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Build on the Rock

Jesus finishes His Sermon on the Mount with teachings about prayer, treasures in heaven, the Golden Rule, and a story about two builders and a big storm. The message for kids is simple and powerful: it isn’t enough to hear what Jesus taught; we build a strong life when we actually do it. This week your family gets to build, test, hunt for treasure and practice praying the way Jesus taught.

  • Week 8
  • 📅 Feb 15–21, 2027
  • 📖 Matthew 6–7
Start with Monday
Read it togetherMatthew 6–7 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualNew Testament 2027, week 8

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

Two Builders, One Big Storm

🏗️ Build it on rock or sand? Test it!Make the storm sounds.Build two towers.Which one stands?

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:24–27 ↗

  1. Open the story scenes and read them together. On the storm scenes, have your kids make rain with their fingertips, wind with whooshing, and thunder with stomping feet.
  2. Hand out plastic cups, blocks or books. Have each child build a small tower on a hard floor or tabletop (the rock) and another on a soft couch cushion or pillow (the sand).
  3. Be the storm: gently shake the cushion and blow on both towers. Which one falls first?
  4. SAY“Both builders heard the same words. The wise one did something with them. When we do what Jesus teaches, we’re building on the rock.”

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

Talk about it
  • What are some “storms” that can happen to kids?
  • What is one thing Jesus taught that you can do this week?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one be the storm: blowing wind, patting rain and stomping thunder while the big kids build.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to design a tower that survives the storm and explain what each “stone” (prayer, scriptures, kindness) stands for in real life.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Point out to your teen that the storm hit both houses (Matthew 7:25, 27). Following Jesus doesn’t cancel storms. Ask them to name a real storm people their age face, and what building on the rock looks like before it arrives, not in the middle of it.
☕️ For grown-upsBoth builders heard the same sermon; the only difference was doing. Your kids are watching which of Jesus’s words you actually build on. What’s one teaching you’ve heard a hundred times but haven’t yet built into your week?

Sticker for today: 🏠

Tuesday · 6 min · Verse

Hear It AND Do It

🔨 Hear it. Do it. Build strong!Cup your ear.Hammer your fist.Make a roof!

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:24 ↗

  1. Open the key verse screen and read it together twice. Add motions: cup your ear for “heareth,” hammer your fist for “doeth,” and make a roof over your head with your arms for “house.”
  2. Play “Hear It or Do It?”: call out quick commands (“Touch your nose!” “Hop three times!”). Kids only earn a point if they hear AND do it fast.
  3. Then call out things Jesus taught (“Forgive!” “Pray!” “Share!”) and have your kids act each one out.
  4. Say the verse one last time, as fast as you can with motions.

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

Talk about it
  • Why isn’t hearing Jesus’s words enough?
  • What is one thing you heard at church that you could do?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Give your little one simple action commands (clap, jump, spin) so they can play along and feel like a winner.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your 10–13-year-old be the caller and try to trick everyone with “Do it!” and “Just hear it!” commands.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Read Matthew 7:21–23 with your teen. Some people there did impressive religious things, yet the Lord says they never knew Him (the Joseph Smith Translation reads “Ye never knew me”). Ask: what’s the difference between doing church things and actually knowing Jesus, and how could you tell which one you’re doing?
☕️ For grown-upsThe Joseph Smith Translation changes verse 23 to “Ye never knew me.” It’s possible to be busy in the kingdom and still be a stranger to the King. What would help you know Him, not just serve Him, this week?

Sticker for today: 👂

Wednesday · 8 min · Activity

Treasure That Lasts Forever

💎 Which treasures last forever?Fill the treasure chest.Will a snack last forever?Make forever jewels!

