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Jesus Was Baptized

A prophet in a camel-hair coat, a river, a gentle dove and Heavenly Father’s voice

  • 🛡️ CTR 4–7
  • Week 4
  • 📅 Sunday, January 24, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus was baptized to show me the way, and I can follow Him by being baptized and listening to the Holy Ghost.

I can follow Jesus by getting ready to be baptized and listening to the Holy Ghost.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)
Know the chapters

John the Baptist is the baby from week 1, the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, all grown up. He lived in the wilderness, wore rough clothes of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). Long before, Isaiah had said a voice would call out, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3). John’s job was to get people ready for Jesus. He taught them to repent, which means to turn away from wrong choices and turn back to God, and he baptized them in the Jordan River. When people asked what they should do, he gave simple answers, like sharing an extra coat and food with someone who has none (Luke 3:10–11).

Then Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John (Matthew 3:13). Jesus never did anything wrong, but He was baptized to obey Heavenly Father and show all of us the way (Matthew 3:15; see also 2 Nephi 31:5–9). He went all the way under the water and came straight up out of it. The heavens opened, the Holy Ghost came down with the sign of a dove, and Heavenly Father’s voice said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16–17). All three members of the Godhead were there at once: Jesus in the water, the Holy Ghost, and Heavenly Father’s voice from heaven. They are three separate beings.

This is the most important lesson of the month for your 7-year-olds, who will be baptized when they turn 8. Show them how their baptism will be like Jesus’s: someone with priesthood authority, all the way under the water, and a promise to follow Jesus. After baptism they will be confirmed and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, who comforts, guides and teaches. The 4- and 5-year-olds can learn that the Holy Ghost is a gentle helper, like the gentle dove, and that they are getting ready too.

One more wonderful fact: in 1829, John the Baptist came back as a resurrected being and gave the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (Doctrine and Covenants 13). That priesthood is used to baptize children today. Keep the doctrine simple and exact: no child plays Jesus or Heavenly Father in class. You read Their words, and the kids play John, the river, the crowd and the dove.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 3:1–17. In class, play Get Ready, Quick!, then run the Story Drama on your phone or tablet with the River Crew and the Dove. Teach Matthew 3:17 with hug-and-thumbs-up motions, do All the Way Under, and play Forehead Guess. End by telling your 7-year-olds you can’t wait for their baptism. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: the kids become the water.

What to bring4 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Fill the clear cup about three-quarters full and put it on a paper towel near your chair. Keep the toy in your pocket.
  2. Clear a strip of floor to be the Jordan River. The River Crew will sit along both sides.
  3. If you have a baptism photo, have it ready on your phone or printed.
  4. Find out which of your kids turn 8 this year, so you can cheer for them by name.

If your class is wild

  • The River Crew keeps everyone busy: waves, splashes and a big quiet when the dove comes down.
  • Keep John the Baptist’s grasshopper snack funny (“Crunch!”) and then move on quickly before it turns into gross-out jokes.
  • Jesus is never played by a child. You read His words and Heavenly Father’s words. The kids watch from the riverbank and point.
  • Let each child who turns 8 this year stand up and be cheered. The little ones will want their turn to get ready too.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Get Ready, Quick!

3 min

Rushing to get the room ready for a pretend guest shows what John the Baptist’s job was: getting people ready for Jesus.

  1. Say in an excited whisper: “Someone very important is coming! We have to get ready, quick!”
  2. Set the Big Timer for 30 seconds. Kids straighten chairs, pick up papers, fold their arms and sit tall.
  3. When the timer ends, say: “Great job getting ready! Long ago, God sent a man named John to help people get ready for someone very, very important.”
  4. Ask: “Who do you think it was?” (Jesus!) “John didn’t fix chairs. He helped people get their hearts ready for Jesus.”
🌪️ Give each child one job (“You straighten that chair”) so it’s a race against the clock, not a free-for-all.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🧹 Get ready, quick! · Someone important is coming! ⏰

2. Story

Story Drama: Down by the River

7 min

Acting out Jesus’s baptism helps kids see what He did and how their own baptism will be like His.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone else is the River Crew along both sides of the river.
  2. Point to a “Jesus corner” by the river. Say: “No one plays Jesus. I will read His words and Heavenly Father’s words.”
  3. Read each scene and pause for the action. Let readers read the big captions.
  4. In scene 7, whisper so the room gets quiet for the dove.
  5. At the last scene, cheer for every child who turns 8 this year by name.
🌪️ The River Crew stays sitting. Their arms are the waves. If waves get too wild, call “Calm river!” and everyone makes tiny ripples with their fingers.

