The Great Journey Home

Where we lived before, why we came to earth, and how Jesus makes the way back home

  • 💧 CTR 8
  • ⚡ Fast Sunday
  • 📅 Sunday, January 3, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Before I was born I lived with Heavenly Father, He sent me to earth to learn and grow, and because of Jesus Christ I can go home to live with Him again.

I can follow Heavenly Father’s plan like Jesus did by choosing the right and repenting when I make mistakes.

Know the chapters

The 2027 manual adds a Primary lesson for each fast Sunday (Appendix B). On fast Sunday (usually the first Sunday of the month), Primary teachers are encouraged to teach it in place of the regular Come, Follow Me lesson. January starts at the very beginning: Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, sometimes called the plan of happiness. It answers the three questions every person wonders about: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Remember it’s fast Sunday. Some kids may be hungry or a little grumpy, and some may be trying to fast with their families. Children aren’t required to fast. Keep things warm and upbeat, and don’t use food rewards today.

Stop 1, before we were born: we lived with Heavenly Father as His spirit children. He presented a plan: an earth would be made where we could live and show whether we would do what He asks (Abraham 3:24–26). We needed a Savior, and Jesus Christ offered to do His Father’s will and give the glory to Him (Moses 4:2). Satan wanted to take away our agency and take God’s glory for himself, and he was cast out (Moses 4:3). The Bible says the children of God “shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Keep the Satan part to one calm sentence; the focus is Heavenly Father’s love and Jesus’s choice.

Stop 2, life on earth: we get a body and a family, forget our life before, and learn to choose by faith. Alma teaches that this life is the time to prepare to meet God (Alma 34:32). Heavenly Father sends help: Jesus Christ, who felt our pains and sicknesses so He knows how to help us (Alma 7:11–13), the Holy Ghost, who will show us what to do (2 Nephi 32:5), prophets and apostles (Ephesians 4:11), scriptures, prayer and families. Jesus is “the way” home (John 14:6).

Stop 3, going home: the Savior invites everyone to repent, come to Him, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost so we can stand clean before Him (3 Nephi 27:19–20). Because He rose again, everyone will be resurrected, and God will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4). Most of your eight-year-olds were just baptized, so they’ve already taken a big step on the path. Make sure they hear that mistakes are part of the plan and repenting is how we keep going, not a sign we failed. Be gentle when you talk about death; a child in your class may have lost someone they love.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Abraham 3:24–26 and John 14:6. Pick three spots in the room and call them Before, Earth and Home. Open Teach Mode and tell the story as the Traveler walks from spot to spot, then play Three Stops Dash and Forehead Guess. You don’t need any supplies. Tap “I brought nothing” and every step switches to a no-supplies version.

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. Write BEFORE with a star, EARTH with a globe and HOME with a house on three sheets of paper, big enough to read across the room.
  2. Make a path on the floor: BEFORE sign at one end, EARTH sign in the middle, HOME sign at the far end, with paper stepping-stones (or tape lines) between them.
  3. Put a glove in your bag and practice the glove demo once in the mirror. It takes 30 seconds.
  4. Add your kids’ names in the My Class tab so you can hand out story parts with one tap.
  5. Think of one short, true moment when you felt Heavenly Father’s plan was real for you. You’ll share it at the end.

If your class is wild

  • It’s fast Sunday. Some kids skipped breakfast or are trying to fast. Keep your voice cheerful, give grumpy kids a job (sign holder, sound crew), and use the Goal Jar or high-fives instead of treats.
  • Give the Traveler role to a different kid at each stop. Three Travelers means three kids moving and nobody waiting too long.
  • In Three Stops Dash, the rule is speed-walk, not run. Anyone who runs goes back to the BEFORE stop and starts again, which they’ll think is hilarious.
  • The “shout for joy” scene is your pressure valve. Let them cheer loud once, then practice a silent cheer they can use for the rest of class.
  • If a child asks a hard question (Where is my grandpa now? Why did my pet die?), thank them, answer simply that everyone who dies keeps living as a spirit and Jesus will bring bodies back someday, and offer to talk more after class.

The 25-minute plan24 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

Human GPS

3 min

A silly robot-voice game gets them moving and sets up the three big questions.

