Gospel Sparks Get the app

Build on the Rock

Jesus finishes His Sermon on the Mount with teachings about prayer, treasures in heaven, the Golden Rule, and a story about two builders and a big storm. The message for kids is simple: hearing what Jesus taught isn’t enough. We build a strong life when we actually do it. This week your family snuggles up for a story, hunts for clues in a verse, draws a treasure chest, looks for birds outside and talks about prayer at dinner.

  • Week 8
  • 📅 Feb 15–21, 2027
  • 📖 Matthew 6–7
Start with Monday
Read it togetherMatthew 6–7 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualNew Testament 2027, week 8

What your kids learn in class

Stories, verses and games for the week come from each child’s own Primary or youth lesson, so home matches Sunday.

Daily sparks

Five to ten minutes a day, Monday to Sunday, with everyday things you already have. Grown-ups lead; kids act, play and answer. Where a step says to tap something, that’s in the Gospel Sparks app; on the web, use the “Play along” links.

Monday · 8 min · Cozy story time

Couch Story: Two Builders

🏠 Story time: rock or sand?Snuggle up.Tap out the rain.Which house stands?

✋ Grab: a blanket

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 When we hear Jesus’s words and do them, we’re building on a strong rock.

  1. Read Matthew 7:24–25 together.
  2. Ask: “What makes a house strong in a storm?”
  3. Name one thing Jesus taught that you can do this week.

😄 Make rain with your fingers on your knees. Then everyone stomps the ground like solid rock!

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:24–27 ↗

  1. Grab a blanket and pile onto the couch together.
  2. Tap Story. Read each scene out loud and look at the pictures together.
  3. Before the storm scene, ask: “Which house do you think will stand?”
  4. Let everyone make quiet rain by tapping their fingers on their knees.
  5. SAY“Both builders heard Jesus. The wise one did what He said. That’s building on the rock.”

🎭 Play along: the story scenes (from the Valiant 7–8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • What are some storms that can happen to kids?
  • What’s one thing Jesus taught that you can do this week?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one sit on your lap and tap to the next scene. Ask them to point to the rock and the sand.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid read Matthew 7:24–27 from their own scriptures after the last scene. Ask them what the rock stands for in real life.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Point out to your teen that the storm hit both houses in Matthew 7:25 and 27. Following Jesus doesn’t cancel storms. Ask them to name a real storm people their age face, and what building on the rock looks like before it arrives.
☕️ For grown-upsBoth builders heard the same sermon. The only difference was doing. Your kids are watching which of Jesus’s words you actually build on. What’s one teaching you’ve heard a hundred times but haven’t yet built into your week?

Sticker for today: 🏠

Tuesday · 7 min · Scripture detective

Verse Detectives

🔍 Find the one tiny word!Read two verses.Spot the difference.Say it without peeking!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Hearing Jesus isn’t enough. The wise man heard His words and did them.

  1. Read Matthew 7:24, then read verse 26.
  2. Ask: “Can you find the one tiny word that’s different?”
  3. SAY“Hearing and doing is what makes us wise.”

😄 Rock or sand? A parent names a choice, like hearing “be kind” and doing it. Kids stomp for rock or wiggle for sand!

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:24 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 7:24 together. Then read verse 26.
  2. SAY“Detectives, these two verses are almost the same. One tiny word is different. Can you find it?”
  3. Give everyone a minute to hunt. The answer is “not.”
  4. SAY“The wise man heard and did. The foolish man heard and did not. That one word changes everything.”
  5. Tap Key Verse. Say it together until someone can say it without peeking.

📖 Play along: the key verse (from the Valiant 7–8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Why isn’t hearing Jesus’s words enough?
  • What’s one thing you heard at church that you could do?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Read slowly and let your little one cup an ear for “heareth” and pound a fist for “doeth.”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Give your older kid a harder case. Find the two words in verse 24 that mean listens and does. They’re heareth and doeth.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Read Matthew 7:21–23 with your teen. Some people there did impressive religious things, yet the Lord says He never knew them. The Joseph Smith Translation reads “Ye never knew me.” Ask what the difference is between doing church things and truly knowing Jesus.
☕️ For grown-upsThe Joseph Smith Translation changes verse 23 to “Ye never knew me.” It’s possible to be busy in the kingdom and still be a stranger to the King. What would help you know Him, not just serve Him, this week?

Sticker for today: 🔍

Wednesday · 8 min · Draw

Draw a Treasure Chest

💎 Draw treasures that last forever!Draw a big chest.Fill it with forever treasures.Show your family!

✋ Grab: paper and crayons

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Jesus taught us to treasure things that last forever, like family, faith and kindness.

  1. Read Matthew 6:19–21 together.
  2. Ask: “What treasures will still matter in a hundred years?”
  3. Each person names their favorite forever treasure.

