Gospel Sparks Join the beta

Say Not, I Am a Child

The world’s best excuse, a leaky-cup relay, a potter’s do-over, and a fire Jeremiah couldn’t keep inside

  • ⭐ Valiant 9–11
  • Week 43
  • 📅 Sunday, October 25, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Heavenly Father knew me before I was born and sent me now with work to do, and I’m not too young to do it, because He is with me.

I can speak up for the Lord and help gather His children, even when I feel young or afraid.

Study it yourself firstRead Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20)
Know the chapters

Jeremiah was called as a prophet as a young man and served in Jerusalem for about forty years, in the decades before Babylon destroyed the city. He lived at the same time as Lehi, and his prophecies were on the brass plates Nephi carried to the promised land (1 Nephi 5:13; 7:14). The people of Judah were worshipping idols and ignoring the poor, yet still felt safe because the temple stood in their city. Jeremiah warned them again and again. Most refused to listen, and in chapter 20 a temple officer named Pashur had him struck and locked in the stocks overnight.

The block opens with one of the most important verses for children in all of scripture: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee… and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (1:5). We lived with Heavenly Father as His spirit children before we were born, He knows each of us personally, and many were chosen for their earthly missions before birth (Abraham 3:22–23; Alma 13:3). Being foreordained doesn’t take away our choices; we still decide whether to accept the work. Jeremiah’s first answer, “I cannot speak: for I am a child” (1:6), makes him a perfect hero for this class. The Lord didn’t argue that he was old enough. He said, “Say not, I am a child… for I am with thee” (1:7–8).

Jeremiah’s chapters are packed with object lessons. An almond branch (1:11–12): in Hebrew, “almond” sounds like “watching,” so the Lord was saying He watches over His word to fulfill it. An iron pillar and brass walls (1:18). People chanting “The temple of the LORD” while ignoring the widow and the stranger (7:4–6). The Lord as “the fountain of living waters,” traded for “broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (2:13); a cistern was a pit cut in rock to store rainwater, and a cracked one slowly lost everything. The potter who doesn’t throw away marred clay but makes it again (18:1–6), a picture of repentance. And God’s word burning in Jeremiah’s bones until he couldn’t keep quiet (20:9).

Jeremiah also saw the latter-day gathering of Israel: “one of a city, and two of a family” (3:14), “many fishers” and “many hunters” sent to find the Lord’s scattered children (16:14–16). President Russell M. Nelson called this gathering the most important work on earth today, and it happens on both sides of the veil: through missionaries, through temple and family history work, and through every kid who invites a friend. Your 11-year-olds can begin doing baptisms for their ancestors in the temple in January. Help them see they were sent to earth at exactly this time to be fishers and hunters.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Jeremiah 1:4–10, 2:13, 18:1–6, and 20:9. Start with the Excuse Olympics, let Teach Mode carry the drama (a kid reads Jeremiah 1:5, 1:7–8, and 20:9 from real scriptures), run the rice relay with one leaky cup, and let pairs teach Jeremiah 1 back to the class. Play Forehead Guess and close with a short testimony that each child was known and sent. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: the relay becomes Broken Cistern Telephone, and you read the Jeremiah 1 verses aloud from your own scriptures.

What to bring5 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 6–8 holes in the bottom of one paper cup with a pencil. Don’t show anyone which cup is leaky.
  2. Set the rice bowl on one side of the room and the two empty bowls on the far side, on a towel or tray to catch spills.
  3. Text a strong reader before Sunday: “Will you be our Scripture Reader? You’ll read Jeremiah 1:5, 1:7–8, and 20:9.”
  4. Write the teach-back verses on your phone or tablet or a slip for each pair: Jeremiah 1:7 · 1:8 · 1:9 · 1:10 · 1:19 · Amos 3:7.
  5. Split the class into two teams for the whole lesson: Team Fishers and Team Hunters. Keep score with tally marks or the Goal Jar.

