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Here Comes the King!

Haggai says build the Lord’s house, Zechariah sees clean white clothes, and a King rides in on a donkey

  • 🛡️ CTR 4–7
  • Week 50
  • 📅 Sunday, December 13, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ is our King, and I can put Him first.

I can put Jesus first and get ready to go to His holy temple.

Study it yourself firstRead Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14)
Know the chapters

After many years far away in Babylon, God’s people came home to Jerusalem. They started to rebuild the temple, but the work was hard and some neighbors fought against it, so they stopped for years (Ezra 3–5). Meanwhile, they built nice houses for themselves. The prophet Haggai asked them to “Consider your ways” (Haggai 1:5): they worked hard but never had enough, like putting their pay into “a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6). The Lord told them, “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house” (Haggai 1:8). The people went back to work with their leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest, and the temple was finished (Ezra 6:14–16).

The prophet Zechariah had visions that encouraged the builders. In one, Joshua stood in dirty clothes, and the dirty clothes were taken away and replaced with clean ones: “I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee” (Zechariah 3:4). That is a wonderful picture for children preparing for baptism. We wear white when we are baptized, and each week the sacrament helps us keep that clean, fresh start as we repent. Zechariah also said the words “HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD” would be written everywhere (Zechariah 14:20). Today, “Holiness to the Lord” is written on every temple.

Zechariah 9:9 promised that Israel’s King would come “lowly, and riding upon an ass.” About 500 years later, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while crowds laid branches on the road and shouted “Hosanna” (Matthew 21:1–11), a joyful word of praise that asks the Lord to save us.

For 4- to 7-year-olds, keep one idea: Jesus is our King, and we put Him first. Readers can say Haggai’s and Zechariah’s lines. Little ones can hammer, carry wood and wave branches. No child plays Jesus: in the last scene, the whole class lines a pretend road and waves toward the door as if He is passing by.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Haggai 1:2–8, Zechariah 3:1–5 and Zechariah 9:9. Grab a white towel for Joshua’s clean clothes (or tap “I brought nothing”). Let Teach Mode carry the Story Drama, teach the Zechariah 9:9 motions, and play Forehead Guess. End with: “Jesus is our King. How can you put Him first this week?”

What to bring6 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. Put the cups or blocks in a bag near the front of the room.
  2. Cut two simple T-shirt shapes from paper. Scribble one all over with brown or black crayon. Leave the other one clean white. Keep the clean one hidden behind the dirty one.
  3. Cut green paper into long strips and snip fringes along the edges so they look like palm branches.
  4. Pick a 6- or 7-year-old reader for Haggai and one for Zechariah. Tell them their big lines: “Consider your ways!” and “Rejoice greatly… thy King cometh!”
  5. Add your kids’ names in the My Class tab so you can hand out story parts with one tap.

If your class is wild

  • Building cups is exciting. One cup per kid per turn, and builders walk back to their spot before the next one goes.
  • The hammering scene can get loud fast. Hammer on knees only, and when you hold up a fist, everyone freezes.
  • Palm branches wave up high, never in faces. Anyone who swats a friend puts their branch on the floor for a round.
  • If the room is buzzing, jump to the Temple Builders wiggle early, then come back to the clean-clothes object lesson.
  • Save the white towel moment for your most reverent helper. When the dirty clothes come off, lower your voice.

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

Build It… Oops!

3 min

A surprise stop in the middle of building shows the problem in today’s story before the story even starts.

  1. Pour out the cups. Say: “Let’s build the Lord’s house, a temple!” Kids take turns adding one cup each to a tower.
  2. When it’s half built, shout: “Stop! Everybody go build your OWN house!” Each child grabs a cup back and makes a tiny “house” at their spot.
  3. Point at the half-built temple. Ask: “Uh-oh. Is the Lord’s house finished? What happened?”
  4. SAY“That’s just what happened in today’s story! Let’s find out how a prophet named Haggai helped them get back to work.”
🌪️ One cup per kid per turn. Builders walk back to their spot before the next builder goes.