Class screen: 🏞️ Down by the river! · John 🧔 · River 🌊 · Dove 🕊️

3. Wiggle break

John the Baptist Says

2 min

A “Simon Says” game with John’s wilderness life gets wiggles out and reviews the story.

  1. SAY“Only do it if John the Baptist says!”
  2. “John the Baptist says scratch your camel-hair coat!” · “John the Baptist says crunch a grasshopper!” · “John the Baptist says lick honey!” · “Turn around!” (Oops, he didn’t say!)
  3. Add: “John the Baptist says walk to the river!” · “John the Baptist says turn around and repent!” · “John the Baptist says flap like a gentle dove!”
  4. Let a 6- or 7-year-old be John for the last few.
🌪️ Nobody is “out.” If they move when John didn’t say, they do one silly camel walk and jump back in.

Class screen: 🦗 John the Baptist says… · Scratch! 🐫 · Crunch! 🦗 · Yum! 🍯

4. Scripture

Heavenly Father’s Words: Matthew 3:17

3 min

A short verse with a hug and a smile teaches that Heavenly Father loves His Son and was pleased when Jesus was baptized.

  1. Show the verse. Ask a reader to read it. Little ones echo.
  2. Teach the motions: a big hug, then two thumbs up.
  3. Say it together softly, then louder, then softly again.
  4. SAY“Heavenly Father was happy when Jesus obeyed. He is happy when you get ready for baptism and make good choices too.”
  5. Ask: “Who spoke from heaven?” (Heavenly Father!) “Who came like a dove?” (The Holy Ghost!) “Who was baptized?” (Jesus!)

Class screen: 💛 This is my beloved Son, · in whom I am well pleased. · Matthew 3:17

5. Object lesson

All the Way Under

3 min

A toy dunked in a cup shows what “all the way under” means, and how our baptism is like Jesus’s.

  1. Hold up the cup of water and the toy. Say: “When Jesus was baptized, did He just get His toes wet?”
  2. Dip only the toy’s feet. Ask: “Is this all the way?” (No!) Dip it halfway. “Is this?” (No!)
  3. Dip it all the way under and bring it straight back up. Everyone says: “All the way under!”
  4. Hold up three fingers and count how baptism is like Jesus’s: 1. someone with priesthood authority, 2. all the way under the water, 3. a promise to follow Jesus.
  5. Show a baptism photo if you have one. Ask: “Who here gets to be baptized this year?”
🌪️ Keep the cup in your own hands and on the paper towel. Kids can point, not pour.

Class screen: 💧 All the way under, just like Jesus! · 1. Priesthood authority 🙌 · 2. All the way under 💧 · 3. A promise to follow Jesus 💛

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A clear cup of water and a small toy, rock or coin (set it on a paper towel)

Be the Water

  1. SAY“When Jesus was baptized, did He just get His toes wet?” Everyone stands up.
  2. SAY“Toes!” (touch toes and pop back up) “Is that all the way?” (No!) “Knees!” (bend halfway) “Is that?” (No!)
  3. SAY“All the way under!” Everyone crouches all the way down, then pops straight up: “And out!”
  4. Hold up three fingers and count how baptism is like Jesus’s: 1. someone with priesthood authority, 2. all the way under the water, 3. a promise to follow Jesus.
  5. Ask: “Who here gets to be baptized this year?” Cheer for them.

Class screen: 💧 All the way under, just like Jesus!

