Can These Bones Live?

Ezekiel saw a valley of dry bones come back to life, a river from the temple that healed everything it touched, and a Shepherd who searches for every lost sheep. This week your kids learn that Jesus Christ gives new life: because He was resurrected, we will be too, and He can give each of us a new heart right now.

  • Week 45
  • 📅 Nov 2–8, 2026
  • 📖 Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47
Start with Monday

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: Dry Bones

🦴 Story time: can dry bones come alive?Snuggle up.Snap when the bones rattle.Listen for the breath!

✋ Grab: a blanket

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Because Jesus was resurrected, our bodies will live again too.

  1. Read Ezekiel 37:3–6 together.
  2. Ask: “Can these bones live? What do you think?”
  3. SAY“Because Jesus rose again, we’ll all be resurrected.”

😄 Bone rattle! Everyone flops like dry bones, then rattles, wiggles and jumps up alive.

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 37:1–14 ↗

  1. Grab a blanket and snuggle up on the couch.
  2. Tap Story. Read each scene out loud and look at the pictures together.
  3. On the second scene, stop and ask: “Can these bones live? What do you think?”
  4. When the bones rattle, everyone snaps their fingers and clicks their tongues.
  5. SAY“Because Jesus was resurrected, we’ll all be resurrected too. Our bodies will live again!”

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

Talk about it
  • What did the Lord put into the bones to make them live?
  • What does it mean that we will be resurrected?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one tap to the next scene. They can snap or clap when the bones rattle.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid read Ezekiel 37:4–5 from their own scriptures at the second scene.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Ezekiel 37:11–14. The bones stand for Israel saying “our hope is lost.” Ask how the vision promises resurrection and also new life for people who feel stuck. Where have they seen someone come back to life?
☕️ For grown-upsEzekiel’s vision answered a people who said, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost” (Ezekiel 37:11). The Lord didn’t argue with how they felt. He showed them what He could do with it. What part of your life feels like a dry valley? Have you invited the Lord to speak there?

Sticker for today: 🦴

Tuesday · 8 min · Verse

Rock or Sponge?

🧽 Rock or sponge? Which one soaks it up?Soak the rock.Soak the sponge.Squeeze and say the verse!

✋ Grab: a kitchen sponge · a rock or spoon

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Jesus can give us a new, soft heart.

  1. Read Ezekiel 36:26 together.
  2. Ask: “What makes a heart hard like a stone?”
  3. SAY“Jesus can make our hearts soft and new.”

😄 Stone or sponge? Call out a choice. Freeze like a stone for unkind ones and go floppy for kind ones.

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 36:25–27 ↗

  1. Take a dry sponge and a rock or a spoon to the kitchen sink.
  2. Tap Key Verse and read Ezekiel 36:26 together.
  3. Run the rock under the water. It gets wet outside, but nothing soaks in.
  4. SAY“A stony heart won’t let God’s love in.”
  5. Now soak the sponge and squeeze it. Water everywhere!
  6. SAY“Jesus can give us a new, soft heart. It soaks up the Spirit and shares it.”

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

Talk about it
  • What makes a heart hard like a stone?
  • What helps your heart stay soft like a sponge?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one do the soaking and squeezing. Say “soft heart” together every time they squeeze.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid read Ezekiel 36:26–27 and explain how repentance and the Holy Ghost change a heart.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to run the sink demo for the younger kids. Later, invite them to read Ezekiel 36:26–27 and Alma 5:14 on their own. Has their heart felt more like stone or more like a sponge lately? What made the difference?
☕️ For grown-upsNotice who does the work in Ezekiel 36:26: “A new heart also will I give you.” We can’t scrub a stony heart soft by effort alone. We bring it to the Lord through repentance, and He changes it. Where have you been trying to change by willpower alone?

Sticker for today: 🧽

Wednesday · 10 min · Draw

Draw the River

🌊 Draw a river that makes everything come alive!Draw the temple.Draw the river.Add fish, trees and flowers!

✋ Grab: paper and crayons

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Blessings flow from the temple and help everything they touch come alive.

  1. Read Ezekiel 47:1 and 47:9 together.
  2. SAY“Everywhere the river went, things came alive.”
  3. Ask: “What blessings come to our family from the temple?”

😄 River wiggle! Everyone swims like a fish around the room for thirty seconds.