Class screen: 🏗️ Let’s build the Lord’s house! · One cup at a time

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: About 10 plastic cups, blocks or small boxes for building a “temple” tower

Human Temple

  1. SAY“Let’s build the Lord’s house, a temple, out of people!” Call kids up one at a time to be walls (arms out wide) and towers (arms up high).
  2. When it’s half built, shout: “Stop! Everybody go build your OWN house!” Everyone runs back to their chair and makes a roof over their own head.
  3. Point at the half-built temple spot. Ask: “Uh-oh. Is the Lord’s house finished? What happened?”
  4. SAY“That’s just what happened in today’s story! Let’s find out how a prophet named Haggai helped them get back to work.”
2. Story

Story Drama: Build the Lord’s House!

6 min

Acting out the building, the clean clothes and the King on a donkey lets every child move while they learn who the King is.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Give Joshua’s white towel to the Angel to hold until scene 5.
  2. Hand everyone else a palm branch to keep under their chair until scene 8. They are the Builders & Crowd.
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue.
  4. At scene 8, nobody plays Jesus. Everyone lines a pretend road and waves toward the door as if He is riding by.
  5. End with a whisper: “Who is the King?” (Jesus!)
🌪️ Hammering happens on knees only. When you hold up a fist, all builders freeze.

Class screen: 🎭 Story Drama time! · Everyone gets a part

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A white towel, pillowcase or white T-shirt for Joshua’s clean clothes, Green paper cut into long strips for palm branches, one per child

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone else is the Builders & Crowd.
  2. At scene 5, the Angel pretends to lift off Joshua’s heavy, dirty coat and toss it away, then pretends to wrap him in bright white clothes. Joshua smooths them down and smiles.
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue.
  4. At scene 8, everyone’s arms become palm branches waving high. Nobody plays Jesus. Everyone lines a pretend road and waves toward the door as if He is riding by.
  5. End with a whisper: “Who is the King?” (Jesus!)
3. Wiggle break

Temple Builders

2 min

Haggai 1:8 turns into a climb-chop-carry-hammer freeze game that gets all the wiggles out.

  1. SAY“Haggai said: Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house! Let’s be builders!”
  2. Tap Freeze Dance. While the music plays, call out an action: climb the mountain · chop the wood · carry the logs · hammer, hammer, hammer.
  3. When the music stops, everyone freezes like a statue holding their tool.
  4. After the last round, everyone makes a tall temple roof with their arms and says, “We built it!”
🌪️ Hammers are pretend and only hit the air. Wobbly statues sit down and become the next round’s “music checker.”
🧊 Freeze Dance (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🔨 Climb! Chop! Carry! Hammer! Freeze! · Haggai 1:8

4. Object lesson

Clean White Clothes

3 min

Swapping a scribbled paper shirt for a clean one shows how Jesus makes us clean, a perfect tie to baptism and the sacrament.

  1. Hold up the scribbled shirt. Say: “Everybody makes wrong choices sometimes. It can feel like our clothes got dirty inside.” Let kids name a few (not sharing, grumpy words, not listening).
  2. SAY“In Zechariah’s vision, Joshua had dirty clothes, and an angel said to take them away.” Let a reader read Zechariah 3:4 from the screen.
  3. Pull the clean white shirt out from behind the dirty one. Everyone gasps: “Clean!”
  4. Ask: “What color do we wear when we get baptized?” (White!) Say: “When we’re baptized, Jesus makes us clean. Every Sunday when we take the sacrament, we promise again to follow Him, and when we repent, He helps us be clean again.”
  5. Ask: “What can you do this week when you make a wrong choice?” (Say sorry, pray, try again.)
🌪️ Let one quiet helper do the big swap while everyone else sits on their hands and counts down: “3, 2, 1, clean!”

Class screen: 👕 Jesus makes us clean · Baptism 💧 · The sacrament 🍞

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Two paper shirt shapes: one scribbled all over with brown or black crayon (dirty), one plain white (clean)

The Invisible Mud Coat

  1. SAY“Everybody makes wrong choices sometimes.” Name a few (not sharing, grumpy words, not listening). For each one, everyone pretends to get splattered with sticky mud. “Splat! Ew!”
  2. SAY“Now we’re wearing a heavy mud coat.” Everyone slumps and groans.
  3. SAY“In Zechariah’s vision, Joshua had dirty clothes, and an angel said to take them away.” Let a reader read Zechariah 3:4 from the screen. Count down, “3, 2, 1!” and everyone peels off the mud coat and tosses it away.
  4. Everyone pretends to put on shining white clothes and smooths them down. Ask: “What color do we wear when we get baptized?” (White!)
  5. SAY“When we’re baptized, Jesus makes us clean. Every Sunday when we take the sacrament, we promise again to follow Him, and when we repent, He helps us be clean again.”