If your class is wild

  • The Excuse Olympics lets kids be a little ridiculous in the first two minutes. Enjoy it, then use Jeremiah’s real excuse to pivot fast. The laugh buys you their attention.
  • The rice relay is fast and a bit messy. Walking only, one runner at a time per team, and the leaky-cup team gets a big round of applause for trying. Losing on purpose is part of the lesson.
  • Soft Clay, Hard Clay is a great reset. If the room is wild, call “Hardened!” and everyone must freeze stiff as fired clay until you say “Soft again.”
  • When pairs teach Jeremiah 1 back, give them a hard limit of 15 seconds each. Short, confident teaching is the goal, and it keeps shy kids from feeling stuck.
  • Kids this age may say “I’m just a kid” for real. Use it. Every time someone says “I can’t,” the class can answer together, “Say not, I am a child!”

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 Excuse Olympics

2 min

Kids invent silly excuses to dodge a hard job, then discover a real prophet used a very familiar one.

  1. SAY“The Lord needs someone to warn an entire nation. Most people won’t listen. You might get arrested. Team Fishers, Team Hunters: you have 30 seconds to invent the BEST excuse to get out of it.”
  2. Each team shouts its excuse. Award a point for creativity. (“My dog ate my scroll.” “I have soccer.”)
  3. SAY“A real prophet gave a real excuse. Read it with me.” A kid reads Jeremiah 1:6: “Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.”
  4. Ask: “Have you ever felt too young to do something important?” Say: “Let’s see how the Lord answered.”
🌪️ Excuses must be clean and kind (no excuses that make fun of a classmate). The funniest clean one gets a bonus point.

Class screen: 🏅 Excuse Olympics: how would you get out of it? · Jeremiah 1:6

2. Story

Story Drama: Too Young, Sent Anyway

6 min

Acting out Jeremiah’s call and his object lessons shows that the Lord calls ordinary young people and stays with them.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone else is the People of Judah.
  2. SAY“No one plays the Lord. When He speaks, I’ll read His words. Our Scripture Reader reads the verses from real scriptures.”
  3. Read each scene and pause for the action.
  4. At scene 9, pause and ask: “Have you ever felt something so true that you couldn’t keep it inside?”
  5. Afterward, ask: “Jeremiah was scared, arrested, and ignored. Why didn’t he quit?” (The Lord was with him, and His word burned inside him.)
🌪️ In scene 5, pushers must keep hands an inch away from Jeremiah: slow motion, no contact. Anyone who touches becomes a statue for the rest of the scene.

Class screen: 🎭 Jeremiah: too young, sent anyway! · Jeremiah 1; 7; 16; 18; 20

3. Wiggle break

Soft Clay, Hard Clay

2 min

A body-shaping game shows why a soft, willing heart lets the Lord shape us, and a hard one can’t change.

  1. A kid Clay Caller calls out shapes: tall vase! wide bowl! teapot! tiny cup! Everyone shapes their body to match.
  2. Suddenly the Caller shouts “Hardened!” Everyone freezes stiff as fired clay and must try the next shape without bending anything. (Funny and impossible.)
  3. “Soft again!” and everyone loosens up and makes the shape easily. Play three or four rounds.
  4. Read Jeremiah 18:6. Ask: “What makes a heart soft like clay? What makes it hard?” (Soft: praying, listening, repenting, being humble. Hard: pride, refusing to listen, “I don’t need to change.”)

Class screen: 🏺 Soft clay can be shaped. Hard clay can’t. · Vase! · Bowl! · Teapot! · Hardened!

4. Object lesson

The Cistern Challenge

3 min

A relay with one secretly leaky cup makes Jeremiah 2:13 unforgettable: what we trust instead of the Lord leaks away.

  1. Give Team Fishers the whole cup and Team Hunters the leaky cup (don’t mention the holes). Say: “Carry rice from the fountain bowl to your bowl across the room. Walk only. Most rice in 60 seconds wins.” Start the Big Timer.
  2. When time is up, compare the bowls. Let the leaky team show everyone their cup. Cheer them for trying anyway.
  3. SAY“In Jeremiah’s dry land, people cut cisterns into rock to store rainwater. A cracked cistern slowly lost everything.” Read Jeremiah 2:13.
  4. Ask: “What are some broken cisterns today, things that promise to fill us up but leak?” (Likes and followers, buying more stuff, winning, endless gaming.) “What is the fountain?” (The Lord. Jesus called what He gives “living water” in John 4:14.)
  5. Ask: “How do we go to the fountain every day?” (Prayer, scriptures, the sacrament, keeping covenants.)
🌪️ One runner per team at a time, walking only. Spilled rice stays where it lands until the end, and then everyone helps sweep it up.