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 47:1–12 ↗

  1. Put a big sheet of paper on the table. Draw a little temple at the top.
  2. Read Ezekiel 47:1 and 47:9 together.
  3. SAY“Ezekiel saw a river flow out of the temple. Everywhere it went, things came alive!”
  4. Draw a blue river running down the page from the temple.
  5. Take turns adding something that comes alive by the water. Try fish, trees, flowers or birds.
  6. SAY“Blessings from the temple flow into our family. They help us heal and grow.”
Talk about it
  • What came alive when the river flowed?
  • What blessings come from the temple?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one scribble the blue river and add fish dots all along it.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid read Ezekiel 47:12 and draw the trees with leaves for medicine. Ask how the temple heals families.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Ezekiel 47:3–5. The water rises from ankles to knees to waist, then gets too deep to cross. Have them draw that part. What does going deeper with the temple look like at their age?
☕️ For grown-upsThe Dead Sea is so salty that nothing lives in it. Ezekiel saw the temple’s water make it fresh (Ezekiel 47:8–9). Temple blessings can heal what seems beyond healing, including families. Plan a temple visit this month if you can, or spend some time on a family name.

Sticker for today: 🐟

Thursday · 10 min · Game

Bones, Fish and Sheep Game Night

🦴 Guess the word! Listen for the clues!device on your forehead.Listen to the clues.Bone-to-bone high five!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 The Lord puts His Spirit in us and helps us truly live.

  1. Read Ezekiel 37:14 together.
  2. Ask: “How does the Holy Ghost help you feel happy and alive?”
  3. Let each person share.

😄 Sound guess! Make a sound from this week’s stories. Is it bones, sheep or a river? Everyone guesses.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. The guesser holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing out.
  2. Everyone else gives clues with words and sounds. Just don’t say the word!
  3. Tilt down when you get it. Tilt up to pass.
  4. Every right answer earns a bone-to-bone high five with elbows, knees or feet.
  5. After the round, ask: “Which word reminds you most of Jesus?”

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

Talk about it
  • Which word was the hardest to guess?
  • Which word reminds you most of Jesus?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one sit on your lap as the guesser. Give easy clues like “baa” for sheep.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Older kids can only give clues about where the word shows up in Ezekiel.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Put your teen in the hot seat for the hardest round. Clue-givers can only use phrases from Ezekiel. Afterward, ask which of this week’s pictures fits their life best right now. Bones, river, stony heart, shepherd or watchman?
☕️ For grown-upsEzekiel teaches with vivid pictures: bones, rivers, hearts of stone, watchmen and shepherds. Pictures stay with kids long after explanations fade. Which of this week’s pictures could become family shorthand, like “soft heart” or “go find the lost sheep”?

Sticker for today: 🎲

Friday · 8 min · Service

Good Shepherd Search

🐑 Find the lost sheep, then go help someone!Find the lost sheep.Think of someone lonely.Go help them!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Jesus is the Good Shepherd who looks for the lost and lonely.

  1. Read Ezekiel 34:16 together.
  2. Ask: “Who might feel a little lost or lonely right now?”
  3. Pick one kind thing to do for them.

😄 Baa-baa hunt! One person closes their eyes and finds everyone else by their soft baa sounds.

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 34:11–16 ↗

  1. Read Ezekiel 34:16 together.
  2. SAY“Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He looks for sheep who are lost, hurt or lonely. We can help Him.”
  3. Play one quick round of hide-and-seek. The lost sheep hides and gives soft “baa” hints.
  4. Ask: “Who might feel a little lost or lonely right now?”
  5. Pick one person to help. Call them, send a kind message or invite them over.
  6. Do it today, or plan it for this weekend.
Talk about it
  • Who might feel lost or lonely right now?
  • How does Jesus look after His sheep?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one hide as the lost sheep with the loudest “baa!” Then they can say hi on the call.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid make the call or write the message. They can check back with that person next week.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Ezekiel 34:2–4. The Lord scolds shepherds who fed themselves instead of the flock. Who are the sheep in their life? Maybe a younger sibling, a quiet classmate or someone they minister to. Let them pick one and follow through this week.
☕️ For grown-upsEzekiel 34:16 names four kinds of sheep: the lost, the driven away, the broken and the sick. Some wander off. Others get pushed out. As you choose someone to help, think about whether anyone in your family or ward has been driven away by how they were treated.

Sticker for today: 🐑

Saturday · 8 min · Walk

Watchman Walk

👀 Be a watchman! Look out, then get Sunday-ready!Look out like a watchman.Safe or careful?Get ready for church!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Prophets are like watchmen who warn us and help keep us safe.

  1. Read Ezekiel 33:7 together.
  2. SAY“A watchman warns people when danger comes. Prophets do that for us.”
  3. Ask: “What has our prophet asked us to do lately?”

😄 Watchman high-five chain! Stand in a line, shade your eyes like a lookout and pass a high five down the line.

