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Known Before You Were Born

Jeremiah felt too young to be a prophet, but the Lord told him that He knew him before he was born and would be with him. This week your kids learn that Heavenly Father knew them in heaven, sent them to earth with good gifts, and can shape their lives like a potter shapes clay.

  • Week 43
  • 📅 Oct 19–25, 2026
  • 📖 Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20
Start with Monday
Read it togetherJeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOld Testament 2026, week 43

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

Jeremiah Won’t Quit

🏺 Too young? Not for the Lord!Be Jeremiah!Say it small: “I’m just a kid.”Hear the Lord’s brave answer.

📖 Read together: Jeremiah 1:4–10; 18:1–6; 20:9 ↗

  1. Find a stick or twig for the almond branch and a bowl for the potter’s pot.
  2. Tap Story and read each scene out loud. Kids take turns being Jeremiah and doing each scene’s action. A parent reads the Lord’s words.
  3. When Jeremiah says he’s just a child, have each kid say it in their tiniest voice. Then read the Lord’s answer from Jeremiah 1:8 in a big, kind voice: “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee.”
  4. At the potter scene, pass the bowl around and have each person pretend to smooth it with their hands.
  5. At the end, everyone shouts together: “Jeremiah keeps going!”

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

Talk about it
  • Why did Jeremiah think he couldn’t be a prophet?
  • What did the Lord promise him?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one be the almond branch: curl up small, then “bloom” by popping up with arms wide.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid read Jeremiah 20:9 and describe a time they felt they just had to share something good.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Jeremiah 20:7–9 and describe Jeremiah honestly: mocked every day, discouraged, ready to quit, yet God’s word was “as a burning fire shut up in my bones.” Ask what they care about so much they couldn’t stay quiet about it.
☕️ For grown-upsJeremiah 20 is one of the rawest chapters in scripture: a prophet complaining to God, even wishing he had never been born, and still unable to stop. Faith doesn’t require hiding your discouragement from the Lord. Tell Him the truth, and keep going.

Sticker for today: 🌸

Tuesday · 8 min · Verse

Baby Picture Reveal

👶 Heavenly Father knew you before you were born!Guess the baby!Hear what made you special.Say the verse three ways.

📖 Read together: Jeremiah 1:4–5 ↗

  1. Before you start, find a baby picture of each child (on your phone is fine). If a child joined your family later and you don’t have one, use their earliest photo and tell the story of the day they came to you.
  2. Tap Key Verse and read Jeremiah 1:5 together.
  3. Reveal the baby pictures one at a time: “Who is THIS tiny person?” Tell each child one thing you loved about them as a baby.
  4. SAY“I met you when you were born. But Heavenly Father knew you long before that. You lived with Him in heaven as His spirit child.”
  5. Say the verse together three times: baby voice, normal voice, brave-prophet voice.

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

Talk about it
  • What do you think it was like to live with Heavenly Father before you were born?
  • How does it feel to know He knows you?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one point to their baby self on the phone, then give them a big hug: “Heavenly Father knows you!”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have older kids read Abraham 3:22–23 and talk about how Heavenly Father prepared His children for important work before they came to earth.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Jeremiah 1:5 alongside Abraham 3:22–23 and Alma 13:3, then think about it seriously: if Heavenly Father prepared them for this time before they were born, what might they be here to do? Tell them one gift you’ve seen in them since they were small.
☕️ For grown-upsYou met your children as newborns, but they arrived as spirits with a long history you don’t know. Parenting with Jeremiah 1:5 in mind means being curious about who they already are, not only shaping who you hope they’ll become.

Sticker for today: 🍼

Wednesday · 8 min · Activity

Heaven Suitcase

🧳 Pack a suitcase of your heaven-sent gifts!Grab a bag.Find things that show your gifts.Unpack and tell your family!