Class screen: 🥤 Which cup can hold it? Broken cisterns leak! · Jeremiah 2:13

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: About 2 cups of dry rice or dried beans in a bowl (the fountain), Two paper cups: poke 6–8 pencil holes in the bottom of one, Two empty bowls or plastic containers for the finish line

Broken Cistern Telephone

  1. Two teams line up. Say: “I’m the fountain. I’ll whisper a message from Jeremiah to the first person in each line.” Whisper: “My people have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters.”
  2. Team Hunters is the broken cistern: each player must secretly change or drop one word before passing it on. Team Fishers is the fountain team: the last player runs to you, and you read the verse to them straight from your scriptures.
  3. Both last players say their message out loud. Compare: which one is still pure? Read Jeremiah 2:13.
  4. Ask: “What are some broken cisterns today, things that promise to fill us up but leak?” (Likes and followers, buying more stuff, winning, endless gaming.) “What is the fountain?” (The Lord. Jesus called what He gives “living water” in John 4:14.)
  5. Ask: “How do we go straight to the fountain every day?” (Prayer, scriptures, the sacrament, keeping covenants.)

Class screen: ⛲ Leaky message or straight from the fountain? · Jeremiah 2:13

5. Scripture

Prophet Job Description: Jeremiah 1:5

4 min

Kids memorize the key verse, then read and teach Jeremiah 1 themselves to build a job description for a prophet.

  1. Teach Jeremiah 1:5 with the motions. Say it twice together.
  2. Give each pair one verse and their scriptures: Jeremiah 1:7 · 1:8 · 1:9 · 1:10 · 1:19 · Amos 3:7. Say: “You have 60 seconds to read it and write one line of a prophet’s job description.”
  3. Each pair teaches their line in 15 seconds. Build the list together on the screen or out loud. (A prophet goes where God sends, isn’t ruled by fear, speaks God’s words, pulls down wrong and plants good, isn’t beaten by opposition, and receives God’s secrets.)
  4. SAY“We have a living prophet today, and we just heard prophets and apostles at General Conference. They do this exact job.”
  5. SAY“Abraham 3:22–23 teaches that many were chosen before they were born. Like Jeremiah, Heavenly Father knew you before you came here, and He has work only you can do.”
🌪️ Pairs that finish early get a bonus: find where Jeremiah 1:5 says what happened BEFORE birth, and act it out without words.

Class screen: 📋 Wanted: a prophet. Read Jeremiah 1 and write the job description! · Jeremiah 1:7 · 1:8 · 1:9 · 1:10 · 1:19 · Amos 3:7

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for pairs: Bibles, a quad, or the Gospel Library app on a phone

  1. Teach Jeremiah 1:5 with the motions. Say it twice together.
  2. Assign each pair one verse: Jeremiah 1:7 · 1:8 · 1:9 · 1:10 · 1:19 · Amos 3:7. Read each one aloud from your own scriptures or Gospel Library, slowly, while the assigned pair listens closely.
  3. Give the pair 15 seconds to huddle and teach one line of a prophet’s job description. (A prophet goes where God sends, isn’t ruled by fear, speaks God’s words, pulls down wrong and plants good, isn’t beaten by opposition, and receives God’s secrets.)
  4. SAY“We have a living prophet today, and we just heard prophets and apostles at General Conference. They do this exact job.”
  5. SAY“Abraham 3:22–23 teaches that many were chosen before they were born. Like Jeremiah, Heavenly Father knew you before you came here, and He has work only you can do.”
6. Game