Class screen: 👕 Off with the mud coat! · Jesus makes us clean

5. Scripture

Your King Is Coming! Zechariah 9:9

3 min

Big joyful motions help them remember who the King is and why we rejoice.

  1. SAY“Zechariah saw the King coming hundreds of years before it happened. Here are his happy words.”
  2. Show the verse and read it slowly. Then let a reader read it too.
  3. Teach the motions one phrase at a time.
  4. Say it three ways: in a whisper, in a normal voice, then in a big parade voice.
  5. Ask: “Who is the King?” (Jesus!) “Why are we so happy He came?”

Class screen: 👑 Rejoice! Behold, thy King cometh! · Zechariah 9:9

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Temple Builders Edition

4 min

A Heads Up–style game reviews the story, and the pictures let pre-readers play too.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. The guesser holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class.
  2. The class gives clues without saying the word, or acts it out: hammer for Hammer, clip-clop for Donkey, a wave for Palm Branch.
  3. The guesser tilts your phone or tablet down for “got it” and up to pass. Each turn lasts about 45 seconds.
  4. When a 4- or 5-year-old guesses, give them a big buddy who stands beside them and helps.
🌪️ Clue-givers stay sitting on their spot. Use the Name Spinner to pick each new guesser.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

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

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews everything they learned.

  1. Split into two teams, mixing big kids and little kids on each team. Tap Scripture Showdown to start.
  2. Read each question and the picture choices aloud. Teams whisper together, then point to an answer.
  3. Tap the team that got it right to give them a point.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

8. Talk it over

Toss and Talk

2 min

Connect putting the Lord first to their own week.

  1. Sit in a circle. Gently roll or toss the soft ball to whoever answers next.
  2. Ask one question at a time. Little ones can answer with one word or by acting it out. Share your own answer too.
💬 Ask the class
  • The people built their own houses first. What does it mean to put Jesus first?
  • What is one thing you can do at home to put Heavenly Father first?
  • What do people wear when they get baptized? Why do you think it’s white?
  • If you saw Jesus ride by, what would you do or shout?

Class screen: 💬 Let’s talk!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A soft ball or rolled-up sock

  1. Sit in a circle. Pass a pretend palm branch: wave it high, then hand it to whoever answers next while everyone whispers, “Hosanna!”
  2. Ask one question at a time. Little ones can answer with one word or by acting it out. Share your own answer too.
9. Testimony

Holiness to the Lord

2 min

End calm and reverent, looking forward to the temple and to putting Jesus first each day.

  1. Everyone sits and makes a temple roof with their fingertips. Lower your voice.
  2. SAY“Every temple has these words on it: Holiness to the Lord. The temple is His house.” If you brought a temple picture on your phone, show it now.
  3. Share one or two sentences about how you know Jesus is our King, or how you feel when you go to or look at the temple.
  4. Show the King First Mornings challenge on the screen, then ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🏛️ Jesus is my King. I put Him first! · Holiness to the Lord

Story drama

Build the Lord’s House!

Ezra 3–6; Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 3; 9:9; Matthew 21:1–11 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • HaggaiA reader! The prophet who says, “Consider your ways!” and, “Build the house!”
  • ZerubbabelThe leader. Waves the builders back to work: “Let’s go!”
  • JoshuaThe high priest. Stands still in pretend dirty clothes, then gets the white towel.
  • The AngelTakes away Joshua’s dirty clothes and gently puts the white towel on his shoulders.
  • ZechariahA reader! The prophet who sees visions and shouts, “Rejoice greatly… thy King cometh!”
  • Builders & CrowdEveryone else: lift stones, hammer, cheer, clip-clop and wave palm branches.

