! Now pull hard!Build a boat.Throw the net.Catch ALL the fish!

📖 Read together: Luke 5:1–11 ↗

  1. Open the story scenes and read them together.
  2. Build a boat: a laundry basket, couch cushions or a big box. Kids are Peter, Andrew, James and John. Hold a bedsheet for the net. Hide a pile of socks or stuffed animals nearby for fish.
  3. Read Luke 5:5. The fishermen throw the net and pull it up: empty! Everyone flops down, tired.
  4. Read Luke 5:6–7. Throw the net again and dump in all the “fish” at once. Pull hard! The net is so full it starts to break!
  5. Read Luke 5:11. Say: “They left their boats and their fish to follow Jesus. That’s how much they trusted Him.”

🎭 Play along: the story scenes (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Why do you think Peter tried again when he was so tired?
  • What did the fishermen leave behind to follow Jesus?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one be the fish-thrower who tosses every sock into the net at the big moment.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to read Luke 5:8–10 and explain why Peter felt the way he did, and what Jesus told him.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Luke 5:4–5. Peter was a professional fisherman taking advice from a carpenter, after a night of catching nothing. Ask them about a time when doing what God asks didn’t match what they thought they knew.
☕️ For grown-upsBefore the miracle, Jesus borrowed Peter’s boat to use as a pulpit (Luke 5:3). He often asks for something ordinary we already have before He shows us what He can make of our lives.

Sticker for today: 🎣

Tuesday · 7 min · Verse

Follow the Leader Verse

👣 Follow the leader and say the verse!Wave: follow me!Cast and reel!Arms open wide!

📖 Read together: Matthew 4:19 ↗

  1. Open the key verse screen and read it together.
  2. Add the same motions your kids learn in Primary: wave someone toward you for “follow me,” point to a family member, cast a fishing line and reel it in, then open your arms wide.
  3. Play follow the leader around the house. Every time the leader stops, everyone says the verse with the motions.
  4. SAY“Fishers of men means helping other people come to Jesus. Kids can do that too!”

📖 Play along: the key verse (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • What does it mean to be one of Jesus’s “fishers of men”?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one be the leader first, and copy whatever silly walk they choose.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Let your 10–13-year-old lead a harder route (hop, crawl, tiptoe) and say the verse from memory.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen what skills the fishermen already had (patience, teamwork, working through the night) that Jesus could use in a new way, then name one skill of their own He could use.
☕️ For grown-upsJesus didn’t erase the fishermen’s personalities; He redirected them. Your children’s strong traits, even the ones that wear you out, may be the very gifts He plans to use.

Sticker for today: 👣

Wednesday · 8 min · Activity

Choose-the-Right Shields

🛡️ Shields up! Choose the right like Jesus!Grab a pillow shield.Listen to the tricky choice.What would you do?

📖 Read together: Matthew 4:1–4 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 4:1–2. Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and pray and be close to Heavenly Father.
  2. Read Matthew 4:3–4. Satan tried to trick Jesus, but Jesus answered with scripture and chose the right every time.
  3. Everyone grabs a shield: a pillow, a pot lid or a big book.
  4. Read out tricky choices from real life: “Your brother knocked over your tower.” “A friend says don’t tell your parents.” “The show is over but you want one more.” Kids raise their shields, shout “It is written!” like Jesus did, and say what they’d choose.
  5. SAY“Jesus knows what it’s like to be tempted. He will help you be strong.”
Talk about it
  • What helped Jesus say no to Satan?
  • What helps you make good choices when it’s hard?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Give your little one easy choices like “share or grab?” and let them bonk the shield when they choose share.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to come up with a tricky choice someone their age might face and how a scripture could help.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Matthew 4:3–10 and notice that two of the temptations begin with “If thou be the Son of God.” Talk about how the adversary attacks who we are, and what messages about identity they hear online.
☕️ For grown-upsEvery answer Jesus gave came from Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13), scripture He had clearly made His own long before the wilderness. What we store up in calm times is what we can reach for in hard ones.

Sticker for today: 🛡️

Thursday · 10 min · Game

Gone Fishing Game Night

🧦 Guess the word and catch a fish!Every right guess = one sock fish.Who will catch the most?
  1. Gather everyone for Forehead Guess with words from this week’s story.
  2. One player holds your phone or tablet on their forehead while everyone else gives clues. Tilt down for got it, tilt up to pass.
  3. Every word guessed means the player catches a “fish”: toss a sock into their bucket or bowl.
  4. Whoever catches the most fish gets to be the “captain” at dinner and choose who says the prayer.

🤔 Play along: Forehead Guess (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Which word from this week’s story did you like best?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one give clues by acting, and toss a sock fish for every try.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Challenge your 10–13-year-old to give clues using only three words each time.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Let your teen play on hard mode: before each clue, they have to say whether the word comes from Matthew 4, Luke 4 or Luke 5.
☕️ For grown-upsGame night is spiritual work too. The laughter and trust you build tonight are what make the harder gospel conversations possible later.

Sticker for today: 🧦

Friday · 8 min · Service

Net of Kindness

💞 Be a fisher of friends today!Find someone who needs a friend.Do something kind.Add a fish to the net!

