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The Day the Heavens Opened

A wild prophet in a camel-hair coat, a river, the sign of the dove, and a voice from heaven

  • 💧 CTR 8
  • Week 4
  • 📅 Sunday, January 24, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus was baptized to show me the way back to Heavenly Father, and my baptism put me on that same straight path.

I can follow Jesus’s example by keeping my baptism promises and making my path straight when I get off track.

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 we met in week 1: the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth. Now he is grown up and living in the wilderness near the Jordan River, wearing rough camel-hair clothes and eating locusts and wild honey. Isaiah had prophesied about him centuries earlier: a voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3). His whole job was to get people’s hearts ready for Jesus Christ, like a road crew smoothing a bumpy road before a king arrives (Luke 3:4–5).

John preached repentance and baptized with real priesthood authority. When people asked, “What shall we do then?” he gave very concrete answers (Luke 3:10–14): share your extra coat and food, don’t take more money than you should, don’t bully or lie about anyone, and be content. Eight-year-olds love this part because repentance becomes something they can actually do at recess and at home, not just a big word.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized. John felt he should be baptized by Jesus instead, but Jesus said it was right “to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). Jesus never sinned, yet He was baptized to obey His Father and show all of us the way (see also 2 Nephi 31:5–9). He was baptized by immersion and came “straightway out of the water.” The heavens opened, the Holy Ghost descended with the sign of the dove, and Heavenly Father’s voice said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” All three members of the Godhead are present and separate in this one moment.

Most of your class was just baptized and confirmed, so connect everything to their own day: someone with priesthood authority, all the way under the water, promises to remember Jesus and keep His commandments, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. One more fun fact for the end: 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; Joseph Smith—History 1:68–72). That same priesthood is used to baptize children today.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 3:13–17 and Luke 3:10–14. Open Teach Mode and let your phone or tablet carry the Story Drama, then play “Jesus, Me, or Both?” (no supplies at all) and Forehead Guess. Skip the yarn path. If you brought nothing, tap “I brought nothing” and the kids become the clues and the crooked path themselves.

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. Put the blanket, belt and honey in the grocery bag and fold the top closed.
  2. Tape the picture of Jesus low on the wall farthest from the door.
  3. Tie one end of the yarn to a chair leg near the door. Wind it in a big zig-zag around 5 or 6 chair legs (or table legs) until it reaches the picture of Jesus, and tape the end under the picture.
  4. Optional: tape the JESUS sign on one wall and the ME sign on the opposite wall. The middle of the room is BOTH.
  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

  • Give John the Baptist to your loudest kid. Shouting “Prepare the way!” is a job that uses up big energy for a good cause.
  • The two River kids have the best job for wigglers: they get to wave their arms and splash the whole time.
  • “Jesus, Me, or Both?” is a walking game. Anyone who runs goes back to the middle and counts to five before moving again.
  • If the room gets too loud, whisper, “The Holy Ghost is gentle like a dove.” Everyone makes quiet dove wings until the room is calm.
  • Some kids may not be baptized yet. In every baptism activity, say, “If your baptism is coming up, answer for your big day!”

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

Mystery Messenger

2 min

A clue bag makes them curious about the strangest-dressed prophet in the New Testament.

  1. Hold up the closed grocery bag. Say: “Inside are clues about a real person from the scriptures. First one to guess who it is gets to be him in our story!”
  2. Pull out the fuzzy blanket. Say: “His coat was made of… CAMEL hair!” Let a kid who is sitting ready feel how scratchy it might be.
  3. Pull out the belt. Say: “He wore a leather belt.” Then the honey: “He ate wild honey… and LOCUSTS!” Make a grasshopper hop across your hand.
  4. Take guesses. Say: “It’s John the Baptist! He had the most important job: getting people ready for Jesus.”
🌪️ Only kids sitting criss-cross can guess. A guess from a kid who is standing doesn’t count.