Forehead Guess: Potter’s House Edition

3 min

A fast team review of Jeremiah’s people, object lessons, and the gathering of Israel.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. Jeremiah goes first: device on the forehead, screen facing the class.
  2. Valiant rules: clue-givers can’t say the word OR any word from the hint under it.
  3. Team Fishers and Team Hunters alternate 45-second turns. The scorekeeper adds correct guesses to the lesson score.
  4. Act-it-out round: for Potter, Stocks, Fishers, and Almond branch, clue-givers can only act, no talking.
  5. No phone or tablet? Play Twenty Questions: secretly pick a word from the list, and teams take turns asking yes-or-no questions.
🌪️ Clue-givers raise a hand and wait for the guesser to pick them. The guesser always picks someone sitting still.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Potter’s House Edition · No saying words from the hint!

7. Talk it over

Talk It Over

3 min

Deeper why-questions help kids apply premortal life, courage, and the gathering to their own lives.

  1. Sit in a circle. A kid Discussion Leader reads each question from your phone or tablet and picks who answers.
  2. Keep answers short so more voices get in, and share one honest answer of your own.
💬 Ask the class
  • Why would it matter to Jeremiah, scared and brand new, to know the Lord knew him before he was born? How could knowing that change the way you handle a hard day?
  • The Lord didn’t say “You’re big enough.” He said “I am with thee.” Why is that a better answer?
  • People at the temple gate felt safe just because the temple was nearby. How can someone look religious on the outside but not really follow the Lord? How do we avoid that?
  • When the potter’s clay got marred, he made it again. What does that teach about repenting after you mess up?
  • Jeremiah saw fishers and hunters gathering God’s children. What’s one way a kid your age can help gather Israel right now?

Class screen: 💬 Talk it over

8. Testimony

Sent for Right Now

2 min

A quiet testimony helps each child feel personally known by Heavenly Father and sent to earth with a purpose.

  1. Lower your voice. Read Jeremiah 1:5 once more, slowly. Say: “Heavenly Father knew you before you were born: your personality, your gifts, the good you would do. He chose to send you here now, during the gathering of Israel.”
  2. Testify briefly that the Lord is with them the way He was with Jeremiah (1:8), even when they feel young or scared.
  3. SAY“Our 11-year-olds can begin going to the temple in January to be baptized for their ancestors. That’s gathering Israel on the other side of the veil. Every one of you can be a fisher or a hunter this week.”
  4. Introduce the challenge and ask a kid to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🌟 He knew you before you were born. You’re here for a reason. · Jeremiah 1:5

9. Game

Fishers and Hunters

4 minBONUS

A gathering tag game acts out Jeremiah 16:16 and gets the wiggles out.

  1. Read Jeremiah 16:16. Choose two Fishers. Everyone else is scattered around the room.
  2. Fishers walk (no running) and gently tag scattered kids on the shoulder. A tagged kid links arms with a Fisher and becomes a Hunter who helps gather others.
  3. Keep going until everyone is gathered into one big chain.
  4. Ask: “Who gathered you in real life? Who could you gather?” (A friend to Primary, an ancestor through family history, someone who stopped coming to church.)
🌪️ Walking only and gentle shoulder taps. Anyone who runs becomes a scattered fish again.

Class screen: 🎣 Fishers and hunters: gather everyone home! · Jeremiah 16:16

10. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A tough team quiz reviews Jeremiah’s call, his object lessons, and the gathering.

  1. Keep the same teams: Team Fishers and Team Hunters. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Read each question aloud. Teams get 10 seconds to whisper, then point to an answer.
  3. Bonus point if the winning team can name the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Team Fishers vs. Team Hunters!

Story drama

Jeremiah: Too Young, Sent Anyway

Jeremiah 1:4–19; 7:1–7; 16:14–16; 18:1–6; 20:1–9 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • JeremiahHides behind a chair in scene 2, then stands up tall, faces the crowds, and bursts out in scene 9: “I can’t stay quiet!”
  • Scripture ReaderReads Jeremiah 1:5, 1:7–8, and 20:9 aloud from real scriptures.
  • Almond TreeStands with bare-branch arms, then bursts into blossom with wiggling fingers.
  • The PotterShapes the Clay on an invisible wheel, then patiently makes it again when it flops.
  • The ClaySpins slowly, flops over when it’s marred, then rises taller than before.
  • PashurA temple officer who gets angry and orders Jeremiah locked in the stocks.
  • People of JudahEveryone else: chant at the temple gate, push against the iron pillar, and become fishers and hunters at the end.