📖 Read together: Jeremiah 1:5–8 ↗

  1. SAY“When you came to earth, Heavenly Father sent you with gifts: things you’re good at and ways you can help. Let’s pack your heaven suitcase!”
  2. Give each kid a backpack or pillowcase. They race around the house to collect 3–5 things that show their gifts: a crayon for art, a ball for energy, a bandage for caring, a book for reading.
  3. Each kid unpacks one thing at a time and explains: “This shows I’m good at…”
  4. Family members add one gift they see in each child: kindness, making people laugh, being brave.
  5. Ask: “How could you use one of these gifts to help someone this week?”
Talk about it
  • What’s one gift Heavenly Father gave you?
  • How can you use it to help someone?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one find one thing (a toy they love to share, a hug) and tell them the gift you see in them.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have older kids name one gift they’re still growing and one small step to practice it this week.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Give your teen a three-item suitcase: one gift they’re confident in, one gift others see in them that they don’t quite believe yet, and one they want to grow. Let the family guess and name the second one.
☕️ For grown-upsMany parents stop thinking about their own gifts once they’re busy nurturing everyone else’s. Heavenly Father still has work for yours. Ask someone who knows you well what gift they see in you, and use it this week.

Sticker for today: 🧳

Thursday · 8 min · Game

Draw It! Jeremiah Edition

🎨 Draw it! Can your family guess?Draw a word.No letters allowed!Guess it, then you draw.
  1. Tap Draw & Guess. One person draws a word from this week’s lesson while everyone else guesses.
  2. Pictures only: no letters or numbers!
  3. Whoever guesses right draws next.
  4. Bonus round: draw with your eyes closed or with your other hand!
  5. After each word, ask: “Where was that in Jeremiah’s story?”

🖍️ Play along: Draw & Guess with this week’s words (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Which drawing made you laugh the most?
  • Which picture reminds you that Heavenly Father can shape your life?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Draw together with your little one’s hand on yours, or let them guess by pointing to real things around the house.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Older kids draw with a 30-second limit, or play judge and explain where each word fits in the story.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Challenge your teen to draw the hardest phrase, “broken cisterns” from Jeremiah 2:13, and then explain the symbol: why would anyone leave a fresh spring to drink from a cracked tank?
☕️ For grown-upsJeremiah 2:13 describes people who left a fountain of living water to dig cracked cisterns of their own. Most of us don’t reject the Lord outright; we just lean on leaky substitutes. Which of yours needs patching, or abandoning?

Sticker for today: ✏️

Friday · 8 min · Service

Fishers of Friends

🎣 Go fishing for friends this week!Draw a fish.Write a friend’s name.Plan a kind catch!

📖 Read together: Jeremiah 16:14–16 ↗

  1. Read Jeremiah 16:16 together. Say: “The Lord said He would send many fishers to find His children and bring them back to Him. Missionaries are fishers. So are we!”
  2. Each kid draws a paper fish and writes the name of someone to reach out to: a new kid at school, a neighbor, a cousin, a friend who hasn’t been to Primary in a while.
  3. Plan one kind “catch” for each fish: invite them to play, sit by them at lunch, bring them to an activity, or make them a card.
  4. Tape the fish on the fridge. When you’ve done it, draw a smile on the fish.
Talk about it
  • Who could use a friend right now?
  • How do missionaries help gather Heavenly Father’s children?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one draw a fish for Grandma or a neighbor and help deliver a hug or a picture.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have older kids write a short invitation (to a youth activity, a game night, or church) and deliver it themselves.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to choose one person their age who has drifted away or seems alone and do one real thing: a message, an invite, a ride to an activity. Read Jeremiah 3:14 together and talk about why gathering usually happens one person at a time.
☕️ For grown-upsJeremiah saw the Lord gathering His people “one of a city, and two of a family” (Jeremiah 3:14). Gathering is personal. Is there someone in your extended family or neighborhood you’ve been meaning to reach out to? This could be the week.

Sticker for today: 🐟

Saturday · 8 min · Activity

Listen to the Prophet

📣 Jump when you hear the prophet’s invitation!Listen to the prophet.Hear an invitation? Jump!Stick it on the fridge.