📖 Read together: Matthew 6:19–21 ↗

  1. Grab a shoebox or bowl for a “treasure chest.” Have your kids put in a few favorite things: a toy, a coin, a snack (one that’s safe for your family’s allergies).
  2. Read Matthew 6:19–21. Ask: “Will this toy last forever? Will this snack?” (Take a bite of the snack to prove the point!)
  3. Cut paper “jewels” and have each person write or draw a treasure that lasts forever: our family, a kind deed, a testimony, a prayer, being baptized.
  4. Swap the toys out of the chest for the paper jewels. Say: “Jesus said our heart goes where our treasure is. Let’s keep treasures that last forever.”
Talk about it
  • What is the most precious forever treasure in our chest?
  • How can we spend more time on forever treasures?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one decorate the chest and draw a jewel of someone they love.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to add a jewel for something they could give up a little screen time for this week.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Matthew 6:22–24 and explain “No man can serve two masters” in terms of their own time, phone and money. Invite them to look at their screen-time report privately and decide whether it matches where they want their heart to be.
☕️ For grown-ups“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” works in both directions: we come to love what we spend on. Look honestly at last month’s calendar and bank statement. What do they say your treasure is?

Sticker for today: 💎

Thursday · 10 min · Game

Game Night: Did Jesus Say It?

🤔 Real or silly? Jump left or right!Jump left: Jesus said it!Jump right: Nope!Then play Forehead Guess.

📖 Read together: Matthew 6:25–34 ↗

  1. Open Matthew 6–7. Read a real teaching from Jesus (like the birds and the lilies, or ask and seek), then make up a silly fake one (“Always eat your dessert first!”).
  2. Kids jump to the left for “Jesus said it!” and to the right for “Nope!” Mix real and silly ones for a few rounds.
  3. Then play Forehead Guess with this week’s words: rock, sand, lilies, treasure and more.
  4. SAY“Jesus taught us not to worry. Heavenly Father feeds the birds and dresses the flowers, and He knows what we need even more.”

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

Talk about it
  • What do you worry about sometimes?
  • What do the birds and flowers teach us about Heavenly Father?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one jump with a big helper and act out easy words like bird, flower and house.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your 10–13-year-old find real phrases in Matthew 6–7 themselves and try to stump the family.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Read Matthew 6:25–34 with your teen and talk honestly about worry: grades, the future, what people think. “Take no thought” can’t mean “don’t plan”; ask what it might mean instead. Let them pick one worry to hand to Heavenly Father in prayer tonight.
☕️ For grown-upsJesus doesn’t tell worried people to try harder; He tells them to look at birds and flowers and remember who feeds them. Name the worry you carry most, then read Matthew 6:33 as His answer to it.

Sticker for today: 🎲

Friday · 7 min · Service

Golden Rule Mission

🥇 Treat others the way you want to be treated!I like it when…So I will…Do it today!

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:12 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 7:12 together. Say: “This is called the Golden Rule: treat people the way you want to be treated.”
  2. Go around the family finishing this sentence: “I like it when someone ___ for me, so I will ___ for someone else.”
  3. Pick one idea for each person and do it today: pour someone’s drink, let a sibling choose the show, write a note, or share a treat (mind any allergies).
  4. Tonight, do a secret thumbs-up check: did everyone complete their Golden Rule mission?
Talk about it
  • How do you want people to treat you?
  • Who could use some Golden Rule kindness this weekend?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one choose one simple kind act, like giving a hug or bringing someone their shoes.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Challenge your 10–13-year-old to try the Golden Rule with someone at school who usually gets left out.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Pair the Golden Rule with Matthew 7:1–5, the mote and the beam. Ask your teen where judging happens most at their age: group chats, comments, hallway talk. Challenge them to go one full day without an unkind comment about anyone, in person or online.
☕️ For grown-upsThe Joseph Smith Translation renders Matthew 7:1 “Judge not unrighteously … but judge righteous judgment.” The call isn’t to stop discerning; it’s to judge the way we hope to be judged. Is there someone you’ve quietly written off who deserves a second look?

Sticker for today: 🤝

Saturday · 8 min · Talk

Ask, Seek, Knock

🚪 Knock, knock! Heavenly Father always hears you.Knock three times.Bread or a rock?Play the quiz!