😄 Thirty-second challenge. Point to as many forever treasures in the room as you can!

📖 Read together: Matthew 6:19–21 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 6:19–21 together.
  2. Ask: “What are moth and rust? What happens to toys that get old?”
  3. Everyone draws a big treasure chest on their paper.
  4. Inside, draw treasures that last forever. Think family, a prayer, a kind deed or a testimony.
  5. Take turns showing your chest and naming one treasure in it.
  6. SAY“Jesus said our heart goes where our treasure is. Let’s keep treasures that last forever.”
Talk about it
  • What’s the most precious forever treasure we drew?
  • How can we spend more time on forever treasures?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Draw the chest for your little one. Let them scribble a family inside and give everyone a big hug.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your older kid to draw one forever treasure they could trade a little screen time for this week.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Matthew 6:22–24 and explain “No man can serve two masters” in terms of their own time, phone and money. Invite them to check their screen-time report privately and see if it matches where they want their heart to be.
☕️ For grown-ups“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” works in both directions. We come to love what we spend on. Look honestly at last month’s calendar and bank statement. What do they say your treasure is?

Sticker for today: 💎

Thursday · 10 min · Walk

Birds and Flowers Walk

🐦 Spot a bird. Who feeds it?Go look outside.Find birds and flowers.Heavenly Father cares for you!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Heavenly Father cares for the birds and flowers, and He cares for us even more.

  1. Read Matthew 6:26 and 28 together.
  2. Ask: “Who takes care of the birds?”
  3. Everyone shares one small worry. Then say it’s safe with Heavenly Father.

😄 Everyone flaps like a bird and chirps. The silliest chirp wins a round of applause!

📖 Read together: Matthew 6:25–34 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 6:26 and 28 together before you head out.
  2. Take a short walk outside, or look out a window if it’s cold.
  3. Hunt for birds, trees, grass or flowers. Whoever spots one first shouts “Look!”
  4. For each one, ask: “Who takes care of that?”
  5. SAY“Heavenly Father feeds the birds and dresses the flowers. He knows what we need even more.”
  6. Back inside, tap Forehead Guess for a quick round.

🤔 Play along: Forehead Guess (from the Valiant 7–8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • What do you worry about sometimes?
  • What do the birds and flowers teach us about Heavenly Father?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Carry or hold hands with your little one and let them be the first to shout “Look!”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid lead the walk and read Matthew 6:33 out loud at the end.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Read Matthew 6:25–34 with your teen and talk honestly about worry: grades, the future, what people think. “Take no thought” can’t mean “don’t plan.” Ask what it might mean instead. Let them pick one worry to hand to Heavenly Father in prayer tonight.
☕️ For grown-upsJesus doesn’t tell worried people to try harder. He tells them to look at birds and flowers and remember who feeds them. Name the worry you carry most, then read Matthew 6:33 as His answer to it.

Sticker for today: 🐦

Friday · 7 min · Service

Golden Rule Mission

🥇 Treat others the way you want to be treated!I like it when…So I’ll do that too.Do it today!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 The Golden Rule means treating others the way we want to be treated.

  1. Read Matthew 7:12 together.
  2. Everyone finishes this: “I like it when someone…”
  3. Pick one of those kind things to do for someone today.

😄 Thumbs-up vote. Which kind idea sounds the most fun to do? Then go do it!

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:12 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 7:12 together.
  2. SAY“This is the Golden Rule. Treat people the way you want to be treated.”
  3. Go around and finish this: “I like it when someone… so I’ll do that for someone else.”
  4. Each person picks one idea and does it today.
  5. Ideas: pour someone’s drink, let a sibling pick the show, or write a kind note.
  6. Tonight, do a thumbs-up check. Did everyone finish their mission?
Talk about it
  • How do you want people to treat you?
  • Who could use some Golden Rule kindness this weekend?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one pick one simple kind act, like giving a hug or bringing someone their shoes.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Challenge your older kid to try the Golden Rule with someone at school who usually gets left out.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Pair the Golden Rule with Matthew 7:1–5, the mote and the beam. Ask your teen where judging happens most at their age: group chats, comments, hallway talk. Challenge them to go one full day without an unkind comment about anyone, in person or online.
☕️ For grown-upsThe Joseph Smith Translation renders Matthew 7:1 “Judge not unrighteously … but judge righteous judgment.” The call isn’t to stop discerning. It’s to judge the way we hope to be judged. Is there someone you’ve quietly written off who deserves a second look?

Sticker for today: 🤝

Saturday · 8 min · Dinner table

Bread or a Stone?

🚪 Knock, knock! Heavenly Father always hears you.Knock on the table.Bread or a stone?Play the quiz!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Heavenly Father hears us when we ask, seek and knock in prayer.