📖 Read together: Luke 4:18 ↗

  1. Read Luke 4:18. Jesus said He came to heal broken hearts and help people who are hurting.
  2. SAY“We can help Jesus do His work. Let’s find someone who needs a friend or some cheering up.”
  3. Each child chooses one mission: sit with someone new at lunch, make a card for someone who’s sick, call a grandparent or help a sibling who’s having a hard day.
  4. Cut out paper fish. Every time someone finishes a kind mission, add a fish to a bowl called the Net of Kindness.
Talk about it
  • Who do you know that might feel sad or left out?
  • How is being kind like helping people come to Jesus?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one draw a picture for a grandparent or neighbor and deliver it together.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to reach out to someone their age who seems lonely, with a message or an invitation.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Luke 4:18–19 and write a one-sentence mission statement of their own, then do one thing this week that fits it.
☕️ For grown-upsWhen Jesus announced His mission in Nazareth, He described it almost entirely in terms of people: the poor, the brokenhearted, the captive, the blind and the bruised (Luke 4:18). His work is people work, and so is ours at home.

Sticker for today: 💞

Saturday · 8 min · Activity

Jesus Went to Church

📜 Make a scroll like the one Jesus read!Tape paper to two pencils.Draw your favorite scripture.Roll it up!

📖 Read together: Luke 4:16–21 ↗

  1. Read Luke 4:16. Jesus went to the synagogue every Sabbath. That was His habit!
  2. Read Luke 4:17–21. He read from a scroll of Isaiah’s words and told the people that He was the Savior Isaiah wrote about.
  3. Make a scroll: tape each end of a long strip of paper to a pencil or straw. Write or draw a favorite scripture or picture of Jesus, then roll it up.
  4. Play the quiz, then set out Sunday clothes and put the scrolls by the door to take to church.

🏆 Play along: Scripture Showdown (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Why do you think Jesus went to church every Sabbath?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one color a picture of Jesus on their scroll and roll it up to “read” to you.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to read Isaiah 61:1 and compare it with Luke 4:18.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Luke 4:22–30 and discuss why the people who watched Jesus grow up couldn’t accept Him. Is it harder to change in front of people who knew you before?
☕️ For grown-upsLuke 4:16 says going to the synagogue on the Sabbath was Jesus’s custom. Worship as a habit, even on weeks it feels routine, was part of how He lived.

Sticker for today: 📜

Sunday · 6 min · Sabbath

Close to Heavenly Father

🙏 What did you learn in Primary today?Teach your family one thing.How do you feel close to Heavenly Father?

📖 Read together: Matthew 4:1–2 ↗

  1. After church, ask: “What did you learn in Primary today?” Let each child teach you one thing, maybe using their scroll.
  2. Remind everyone that Jesus fasted and prayed to be close to Heavenly Father before He began His work.
  3. Sit together quietly. Each person shares one way they feel close to Heavenly Father: prayer, scriptures, the sacrament, music or being in nature.
  4. SAY“Next Sunday is fast Sunday. Let’s start thinking about who our family could pray for.” End with a short testimony from a parent.
Talk about it
  • When do you feel closest to Heavenly Father?
  • What is one way you followed Jesus this week?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one fold their arms and say one thing they love about Heavenly Father.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Invite your 10–13-year-old to share a short testimony of Jesus or a time they felt close to God.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Invite your teen to plan their own short wilderness time this week: 15 minutes somewhere quiet, no phone, just prayer and scriptures. Afterward they can share with you if they want to.
☕️ For grown-upsThe Joseph Smith Translation says Jesus went into the wilderness “to be with God” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 4:1). When did you last spend time with God simply to be with Him, not to get something done?

Sticker for today: 🙏

Family challenge

Fill the Net

Keep the Net of Kindness bowl going all week. Every kind act or right choice adds a paper fish. If the net is full by Sunday, celebrate with a fish-shaped snack (one that’s safe for your family’s allergies) or a family walk.

Parent Corner

Before He preached a single sermon, Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and be with His Father, and that is where He met the adversary. The temptations were aimed at His hunger, at proving Himself and at power, but underneath each one was a question about identity. Jesus answered from scripture and from certainty about who He was. The same chapters show how costly that certainty could be: His own neighbors in Nazareth heard Him say Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled that day, and when He reminded them that God’s prophets are often not accepted at home, they tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:21–29). Then comes Peter, tired and skeptical, who lowers the nets anyway because Jesus asked. Peter left his boats and discovered that the Lord could make far more of his life than he could have made on his own.

  • Ponder: What has the Savior asked our family to leave in the boat, and are we still holding on to it?
  • Try this: Next Sunday is fast Sunday. Plan your fast now, and give it a real purpose: one question about your life or your role as a parent that you want to take to the Lord.

Dinner-table questions

  • If Jesus asked you to follow Him, what would be hard to leave behind?
  • Would you rather be a fisherman or a shepherd? Why?
  • What’s a tricky choice you had this week? How did you choose?
  • How can you be one of the “fishers of men” at school?
  • Why is it good to try again even when you’re tired?

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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