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Water That Never Runs Out

A mystery visitor at night, a woman at a well, and the living water only Jesus can give

  • 💧 CTR 8
  • Week 6
  • 📅 Sunday, February 7, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus is the living water: when I keep coming to Him, He fills me with His love and a fresh start that never runs out.

I can come to Jesus again and again through prayer, the scriptures and the sacrament, and He will fill me with living water.

Study it yourself firstRead John 2–4 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (John 2–4)
Know the chapters

John 2–4 packs in four scenes. At a wedding in Cana, Jesus turned water into wine, His first miracle. His mother, Mary, told the servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it” (John 2:5), which is great advice for eight-year-olds. Then at Passover, Jesus found people selling animals and changing money inside the temple. He drove them out and said, “Make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise” (John 2:16). The temple is sacred, and Jesus protected it.

In John 3, a Jewish leader named Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. Jesus told him that a person must be “born again,” born “of water and of the Spirit,” to enter God’s kingdom. Nicodemus was confused and asked how a grown man could be born again. For your class this is exciting: being born of water is baptism, and being born of the Spirit is receiving the Holy Ghost. Most of them have just done both! In the same conversation Jesus taught John 3:16: Heavenly Father loves the world so much that He gave His Son.

John 4 is the Story Drama. Jews and Samaritans usually didn’t get along or even speak to each other. Jesus, tired from walking, sat at Jacob’s well at about noon (“the sixth hour,” John 4:6) and kindly asked a Samaritan woman for a drink. He offered her “living water”: water from a well leaves you thirsty again, but what He gives becomes “a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). He showed He knew all about her life (keep that detail simple for kids: He knew things no stranger could know), and He told her plainly that He is the Messiah. She left her waterpot, ran to town, and many Samaritans came to believe He is “the Saviour of the world.”

Two big ideas for eight-year-olds: Jesus knows each of them completely and loves them anyway, and the good feelings the world offers (a new toy, winning, screen time) run out, but Jesus keeps filling us as we keep coming to Him through prayer, scriptures, the sacrament and the temple.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read John 3:1–5 and John 4:5–30. Dim the lights and use your phone flashlight for the hook, then let your phone or tablet carry the Story Drama. Do the Leaky Cup if you have a paper cup and water; if not, tap “I brought nothing” and the kids become a bubbling spring. Finish with Hot Potato questions and Forehead Guess.

What to bring3 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. Poke 4–5 holes in the bottom of one paper cup with a pencil. Leave the other cup whole.
  2. Test it at home over the sink: the leaky cup should drain in a few seconds. Set everything on a tray with the bowl and towel.
  3. Figure out where the light switch is and turn on your phone’s flashlight before the kids walk in for the hook.
  4. Check with your Primary presidency whether your ward is teaching the fast-Sunday lesson on February 7.
  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

  • Dim lights make wild kids quiet, not louder, as long as YOU whisper first. Never leave the room fully dark; keep the flashlight on.
  • The Samaritan Woman runs to town in scene 8. Make it a “fast walk” race against the timer so nobody slips.
  • Put your wettest-risk kid in charge of the towel during the Leaky Cup. A job beats a warning every time.
  • Hot Potato keeps everyone watching the waterpot. Anyone who throws it instead of passing it loses the next turn.
  • If they come in bouncing, do the Well Workout first and save the night-visitor hook for right after.

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

The Mystery Night Visitor

2 min

Darkness and whispers turn a wild room quiet and curious in ten seconds.

  1. Before they settle, dim the lights and turn on your phone flashlight. Tap the knock sound on the Sound Board. Whisper: “Shhh… someone is coming to see Jesus at night. Maybe he didn’t want anyone to see him!”
  2. Whisper: “His name was Nicodemus. He was an important leader, and he had a big question. Jesus told him: you must be born again.”
  3. Ask in a whisper: “Born AGAIN? Like a baby?” Let them giggle. Say: “Nicodemus asked the same thing!”
  4. Turn the lights back on. Say: “Jesus meant born of water and of the Spirit. That’s baptism and the Holy Ghost. Most of you already did that! Today we’ll find out what Jesus gives us to keep us going.”
🌪️ Only kids who are whispering get the flashlight shined on them to answer. Loud voices stay in the dark.

Class screen: 🌙🔦 Shhh… a mystery visitor comes at night! · Who is it? · What’s his question?

2. Story

Story Drama: The Woman at the Well

6 min

Acting it out helps them feel how Jesus knew and loved someone others ignored.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Say: “Nobody plays Jesus. I’ll read His words, and I’ll sit by the well.”
  2. Sit on a chair next to the two Well kids.
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue.
  4. At scene 6, have everyone whisper together: “He knows me too.”
  5. At scene 9, everyone shouts the last line together: “The Saviour of the world!”
🌪️ If an actor gets silly, make them the Hot Sun. Standing still and beaming takes all their focus.

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

3. Object lesson

The Leaky Cup

3 min

A cup with holes shows why we keep coming back to Jesus, the living water that never runs out.

  1. Hold the leaky cup over the bowl. Pour water in. Watch it drain out. Say: “Uh-oh! What’s happening?”
  2. Ask: “What are some things that make us happy for a little while, then the feeling runs out?” (A new toy, winning a game, a treat, screen time.) Pour again for each answer and watch it drain.
  3. Set the leaky cup in the bowl and keep pouring from the pitcher. It stays full! Say: “As long as the water keeps coming, the cup stays full.”
  4. Ask: “How do we keep coming to Jesus?” (Pray, read scriptures, take the sacrament, go to church, keep our baptism promises.)
  5. SAY“Jesus’s living water never runs out. When we keep coming to Him, He keeps filling us up.”
🌪️ One helper holds the bowl, one holds the towel. Everyone else sits on their hands until the cup is full.

Class screen: 🥤💧 Why does the cup keep running dry? · Pour… · Drain… · Keep coming back!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Two paper cups (poke 4–5 holes in the bottom of one with a pencil), a pitcher or big water bottle full of water, a bowl or dish tub, and a towel

The Bubbling Spring

  1. Everyone cups their hands like a cup. Tap the splash sound on the Sound Board and “pour” pretend water into their hands. Say: “Uh-oh, your hands have holes! Let it drip… drip… gone!”
  2. Ask: “What makes us happy for a little while, then the feeling runs out?” (A new toy, winning, a treat, screen time.) Pour again for each answer and let it drip away.
  3. Everyone crouches in a circle. Say: “Jesus said His water is like a spring that bubbles up forever.” On “bloop,” everyone rises and bursts their hands up like a fountain, then crouches again. Keep it going: bloop, bloop, bloop!
  4. Ask: “How do we keep coming to Jesus?” (Pray, read scriptures, take the sacrament, go to church, keep our baptism promises.)
  5. SAY“The world’s water runs out. Jesus’s living water never does. When we keep coming to Him, He keeps filling us up.”

Class screen: ⛲ Be a bubbling spring that never runs out! · Drip… drip… gone · Bloop! Bloop! Bloop!

4. Wiggle break

Well Workout

2 min

Drawing water from a deep well is a full-body wiggle.

  1. Everyone stands. “Lower the bucket!” Hand over hand, squat down slowly… “Splash!”
  2. “Pull it up! It’s HEAVY!” Hand over hand, rise up slowly, groaning.
  3. “Put the waterpot on your head!” Balance it and walk in place without spilling.
  4. “Living water!” Jump up with fountain hands three times, then sit down quietly like a still pond.

Class screen: 🪣 Lower it, pull it, balance it, splash! · Don’t spill!

5. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: John 4:14

3 min

Motions help them remember Jesus’s promise of living water, and John 3:16 makes it personal.

  1. Show the key verse on your phone or tablet and read it once slowly.
  2. Teach the motions one phrase at a time. Say it in a thirsty desert voice, then a happy “Ahhh!” voice.
  3. Read John 3:16 from the verses. Then say it again, putting each child’s name in: “For God so loved Emma, that He gave His only begotten Son…”
  4. Ask: “How does it feel to hear your name in that verse?”

Class screen: 💧 “The water that I shall give him… shall never thirst”

6. Talk it over

Waterpot Hot Potato

4 min

A passing game gives every kid a chance to talk about living water.

  1. Sit in a circle. Tap Hot Potato. Pass the waterpot (the plastic cup) around while the music plays.
  2. When it buzzes, whoever holds the waterpot answers the question on the screen. Friends can help.
  3. Share your own answer to one question too.
💬 Ask the class
  • Jesus was kind to the woman even though their groups didn’t get along. Who could you be kind to this week?
  • Jesus knew everything about the woman and still loved her. How does it feel to know Jesus knows YOU?
  • Nicodemus learned we must be born of water and of the Spirit. What happened at your baptism and confirmation?
  • What are some ways to “drink” Jesus’s living water every week?
  • Jesus called the temple His Father’s house. How can we show it’s sacred?
🌪️ Pass, don’t throw. Anyone who throws the waterpot sits out the next turn.
🥔 Hot Potato (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🏺 Pass the waterpot! Who will answer?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A plastic cup or empty water bottle to pass around (the waterpot)

Invisible Waterpot Hot Potato

  1. Sit in a circle. Tap Hot Potato. Pretend to lift a big, full waterpot and hand it to the first kid: “Careful, it’s full! Don’t spill!”
  2. Pass the invisible waterpot around with two hands while the music plays. Anyone who “spills” has to say “Oops!” and wipe the floor.
  3. When it buzzes, whoever holds the waterpot answers the question on the screen. Friends can help.

Class screen: 🏺 Pass the invisible waterpot! Don’t spill!

7. Game

Forehead Guess: Living Water Edition

3 min

A Heads Up–style guessing game that reviews every person and place from John 2–4.

  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.
  4. Last round is Act It Out: no talking, only acting. (Well, Sheep and Night are great ones.)
🌪️ Clue-givers raise a hand and wait to be pointed at. Blurting out the word ends that turn.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

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

8. Testimony

Testimony & Living Water Refill

2 min

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

  1. Lower your voice. Share one or two sentences about how Jesus has filled you up when you felt empty, or how you know He knows you.
  2. Introduce the Living Water Refill challenge on the screen.
  3. Ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 💧 This week: Living Water Refill! · Pray · Read a scripture story · Sing a Primary song

9. Game

My Father’s House

4 minBONUS

A noisy-market-to-reverent-temple challenge shows why Jesus protected the temple.

  1. Tell John 2:13–16 simply: people had turned the temple into a noisy market with animals and money tables. Jesus drove them out and said, “Make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.”
  2. Tap Noise Meter. Everyone becomes the noisy market: moo like oxen, baa like sheep, coo like doves, jingle pretend coins. Watch the meter go wild!
  3. SAY“Make it sacred!” Everyone freezes, folds arms and looks at a picture in their mind of the temple. Can you get the meter down to mouse-quiet?
  4. Ask: “Why do you think Jesus cared so much about the temple?” (It’s His Father’s house, a sacred place.) “How can you get ready to go there someday?”
🐭 Noise Meter (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🏛️ Noisy market… or sacred temple? · Moo! Baa! Coo! · Then: make it sacred

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 Woman at the Well

John 4:5–42 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • The Samaritan WomanCarries a pretend waterpot on her head, asks Jesus questions, then leaves the pot and runs to tell the town.
  • Jacob’s Well (2 kids)Hold hands in a circle to make the well. Lower the bucket, pull it up, and bubble like a spring in scene 5.
  • The Disciples (2 kids)March off to town to buy lunch, then come back surprised.
  • The Hot SunStands tall on tiptoes and beams hot rays down on everyone at noon.
  • The TownspeopleEveryone else: wipe sweat, whisper, gasp, and follow the woman back to meet Jesus.

Scenes

  1. 🚶☀️ A long, hot walk

    Jesus and His disciples walked a long way through a land called Samaria. It was about noon. Jesus was tired from the long walk, so He sat down by an old well called Jacob’s Well.

    🎬 The Sun beams its hot rays. Everyone wipes their forehead: “Phew!”

  2. 🧺🏘️ The disciples go buy lunch

    His disciples went into the town to buy food. Jesus waited at the well.

    🎬 The Disciples wave and march off to a corner. Everyone’s tummy growls: “Grrrr!”

  3. 🏺👩 A woman comes to draw water

    A Samaritan woman came to fill her waterpot. Back then, Jews and Samaritans usually didn’t get along. Many wouldn’t even talk to each other.

    🎬 The Woman walks in balancing a pot on her head. Townspeople whisper: “Uh-oh. Will He talk to her?”

  4. 💬💧 “Give me to drink”

    Jesus kindly asked her for a drink. She was surprised! She asked why He, a Jew, was asking her, a Samaritan. Jesus was kind to everyone, no matter where they came from.

    🎬 The Woman puts her hands on her cheeks. Everyone: “Whoa!”

  5. ⛲✨ Water that never runs out

    Jesus told her that if she knew who He was, she would ask Him for living water. Anyone who drinks from the well gets thirsty again. But the water He gives becomes like a spring bubbling up inside you forever.

    🎬 The Well lowers a bucket. Then everyone makes a fountain: hands rise up and burst, “Bloop, bloop, bloop!”

  6. 🙏💭 “Sir, give me this water!”

    The woman said, “Sir, give me this water!” Then Jesus told her things about her life that no stranger could possibly know. He knew everything about her, and He still cared about her.

    🎬 The Woman gasps: “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.” Everyone points to their own heart and whispers, “He knows me too.”

  7. 👑❤️ “I that speak unto thee am he”

    The woman said she knew the Messiah, the Christ, would come someday. Jesus told her He was the one. The teacher reads His words: “I that speak unto thee am he.”

    🎬 Everyone freezes with hands on hearts. Total silence for three seconds.

  8. 🏃‍♀️🏺 She leaves her pot and runs!

    The woman left her waterpot right there and hurried into town. Maybe she was too excited to carry it! She told everyone, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”

    🎬 The Woman fast-walks to the Townspeople and waves them over: “Come, see!”

  9. 🏘️🙌 “The Saviour of the world”

    The townspeople came to meet Jesus, and He stayed with them two more days. Many believed. They said, “This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

    🎬 The Townspeople walk to the front. Everyone together: “The Saviour of the world!”

Key verse

John 4:14 ↗
“whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst”
In kid words: Jesus said, “Anyone who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again.”
🙌 “whosoever drinketh” = pretend to take a big gulp from a cup · “of the water that I shall give him” = hands open like you’re receiving a gift · “shall never thirst” = shake your head “no” and wipe your mouth: “Ahhh!”

More verses

John 3:16 ↗
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In kid words: Heavenly Father loves everyone so much that He sent Jesus, so we can live with Them forever.
John 3:5 ↗
“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
In kid words: To get to God’s kingdom, we need to be baptized in water and receive the Holy Ghost.
John 2:5 ↗
“Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”
In kid words: Mary said, “Whatever Jesus tells you, do it!”
John 2:16 ↗
“make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise”
In kid words: Jesus said, “Don’t turn My Father’s house into a store.”

Forehead Guess words17 words

  • 🌙 Nicodemus
  • 👶 Born Again
  • 💒 Wedding
  • 🏺 Waterpot
  • 🪣 Well
  • 💧 Living Water
  • 👩 Samaritan Woman
  • 🥵 Thirsty
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 🐑 Sheep
  • 🕊️ Doves
  • 💦 Baptism
  • 🌬️ Wind
  • 🌃 Night
  • 👩‍🦱 Mary
  • 👑 Messiah
  • ☀️ Noon
Clues for each word
  • Nicodemus: Came to see Jesus at night
  • Born Again: Jesus said we must be, by water and the Spirit
  • Wedding: Where Jesus did His first miracle, in Cana
  • Waterpot: The woman left it behind and ran to town
  • Well: A deep hole you lower a bucket into
  • Living Water: What Jesus gives; you never thirst again
  • Samaritan Woman: Talked with Jesus at Jacob’s well
  • Thirsty: How you feel on a hot day with no drink
  • Temple: Jesus called it His Father’s house
  • Sheep: Jesus drove them out of the temple. Baa!
  • Doves: Jesus said, “Take these things hence”
  • Baptism: Being born of water
  • Wind: You can’t see it, but you can feel it, like the Spirit
  • Night: When Nicodemus came to Jesus
  • Mary: Jesus’s mother said, “Whatever He says, do it”
  • Messiah: Another name for the Christ, the promised Savior
  • Noon: The hot time of day Jesus sat at the well
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Where did Jesus do His very first miracle?
    • A. A wedding in Cana
    • B. On a boat
    • C. On a mountain
    Show answer

    ✅ A. A wedding in Cana He turned water into wine so the wedding celebration could go on.

  2. What did Mary tell the servants at the wedding?
    • A. “Go home early.”
    • B. “Whatever He says, do it.”
    • C. “Hide the water.”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “Whatever He says, do it.” John 2:5: “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” Great advice for us too!

  3. When did Nicodemus come to visit Jesus?
    • A. At breakfast
    • B. At noon
    • C. At night
    Show answer

    ✅ C. At night He came by night with a big question (John 3:2).

  4. To enter God’s kingdom, we must be born of water and of the…
    • A. Spirit
    • B. Sea
    • C. Sun
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Spirit Water = baptism. Spirit = the gift of the Holy Ghost.

  5. What did Jesus ask the woman at the well?
    • A. For directions
    • B. For a drink
    • C. For her name
    Show answer

    ✅ B. For a drink “Give me to drink.” She was surprised He even talked to her!

  6. What kind of water did Jesus offer her?
    • A. Salt water
    • B. Bath water
    • C. Living water
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Living water His living water is like a spring that bubbles up forever.

  7. What did the woman leave behind when she ran to town?
    • A. Her shoes
    • B. Her waterpot
    • C. Her donkey
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Her waterpot She left it right there and hurried to tell people about Jesus!

  8. Why did Jesus clear the sellers out of the temple?
    • A. It was His Father’s house
    • B. It was too crowded to nap
    • C. He wanted to buy a sheep
    Show answer

    ✅ A. It was His Father’s house The temple is sacred. Jesus protected it.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

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

    It goes perfectly with John 3:16. Sing it after the Scripture Spotlight. Find it ↗

  • I Feel My Savior’s Love Children’s Songbook, p. 74

    Jesus knew the woman at the well and loved her. He knows and loves us too. Find it ↗

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

    Jesus called the temple His Father’s house and kept it sacred. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Living Water Refill

Every day this week, get a refill of living water: say a prayer, read or listen to one scripture story about Jesus, and sing a Primary song. Draw a water drop on a paper each day you do all three.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned about Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night, and the woman at the well, who learned that Jesus gives “living water” that never runs out. We talked about how baptism and the Holy Ghost help us be “born again.” Ask your child: why did the leaky cup keep running dry, and how do we keep coming back to Jesus for more?

📝 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 into Wine · 4 min

  1. Tell John 2:1–11: at a wedding in Cana they ran out of drink. Mary told the servants, “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”
  2. Line up six chairs as six big stone waterpots. Kids are servants who fill them “up to the brim” with pretend buckets.
  3. SAY“Jesus turned the water into wine, His first miracle. The servants obeyed even before they saw what would happen.”
  4. Ask: “What has Jesus asked you to do, even before you see how it will turn out?”

🌬️ The Wind You Can’t See · 3 min

  1. Read John 3:8. Jesus compared the Spirit to the wind: you can’t see it, but you hear it and see what it does.
  2. Everyone blows gently on their own hand. “Can you see it? Can you feel it?”
  3. SAY“You can’t see the Holy Ghost, but you can feel Him: peace, warmth, good ideas, a nudge to be kind.”

🎁 God So Loved Me · 5 min

  1. Each kid draws the best gift they ever got on half a sheet of paper.
  2. On the other half, draw Jesus, the greatest gift Heavenly Father ever gave.
  3. Write across the bottom: “For God so loved ____” and fill in your own name.

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 8 lessons