  1. Pick a volunteer who is sitting ready to be the Driver. Pick a spot in the room as the destination (the door, the window, your chair).
  2. SAY“The rest of you are the GPS. Use your best robot voice to give directions.” (“In… three… steps… turn… left.”)
  3. Halfway there, make the Driver spin around once and have the GPS say, “Recalculating…” Then guide them the rest of the way.
  4. Ask: “What does a GPS need to know to get you somewhere?” (Where you started, where you are now, where you’re going.)
  5. SAY“Everybody in the world wonders three big questions: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Heavenly Father gave us the answers. He calls it His plan, and it’s for YOU.”
🌪️ Only the Driver moves. GPS voices stay in their seats. If it gets loud, say “Low battery!” and everyone switches to a tiny robot whisper.

Class screen: 📍 Three BIG questions! · Where did I come from? · Why am I here? · Where am I going?

2. Story

Story Walk: The Great Journey Home

6 min

Walking the path from stop to stop turns the whole plan into something they can see and move through.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode to assign them from your class list). Everyone without a role is the Joy Choir & Sound Crew.
  2. Give the three Stop Keepers their signs and stand them at their spots on the path.
  3. Read each scene and pause for the action. The Traveler walks the stepping-stones from stop to stop.
  4. Switch to a new Traveler when you reach EARTH and again when you reach HOME.
  5. At the last scene, everyone stands with the final Traveler at HOME and says together, “Welcome home!”
🌪️ Stop Keepers hold their signs above their heads the whole time. Heavy arms are a great way to burn energy without a sound.

Class screen: 🧭 Walk the path: Before → Earth → Home! · 🌟 Before · 🌍 Earth · 🏡 Home

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: 3 sheets of paper and a marker for stop signs: 🌟 BEFORE, 🌍 EARTH, 🏡 HOME, 8–10 more sheets of paper for stepping-stones along the path (or painter’s tape)

Story Walk: Human Signposts

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone without a role is the Joy Choir & Sound Crew.
  2. Make the three stops with kids: a BEFORE Stop Keeper stands in one corner making a star with arms and legs, an EARTH Stop Keeper in the middle makes a big round globe with their arms, and a HOME Stop Keeper in the far corner makes a roof with hands over their head.
  3. Make the path: the Sound Crew kneels in a wiggly line between the stops as stepping-stones. The Traveler walks beside them and gives each stone a high-five.
  4. Read each scene and pause for the action. Switch to a new Traveler at EARTH and again at HOME.
  5. At the last scene, everyone stands with the final Traveler at HOME and says together, “Welcome home!”

Class screen: 🧭 YOU are the signs and the path! · 🌟 Before · 🌍 Earth · 🏡 Home

3. Wiggle break

Three Stops Dash

2 min

Kids sort parts of the plan with their feet, which reviews the story while they move.

  1. Point to the three stops from the story (signs, or three corners of the room): BEFORE, EARTH, HOME.
  2. SAY“I’ll call out something. Speed-walk to the stop where it happens. Ready?”
  3. Call out a few: Getting a body (Earth) · Cheering for the plan (Before) · Being baptized (Earth) · No more tears (Home) · Jesus says He’ll be our Savior (Before) · Learning to choose (Earth) · Seeing Heavenly Father again (Home) · Having a family to help you (Earth).
  4. Finish with: “Where are YOU right now?” Everyone runs… I mean walks… to EARTH. Say: “You are HERE. This is the part of the plan where we learn and grow.”
🌪️ Speed-walking only. A runner goes back to BEFORE and starts over.

Class screen: 🏃 Before, Earth or Home? Speed-walk there! · 🌟 Before · 🌍 Earth · 🏡 Home

4. Object lesson

The Glove and the Hand

3 min

A simple glove shows what a spirit and a body are, and why Jesus’s Resurrection is such good news.

  1. Lay the glove on the table. Say: “Glove, wave hello!” (Nothing.) “Glove, give me a high-five!” (Nothing.) Let the kids laugh.
  2. Hold up your bare hand. Say: “My hand is like my spirit, the real me that lived with Heavenly Father before I was born.” Slide your hand into the glove. “When we’re born, our spirit comes into a body.” Now make the glove wave and high-five a few kids.
  3. Slowly pull your hand out. Say: “When someone dies, their spirit and body separate for a while. The body stops, but the spirit keeps living. It can still think and love.”
  4. Put the glove back on with a big smile. Say: “Because Jesus rose from the dead, everyone’s spirit and body will come back together, and they will never separate again. That’s called the Resurrection.”
  5. Let two or three kids who are sitting ready try it and say “Resurrection!” as the glove comes alive.
🌪️ The glove only goes to kids who are sitting criss-cross. Everybody else can wiggle their fingers like a glove coming alive.