  1. Read Matthew 7:7–9 together.
  2. Ask: “Would a parent give a stone when you asked for bread?”
  3. Each person shares something they want to pray about.

😄 Knock three times on the table, then whisper “ask, seek, knock” faster and faster!

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:7–11 ↗

  1. At dinner, knock three times on the table. Read Matthew 7:7–8 together.
  2. SAY“Ask, seek, knock. Heavenly Father always hears us when we pray.”
  3. Read Matthew 7:9. Ask: “If you asked me for bread, would I give you a stone?”
  4. SAY“Of course not! Heavenly Father gives even better gifts than moms and dads do.”
  5. Take turns naming one part of a prayer. Thank Him, ask Him, and close in Jesus’s name.
  6. After dinner, tap Quiz for a quick review.

🏆 Play along: Scripture Showdown (from the Valiant 7–8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • What’s something you want to ask Heavenly Father for?
  • How has Heavenly Father answered one of your prayers?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one do the knocking. Help them say a short prayer tonight.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Invite your older kid to share a time a prayer was answered, even if the answer was “wait” or “no.”
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen compare Matthew 6:5–8 with 6:9–13. Jesus warns against praying to be seen and against “vain repetitions.” Then He gives a short, humble pattern. Invite them to lead tonight’s family prayer in their own honest words.
☕️ For grown-upsAsk, seek and knock are verbs that keep going. Some answers come after one request. Others come only while we keep seeking and knocking. Is there a prayer you stopped offering because the answer was slow?

Sticker for today: 🙏

Sunday · 6 min · Sabbath

Stones for Our House

🪨 What stone did you add this week?Tell what you learned in Primary.Name your stone.Say thank you.

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 When we follow Jesus, storms still come, but our house doesn’t fall.

  1. Read Matthew 7:24–25 together.
  2. Each person names one stone they added this week by following Jesus.
  3. A parent shares a short testimony of Jesus.

😄 High-five chain. Each high-five adds one stone to your family house. Count them out loud!

📖 Read together: Matthew 7:24–25 ↗

  1. Ask: “What did you learn in Primary today?” Let your kids teach you.
  2. Read Matthew 7:24–25 together.
  3. Take turns naming one stone you added this week. That’s one thing you did to follow Jesus.
  4. SAY“Storms still come. But when we follow Jesus, our house doesn’t fall.”
  5. Each person thanks Heavenly Father for one good gift. A parent shares a short testimony of Jesus.
Talk about it
  • What did you learn in Primary today?
  • What stone do you want to add next week?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one name a stone like “I prayed” or “I shared,” then stack your fists like stones.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your older kid to pick one teaching from Matthew 6–7 to try all next week and report back next Sunday.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Invite your teen to read Matthew 7:28–29: people were astonished because Jesus taught “as one having authority,” not like the scribes. Ask what made His teaching different, and whose voice carries the most authority in their life right now.
☕️ For grown-upsAfter everyone names a stone, try thirty seconds of quiet before anyone talks. A pause after a good question gives the Spirit room. It also teaches kids that pondering is part of worship.

Sticker for today: ⛪

Family challenge

Rock Builders

Every time someone does something Jesus taught this week, shout “Rock solid!” and give them a fist bump. Praying on your own, forgiving and sharing all count. At dinner, name the day’s stones out loud.

Parent Corner

Matthew 6 keeps circling one question: who is your audience? Giving, praying and fasting done “to be seen of men” already have their reward; done in secret, they are seen by the Father. The chapter then turns to treasure, to the single eye and to worry, and they are really the same question in different clothes: whose approval, whose kingdom, whose care am I living for? Chapter 7 ends the sermon with two houses and one storm, and the storm hits both. Jesus never promises the wise builder calm weather, only that a life founded on doing His words will still be standing afterward. Hearing is the easy part. This week’s chapters are about building.

  • Ponder: If your children could only guess what you treasure by watching how you spend your evenings, what would they guess?
  • Try this: Do one good thing this week in complete secret: no post, no mention, not even to your spouse. Notice how it feels to have an audience of One.

From general conference

“Please note in this verse that the Savior is not the foundation. Rather, we are admonished to build our personal spiritual foundation upon Him.”

— Elder David A. Bednar, “Be Still, and Know That I Am God,” April 2024

For parents before Monday’s builder story (he is speaking of Helaman 5:12): our covenants are what anchor us to the rock of Christ.

Read the talk ↗

Dinner-table questions

  • What’s one thing you heard AND did today?
  • If you could ask Heavenly Father anything tonight, what would you ask?
  • What is a treasure that money can’t buy?
  • When did someone treat you the way you like to be treated?
  • What storms can a family face together?

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

All family weeks