Gospel Sparks Join the beta

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
Read it togetherEzekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOld Testament 2026, week 45

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. 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 · 10 min · Story

The Valley of Dry Bones

🦴 Rattle, shake, and stand up tall!Lie down like dry bones.Rattle when the story says!Breathe in and stand up!

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 37:1–14 ↗

  1. Everyone lies on the floor like dry, crispy bones. A parent reads.
  2. Tap Story and read each scene out loud. Bones may only move when the scene says so!
  3. At the rattling scene, bones shake and click together (tap two spoons for a great sound).
  4. At the breath scene, everyone takes one huge breath and stands up tall like a great army.
  5. SAY“Because Jesus Christ was resurrected, everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected too. Our bodies will live again!”

🎭 Play along: the story scenes (from the CTR 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 be the loudest rattling bone, then lift them up high at the breath scene.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid read Ezekiel 37:4–5 in their own scriptures and be the narrator for the whole story.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Ezekiel 37:11–14 ahead of time: the bones stand for Israel saying “our hope is lost.” Ask them to explain that the vision promises resurrection and also new life for people who feel spiritually dead, then share where they’ve 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, and have you invited the Lord to speak there?

Sticker for today: 🦴

Tuesday · 8 min · Verse

Rock or Sponge?

🧽 Rock or sponge? Which heart soaks it up?Dunk the rock.Dunk the sponge.Squeeze, splash, say the verse!

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 36:25–27 ↗

  1. Grab a rock (or a hard toy) and a dry kitchen sponge. Fill a bowl with water.
  2. Tap Key Verse and read Ezekiel 36:26 together.
  3. Dunk the rock and pull it out: wet on the outside, but nothing got in. Say: “A stony heart doesn’t let God’s love in.”
  4. Dunk the sponge and squeeze it: water everywhere! Say: “A new heart soaks up the Spirit and shares it. Jesus can give us that kind of heart.”
  5. Say the verse together while each kid takes a turn squeezing the sponge.

📖 Play along: the key verse (from the CTR 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 all the dunking and squeezing (over the sink!).
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have older kids 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 demonstration for the younger kids, then read Ezekiel 36:26–27 and Alma 5:14 on their own and think privately: has their heart felt more like stone or more like flesh lately, and 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 · Activity

River from the Temple

🌊 Build a river that brings everything to life!Build a temple.Roll out the river.Swap dead things for living things!

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 47:1–12 ↗

  1. Build a temple out of pillows, blocks, or a big box at one end of the room.
  2. Read Ezekiel 47:1 and 9 together. Say: “Ezekiel saw water flowing out from the temple. It got deeper and deeper, and everywhere it went, things came alive!”
  3. Lay blue towels, blankets, or shirts in a line from the temple across the floor: the river!
  4. Kids set “dead” things along the riverbank (crumpled paper, a gray sock, an empty box). Then they swap each one for something alive: a toy fish, a stuffed animal, a plant, or a drawing of a tree.
  5. SAY“Blessings from Jesus flow from the temple into our lives and families. They heal us and help us grow.”
Talk about it
  • What does the river from the temple teach us about Jesus?
  • What blessings come from the temple?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one pretend to splash in the river and float the stuffed animals down it.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have older kids read Ezekiel 47:12, notice the leaves that were for medicine, and talk about how the temple heals families.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Ezekiel 47:3–5, where the water rises from ankles to knees to waist to a river too deep to cross. Talk about what going deeper with the temple looks like at their age: doing baptisms for the dead, finding a family name, going more often.
☕️ For grown-upsThe Dead Sea is so salty that nothing lives in it, and Ezekiel saw the temple’s water make it fresh (Ezekiel 47:8–9). Temple blessings can heal what seems beyond healing, including family relationships. Plan a temple visit this month if you can, or spend some time on a family name.