Class screen: 🧤 My spirit + my body = me! · ✋ Spirit · 🧤 Body · Jesus puts them back together forever!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A glove (a winter glove, garden glove or work glove)

Spirit and Body Buddies

  1. Pick two volunteers. One is the Body: they stand totally floppy like a rag doll. The other is the Spirit: they stand right behind the Body.
  2. SAY“Body, wave hello!” (Floppy. Nothing.) Now the Spirit taps the Body on the shoulder, and the Body comes alive: it waves, jumps and high-fives. Say: “When we’re born, our spirit comes into a body.”
  3. The Spirit takes one step away, and the Body freezes like a statue. The Spirit keeps smiling and waving. Say: “When someone dies, their spirit and body separate for a while. The spirit keeps living. It can still think and love.”
  4. SAY“But because Jesus rose again…” Tap the magic sound on the Sound Board. The Spirit taps the Body again, they link arms and cheer. Say: “Everyone’s spirit and body will come back together, forever. That’s the Resurrection!”
  5. If there’s time, let a second pair try it.

Class screen: 🧍‍♂️✨ Spirit + body = me! · Floppy body… · Spirit comes in! · Together forever!

5. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: John 14:6

3 min

Motions help active kids remember that Jesus is the way home.

  1. Show the verse on your phone or tablet and read it once slowly.
  2. Teach the motions one phrase at a time.
  3. Say it three ways: normal voice, whisper voice, and GPS robot voice.
  4. Ask: “Our GPS today needed to know the way. Who is the way back to Heavenly Father?” (Jesus Christ.) “How do we follow Him?” (Pray, repent, keep our baptism promises, be kind like Him.)

Class screen: 🛤️ Jesus is the way home!

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Journey Home Edition

3 min

A Heads Up–style guessing game that reviews every stop on the path.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. One kid holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class.
  2. The class gives clues without saying the word. The hint under each word helps if they get stuck.
  3. Guesser tilts your phone or tablet down for “got it,” up to pass. Each turn lasts 45 seconds, then pass your phone or tablet.
  4. For your wiggliest kids, switch to Act It Out: clue-givers can only act, no talking.
🌪️ Clue-givers stay in their seats. Anyone who blurts the word waits one turn before giving clues again.

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. Tap Scripture Showdown to start.
  2. Read each question aloud. Teams whisper together, then point to an answer.
  3. Tap the team that got it right to give them a point.

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

8. Talk it over

Talk It Over

2 min

Connect the plan to their own everyday lives.

  1. Sit in a circle. Pick one or two questions; you don’t need them all.
  2. Share your own answer too. Kids open up when the teacher does.
💬 Ask the class
  • What do you think it will feel like to see Heavenly Father and Jesus again? What would you say to Them?
  • Which gift for the journey helps you the most: the Holy Ghost, prayer, scriptures, prophets or your family?
  • What’s a choice you made this week that moved you forward on the path?
  • When we make a mistake, how does Jesus help us keep going on the path?

Class screen: 💬 Let’s talk!

9. Testimony

Testimony: You Are Here

2 min

End calm and reverent, with something to do at home.

  1. Lower your voice. Say: “Heavenly Father’s plan isn’t just for grown-ups. It’s for each one of you.”
  2. Share one or two sentences about a time you felt Heavenly Father’s love or knew Jesus was helping you on the path.
  3. SAY“Today is fast Sunday. Many grown-ups are skipping a meal or two and praying extra hard to feel close to Heavenly Father. Kids don’t have to fast, but today every one of us can say a prayer to thank Him for His plan.”
  4. Introduce the Plan Map challenge on the screen, then ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🗺️ This week: draw your Plan Map! · 🌟 → 🌍 → 🏡 · Put a ⭐ where you are · Teach your family

Story drama

The Great Journey Home

Abraham 3:22–26; Job 38:7; Moses 4:1–3; Alma 34:32; John 14:6; 3 Nephi 27:19–20; Revelation 21:4 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • The TravelerWalks the path from BEFORE to EARTH to HOME. That’s you and me! (Pick a new Traveler at each stop.)
  • Stop KeepersThree kids hold the BEFORE, EARTH and HOME signs and say “Welcome to…!” when the Traveler arrives.
  • Earth FamilyWelcomes the new baby, rocks them gently, and helps them stand up and grow.
  • Gift GiversHand the Traveler invisible gifts for the journey: the Holy Ghost, scriptures, prophets, prayer.
  • Choice CallersCall out everyday choices so the Traveler can step toward the right one.
  • Joy Choir & Sound CrewEveryone else: cheers, gasps, baby cries, and the big “Welcome home!”