Scenes

  1. 🏚️🪨 Home again! But God’s house is broken

    God’s people came home after a long time far away. Their beautiful temple was only a pile of broken stones. “Let’s build it again!” they said.

    🎬 Builders lift big, heavy pretend stones: “Ugh! Ugh!”

  2. 🏡🛑 They stopped and built their own houses

    But building was hard, and some neighbors tried to stop them. So they quit. They built nice houses for themselves instead, and the Lord’s house stayed broken for years.

    🎬 Everyone makes a roof over their own head with their arms. Then point at the empty temple spot: “Uh-oh.”

  3. 👜🕳️ Money in a bag with holes

    The prophet Haggai said, “Consider your ways!” That means: think about what you are doing! The people worked and worked, but it was like putting money in a bag with holes. It all fell out!

    🎬 Haggai shouts, “Consider your ways!” Everyone lets pretend coins fall through their fingers: “Clink, clink, clink!”

  4. ⛰️🪵🔨 Go up the mountain! Build the house!

    Haggai told them what the Lord wanted: go up the mountain, bring wood, and build His house. Zerubbabel the leader said, “Let’s go!” and everyone got back to work.

    🎬 Zerubbabel leads a march in place. Everyone climbs, chops, carries, then hammers on knees: “Bang, bang, bang!”

  5. 👕✨ Dirty clothes, clean clothes

    Zechariah saw a vision. Joshua the high priest stood in dirty clothes. An angel said, “Take away the filthy garments” (the dirty clothes), and gave him clean ones. The Lord can make us clean inside when we repent.

    🎬 The Angel lifts away pretend dirty clothes, then lays the white towel on Joshua’s shoulders. Everyone whispers, “Clean!”

  6. 🏛️🎉 The temple is finished!

    The people worked until the Lord’s house was done. They were so happy! Now they had a holy place to feel close to Heavenly Father.

    🎬 Everyone reaches up and makes a tall pointy temple roof with their arms, then cheers.

  7. 🫏👑 Zechariah sees the King coming!

    Zechariah shared another promise. One day the King would come to Jerusalem riding on a little donkey. He would be gentle and kind, and He would save His people.

    🎬 Zechariah shouts, “Rejoice greatly… thy King cometh!” Everyone clip-clops hands on knees.

  8. 🌿🙌 Hosanna! Jesus is the King!

    Hundreds of years later, it happened! Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. People laid branches on the road and shouted, “Hosanna!” Jesus is the King Zechariah saw.

    🎬 Everyone lines a pretend road, waves palm branches toward the door as if Jesus is passing by, and shouts, “Hosanna!”

Key verse

Zechariah 9:9 ↗
“Rejoice greatly … behold, thy King cometh unto thee”
In kid words: Be so happy! Look, your King is coming to you!
🙌 “Rejoice greatly” = jump and wave both hands · “behold” = hand over your eyes like you’re looking far away · “thy King cometh” = make a crown on your head with your fingers · “unto thee” = give yourself a hug

More verses

Haggai 1:8 ↗
“Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house”
In kid words: Climb the mountain, get wood, and build the Lord’s house!
Zechariah 3:4 ↗
“Take away the filthy garments from him … I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment”
In kid words: Take off the dirty clothes. I have taken away your wrong choices and I will give you clean clothes.
Zechariah 14:20 ↗
“HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD”
In kid words: Words like these are on every temple: it is a holy place for the Lord.
Matthew 21:9 ↗
“Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”
In kid words: Hooray for Jesus! He comes from Heavenly Father!

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 🔨 Hammer
  • 🪵 Wood
  • ⛰️ Mountain
  • 🪨 Stones
  • 🏠 House
  • 👜 Bag with Holes
  • 📣 Haggai
  • 🔭 Zechariah
  • 👼 Angel
  • 👕 White Clothes
  • 💧 Baptism
  • 🫏 Donkey
  • 🌿 Palm Branch
  • 👑 King
  • 🙌 Hosanna
Clues for each word
  • Temple: The Lord’s holy house
  • Hammer: Bang, bang! Builders use it
  • Wood: Haggai said to bring it down the mountain
  • Mountain: Go up it to get wood
  • Stones: Heavy blocks to build with
  • House: The people built their own nice ones first
  • Bag with Holes: Money put in it all falls out
  • Haggai: The prophet who said, “Build the house!”
  • Zechariah: The prophet who said the King would ride a donkey
  • Angel: Gave Joshua clean clothes in a vision
  • White Clothes: What we wear when we are baptized
  • Baptism: Jesus makes us clean; you can do it at 8
  • Donkey: Jesus rode one into Jerusalem
  • Palm Branch: People waved them for Jesus
  • King: Jesus is ours! He wears a crown
  • Hosanna: The happy word the crowd shouted
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. What did God’s people stop building?
    • A. 🏛️ The temple
    • B. ⛄ A snowman
    • C. 🚢 A boat
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🏛️ The temple They stopped building the Lord’s house and built their own houses instead.