Class screen: 🛍️ Who wore camel hair and ate grasshoppers? · Clue 1: a scratchy coat · Clue 2: a belt · Clue 3: honey… and bugs!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A grocery bag with 3 clues inside: a fuzzy blanket, scarf or sweater (camel hair), a belt, and a jar or squeeze bottle of honey

Mystery Messenger Charades

  1. SAY“I’m going to act out clues about a real person from the scriptures. First one to guess gets to be him in our story!”
  2. Clue 1: scratch all over like your coat is super itchy. Say: “My coat is made of… CAMEL hair!”
  3. Clue 2: pull a pretend belt tight around your waist. Clue 3: drizzle pretend honey on your fingers and lick them.
  4. Clue 4: make a grasshopper hop across your hand, then pop it in your mouth: “CRUNCH!” (Kids will scream. That’s the point.)
  5. Take guesses. Say: “It’s John the Baptist! He had the most important job: getting people ready for Jesus.”

Class screen: 🦗 Who wore camel hair and ate grasshoppers? · Watch the clues! · No shouting, raise a hand

2. Story

Story Drama: The Day the Heavens Opened

6 min

Acting out Jesus’s baptism lets them feel the wonder of the day they just lived themselves.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). The kid who guessed the mystery is John the Baptist.
  2. SAY“Nobody plays Jesus or Heavenly Father. I’ll read Their words, and you listen.”
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue.
  4. At scene 4, give the Coat Sharer, Tax Collector and Soldier each a turn to ask, “What shall we do?”
  5. At scene 9, read Heavenly Father’s words slowly and let the room go quiet.
🌪️ If the River gets too splashy, tell them rivers are strong AND calm. Slow waves only until the baptism.

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

3. Wiggle break

Road Crew

2 min

Luke 3:5 becomes a full-body road-building wiggle.

  1. SAY“John said to get the road ready for the Lord! Road crew, stand up!”
  2. “Every valley shall be filled!” Scoop pretend dirt and dump it at your feet.
  3. “Every mountain brought low!” Stretch up on tiptoes, then squish down small.
  4. “The crooked made straight!” Wiggle like a snake, then freeze straight as a board.
  5. “The rough ways made smooth!” Do three bumpy jumps, then glide like you’re ice skating. Repeat it all fast, then super fast.

Class screen: 🚧 Road crew! Get the road ready for Jesus! · Fill · Squish · Straighten · Smooth!

4. Object lesson

Straighten the Path

3 min

A crooked yarn path shows what repentance does: it straightens our road back to Jesus.

  1. Show the zig-zag yarn from the door to the picture of Jesus. Say: “This path is so crooked! Every bend is a wrong choice that pulls us off the road.”
  2. Stand at the first chair. Ask a kid to name a wrong choice an 8-year-old might make (like yelling at a brother). Then ask, “How do we make it right?” (Say sorry, fix it, pray for help.)
  3. When they answer, that kid unhooks the yarn from that chair. Move quickly to the next bend with a new kid.
  4. When every bend is free, two kids pull the yarn tight. It’s a straight line to Jesus!
  5. SAY“That’s repentance. When you were baptized, you started on this straight path. Every week when you take the sacrament, Jesus helps you straighten it again.”
🌪️ Only the kid who answered touches the yarn. Everyone else keeps their hands on their knees like a road crew waiting for orders.

Class screen: 🧶 Make the crooked path straight! · Name a bend · Fix it · Pull it straight!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A ball of yarn or string, about 15 feet long, A picture of Jesus Christ (any picture from home, or one printed from the Gospel Library app)

The Human Crooked Path

  1. Line the kids up in a big zig-zag from the door toward you, each one a “bend” in the road. You stand at the end. Say: “At the end of this path is Jesus. But this road is so crooked!”
  2. Walk the zig-zag slowly. At each kid, they name a wrong choice an 8-year-old might make (like yelling at a brother) and how to make it right (say sorry, fix it, pray for help).
  3. After they answer, that kid steps sideways into a straight line. Tap the ding sound on the Sound Board for each fix.
  4. When everyone is in a straight line, walk it quickly from the door to the end. Say: “Look how fast that was!”
  5. SAY“That’s repentance. When you were baptized, you started on this straight path. Every week when you take the sacrament, Jesus helps you straighten it again.”

Class screen: 🛣️ You are the crooked road! Let’s make it straight. · Name a bend · Fix it · Step into line!

5. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Matthew 3:17

2 min

Motions help them memorize what Heavenly Father said at Jesus’s baptism.