Scenes

  1. 🌟👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Before you were born

    Long before you were a baby, you were already alive! You lived with Heavenly Father as His spirit child. He knew your name, He loved you, and He taught you.

    🎬 The Traveler stands at the BEFORE stop. Everyone gives themselves a big hug: “He loves me!”

  2. 📋✨ Heavenly Father’s great plan

    Heavenly Father wanted us to grow and become more like Him. So He made a plan. We would go to an earth, get a body, learn to choose for ourselves, and show that we would follow Him.

    🎬 Count it on your fingers together: “Earth! Body! Choose! Grow!”

  3. 🎉🙌 Everyone shouted for joy!

    When we heard the plan, we were so happy! The Bible says the children of God shouted for joy. That includes you. You were cheering!

    🎬 Joy Choir: one BIG cheer on the count of three, then a silent cheer with jazz hands.

  4. ✝️💛 Jesus said yes

    On earth we would make mistakes, and our bodies would someday die. We needed a Savior. Jesus Christ said He would do whatever Heavenly Father wanted, and the glory would be His Father’s. Satan wanted to force everyone and take the glory himself, but Heavenly Father’s plan lets us choose.

    🎬 Everyone points up and whispers, “Thank You, Jesus.”

  5. 👶🌍 Born on earth!

    Then it was our turn. We came to earth as tiny babies and got bodies that can run, jump, hug and laugh. We forgot our life in heaven, so now we learn to choose by faith.

    🎬 The Traveler walks to the EARTH stop and curls up. The Earth Family rocks the baby. Crew: “Waaah!”

  6. 🎒🛤️ Earth is where we learn

    Earth is like a school for choosing. Every day we pick between right and wrong: at school, at recess, with our brothers and sisters. The Book of Mormon teaches that this life is the time to get ready to meet God.

    🎬 The baby grows up (stands tall). Choice Callers shout choices; the Traveler steps forward for good ones: “Share the ball! Tell the truth!”

  7. 🎁🕊️ Gifts for the journey

    Heavenly Father didn’t send us alone. He gave us gifts: the Holy Ghost to guide us, scriptures, prophets, prayer, and families to help us.

    🎬 Gift Givers hand over invisible gifts. The Traveler zips each one into an invisible backpack: “Zzzzip!”

  8. 🌿✝️🌅 Jesus makes the way

    Everybody makes mistakes. Jesus suffered for our sins in Gethsemane, died on the cross, and rose again on Easter morning. Because of Him we can repent and be clean, and everyone will live again with a body that never dies. Jesus said, “I am the way.”

    🎬 The Traveler kneels for a moment, then stands up. Everyone: “Jesus is the way!”

  9. 💧🏡 Welcome home!

    Jesus showed us the path: repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and keep following Him. Many of you already took the baptism step! At the end, we can see Heavenly Father and Jesus again, and there will be no more tears.

    🎬 The Traveler walks to the HOME stop. Everyone opens their arms wide: “Welcome home!”

Key verse

John 14:6 ↗
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”
In kid words: Jesus is the path back to Heavenly Father. He is true, and He gives life. The only way home is with Him.
🙌 “I am the way” = walk two fingers along your other arm like a path · “the truth” = hand on heart · “and the life” = arms burst up like a sunrise · “no man cometh unto the Father” = reach both hands high · “but by me” = hold up one finger (one way!), then fold arms

More verses

Job 38:7 ↗
“all the sons of God shouted for joy”
In kid words: Before we came to earth, all of Heavenly Father’s children cheered for His plan.
John 6:38 ↗
“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me”
In kid words: Jesus came to earth to do what Heavenly Father wants.
Philippians 4:13 ↗
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”
In kid words: With Jesus helping me, I can do hard things.
Revelation 21:4 ↗
“God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying”
In kid words: When we go home, God will wipe away every tear, and no one will be sad or die anymore.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • ✋ Spirit
  • 🧍 Body
  • 👶 Baby
  • 🌍 Earth
  • 👨‍👩‍👧 Family
  • 📋 Plan
  • 🤔 Choose
  • 🎉 Shout for Joy
  • 💧 Baptism
  • 🕊️ Holy Ghost
  • 🙏 Prayer
  • 📖 Scriptures
  • 🧔 Prophet
  • 🔄 Repent
  • 🌅 Resurrection
  • 🧤 Glove
  • 📍 GPS
  • 🏡 Home
Clues for each word
  • Spirit: The real you, like the hand inside the glove
  • Body: We got one when we came to earth
  • Baby: How everyone arrives on earth
  • Earth: The planet where we learn and grow
  • Family: The people who welcomed you when you were born
  • Plan: Heavenly Father made one for us
  • Choose: Picking between right and wrong
  • Shout for Joy: What we did when we heard the plan
  • Baptism: A big step on the path; you go under the water
  • Holy Ghost: A gift that guides us after baptism
  • Prayer: Talking to Heavenly Father
  • Scriptures: Holy books that help us on the journey
  • Prophet: God’s messenger on earth today
  • Repent: Say sorry, turn around, try again
  • Resurrection: Spirit and body back together forever
  • Glove: Can’t wave until a hand goes inside
  • GPS: Robot voice that says “Recalculating…”
  • Home: Where we go back to Heavenly Father
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Where did we live before we were born?
    • A. On the moon
    • B. With Heavenly Father
    • C. Nowhere; we didn’t exist yet
    Show answer