  2. Haggai said their money went into a bag with…
    • A. 🍬 candy
    • B. 🕳️ holes
    • C. 🐶 puppies
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🕳️ holes All their hard work kept falling out, like coins through holes (Haggai 1:6).

  3. What did Haggai say to bring down from the mountain?
    • A. ❄️ Snow
    • B. 🧸 Toys
    • C. 🪵 Wood
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 🪵 Wood “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house” (Haggai 1:8).

  4. In Zechariah’s vision, what did Joshua get?
    • A. 👕 Clean clothes
    • B. 🎩 A silly hat
    • C. 🐱 A kitten
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 👕 Clean clothes His dirty clothes were taken away and he got clean ones (Zechariah 3:4).

  5. What color do we wear when we are baptized?
    • A. 🟥 Red
    • B. ⬜ White
    • C. 🟩 Green
    Show answer

    ✅ B. ⬜ White White reminds us that Jesus makes us clean.

  6. Zechariah said the King would ride on a…
    • A. 🚀 rocket
    • B. 🛹 skateboard
    • C. 🫏 donkey
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 🫏 donkey Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, just like Zechariah said (Zechariah 9:9).

  7. What did the crowd shout for Jesus?
    • A. 🙌 Hosanna!
    • B. 😴 Goodnight!
    • C. 🍕 Pizza!
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🙌 Hosanna! “Hosanna” is a happy shout of praise for the Savior (Matthew 21:9).

  8. Who is the King Zechariah told about?
    • A. 👑 King Herod
    • B. ✨ Jesus Christ
    • C. 👷 Zerubbabel
    Show answer

    ✅ B. ✨ Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is our King!

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Love to See the Temple Children’s Songbook, p. 95

    The people worked hard to build the Lord’s house. Sing it after the Story Drama. Find it ↗

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

    Goes with Joshua’s clean clothes and the white clothes we wear at baptism. Find it ↗

  • Joy to the World Hymns, no. 201

    A Christmas song about welcoming the Lord as King, just like the Hosanna crowd. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

King First Mornings

Every morning this week, do one thing for Jesus before anything else: say a morning prayer, read or listen to one scripture, or sing a Primary song. Then give a thumbs-up and say, “Jesus first!”

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned that the prophet Haggai helped God’s people put the Lord first and finish building the temple (Haggai 1:8), and that Zechariah saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey hundreds of years before it happened (Zechariah 9:9). We talked about the clean white clothes of baptism. Ask your child: how did you put Jesus first today?

📝 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?

🌿 Palm Branch Parade · 4 min

  1. Kids fringe their green paper strips into palm branches (or make them from paper bags or leaves).
  2. Line both sides of a hallway or the room like a road. Nobody plays Jesus; everyone faces the road and waves as if He is coming.
  3. Sing “Joy to the World” softly, then shout “Hosanna!” together at the end.

🤔 Consider Your Ways · 4 min

  1. Draw quick pictures of things kids do in a day: wake up, eat, play, school, screens, pray, read scriptures, help.
  2. Read Haggai 1:5: “Consider your ways.”
  3. Kids circle (or point to) the things Heavenly Father would say matter most, and pick one to do first tomorrow.

🚪 Holiness to the Lord Door Sign · 5 min

  1. Give each child a paper. Help readers write “Holiness to the Lord” at the top; little ones can trace it.
  2. Draw a temple under the words.
  3. SAY“These words are on every temple. Hang yours on your bedroom door and make your home a holy place too.”

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