6. Game

Forehead Guess: River Round

3 min

A Heads Up–style game reviews the story with easy picture words.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. One child holds your phone or tablet on their forehead with the screen facing the class.
  2. Classmates give clues or act it out without saying the word. The picture helps pre-readers.
  3. Tilt down for “got it,” up to pass. About 30 seconds per guesser.
  4. Pair younger guessers with an older buddy.
🌪️ Act it out: flap for dove, crunch for grasshopper, splash for river.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Give clues. Don’t say the word!

7. Talk it over

Baptism Talk

2 min

Kids connect Jesus’s baptism to their own baptism and to the Holy Ghost.

  1. Tap Name Spinner to pick who answers each question.
  2. Little ones can point, act or show with their hands.
  3. Share a short memory of your own baptism, or of someone you watched be baptized.
💬 Ask the class
  • Why was Jesus baptized, even though He never did anything wrong?
  • Who have you seen get baptized? What was it like?
  • How is the Holy Ghost like a gentle dove?
  • What can you do now to get ready to be baptized?
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 💬 Let’s talk about baptism!

8. Testimony

Getting Ready

2 min

End quiet and reverent with a testimony of following Jesus into the waters of baptism.

  1. Everyone sits still and gentle like the dove. Hum “Baptism” (Children’s Songbook, 100) or “When I Am Baptized” (Children’s Songbook, 103).
  2. SAY“Jesus showed us the way. When you are baptized, you follow Him. Then the Holy Ghost can be with you to comfort you and help you choose the right.”
  3. Share a short testimony of Jesus Christ and of baptism.
  4. Invite a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🕊️ I can follow Jesus. · Baptism 💧 · The Holy Ghost 🕊️

9. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A team quiz reviews the lesson if you have extra time.

  1. Split into two teams with readers and little ones on each. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Read every question and choice out loud for the pre-readers.
  3. Teams whisper together, then point to an answer. Tap the team that got it right.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

10. Object lesson

Dove Feather

3 minBONUS

A soft, quiet feather shows that the Holy Ghost usually speaks gently, so we have to be still to notice.

  1. Hold up the feather. Say: “The Holy Ghost came down like a dove. Doves are gentle and quiet.”
  2. Drop the feather and let everyone watch it float down. Ask: “Did it make a sound?” (No!)
  3. SAY“The Holy Ghost usually helps us with quiet, peaceful feelings and thoughts. We have to be still to notice.”
  4. Pass the feather around. Each child holding it names a time they felt happy and peaceful (at church, praying, with family).

Class screen: 🪶 Gentle and quiet, like a dove. · The Holy Ghost 🕊️

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A feather or a small piece of tissue for the bonus Dove Feather

Quiet Dove Challenge

  1. SAY“The Holy Ghost came down like a dove. Doves are gentle and quiet.”
  2. Open the Noise Meter. Challenge: can the class be as quiet as a dove landing for 15 seconds?
  3. SAY“The Holy Ghost usually helps us with quiet, peaceful feelings and thoughts. We have to be still to notice.”
  4. Ask two or three kids to name a time they felt happy and peaceful.

Class screen: 🕊️ Quiet as a dove!

Story drama

Down by the River

Matthew 3:1–17; Luke 3:2–22 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • John the BaptistScratches his scratchy coat, crunches a grasshopper, calls “Get ready for Jesus!” and stands in the river.
  • IsaiahAn older reader who unrolls a pretend scroll and reads, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”
  • The CrowdPeople who come to the river, turn around (repent), and ask, “What should we do?”
  • Coat SharerTakes off a pretend (or real) coat and gives it to someone who needs it.
  • River CrewSit along the river and make waves with their arms: “Swish, swish!”
  • DoveFlaps gently and slowly and settles down very softly.

Scenes

  1. 🏜️🍯 John lives in the wilderness

    Out in the hot, dry wilderness lived a man named John. His coat was made of scratchy camel hair, and he ate locusts, which are like grasshoppers, and wild honey.

    🎬 John scratches his scratchy coat. Everyone pretends to crunch a grasshopper (“Crunch!”) and lick sticky honey off their fingers.

  2. 📜🛣️ Get ready for Jesus!