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 33:1–7 ↗

  1. Read Ezekiel 33:7 together.
  2. SAY“A watchman looked out from the city wall. When danger came, he warned everyone. Prophets are like watchmen for us.”
  3. Take a short walk outside, or look out a window. Everyone’s a watchman.
  4. Call out what you spot. Is it safe, or should we be careful?
  5. Back home, do a watchman check for church. Find shoes, scriptures and Sunday clothes.
  6. Ask: “What has our prophet asked us to do lately?”
Talk about it
  • What does a watchman do?
  • What has our prophet asked us to do?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Hold your little one’s hand and let them shout “All clear!” at every corner.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid lead the walk. Then they run the Sunday-ready check from memory.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Let your teen lead the younger watchmen. Then read Ezekiel 33:6 together. When is it loving to warn a friend about something? How can you do it without preaching?
☕️ For grown-upsParents are watchmen too. A good watchman doesn’t sound the alarm about everything. He watches steadily and speaks up when it matters (Ezekiel 33:7). Is there something at home that deserves a calm, loving warning?

Sticker for today: 📯

Sunday · 7 min · Sabbath

Heartbeat Thank-Yous

💓 Feel your heartbeat. Jesus lives, and so will you!Tell what you learned in Primary.Find your heartbeat.Thank Heavenly Father for your body.

✋ Grab: your scriptures

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Jesus lives, and both the Bible and the Book of Mormon testify of Him.

  1. Read Ezekiel 37:16–17 together.
  2. SAY“The two sticks are like the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Both teach that Jesus lives.”
  3. Share a sentence of your testimony that Jesus lives.

😄 Heartbeat check! Everyone finds their pulse, does ten jumping jacks, then feels it speed up.

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 37:15–17; Luke 24:36–39 ↗

  1. Ask: “What did you learn in Primary today?”
  2. Everyone finds their heartbeat on their wrist or neck.
  3. SAY“Heavenly Father gave you a body. Because Jesus was resurrected, your body will live again someday.”
  4. Take turns naming one thing you’re thankful your body can do. Run, hug, sing or taste pizza!
  5. Hold up a Bible and a Book of Mormon. Both teach that Jesus lives, like Ezekiel’s two sticks in one hand.
  6. Share a sentence or two of your testimony that Jesus lives. Then say a family prayer.
Talk about it
  • What did you learn in Primary today?
  • What are you thankful your body can do?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Put your little one’s hand on your heart, then on theirs. Say: “Thump, thump! Thank you, Heavenly Father!”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Invite your older kid to read 3 Nephi 11:14–15 and share why they believe Jesus lives.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Hand your teen both books. Have them read Ezekiel 37:15–17 and 2 Nephi 3:12, then explain how the Bible and the Book of Mormon grow together. Which one has helped them feel closer to Jesus lately?
☕️ For grown-upsThe resurrected Savior invited His disciples to handle His hands and feet (Luke 24:39). Resurrection isn’t a vague hope. It’s a physical promise. If you’re missing someone who has died, let today’s thanks for bodies include thanks that theirs will rise again.

Sticker for today: 💓

Family challenge

Soft Heart Moments

Each night before family prayer, everyone shares one moment when their heart felt soft that day: forgiving someone, helping, saying sorry, or feeling the Spirit. Then ask Heavenly Father for a new heart again tomorrow.

Parent Corner

Ezekiel was a priest, but he was carried to Babylon with the exiles, hundreds of miles from the temple. There, far from where he thought God’s house was, he saw the glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 1:28). That alone speaks to anyone living far from where they expected to be: God is not limited to our ideal circumstances. Ezekiel’s great visions answer his people’s despair one by one. To a nation that felt dead, the Lord shows bones rising. To hearts grown hard, He promises new ones. To a land as lifeless as the Dead Sea, He sends a river from the temple that heals everything it reaches. And to scattered sheep, He promises to come looking for them Himself (Ezekiel 34:11–12). The pattern is resurrection, not only at the end of time but again and again in our lives.

  • Ponder: Where are we waiting for our circumstances to change before we expect to feel the Lord’s presence, and what if He is already here?
  • Try this: Make time for the temple this month and go with one specific burden in mind. If you can’t go, spend thirty minutes finding an ancestor who needs temple ordinances.

From general conference

“The blessings of the temple likewise have a stunning capacity to heal. Temple blessings can heal hearts and lives and families.”

— Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing,” April 2018

For parents on Wednesday: Elder Renlund is comparing temple blessings to Ezekiel’s river from the temple, which healed everything it touched.

Read the talk ↗

Dinner-table questions

  • If you were a watchman, what would you warn people about?
  • What makes your heart feel soft and happy?
  • Who is a “lost sheep” we could check on?
  • What do you think will be the best thing about being resurrected?
  • What’s your favorite story from the Book of Mormon?

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