  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: whisper voice, normal voice, then standing on tiptoes with a “voice from heaven” (big but not a shout).
  4. Ask: “Heavenly Father was pleased that Jesus was baptized. How do you think He felt on YOUR baptism day?”

Class screen: 📢 “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

6. Game

Jesus, Me, or Both?

4 min

Kids move while they compare Jesus’s baptism with their own.

  1. Point to one wall and say “JESUS,” the opposite wall “ME,” and the middle “BOTH.” Everyone starts in the middle. If your baptism is still coming, answer for your big day!
  2. Read a statement. Kids walk (no running!) to the right spot: Jesus only, me only, or both of us.
  3. Statements: Baptized by someone with priesthood authority (both) · Baptized in the Jordan River (Jesus) · Baptized in a font at a church building (me, for most of us) · Went all the way under the water (both) · Had never made a single mistake (Jesus).
  4. More: Was about 30 years old (Jesus) · Baptized to obey Heavenly Father (both) · Heard Heavenly Father’s voice from heaven (Jesus) · The Holy Ghost came after baptism (both!) · Made Heavenly Father happy (BOTH!).
  5. End in the middle. Ask: “Why do you think Jesus was baptized when He never sinned?” (To obey Heavenly Father and show us the way.)
🌪️ Anyone who runs or bumps goes back to the middle and counts to five out loud before moving again.

Class screen: ↔️ Jesus, Me, or Both? Walk to your answer! · ⬅️ Jesus · ⬆️ Both · ➡️ Me

7. Game

Forehead Guess: Jordan River Edition

3 min

A Heads Up–style guessing game that reviews every person and word from today.

  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. Tilt down for “got it,” up to pass. Each turn is 45 seconds, then pass your phone or tablet.
  4. For the wiggliest round, switch to Act It Out: clue-givers can only act. (Locust and Camel are the best ones.)
🌪️ Clue-givers stay in their seats. Anyone who blurts out the word skips their next clue turn.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Give clues, don’t say the word!

8. Testimony

Testimony & Two Coats Challenge

2 min

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

  1. Make quiet dove wings together and let them land in your laps.
  2. Lower your voice. Share one or two sentences about your own baptism, or how you know Heavenly Father is pleased when we follow Jesus.
  3. Introduce the Two Coats Challenge on the screen.
  4. Ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🧥 This week: the Two Coats Challenge! · Share something you have · Just like John taught

9. Talk it over

Baptism Day Talk

3 minBONUS

Connect Jesus’s baptism to their own promises.

  1. Sit in a circle. Tap the Name Spinner to pick who answers each question.
  2. Share your own answer too. Keep answers short and let everyone who wants to talk have a turn.
💬 Ask the class
  • What do you remember most about your baptism day? How did you feel?
  • What did you promise when you were baptized? (To remember Jesus, keep His commandments and help others.)
  • John told people to share their extra coat. What could you share this week?
  • The Holy Ghost came gently, like a dove. When have you felt calm and peaceful inside?
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 💬 Let’s talk about baptism!

10. 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.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

Story drama

The Day the Heavens Opened

Matthew 3; Luke 3:2–22; Mark 1:9–11 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • John the BaptistWears the camel-hair coat (the blanket, if you brought it), shouts “Prepare the way!” and does the baptizing.
  • The Jordan River (2 kids)Kneel side by side and wave their arms like flowing water. Make the biggest splash at the baptism.
  • The Coat SharerAsks John, “What shall we do?” and gives an extra coat to someone who doesn’t have one.
  • The Tax CollectorAsks, “Master, what shall we do?” and puts back the extra coins he shouldn’t have taken.
  • The Roman SoldierAsks, “And what shall we do?” then salutes and promises to be kind instead of a bully.
  • The CrowdEveryone else: walk to the river, gasp, make dove wings and do all the sound effects.

Scenes

  1. 🏜️🧔 A wild prophet in the wilderness

    Out in the hot, dry wilderness lived a man named John. His clothes were made of scratchy camel hair with a leather belt, and he ate locusts (a kind of grasshopper!) and wild honey. John had one very important job.

    🎬 John stomps in and scratches his itchy coat. Crowd: “Ewww, grasshoppers!” Then: “Mmm, honey!”

  2. 📣🛣️ Get the road ready for the Lord!

    Long before, the prophet Isaiah said a voice would call out in the wilderness: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” That voice was John! His job was to get people’s hearts ready for Jesus, like a road crew fixing a bumpy road before the King comes.

    🎬 John cups his hands: “Prepare the way!” Crowd builds the road: dig, dig, smooth, smooth!

  3. 👥🌊 Crowds come to the river

    People came from Jerusalem and all the towns around. John told them to repent, which means to turn away from wrong choices and turn back to God. Then he baptized them in the Jordan River.

    🎬 The River waves. The Crowd walks in place, then each one steps up to John: “Swoosh!”

  4. ❓🧥 “What shall we do?”

    The people asked John, “What should we do?” He gave real answers. If you have two coats, share one. Tax collectors, don’t take extra money. Soldiers, don’t bully anyone, don’t lie about people, and be happy with your pay.

    🎬 The Coat Sharer hands over a pretend coat. The Tax Collector puts coins back. The Soldier salutes: “I’ll be kind!”

  5. 👣🌊 Jesus walks to the river

    One day Jesus walked all the way from Galilee to the Jordan River and asked John to baptize Him. John was amazed. He said, “I need You to baptize me, and You come to me?”

    🎬 Everyone gasps. John bows his head humbly and puts a hand on his heart.

  6. ✅💧 “To fulfil all righteousness”

    Jesus had never done anything wrong, not even once. But He said baptism was the right thing to do. The teacher reads His words: “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” Jesus was obeying Heavenly Father and showing the way for all of us.

    🎬 Everyone points one finger forward like a road sign: “Jesus shows the way!”

  7. ⬇️🌊⬆️ All the way under the water

    John took Jesus into the river and baptized Him all the way under the water, just like you were baptized. Then Jesus came straight up out of the water.

    🎬 The River makes a giant splash. Everyone crouches down low… then pops up tall: “Straight up!”

  8. ☁️🕊️ The heavens opened!

    Then the heavens opened! John saw the Holy Ghost come down upon Jesus, with the sign of a gentle dove.

    🎬 Everyone links thumbs to make dove wings and floats them slowly down, silent as a feather.

  9. 📢❤️ “This is my beloved Son”

    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.” Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost were all there at once: three separate beings.

    🎬 Everyone holds up three fingers and whispers, “Father, Son and Holy Ghost!”

Key verse

Matthew 3:17 ↗
“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
In kid words: Heavenly Father’s voice said from heaven, “This is My Son. I love Him, and I am so happy with Him.”
🙌 “And lo a voice from heaven” = cup your hands around your mouth, then point up · “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 3:3 ↗
“Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”
In kid words: Get the road ready for Jesus! Make it nice and straight.
Matthew 3:15 ↗
“thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”
In kid words: Being baptized is the right thing to do, because it obeys everything Heavenly Father asks.
Matthew 3:16 ↗
“Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove”
In kid words: When Jesus came up out of the water, heaven opened, and the Holy Ghost came down like a dove.
Luke 3:11 ↗
“He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none”
In kid words: If you have two coats, give one to someone who doesn’t have any.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🧔 John the Baptist
  • 🐪 Camel
  • 🦗 Locust
  • 🍯 Honey
  • 🌊 Jordan River
  • 🕊️ Dove
  • 💧 Baptism
  • 🏜️ Wilderness
  • 🔄 Repent
  • 🧥 Coat
  • 🛡️ Soldier
  • 💰 Tax Collector
  • 🛣️ Road
  • 🔥 Holy Ghost
  • 🗝️ Priesthood
  • 🤝 Promise
Clues for each word
  • John the Baptist: Wore camel hair and baptized Jesus
  • Camel: John’s coat was made of its hair
  • Locust: A grasshopper John ate for lunch
  • Honey: Sweet and sticky, made by bees
  • Jordan River: Where Jesus was baptized
  • Dove: A gentle white bird, a sign of the Holy Ghost
  • Baptism: Going all the way under the water
  • Wilderness: A wild, empty place where John lived
  • Repent: Turn around and make it right
  • Coat: If you have two, share one
  • Soldier: John told him not to bully anyone
  • Tax Collector: John told him not to take extra money
  • Road: Prepare it for the Lord and make it straight
  • Holy Ghost: The gift you got when you were confirmed
  • Priesthood: God’s power. You need it to baptize someone.
  • Promise: What you make with God when you’re baptized
▶ 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 and pickles
    • B. Locusts and wild honey
    • C. Bread and fish
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Locusts and wild honey Locusts are a kind of grasshopper. Crunchy!

  2. Where was Jesus baptized?
    • A. The Jordan River
    • B. The Red Sea
    • C. A swimming pool
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The Jordan River Jesus walked all the way from Galilee to the Jordan River to find John.

  3. Why was Jesus baptized if He never sinned?
    • A. He needed a bath
    • B. To obey Heavenly Father and show us the way
    • C. John begged Him to
    Show answer

    ✅ B. To obey Heavenly Father and show us the way Jesus said it was right “to fulfil all righteousness.”

  4. How was Jesus baptized?
    • A. Sprinkled with a little water
    • B. Splashed with a cup
    • C. All the way under the water
    Show answer

    ✅ C. All the way under the water He “went up straightway out of the water,” so He had been all the way under, just like you.

  5. What did Heavenly Father’s voice say?
    • A. “Be careful, the water is cold!”
    • B. “Go home now.”
    • C. “This is my beloved Son.”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “This is my beloved Son.” Matthew 3:17: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

  6. How many members of the Godhead were at Jesus’s baptism?
    • A. One
    • B. Two
    • C. Three
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Three Jesus in the water, the Holy Ghost like a dove, and Heavenly Father’s voice from heaven!

  7. John said someone with two coats should…
    • A. Give one to someone who has none
    • B. Wear both at once
    • C. Sell one for money
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Give one to someone who has none Luke 3:11. Repenting includes real changes, like sharing.

  8. Who brought the Aaronic Priesthood back to Joseph Smith in 1829?
    • A. Noah
    • B. John the Baptist
    • C. Moses
    Show answer

    ✅ B. John the Baptist The same John who baptized Jesus came back as a resurrected being (Doctrine and Covenants 13).

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Baptism Children’s Songbook, p. 100

    It tells the story of Jesus’s baptism. Sing it right after the Story Drama. Find it ↗

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

    Connects Jesus’s baptism to their own fresh, clean start. Find it ↗

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

    Jesus was baptized to show us the way. We follow His example. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Two Coats Challenge

John told people who had two coats to share one. This week, share something you have (a toy, a snack, your time, a turn) with someone who needs it. Tell your family about it at dinner.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we acted out Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan River: the heavens opened, the Holy Ghost came with the sign of a dove, and Heavenly Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” We compared Jesus’s baptism to our own. Ask your child: why was Jesus baptized if He never sinned? And what will you share for the Two Coats Challenge?

📝 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?

🔥 Water and Fire · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 3:11: John baptized with water, but Jesus would baptize “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”
  2. Ask: “What does water do?” (Cleans.) “What does fire do to gold?” (Burns away the dirt and makes it pure and shiny.)
  3. SAY“Baptism by water washes us clean. The gift of the Holy Ghost keeps changing our hearts to be more like Jesus.”
  4. Everyone rubs their hands together fast to feel warmth. Name one way the Holy Ghost helps you (comforts, warns, teaches, testifies of Jesus).

🗝️ John Comes Back! · 4 min

  1. SAY“Guess what? We’ll see John the Baptist again, 1,800 years later!”
  2. Tell it simply: In 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery prayed about baptism in the woods near the Susquehanna River. John the Baptist came as a resurrected angel and gave them the Aaronic Priesthood (Doctrine and Covenants 13; Joseph Smith—History 1:68–72).
  3. Then Joseph baptized Oliver, and Oliver baptized Joseph.
  4. Ask: “Who baptized you? That person used the same priesthood John brought back!”

🍎 Good Fruit Check · 3 min

  1. Read Matthew 3:8: John said to bring forth “fruits meet for repentance.”
  2. SAY“A good tree grows good fruit. When we repent, good actions grow out of us.”
  3. Everyone stands like a tree. Each kid names one “good fruit” (sharing, telling the truth, saying sorry) and picks a pretend apple off their own branch.

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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