📖 Read together: Jeremiah 1:7–10 ↗

  1. Read Jeremiah 1:9 together. Say: “The Lord put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth. Prophets today speak for the Lord too.”
  2. Watch or listen to a few minutes of a talk by the prophet from this month’s General Conference (the Gospel Library app has them).
  3. Kids listen for one thing the prophet invites us to do. When they hear it, they jump up!
  4. Write it on a sticky note and put it on the fridge next to your fish.
  5. Get Sunday-ready: set out clothes and scriptures, and say a quick prayer to have a soft heart at church tomorrow.
Talk about it
  • What did the prophet ask us to do?
  • How can we follow him this week?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Hold your little one on your lap, show a picture of the prophet, and say: “He teaches us about Jesus.”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have older kids choose a 2–3 minute part of the talk and lead the family’s discussion afterward.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Invite your teen to bring one question they’re honestly wrestling with to the family discussion. Read Jeremiah 1:10 and ask: what do prophets “root out” in our day, and what do they “build” and “plant”?
☕️ For grown-upsThe Lord gave Jeremiah six verbs: root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build and plant (Jeremiah 1:10). Prophetic counsel often clears something away before planting something new. What has recent counsel asked you to root out, and what to plant?

Sticker for today: 📣

Sunday · 7 min · Sabbath

Soft Clay Hearts

🙏 The Potter never gives up on you!Tell what you learned in Primary.Shape pretend clay.Share one thank-you.

📖 Read together: Jeremiah 18:1–6 ↗

  1. Ask: “What did you learn in Primary today? Did you do anything fun?”
  2. Read Jeremiah 18:4–6 together. Everyone holds out their hands like they’re gently shaping clay.
  3. SAY“When a pot got messed up, the potter didn’t throw it away. He made it into something new. When we repent, Heavenly Father and Jesus help us start fresh too.”
  4. Each person shares one reason they’re thankful Heavenly Father knows them, or one gift they saw someone use this week.
  5. Share your own testimony in a sentence or two, and say a family prayer.
Talk about it
  • What did you learn in Primary today?
  • What does it mean to have a soft heart?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one squish a ball of play-dough or bread while you talk, and shape it into something new together.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your older kid how staying humble and teachable helps Heavenly Father shape their life.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Jeremiah 18:4–6 from the clay’s point of view: what makes clay hard to work with, and what makes it easy? Invite them to share one area where they’re trying to stay soft and teachable.
☕️ For grown-upsIn Jeremiah 18 the potter doesn’t throw away the marred pot; he reworks the same clay. That is repentance, and it’s parenting too: the Lord keeps working with us, and we keep working with our kids, without giving up on the clay.

Sticker for today: 🏺

Family challenge

Gift Spotting

Every day this week, notice one gift Heavenly Father gave someone in your family and tell them: “I saw your gift of ___ today!” Keep count on a paper by the fridge and see how many gifts your family spots by Sunday.

Parent Corner

Jeremiah was called young and served through the last, collapsing decades of the kingdom of Judah. His message was deeply unpopular: the temple would not protect people who ignored the God of the temple (Jeremiah 7:4–11). Yet his book opens with one of the tenderest verses in scripture: before Jeremiah was formed, the Lord knew him and set him apart for his work (Jeremiah 1:5). Latter-day revelation extends that truth to all of us. We lived with Heavenly Father before this life, and many were prepared there for work here (Abraham 3:22–23; Alma 13:3). For parents this is both humbling and freeing. Our children are not blank slates we must fill; they are eternal beings entrusted to us, with their own history with God. And so are we.

  • Ponder: If Heavenly Father knew each of my children before I did, what could I ask Him this week to help me understand one of them better?
  • Try this: If you have a patriarchal blessing, reread it this week with Jeremiah 1:5 in mind and note what it says about who you were before you came and what you were sent to do.

Dinner-table questions

  • What do you think you were like in heaven before you were born?
  • What’s a gift or talent you see in the person next to you?
  • When have you felt too small or too young to do something hard?
  • Who could we invite to do something fun with our family?
  • If you were a potter, what would you make?

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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