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Come unto Me

A tug with a towel, yoke buddies, a sheep in a pit, and a man who stretched out his hand on the Sabbath

  • 🛡️ CTR 4–6
  • Week 11
  • 📅 Sunday, March 14, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ helps me carry hard things, and Sunday is a special day to come to Him and do good.

I can come to Jesus when something feels hard, and I can do good things on the Sabbath.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 11–12; Luke 11 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 11–12; Luke 11)
Know the chapters

In Matthew 11:28–30, Jesus gives a gentle invitation. Come to Him when you’re tired and your load is heavy, and He’ll give you rest. He invites us to take His yoke. A yoke is a wooden bar that joins two oxen so they can pull a heavy load together. When we come to Jesus and make promises with Him, like at baptism, it’s as if we’re yoked with Him. He pulls with us, and the load gets lighter.

Matthew 12:9–13 shows what the Sabbath is for. In the synagogue there was a man with a withered hand. It was shriveled so he couldn’t use it. Some Pharisees were watching to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath, so they could complain. Jesus asked a question. If your one sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you lift it out? A person matters much more than a sheep, so it’s right to do good on the Sabbath. Then He told the man, “Stretch forth thine hand,” and it was healed.

Luke 11:9–13 adds prayer. Jesus said to ask, seek and knock. He asked what dad would give his hungry child a stone instead of bread. Parents know how to give good gifts. So Heavenly Father will surely give the Holy Ghost to those who ask Him.

Four- to seven-year-olds have real heavy loads. Missing Mom at a new school, a friend who won’t play, a sick pet, feeling bad after a mistake. Keep it simple: bring it to Jesus. Pray and sing about Him. On Sunday, take the sacrament and do something kind. For the 7-year-olds, the yoke is a picture of the baptism promise. It’s Jesus and me, pulling together.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 11:28–30 and 12:9–13. Hang a bag of books on a broom handle. Play Heavy or Light? Then tell the story in Teach Mode while kids listen for the word “hand.” Do Stretch and Rest and say Matthew 11:28 with motions. Carry the load as Yoke Buddies, then close with your testimony about the sacrament. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing,” and helping hands become the yoke.

What to bring2 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. Read Matthew 11:28–30 and 12:9–13.
  2. Put the books in the grocery bag. It should be heavy for one child but easy for two on the broom handle.

If your class is wild

  • Listening for “hand” keeps little ears busy. Smile at every waving hand you see.
  • Give your most dramatic kid the Sound Helper job. Now their energy has a job.
  • The yoke only works with slow, careful walking. Make it a turtle walk, and nobody trips.
  • A child may share a real heavy thing, like a sick grandparent or parents fighting. Thank them warmly. Quietly tell a leader after class.

The 25-minute plan24 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

Heavy or Light?

3 min

A quick seated guessing game shows that some heavy things can’t be held in our hands.

  1. SAY“Heavy or light? If it’s heavy, slump your shoulders. If it’s light, float your hands up.”
  2. Try a feather, a school bus, a balloon and an elephant. Then try feeling sad, a lost toy and a sick grandma.
  3. SAY“Some heavy things we can’t hold in our hands. Jesus said, ‘Come unto me.’ And He helps.”
  4. SAY“Today Jesus meets some grumpy rule-watchers, a sheep in a pit, and a man with a hurt hand.”
🌪️ Slumps and floats happen in your chair. Anyone who flops onto a neighbor floats with one hand.

Class screen: 🪶 Heavy or light? · 😩 Heavy? · 🎈 Light?

2. Story

Story: Stretch Out Your Hand!

7 min

A true story shows that Jesus came to help people, and that Sunday is a day to come to Him and do good.

  1. SAY“This is a true story. Listen for the word ‘hand.’ Wave one hand each time you hear it.”
  2. Open the story in Teach Mode. A big kid can read each caption. Read each scene, and watch for waving hands.
  3. After scene 5, ask, “Why would Jesus help a person on the Sabbath?” Because people matter. It’s a day to do good.
  4. After scene 7, ask, “What’s one good thing you could do next Sunday?” Listen for ideas like drawing for Grandma or sharing a toy.
🌪️ If the “Tsk, tsk!” gets too gleeful, switch to a whisper-tsk. It’s just as fun and much quieter.

Class screen: ✋ Stretch Out Your Hand! · 👂 Listen for “hand” · 👋 Wave!

3. Wiggle break

Stretch and Rest

2 min

Big stretches like the man’s healed hand get the wiggles out, then a quiet rest shows Jesus’s promise.

  1. SAY“Stand up by your chair. Stretch forth your hand… up to the sky! Out to the side! Down to your toes!”
  2. Speed up, then slow down. Let a 6-year-old call one round.
  3. Call “Now rest!” Everyone sits, rests their cheek on their hands like a pillow and breathes slowly.
  4. SAY“Jesus said, ‘I will give you rest.’”

Class screen: 🙆 Stretch! Stretch! Now… rest!

4. Scripture

Key Verse: Matthew 11:28

3 min

Motions help children remember Jesus’s invitation to come to Him when things feel heavy.

  1. SAY“Here’s Jesus’s invitation to everyone who feels tired or heavy.”
  2. Show the verse on your phone or tablet. A big kid reads it slowly.
  3. SAY“Labour means work hard. Heavy laden means carrying a heavy load.”
  4. Teach the motions one part at a time. Say it three ways: a tired, droopy voice, a normal voice, then a happy, rested voice.
  5. Ask, “How can we come unto Jesus?” Listen for praying, singing about Him, going to church and taking the sacrament.

Class screen: 🤗 Come unto me… and I will give you rest · Matthew 11:28

5. Object lesson

Yoke Buddies

6 min

Carrying a heavy bag alone and then together shows how Jesus pulls with us when we come to Him.

  1. SAY“Long ago, two oxen wore a yoke. It was a wooden bar that joined them, so they could pull a heavy load together.”
  2. One child tries to carry the heavy bag a few steps alone. Oof! Each book is a heavy thing, like missing Mom, a sick pet or a mistake.
  3. Hang the bag on the middle of the broom handle. Two kids carry it together in a slow turtle walk. Easy! Give three or four pairs a turn.
  4. SAY“When we come to Jesus, He pulls with us. He said, ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’”
  5. Ask, “How can we come to Jesus when something feels heavy?” We pray, sing and take the sacrament. Baptism is a promise to pull with Jesus.
🌪️ Turtle walk only, and the yoke stays low. Everyone else counts the steps out loud from their seats.

Class screen: 🐂 Together, the load is light! · Matthew 11:29–30

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A broom or mop handle (or a long cardboard tube), A grocery bag with 3 or 4 books in it

Helping Hands

  1. SAY“Long ago, two oxen wore a yoke. It was a wooden bar that joined them, so they could pull a heavy load together.”
  2. A volunteer stands. Kids take turns naming a heavy thing, like missing Mom or a mistake. Each one rests a hand on the volunteer’s shoulder.
  3. Ask the volunteer, “Is it heavy?” Stand beside them. Have the kids move their hands onto your shoulders. A yoke means two pull together.
  4. SAY“When we come to Jesus, He pulls with us. He said, ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’”
  5. Ask, “How can we come to Jesus when something feels heavy?” We pray, sing and take the sacrament. Baptism is a promise to pull with Jesus.

Class screen: 🤝 Two pull together, and the load is light! · Matthew 11:30

6. Testimony

Rest in Jesus

3 min

End calm and reverent, with a Sunday way to come to Jesus.

  1. SAY“Let’s rest for a moment, the way Jesus promised.”
  2. Softly hum “I Feel My Savior’s Love” while kids fold their arms.
  3. SAY“Every Sunday we come to Jesus when we take the sacrament. We remember Him and our baptism promises. Our older kids will make those promises soon.”
  4. Share a time Jesus helped you carry something heavy. Then share the Sunday Helper challenge and invite a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🍞 On Sunday I can come to Jesus · Sacrament 🍞💧 · Pray 🙏 · Do good 💖

7. Game

Forehead Guess: Come unto Me Edition

4 minBONUS

A picture guessing game reviews the lesson, and the pictures let non-readers give clues too.

  1. SAY“Let’s see what you remember! Give clues, but don’t say the word.”
  2. Tap Forehead Guess. One kid holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class. Everyone else gives clues from their seats.
  3. Little ones can do a motion or a sound for the picture. Pair each little guesser with a big-kid buddy.
  4. Tilt down for “got it” and up to pass. After about 30 seconds, your phone or tablet moves to the next kid.
🌪️ Go around the room with one clue each, so nobody shouts over anybody.
▶ 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 picture quiz reviews everything they learned.

  1. SAY“It’s Team Yoke versus Team Sheep!”
  2. Split the class in two, mixing big and little kids. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  3. Read each question out loud. Teams whisper together, then point to an answer.
  4. Tap the team that got it right to give them a point. Cheer for both teams.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

The story

Stretch Out Your Hand!

Matthew 12:9–13 ↗

Optional helpers

  • Sound HelperSits next to you and taps each scene’s sound on your phone or tablet.

Scenes

  1. 🕍🌞 Jesus goes to church on the Sabbath

    It was the Sabbath, the Lord’s special day. Jesus went into the synagogue. That was their church building, where people came to learn about God.

    🙌

  2. ✋😢 A man with a hurt hand

    A man was there whose hand was withered. It was shriveled and curled up. He couldn’t use it to hold things or to work.

    🙌

  3. 😠❓ A trick question

    Some Pharisees were watching Jesus. They had made lots of extra rules about the Sabbath. They wanted to catch Jesus doing something wrong. So they asked, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?”

    🙌 Wag a finger: “Tsk, tsk!”

  4. 🐑🕳️ What about a sheep in a pit?

    Jesus answered with a question. If your one sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you lift it out? Of course you would!

    🙌 Everyone: “Baa!” Then open your hands wide: “Do good!”

  5. 🧍💖 People matter more than sheep

    Jesus said a person is worth much more than a sheep. So it’s right to do good and help people on the Sabbath! He said, “Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”

    🙌

  6. ✋✨ “Stretch forth thine hand!”

    Then Jesus spoke to the man. “Stretch forth thine hand.” And the man stretched it out. It was healed! It was just as strong as his other hand.

    🙌 Open your curled hand slowly. Wiggle all five fingers!

  7. 😊🙌 A happy Sabbath!

    The Pharisees went away grumbling. But the man went home with two strong hands. Jesus showed that the Sabbath is a day to come to Him and do good.

    🙌

Key verse

Matthew 11:28 ↗
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”
In kid words: Jesus said, “Come to Me when you are tired and things feel heavy, and I will help you rest.”
🙌 “Come unto me” = wave someone toward you · “all ye that labour” = wipe your forehead · “and are heavy laden” = slump your shoulders like you carry a heavy bag · “and I will give you rest” = hands under your cheek like a pillow, then a big, happy “Ahhh.”

More verses

Matthew 11:30 ↗
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In kid words: When Jesus pulls with me, the load gets light.
Matthew 12:12 ↗
“it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days”
In kid words: It is right to do good things on Sunday.
Luke 11:9 ↗
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
In kid words: When I pray and ask, Heavenly Father listens and helps me.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🐑 Sheep
  • ✋ Hand
  • 🙆 Stretch
  • 📅 Sunday
  • ⛪ Church
  • 😌 Rest
  • 🐂 Ox
  • 🏋️ Heavy
  • 🪶 Feather
  • 🎒 Backpack
  • 🍞 Bread
  • 🪨 Rock
  • 🐟 Fish
  • 🐍 Snake
  • 🚪 Knock
  • 🙏 Pray
Clues for each word
  • Sheep: Baa! It fell into a pit
  • Hand: Jesus healed the man’s hurt one
  • Stretch: Reach your arms out as far as you can
  • Sunday: The Sabbath day
  • Church: Where we go on Sunday
  • Rest: Jesus said He will give us this
  • Ox: A big animal that pulls with a yoke
  • Heavy: Hard to lift, not light
  • Feather: Something very light
  • Backpack: You carry it on your back to school
  • Bread: What the hungry child asked for
  • Rock: No dad would give this instead of bread
  • Fish: It swims, and you can eat it
  • Snake: Sssss! Not a good gift
  • Knock: Tap, tap, tap on a door
  • Pray: Talk to Heavenly Father
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Jesus said, “Come unto me… and I will give you…”
    • A. Candy 🍬
    • B. Rest 😌
    • C. Homework 📚
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Rest 😌 Matthew 11:28. Jesus helps us when things feel heavy.

  2. What is a yoke for?
    • A. Two animals pulling together 🐂
    • B. Eating eggs 🍳
    • C. Flying kites 🪁
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Two animals pulling together 🐂 A yoke joins two oxen so the load is easier. Jesus pulls with us!

  3. What was wrong with the man at church?
    • A. He had a cold 🤧
    • B. He lost his shoe 👟
    • C. His hand was hurt ✋
    Show answer

    ✅ C. His hand was hurt ✋ His hand was withered, shriveled so he couldn’t use it.

  4. What animal fell into a pit in Jesus’s story?
    • A. A cat 🐈
    • B. A sheep 🐑
    • C. A frog 🐸
    Show answer

    ✅ B. A sheep 🐑 Everyone would help their sheep, even on the Sabbath!

  5. Who matters more than a sheep?
    • A. People! 🧍
    • B. Nobody 🤷
    • C. Only kings 👑
    Show answer

    ✅ A. People! 🧍 Every person matters to Jesus, so it’s right to help people on Sunday.

  6. What happened when the man stretched out his hand?
    • A. It turned blue 🔵
    • B. He dropped something 🫳
    • C. It was healed ✨
    Show answer

    ✅ C. It was healed ