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Built upon the Rock

Two builders, one huge storm, and why hearing AND doing Jesus’s words keeps us standing

  • 💧 CTR 8
  • Week 8
  • 📅 Sunday, February 21, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

When I hear Jesus’s teachings and do them, I am building my life on a rock that no storm can knock down.

I can build on Jesus Christ by doing what He teaches, like praying, forgiving and treating others the way I want to be treated.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 6–7 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 6–7)
Know the chapters

Matthew 6–7 finishes the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus teaches about doing good quietly instead of showing off, how to pray (the Lord’s Prayer), forgiving others, laying up treasures in heaven, trusting Heavenly Father like the birds and the lilies do, not judging, asking, seeking and knocking, the Golden Rule, and knowing people by their fruits. When He finished, the people were astonished, because He taught “as one having authority” (Matthew 7:28–29). He didn’t quote other teachers. He spoke as the Son of God.

The sermon ends with the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24–27). Notice two things kids often miss. First, BOTH builders heard Jesus’s words; the only difference was that one did them. Second, BOTH houses got the rain, floods and wind. Following Jesus doesn’t mean we never have storms. It means we are still standing when they pass. The Book of Mormon teaches the same idea: build on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and the devil’s storms will have no power to drag us down (Helaman 5:12).

Prayer is a big part of these chapters. Jesus taught us to pray sincerely, not to show off and not with empty repeated words, and to talk to our Father in private too (Matthew 6:5–13). Heavenly Father already knows what we need (6:8), and He still invites us to ask, seek and knock (7:7–11). Jesus compares Him to a loving dad who would never hand his hungry child a stone instead of bread. Answers come in His way and His time, and they are always good.

For eight-year-olds who just made baptismal covenants, the builder story is their story: they promised to follow Jesus, and every prayer, every kind choice and every “I forgive you” is another stone set on the Rock. Treasures in heaven (6:19–21) are the things that last forever: a testimony, covenants, kindness, and the people we love.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 7:24–29. Play Hear It or Do It, run the Story Drama in Teach Mode, then play Forehead Guess. Skip the sand pan: tap “I brought nothing” and the kids build houses on each other’s hands instead.

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. Set the pan on a towel. Pile the sand at one end and set the rock at the other. At home, test it: build a tiny house on the sand, pour water slowly beside it, and watch the sand wash out.
  2. Put the blocks in a cup so builders can grab them fast.
  3. Bonus Treasure Swap: fill the shoebox with a few toys and trinkets that can break, rust, get lost or get old.
  4. Practice your whispering voice for the hook. Whispering makes them lean in.
  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

  • Use “Rock!” as your freeze command all lesson. Everyone plants their feet wide and freezes solid. “Sand!” means wiggle. They will beg you to call it.
  • Water and eight-year-olds: only the Flood Helper pours, and only on “3.” Everyone else is the rainstorm, with sounds, from their seats.
  • Give The Sand to your wiggliest kid. For once, wiggling is the job.
  • The Foolish Builder falls in slow motion only. Practice once before the story so nobody crashes into a chair.
  • If they come in wild, start with Ask, Seek, Knock right away, then do the hook.

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

Hear It or Do It?

2 min

A whisper challenge sorts the room into hearers and doers, which is exactly the point of Jesus’s story.

  1. Say in a normal voice: “I’m going to whisper some instructions. Let’s find out who is a HEARER and who is a DOER.”
  2. Whisper, one at a time: “Touch your nose… stand on one foot… spin around once… sit down with your arms folded.”
  3. Ask: “Raise your hand if you HEARD me.” (Everyone.) “Now, who DID all four?” Cheer for the doers.
  4. SAY“Jesus told a story about two men. Both heard Him. Only one did what He said. Guess what happened to the other guy’s house?”
🌪️ The quieter you whisper, the stiller they get. Drop to your quietest voice for the last instruction.

Class screen: 👂 Are you a HEARER or a DOER? · Listen closely…

2. Story

Story Drama: Two Builders and a Big Storm

5 min

Acting out the storm lets them feel the difference between building on rock and building on sand.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode to assign them from your class list). Everyone without a role is the Crowd.
  2. Put the Wise Builder and The Rock on one side of the room, the Foolish Builder and The Sand on the other.
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue. Tap the scene sounds to make the storm feel real.
  4. At the last scene, everyone does the big line together: “Hear it! DO it!”
🌪️ Storm crews stay in their seats. The storm is loud with hands and mouths, not with running.

Class screen: 🎭 Story Drama time! Rock or sand? · Everyone gets a part

3. Object lesson

The Flood Test

4 min

Real water on real sand makes the parable impossible to forget.

  1. Two volunteers each build a tiny house: one on the sand, one on the rock. Everyone votes: which one will survive?
  2. Everyone else is the storm: tap rain on the Sound Board and pitter-patter along.
  3. The Flood Helper pours water slowly next to the sand house on “3.” Watch it wash out and tumble. Then pour on the rock house. It stands!
  4. SAY“Jesus Christ is our Rock. Building on Him means doing what He teaches: praying, forgiving, being kind. The storms still come, like a friend moving away, someone getting sick or being tempted, but we stay standing.”
🌪️ Only the Flood Helper touches the water. Everyone else keeps hands on knees until the countdown.

Class screen: 🌊 Which house will survive the flood? · 🏖️ Sand · 🪨 Rock

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A baking pan or plastic tub with a mound of sand (or dry dirt) at one end and a flat rock or brick at the other, Small blocks, LEGO bricks or sugar cubes (for building, not eating) to build two tiny houses, A cup or pitcher of water and a towel

Hand Houses

  1. Pair up. One partner holds out a flat hand: that’s the ground. The other builds a house on it by standing their fingertips up like a little roof.
  2. Round 1, SAND: the ground partner wiggles their hand like jelly. Tap wind and rain on the Sound Board while the class blows. Can the house stay up? (Nope!)
  3. Round 2, ROCK: the ground partner holds their hand steady and strong, elbow tucked in. Storm again. The house stands!
  4. Switch jobs and do it again.
  5. SAY“Jesus Christ is our Rock. Building on Him means doing what He teaches: praying, forgiving, being kind. The storms still come, like a friend moving away, someone getting sick or being tempted, but we stay standing.”

Class screen: ✋ Build a house on your partner’s hand! · 🏖️ Wiggly sand · 🪨 Steady rock

4. Object lesson

Treasure Swap

4 minBONUS

Swapping toys for heavenly treasures shows what lasts forever (Matthew 6:19–21).

  1. Open the treasure chest and pull out each earthly treasure. For each one, ask: “Can this break, rust, get lost or get old?” (Yes!)
  2. Read Matthew 6:19–21. Say: “Jesus said to save up treasures in heaven, where nothing can wreck them.”
  3. Each kid draws a heavenly treasure on a scrap of paper: a family, a testimony, being baptized, a kind deed, a prayer.
  4. Take out the toys and fill the chest with their drawings. Ask: “Which treasures will you still have forever?”

Class screen: 💎 Treasures on earth or treasures in heaven? · Where your treasure is, there your heart is!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A shoebox “treasure chest” with a few earthly treasures inside (a toy car, a candy wrapper, a broken crayon, a coin), Paper scraps and crayons

Moth, Rust and Robbers

  1. Name an earthly treasure (a new bike, a video game, a birthday toy). Half the class become moths munching it, rust creeping over it, or robbers tiptoeing off with it.
  2. Read Matthew 6:19–21. Say: “Jesus said to save up treasures in heaven, where nothing can wreck them.”
  3. Name heavenly treasures: a testimony, your family, being baptized, a kind deed. The moths try to munch them… and can’t! Everyone shouts: “Can’t touch this treasure!”
  4. Ask: “Which treasures will you still have forever?”
5. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Matthew 7:24

3 min

Building motions lock Jesus’s promise into memory.

  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: a quiet builder whisper, a normal voice, then a big construction-crew voice with hammering.
  4. Ask: “What’s the difference between the two builders?” (Both heard; only the wise one DID it.)

Class screen: 🔨 Hear it, do it, build on the rock!

6. Wiggle break

Ask, Seek, Knock

2 min

Matthew 7:7 turns into a speed-call movement game about prayer.

  1. Teach three moves. ASK = raise your hand high. SEEK = binocular hands and turn in a circle. KNOCK = knock on a big invisible door.
  2. Add two freeze words: “Rock!” (plant feet wide and freeze solid) and “Sand!” (wiggle like crazy).
  3. Call them out in random order, faster and faster. Finish with “Ask… seek… knock… ROCK!”
  4. SAY“Jesus promised that Heavenly Father hears us when we pray. He’s a loving Father who gives good gifts.”

Class screen: 🚪 Ask, seek, knock! · 🙋 Ask · 🔭 Seek · ✊ Knock · 🪨 Rock = freeze!

7. Game

Forehead Guess: Builder Edition

4 min

A Heads Up–style guessing game reviews the builders, the storm and Jesus’s sayings.

  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.
  4. Switch to Act It Out mode for your wiggliest kids: clue-givers can only act, no talking. Storms, sand and snakes are hilarious to act.
🌪️ Clue-givers stay in their seats. Anyone who shouts the word loses their next clue turn.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

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

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews everything they learned.

  1. Split into two teams: Team Rock and Team… also Rock (nobody wants to be Sand).
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. 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!

9. Talk it over

Stones for My House

3 min

Kids pick real “stones” from Jesus’s sermon to build with this week.

  1. Sit in a circle. Each time someone answers, the class pounds fists like hammers: “Bang!” That’s a new stone on the rock.
  2. Ask one question at a time, and share your own answer too.
💬 Ask the class
  • What is a “storm” a kid might have? (A move, a bad day, a sick grandparent, a friend being mean.)
  • Jesus said Heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask. Why do you think He still wants us to pray?
  • The Golden Rule: if you were the new kid at school, how would you want to be treated?
  • Which of Jesus’s sayings will you DO this week: pray, forgive, share, or be kind?

Class screen: 🧱 What will you build with this week?

10. Testimony

Testimony & Rock Builders

2 min

End calm and reverent, with a way to build at home.

  1. Lower your voice. Share one or two sentences about a storm in your life and how building on Jesus helped you stay standing.
  2. Remind them: “When you were baptized, you promised to follow Jesus. Every time you do what He teaches, you add another stone.”
  3. Introduce the Rock Builder challenge on the screen.
  4. Ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🪨 This week: be a Rock Builder! · Do one thing Jesus taught every day · Tell your family which one

Story drama

Two Builders and a Big Storm

Matthew 7:24–29 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • Wise BuilderDigs down deep, hammers on the rock, and says, “Rock solid!”
  • Foolish BuilderBuilds super fast on the sand, then lounges like it’s beach day. Falls in slow motion.
  • The RockSits in a strong, tight ball and never, ever moves.
  • The SandCan’t stay still: wiggles, shifts and finally slides away.
  • Rain CrewPitter-patter fingers on legs, faster and faster.
  • Wind CrewRubs hands together and whooshes.
  • Flood CrewRolls arms like big waves crashing in.
  • The CrowdEveryone else: listens on the mountain, gasps, cheers and says the big line.

Scenes

  1. ⛰️👂 Jesus tells one last story

    On the mountain, Jesus had taught for a long time: how to pray, how to forgive, how to treat others. Then He told one last story, about people who hear His words.

    🎬 The Crowd cups their ears: “We’re listening!”

  2. 👷🪨 The wise man finds a rock

    A wise man built his house upon a rock. Luke says he dug deep to lay the foundation there (Luke 6:48). Imagine how hard and slow that work was!

    🎬 The Wise Builder digs and hammers: “Bang, bang, bang!” The Rock stays strong and still.

  3. 😎🏖️ The foolish man picks sand

    A foolish man built his house upon the sand. Pretend he said, “Why work so hard? This sand is soft and flat!” Maybe he was done by lunch and kicked back to relax.

    🎬 The Foolish Builder slaps up walls, then lounges. The Sand wiggles underneath.

  4. 🏠🏠 Both houses look the same

    Imagine walking past both houses on a sunny day. Maybe they looked just the same: doors, windows, roof. Could you tell the difference… yet?

    🎬 Everyone makes a roof with fingertips over their head: “Ooh, nice!”

  5. 🌧️☁️ The rain descended

    Then the sky turned dark. The rain came down, harder and harder, on BOTH houses.

    🎬 The Rain Crew pitter-patters, faster and faster. Everyone else looks up nervously.

  6. 🌬️🌊 Floods came and winds blew

    The floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon both houses. Imagine the thunder rumbling and water rushing everywhere!

    🎬 The Wind Crew whooshes, the Flood Crew rolls their arms, and everyone stomps for thunder.

  7. 🏠✅ The house on the rock stood!

    The wise man’s house fell not, because it was founded upon a rock!

    🎬 The Wise Builder and The Rock lock arms and don’t budge. The Crowd cheers.

  8. 🏚️💥 Great was the fall of it!

    But the water washed the sand right out from under the other house. It fell, and great was the fall of it!

    🎬 The Sand slides away. The Foolish Builder falls in slow motion. Everyone: “Ohhh nooo!”

  9. 👂🔨 Hear it AND do it!

    Jesus explained: both men heard His words. Only one did them. The crowd was astonished, because Jesus taught with power and authority from God.

    🎬 Everyone points to their ear: “Hear it!” Then pounds a fist on their palm: “DO it!”

Key verse

Matthew 7:24 ↗
“whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock”
In kid words: Jesus said anyone who hears what He teaches AND does it is like a wise man who built his house on a rock.
🙌 “whosoever heareth” = cup your ear · “these sayings of mine” = open hands like scriptures · “and doeth them” = hammer fist on palm · “a wise man” = tap your head · “built his house” = fingertip roof over your head · “upon a rock” = stomp both feet and freeze

More verses

Matthew 7:7 ↗
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”
In kid words: Ask Heavenly Father for help, look for answers, and knock, and He will answer.
Matthew 7:12 ↗
“all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them”
In kid words: Treat other people the way you want to be treated. (The Golden Rule!)
Matthew 6:21 ↗
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
In kid words: Whatever you care about most is where your heart will be.
Matthew 7:25 ↗
“it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”
In kid words: The house didn’t fall, because it was built on a rock.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 👷 Wise Man
  • 🤪 Foolish Man
  • 🪨 Rock
  • 🏖️ Sand
  • 🌧️ Rain
  • 🌊 Flood
  • 🌬️ Wind
  • 🏠 House
  • 🔨 Hammer
  • 🙏 Pray
  • 🚪 Knock
  • 💎 Treasure
  • 🦋 Moth
  • 🐦 Birds
  • 🌷 Lilies
  • 📏 Golden Rule
  • 🍞 Bread
  • 🐍 Snake
Clues for each word
  • Wise Man: He built his house on the rock
  • Foolish Man: He built his house on the sand
  • Rock: Hard, strong and it never moves
  • Sand: You find it at the beach and it washes away
  • Rain: Water falling from the clouds
  • Flood: Way too much water rushing everywhere
  • Wind: You can’t see it, but it blows your hat off
  • House: Walls, a roof and a door. You live in one!
  • Hammer: A builder uses it to bang in nails
  • Pray: Talk to Heavenly Father
  • Knock: What you do on a door. “It shall be opened!”
  • Treasure: Something super valuable, like gold or jewels
  • Moth: A fluttery bug that eats holes in clothes
  • Birds: Heavenly Father feeds them, and you matter more
  • Lilies: Flowers dressed more beautifully than a king
  • Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated
  • Bread: A good dad gives this, not a stone
  • Snake: A good dad won’t give one instead of a fish
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Where did the wise man build his house?
    • A. On the sand
    • B. On a rock
    • C. In a tree
    Show answer

    ✅ B. On a rock Matthew 7:24. Solid rock kept his house standing.

  2. What happened to the house on the sand?
    • A. It fell, and great was the fall of it
    • B. It floated away like a boat
    • C. Nothing, it was fine
    Show answer

    ✅ A. It fell, and great was the fall of it Matthew 7:27. The water washed the sand right out from under it.

  3. Did the storm hit the wise man’s house too?
    • A. No, it only rained on the sand
    • B. No, he lived far away
    • C. Yes, but it didn’t fall
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Yes, but it didn’t fall Storms come to everyone. Building on Jesus keeps us standing.

  4. What made the wise man wise?
    • A. He had a bigger hammer
    • B. He heard Jesus’s sayings AND did them
    • C. He was the oldest
    Show answer

    ✅ B. He heard Jesus’s sayings AND did them Both men heard. Only the wise one did what Jesus taught.

  5. Jesus said: ask, and it shall be…
    • A. Given you
    • B. Forgotten
    • C. Too late
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Given you Matthew 7:7. Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.

  6. A good dad won’t give his hungry child a stone instead of…
    • A. A toy
    • B. A pillow
    • C. Bread
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Bread Matthew 7:9–11. Heavenly Father loves to give His children good gifts.

  7. What can moths and rust NOT wreck?
    • A. A new bike
    • B. Treasures in heaven
    • C. Your favorite shirt
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Treasures in heaven Matthew 6:20. A testimony, kindness and family last forever.

  8. What is the Golden Rule?
    • A. Treat others the way you want to be treated
    • B. Whoever has the gold makes the rules
    • C. Always win first place
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Treat others the way you want to be treated Matthew 7:12. Jesus said it sums up the law and the prophets.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • The Wise Man and the Foolish Man Children’s Songbook, p. 281

    Sing it with actions right after the Flood Test. Let the houses fall flat! Find it ↗

  • A Child’s Prayer Children’s Songbook, p. 12

    Heavenly Father hears when we ask, seek and knock (Matthew 7:7). Find it ↗

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    A hymn about building on the Lord’s sure foundation. Teach them the title’s meaning. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Rock Builder

Each day this week, DO one thing Jesus taught in His sermon: pray on your own, forgive someone, share, or treat someone the way you want to be treated. At dinner, tell your family which stone you added today.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned about the wise man who built on the rock and the foolish man who built on the sand (Matthew 7:24–27). Both heard Jesus’s words, but only the wise man did them. We also practiced “ask, seek, knock” (Matthew 7:7). Ask your child: what is one thing Jesus taught that you can DO this week?

📝 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?

🍞 Bread or Stone? · 3 min

  1. Hold two closed hands behind your back. Say one holds bread, one holds a stone (or just pretend).
  2. Ask: “If you were hungry and asked your dad for a sandwich, would he hand you a rock?” (No way!)
  3. Read Matthew 7:9–11. Say: “If a good dad gives good things, how much more will Heavenly Father give good things to us when we ask?”

🐦 Birds and Lilies Walk · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 6:26–30.
  2. Walk to a window (or outside if allowed). Spot a bird, a plant or a tree.
  3. Ask: “Who takes care of that bird? If Heavenly Father takes care of birds and flowers, how much does He care about you?”

📏 Golden Rule Remix · 3 min

  1. Start a sentence and let kids finish it: “When I’m sad, I want people to… so when someone else is sad, I will…”
  2. Try more: when I’m new, when I lose a game, when I drop my lunch.
  3. Read Matthew 7:12 together.

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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