Scenes

  1. 👶✨ Known before he was born

    Long ago in Jerusalem, the word of the Lord came to a young man named Jeremiah. Before Jeremiah was even born, Heavenly Father knew him and had set him apart to be a prophet to the nations.

    🎬 The Scripture Reader reads Jeremiah 1:5. Jeremiah points at himself, stunned: “Me?”

  2. 😰🙈 “I cannot speak: for I am a child”

    Jeremiah panicked. “Ah, Lord GOD! I can’t speak. I’m just a child.” He felt way too young and way too ordinary for a job this big.

    🎬 Jeremiah shrinks down and hides behind a chair. The People of Judah whisper: “Sound familiar?”

  3. 👄🛡️ “Say not, I am a child… I am with thee”

    The Lord didn’t tell Jeremiah he was secretly big enough. He said: Don’t say you’re just a child. Go where I send you, say what I tell you, and don’t be afraid of anyone’s face, because I am with you. Then the Lord touched Jeremiah’s mouth and said, “I have put my words in thy mouth.”

    🎬 The Scripture Reader reads Jeremiah 1:7–8. Jeremiah touches his own lips, slowly stands, and plants his feet.

  4. 🌰🌸 “What seest thou?” An almond branch!

    The Lord showed Jeremiah a branch from an almond tree, the first tree to bloom after winter. In Hebrew, the word for almond sounds like the word for watching. The Lord was saying: I’m awake. I’m watching over My word, and I will make it happen.

    🎬 The Almond Tree holds bare-branch arms up, then blooms by opening wiggling fingers. Everyone: “He’s watching!”

  5. 🧱💪 An iron pillar and walls of brass

    The Lord warned that kings, priests, and crowds would fight Jeremiah. But He promised to make him as strong as a walled city, an iron pillar, and walls of brass. “They shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee.”

    🎬 Jeremiah stands like an iron pillar. The People of Judah push against him in slow motion (hands never touching) and can’t budge him.

  6. 🏛️📣 Trouble at the temple gate

    The Lord sent Jeremiah to stand at the temple gate. People kept saying, “The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” as if being near the temple would protect them, while they worshipped idols and mistreated strangers, orphans, and widows. Jeremiah called out, “Amend your ways!”

    🎬 The People of Judah chant “The temple of the LORD!” three times while shoving past each other in slow motion. Jeremiah cups his hands: “Amend your ways!”

  7. 🏺🔄 The potter makes it again

    Next the Lord sent Jeremiah to a potter’s house. The pot spinning on the wheel got marred and lopsided. Did the potter throw the clay away? No! He made it again into a new vessel. The Lord said, “As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand.”

    🎬 The Clay spins slowly while the Potter shapes it, then flops over: “Oops!” The Potter gently pats it back into a ball, and the Clay rises taller than before.

  8. 🪵⛓️ Pashur locks Jeremiah in the stocks

    Not everyone liked Jeremiah’s warnings. Pashur, a chief officer at the temple, had Jeremiah struck and locked all night in the stocks, a heavy wooden frame that pins your feet and hands so you can’t move.

    🎬 Pashur points: “Lock him up!” Jeremiah sits on the floor, ankles together and wrists together, frozen and miserable.

  9. 🔥🦴 A fire shut up in his bones

    When he was let go, Jeremiah was worn out. He decided, “I’m done. I won’t speak for the Lord anymore.” But he couldn’t stop. God’s word burned inside him like a fire shut up in his bones. He had to speak.

    🎬 The Scripture Reader reads Jeremiah 20:9. Jeremiah clamps his mouth shut, cheeks puffing, then bursts to his feet: “I can’t stay quiet!”

  10. 🎣🏹 Fishers and hunters: that means you

    Jeremiah also saw the last days, when the Lord would send “many fishers” and “many hunters” to find His scattered children everywhere and bring them home. That gathering is happening now through missionaries, temples, family history, and kids who invite their friends. You were sent to earth right now to help.

    🎬 Everyone casts an invisible fishing line, then searches behind chairs like hunters, and pulls a classmate into a big circle.

Key verse

Jeremiah 1:5 ↗
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
In kid words: Before you were born, Heavenly Father already knew you. He set Jeremiah apart for his mission before birth, and He has work for you to do too.
🙌 “Before I formed thee… I knew thee” = cradle arms like holding a baby, then point to a friend · “before thou camest forth… I sanctified thee” = hands together, then sweep them open like a gift · “I ordained thee” = place both hands gently on your own head · “a prophet unto the nations” = cup hands around your mouth and turn in a full circle.

More verses

Jeremiah 1:7–8 ↗
“Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee … Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee”
In kid words: Don’t say you’re too young. Go where I send you, and don’t be scared of anyone. I am with you.
Jeremiah 2:13 ↗
“they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
In kid words: People left the Lord, a never-ending spring of fresh water, and trusted cracked water tanks that leak everything away.
Jeremiah 18:6 ↗
“Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand”
In kid words: When I’m soft and willing like clay, the Lord can reshape me, even after I mess up.
Jeremiah 16:16 ↗
“Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters”
In kid words: The Lord sends many helpers to find His children and bring them home. You can be one.

Forehead Guess words20 words

  • 🧔 Jeremiah
  • ☁️ Premortal life
  • 🙌 Ordained
  • 📣 Prophet
  • 🌰 Almond branch
  • 🔩 Iron pillar
  • 🚪 Temple gate
  • 🕳️ Broken cistern
  • ⛲ Fountain of living waters
  • 🏺 Potter
  • 🟫 Clay
  • 😠 Pashur
  • 🪵 Stocks
  • 🔥 Fire in my bones
  • 🎣 Fishers
  • 🏹 Hunters
  • 🧲 Gathering of Israel
  • 🏜️ Lehi
  • 🧳 Missionary
  • 💧 Baptisms for the dead
Clues for each word
  • Jeremiah: Young prophet who said, “I am a child”
  • Premortal life: When we lived with Heavenly Father before birth
  • Ordained: Set apart by God for a calling
  • Prophet: Speaks the words God puts in his mouth
  • Almond branch: First tree to bloom; the Lord is watching
  • Iron pillar: How strong the Lord made Jeremiah (1:18)
  • Temple gate: Where Jeremiah shouted “Amend your ways!”
  • Broken cistern: A cracked water tank that can hold no water
  • Fountain of living waters: What the Lord is, and what people left
  • Potter: Made the marred clay into a new vessel
  • Clay: Soft enough to be shaped again
  • Pashur: Temple officer who locked Jeremiah up
  • Stocks: Wooden frame that pinned Jeremiah’s hands and feet
  • Fire in my bones: How God’s word felt when Jeremiah tried to quit
  • Fishers: The Lord will send many to gather Israel
  • Hunters: They search every mountain, hill, and rock
  • Gathering of Israel: Bringing God’s scattered children home
  • Lehi: Book of Mormon prophet in Jerusalem at the same time
  • Missionary: A modern-day fisher
  • Baptisms for the dead: Temple work youth do for their ancestors
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. What excuse did Jeremiah give when the Lord called him?
    • A. “I’m too busy”
    • B. “I cannot speak: for I am a child”
    • C. “Ask my brother”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “I cannot speak: for I am a child” Jeremiah 1:6. The Lord answered, “Say not, I am a child… I am with thee.”

  2. According to Jeremiah 1:5, when did the Lord know Jeremiah?
    • A. Before he was born
    • B. When he turned twelve
    • C. After he became famous
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Before he was born “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” We all lived with God before birth.

  3. What did Jeremiah see in his first vision?
    • A. A burning bush
    • B. A golden lampstand
    • C. A branch of an almond tree
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A branch of an almond tree Jeremiah 1:11. In Hebrew, “almond” sounds like “watching.”