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:7–11 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 7:7–8. Knock on a door three times and have your kids answer “Come in!” each time. Say: “Heavenly Father always hears us when we pray.”
  2. Read Matthew 7:9–11. Hold up a slice of bread and a rock. Ask: “If you asked me for bread, would I hand you a rock?” Heavenly Father gives good gifts even better than parents do.
  3. Look at how Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:9–13, and name the parts of a prayer together: talk to Heavenly Father, thank Him, ask Him, and close in the name of Jesus Christ.
  4. Play the family quiz for a quick review, then set out Sunday clothes.

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

Talk about it
  • What is something you want to ask Heavenly Father for?
  • How has Heavenly Father answered one of your prayers?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one be the door knocker and help them say a short prayer tonight using the four parts.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Invite your 10–13-year-old to share a time a prayer was answered, even if the answer was “wait” or “no.”
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen compare Matthew 6:5–8 with 6:9–13: Jesus warns against praying to be seen and against “vain repetitions,” then gives a short, humble pattern. Invite them to lead tonight’s family prayer using the pattern but in their own honest words.
☕️ For grown-upsAsk, seek and knock are verbs that keep going. Some answers come after one request; others come only while we keep seeking and knocking. Is there a prayer you stopped offering because the answer was slow?

Sticker for today: 🙏

Sunday · 6 min · Sabbath

Stones for Our House

🪨 What stone did you add this week?Tell what you learned in Primary.Add a stone to the house.Say thank you.

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:24–25 ↗

  1. Ask: “What did you learn in Primary today?” Let your kids teach you, even if it’s the same builder story you did Monday. Repetition is how rocks get strong!
  2. Draw a simple house on paper. Each person adds one “stone” at the bottom with something they did this week to follow Jesus.
  3. SAY“Storms still come, even to people on the rock. But when we follow Jesus, we don’t fall down.”
  4. Finish with a quiet moment: each person thanks Heavenly Father for one good gift, and a parent shares a short testimony of Jesus Christ.
Talk about it
  • What did you learn in Primary today?
  • What stone do you want to add next week?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one color a stone for “I prayed” or “I shared.”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to pick one teaching from Matthew 6–7 to try all next week and report back next Sunday.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Invite your teen to read Matthew 7:28–29: people were astonished because Jesus taught “as one having authority,” not like the scribes. Ask what made His teaching different, and whose voice carries the most authority in their life right now.
☕️ For grown-upsAfter the stones are added, try thirty seconds of silence before anyone talks. A quiet pause after a good question gives the Spirit room, and it teaches kids that pondering is part of worship.

Sticker for today: ⛪

Family challenge

Rock Builders

Tape a big paper house to the wall. Every time someone does something Jesus taught this week (prays on their own, forgives, shares, keeps the Golden Rule), they add a paper stone with their name on it. Build the strongest house in town!

Parent Corner

Matthew 6 keeps circling one question: who is your audience? Giving, praying and fasting done “to be seen of men” already have their reward; done in secret, they are seen by the Father. The chapter then turns to treasure, to the single eye and to worry, and they are really the same question in different clothes: whose approval, whose kingdom, whose care am I living for? Chapter 7 ends the sermon with two houses and one storm, and the storm hits both. Jesus never promises the wise builder calm weather, only that a life founded on doing His words will still be standing afterward. Hearing is the easy part. This week’s chapters are about building.

  • Ponder: If your children could only guess what you treasure by watching how you spend your evenings, what would they guess?
  • Try this: Do one good thing this week in complete secret: no post, no mention, not even to your spouse. Notice how it feels to have an audience of One.

From general conference

“Please note in this verse that the Savior is not the foundation. Rather, we are admonished to build our personal spiritual foundation upon Him.”

— Elder David A. Bednar, “Be Still, and Know That I Am God,” April 2024

For parents before Monday’s builder story (he is speaking of Helaman 5:12): our covenants are what anchor us to the rock of Christ.

Read the talk ↗

Dinner-table questions

  • What’s one thing you heard AND did today?
  • If you could ask Heavenly Father anything tonight, what would you ask?
  • What is a treasure that money can’t buy?
  • When did someone treat you the way you like to be treated?
  • What storms can a family face together?

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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