    ✅ B. With Heavenly Father We lived with Heavenly Father as His spirit children, and He knew each of us.

  2. What did Heavenly Father’s children do when they heard His plan?
    • A. Shouted for joy
    • B. Fell asleep
    • C. Went bowling
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Shouted for joy Job 38:7 says the children of God shouted for joy. That included you!

  3. Who said He would do what Heavenly Father wanted and be our Savior?
    • A. Moses
    • B. Adam
    • C. Jesus Christ
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Jesus Christ Jesus chose to follow His Father’s will and give Him the glory (Moses 4:2).

  4. What did we get when we came to earth?
    • A. A spaceship
    • B. A body
    • C. Wings
    Show answer

    ✅ B. A body Our spirits came into bodies, like a hand going into a glove.

  5. Alma said this life is the time to…
    • A. Get ready to meet God
    • B. Watch as much TV as possible
    • C. Never make a mistake
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Get ready to meet God Alma 34:32. Earth is where we learn, grow and prepare to go home.

  6. What did Jesus say He is, in John 14:6?
    • A. The captain
    • B. The map
    • C. The way, the truth and the life
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The way, the truth and the life Jesus is the only way back to Heavenly Father.

  7. What is the Resurrection?
    • A. A kind of dinosaur
    • B. Spirit and body coming back together forever
    • C. A trip to the beach
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Spirit and body coming back together forever Because Jesus rose again, everyone will be resurrected someday.

  8. What does God promise to wipe away in Revelation 21:4?
    • A. Mud
    • B. Homework
    • C. All tears
    Show answer

    ✅ C. All tears When we go home, there will be no more sadness, crying or pain.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Lived in Heaven Children’s Songbook, p. 4

    It tells the first stop of the story: life with Heavenly Father and His plan. Find it ↗

  • I Am a Child of God Children’s Songbook, p. 2

    Why we’re here and where we’re going, in one song they already know. Find it ↗

  • He Sent His Son Children’s Songbook, p. 34

    Jesus is the center of the plan. Find it ↗

  • I’m Trying to Be like Jesus Children’s Songbook, p. 78

    Jesus followed the plan, and so can we. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Plan Map

Draw three stops on a piece of paper: 🌟 Before, 🌍 Earth, 🏡 Home. Put a star where you are right now. Use your map to teach your family Heavenly Father’s plan, and tell them who makes the way home possible.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned Heavenly Father’s plan: we lived with Him before we were born, we came to earth to get a body and learn to choose, and because of Jesus Christ we can go home to Him again. We walked a path from “Before” to “Earth” to “Home.” Ask your child: what did we cheer about before we were born, and who is “the way” home?

📝 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?

🖍️ Plan Map Craft · 5 min

  1. Give each child a sheet of paper. Draw three circles across it: 🌟 Before, 🌍 Earth, 🏡 Home, with a winding path between them.
  2. Along the path, draw gifts that help: a dove for the Holy Ghost, a book for scriptures, folded arms for prayer, a family.
  3. Put a big star on Earth labeled “I am here,” and take it home for the challenge.

🔍 Why Did Heavenly Father Send Me? · 4 min

  1. Split into two teams. Give one team Abraham 3:25 and the other Alma 34:32 (in your scriptures or Gospel Library).
  2. Each team reads its verse and finishes this sentence in their own words: “Heavenly Father sent me to earth to…”
  3. Teams act out their answer for the other team to guess.

✝️ Jesus Did His Father’s Will · 4 min

  1. Read John 6:38 together.
  2. Set a timer for one minute. How many times can the class name Jesus doing what Heavenly Father wanted? (Being baptized, healing, praying, teaching, Gethsemane, the cross, rising again…)
  3. Ask: “What’s one way you can do what Heavenly Father wants this week?”

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.

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