  4. The Lord promised to make Jeremiah strong like an iron…
    • A. pillar
    • B. sword
    • C. helmet
    Show answer

    ✅ A. pillar Jeremiah 1:18–19. They would fight him but not prevail.

  5. What did people keep chanting at the temple gate?
    • A. “Hosanna!”
    • B. “The temple of the LORD”
    • C. “Long live the king”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “The temple of the LORD” Jeremiah 7:4. They trusted the building but ignored the Lord’s commandments.

  6. What can a broken cistern NOT do?
    • A. Stay cool
    • B. Hold water
    • C. Get dirty
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Hold water Jeremiah 2:13. The Lord is the fountain of living waters that never runs dry.

  7. When the potter’s vessel was marred, what did he do?
    • A. Threw it away
    • B. Sold it anyway
    • C. Made it again into another vessel
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Made it again into another vessel Jeremiah 18:4. The Lord can remake us when we repent.

  8. Who had Jeremiah locked in the stocks?
    • A. Pashur
    • B. Pharaoh
    • C. Goliath
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Pashur Jeremiah 20:1–2. Jeremiah kept teaching anyway.

  9. Jeremiah said God’s word felt like a burning fire shut up in his…
    • A. house
    • B. bones
    • C. backpack
    Show answer

    ✅ B. bones Jeremiah 20:9. He tried to stay quiet and couldn’t.

  10. Which Book of Mormon prophet lived in Jerusalem during Jeremiah’s time?
    • A. Alma
    • B. Moroni
    • C. Lehi
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Lehi 1 Nephi 5:13 says Jeremiah’s prophecies were on the brass plates Lehi’s family carried.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

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

    Sings the truth of Jeremiah 1:5: we lived with Heavenly Father before we came to earth. Find it ↗

  • Follow the Prophet Children’s Songbook, p. 110

    Challenge teams to add a verse about Jeremiah after reviewing the prophet job description. Find it ↗

  • Called to Serve Children’s Songbook, p. 174

    Fishers and hunters today: missionaries gathering Israel. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Fisher or Hunter?

Pick one way to gather Israel this week: with a parent, find one ancestor on FamilySearch and learn one story about them; invite a friend to church or an activity; or write a note to a missionary. Eleven-year-olds: talk with your parents about getting ready to go to the temple in January, and set a Children and Youth goal about gathering.

Text the parents

This week we studied Jeremiah, a young prophet who said, “I am a child,” and heard the Lord answer, “Say not, I am a child… for I am with thee” (Jeremiah 1:7–8). We learned that Heavenly Father knew us before we were born (1:5), raced cups of rice to show how “broken cisterns” leak (2:13), and talked about how we can be the “fishers and hunters” who gather God’s children (16:16). Ask your child: what did the potter do when the clay got marred, and what does that teach about repenting?

📝 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?

🏺 Potter’s Do-Over · 5 min

  1. Give each kid a ball of play dough. Read Jeremiah 18:1–6.
  2. Everyone shapes a small bowl, then deliberately squishes one side to “mar” it.
  3. Ask: “Is the clay ruined?” Roll it into a ball and make it again, better.
  4. SAY“When we repent, Jesus Christ doesn’t throw us away. He makes us new. The key is staying soft enough to be reshaped.”

🌳 The Tree by the River · 3 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 17:7–8. Half the class are trees planted by a river, roots reaching toward the water; the other half are trees in a desert.
  2. Call out a drought: river trees stay tall and green, desert trees droop.
  3. Ask: “What are roots that reach the river, for a kid?” (Daily prayer, scriptures, church, trusting the Lord.) Switch groups and play again.

🏛️ The Temple of the LORD, Three Times · 3 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 7:2–7. Ask: “Why wasn’t it enough for the people to have a temple nearby?”
  2. Teams list what the Lord actually asked them to do (be fair, don’t mistreat strangers, orphans, or widows, stop following other gods).
  3. Ask: “What does it mean to be worthy of the temple on the inside, not just the outside? How can our 11-year-olds start preparing now?”

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 Valiant 9–11 lessons