Sticker for today: 🐟

Thursday · 10 min · Game

Act It Out Guessing Game

🤸 Act it out! No talking allowed!Phone on your forehead.Family acts it out.Bone-to-bone high five!
  1. Tap Forehead Guess. The first player holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing out.
  2. Everyone else acts out the word with no talking: rattle like bones, swim like a fish, blow like the wind.
  3. Tilt down for “got it,” up to pass.
  4. Every time someone gets one right, everyone does a bone-to-bone high five: elbows, knees, or feet!

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

Talk about it
  • Which word was the hardest to act out?
  • Which word reminds you most of Jesus?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one act out the easy ones with you, like fish, sheep, and wind.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Older kids can only give clues about where the word shows up in Ezekiel, with no acting.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Put your teen on the phone for the hardest round: clue-givers may only use phrases from Ezekiel, no acting. Afterward ask which of this week’s symbols (bones, river, stony heart, shepherd, watchman) fits their life best right now.
☕️ For grown-upsEzekiel teaches through vivid pictures: bones, rivers, hearts of stone, watchmen, shepherds. Pictures stay with children long after explanations fade. Which of this week’s images 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!

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 34:11–16 ↗

  1. Read Ezekiel 34:16 together. Say: “The Lord promised to look for lost sheep, bring back the ones who wandered, bandage the hurt ones, and help the weak ones get strong. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we can help Him.”
  2. Play one quick round: hide a stuffed animal “lost sheep” and let the kids search while someone gives “baa” hints.
  3. Ask: “Who might feel a little lost, hurt, or lonely right now?” Think of a neighbor, a grandparent, or a friend who is sick or new.
  4. Pick one person to help: make a get-well card, call or video-chat, bring a treat, or invite them over.
  5. 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 be the “baa!” hint-giver and help color the card.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have older kids make the call or write the note themselves, and check back with that person next week.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Ezekiel 34:2–4, where the Lord rebukes shepherds who fed themselves instead of the flock. Who are the sheep in their life: a younger sibling, a quiet classmate, someone they minister to? Let them choose 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 are 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 · 7 min · Activity

Watchman on the Wall

📯 Watchman on the wall: is Sunday ready?Climb up and look out.Call out warnings!Get everything ready for church.

📖 Read together: Ezekiel 33:1–7 ↗

  1. Read Ezekiel 33:7 together. Say: “A watchman stood high on the city wall and warned people when danger was coming. The Lord calls prophets watchmen. They warn us and show us how to stay safe.”
  2. Pick a watchman to stand on a sturdy step or chair (with a parent spotting). Everyone asks: “Watchman, what do you see?”
  3. The watchman inspects the Sunday supplies and calls out: “Danger! Missing shoe!” or “All clear: scriptures ready!” Everyone rushes to fix it.
  4. Take turns being the watchman until everything is ready for church.
  5. Ask: “What has our prophet warned us about or asked us to do?”
Talk about it
  • What does a watchman do?
  • What has our prophet asked us to do?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one blow a pretend trumpet (a paper tube) before every warning.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have older kids be the head watchman and make a Sunday-ready checklist for the whole family.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Let your teen coach the younger watchmen. Then read Ezekiel 33:6 together and ask: when is it loving to warn a friend about something, and 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 you’ve noticed 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.

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

  1. Ask: “What did you learn in Primary today? Show me an action from class!”
  2. Everyone finds their heartbeat on their wrist or neck. Say: “Heavenly Father gave you a body. Because Jesus was resurrected, your body will live again someday, perfect and never sick.”
  3. Take turns naming one thing you’re thankful your body can do: run, hug, sing, taste pizza.
  4. Hold up a Bible and a Book of Mormon. Say: “Both of these books testify that Jesus lives. They’re like Ezekiel’s two sticks, one in the Lord’s hand.”
  5. Share a sentence or two of your testimony that Jesus Christ 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: “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 and ask them to read Ezekiel 37:15–17 and 2 Nephi 3:12, then explain how the Bible and the Book of Mormon “grow together.” Ask which one has helped them feel closer to Jesus lately, and how.
☕️ 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 are missing someone who has died, let today’s gratitude for bodies include gratitude 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