    Long before, the prophet Isaiah said someone would come to get people ready for the Lord. That someone was John! His job was to help people get their hearts ready for Jesus.

    🎬 Isaiah reads from a pretend scroll: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!” Everyone smooths a pretend road with their hands.

  3. 🏞️🔄 People come to the river

    People came from all the towns to hear John. He taught them to repent: to turn away from wrong choices and turn back to Heavenly Father. Then he baptized them in the Jordan River.

    🎬 The Crowd walks one way, then turns all the way around: “Repent means turn around!”

  4. 🧥🤲 “Share your coat!”

    The people asked John, “What should we do?” John said, “If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn’t have any. If you have food, share it.” He taught them to be honest and kind.

    🎬 The Coat Sharer takes off a pretend coat and hands it to a friend. Everyone says, “Share!”

  5. 🚶🏞️ Jesus comes to the river

    One day Jesus walked all the way from Galilee to the Jordan River. He asked John to baptize Him. John was surprised! Jesus had never done anything wrong. But Jesus said it was the right thing to do, to obey Heavenly Father and show everyone the way.

    🎬 John points to the Jesus corner in surprise. The River Crew makes gentle waves.

  6. 💧⬇️ All the way under the water

    John took Jesus into the river and baptized Him all the way under the water. Then Jesus came straight up out of the water. That is the same way you are baptized!

    🎬 Everyone crouches all the way down (“under!”), then stands straight up (“out!”). The River Crew splashes.

  7. ☁️🕊️ The Holy Ghost comes like a dove

    Then the heavens opened! The Holy Ghost came down upon Jesus, with the sign of a gentle dove.

    🎬 The Dove flaps very slowly and gently and settles down softly. Everyone watches without a sound.

  8. 🗣️💛 Heavenly Father speaks!

    Then a voice came from heaven. It was Heavenly Father! The teacher reads His words: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus was in the water, the Holy Ghost came like a dove, and Heavenly Father spoke from heaven: three separate beings.

    🎬 Hold up fingers: 1 = point to the river (Jesus), 2 = flap like a dove (the Holy Ghost), 3 = point up (Heavenly Father).

  9. 👧👦💧 Your turn is coming!

    When you are 8, you can be baptized just like Jesus: by someone with priesthood authority, all the way under the water. Then you will be confirmed and get the gift of the Holy Ghost to help you always.

    🎬 Everyone who turns 8 this year stands up. The class cheers for them! Everyone else says, “I’m getting ready too!”

Key verse

Matthew 3:17 ↗
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
In kid words: Heavenly Father said, “This is My Son. I love Him, and I am happy with Him.”
🙌 “This is my beloved Son” = give yourself a big hug · “in whom I am well pleased” = two thumbs up and your biggest smile.

More verses

Matthew 3:13 ↗
“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.”
In kid words: Jesus walked from Galilee to the Jordan River so John could baptize Him.
Matthew 3:16 ↗
“he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove”
In kid words: The Holy Ghost came down like a dove.
Matthew 3:3 ↗
“Prepare ye the way of the Lord”
In kid words: Get ready for Jesus!
Luke 3:11 ↗
“He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none”
In kid words: If you have two coats, share one with someone who has none.

Forehead Guess words15 words

  • 🏞️ River
  • 🕊️ Dove
  • 💧 Water
  • 🍯 Honey
  • 🦗 Grasshopper
  • 🐫 Camel
  • 🧥 Coat
  • 🛣️ Road
  • ☁️ Cloud
  • 💦 Splash
  • 👕 White Clothes
  • 8️⃣ Eight
  • 🏜️ Wilderness
  • 🗣️ Voice
  • 🤗 Hug
Clues for each word
  • River: Jesus was baptized in one
  • Dove: A gentle white bird
  • Water: You drink it and swim in it
  • Honey: Sticky and sweet. John ate it
  • Grasshopper: A hopping bug. John ate those too!
  • Camel: John’s coat was made of its hair
  • Coat: If you have two, share one
  • Road: Get it ready for the Lord!
  • Cloud: Fluffy and up in the sky
  • Splash: The sound of jumping in water
  • White Clothes: What you wear to be baptized
  • Eight: How old you are when you can be baptized
  • Wilderness: A hot, dry place where John lived
  • Voice: Heavenly Father spoke with one from heaven
  • Hug: Wrap your arms around someone you love
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. What did John the Baptist eat in the wilderness?
    • A. Pizza 🍕
    • B. Locusts and wild honey 🦗🍯
    • C. Ice cream 🍦
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Locusts and wild honey 🦗🍯 Crunchy bugs and sticky honey! He lived a simple life.

  2. What was John’s big job?
    • A. Get people ready for Jesus 🛣️
    • B. Build boats ⛵
    • C. Catch fish 🐟
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Get people ready for Jesus 🛣️ He helped people get their hearts ready for the Savior.

  3. John said if you have two coats, you should…
    • A. Hide one 🙈
    • B. Wear both 🥵
    • C. Share one 🧥
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Share one 🧥 Sharing with people in need is part of following Jesus.

  4. Where was Jesus baptized?
    • A. In a bathtub 🛁
    • B. In the Jordan River 🏞️
    • C. In the ocean 🌊
    Show answer

    ✅ B. In the Jordan River 🏞️ John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

  5. How was Jesus baptized?
    • A. All the way under the water 💧
    • B. Just His hands wet ✋
    • C. With a squirt bottle 🔫
    Show answer

    ✅ A. All the way under the water 💧 All the way under, just like you will be!

  6. The Holy Ghost came down like a…
    • A. Lion 🦁
    • B. Rocket 🚀
    • C. Dove 🕊️
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Dove 🕊️ A gentle dove was the sign of the Holy Ghost.

  7. Who said, “This is my beloved Son”?
    • A. John the Baptist 🧔
    • B. Heavenly Father 💛
    • C. The crowd 👥
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Heavenly Father 💛 Heavenly Father’s voice came from heaven. He loves His Son!

  8. How old are you when you can be baptized?
    • A. 8 🎂
    • B. 2 👶
    • C. 20 🧑
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 8 🎂 When you are 8, you can follow Jesus into the water too!

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Baptism Children’s Songbook, p. 100

    It tells the story of Jesus being baptized by John in the river. Find it ↗

  • When I Am Baptized Children’s Songbook, p. 103

    For your 7-year-olds getting ready for their own baptism day. Find it ↗

  • The Holy Ghost Children’s Songbook, p. 105

    The Holy Ghost came like a dove, and He helps us too. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Getting Ready Week

This week, ask someone in your family about their baptism day. What did they wear? Who baptized them? How did they feel? And share something, like John taught: a toy, a snack or a turn.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we acted out Jesus’s baptism (Matthew 3): John the Baptist baptized Him all the way under the water in the Jordan River, the Holy Ghost came like a dove, and Heavenly Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Ask your child: how is their baptism going to be like Jesus’s? If you have baptism photos, this is a great week to look at them together.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

✨ John Came Back! · 3 min

  1. SAY“Guess what? John the Baptist came back to the earth a long time later, as a resurrected person.”
  2. Tell how in 1829 he appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and gave them the Aaronic Priesthood, the power to baptize (Doctrine and Covenants 13).
  3. SAY“That same priesthood is used to baptize children today. Maybe your dad, a brother, a bishop or another priesthood holder will baptize you!”

📷 Baptism Photo Show · 4 min

  1. Before class, ask a few parents to send you a photo of an older sibling’s or their own baptism day.
  2. Show each photo. Kids point out: white clothes, the font of water, family there to watch.
  3. SAY“Your day is coming! Every good choice now helps you get ready.”

🔄 Turn Around Game · 3 min

  1. Name a choice. If it’s a wrong choice (grabbing a toy, telling a fib), everyone turns all the way around.
  2. If it’s a right choice (sharing, saying sorry, helping), everyone gives a thumbs up.
  3. SAY“Repenting means turning around, back to Heavenly Father. Jesus makes it possible.”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All CTR 4–7 lessons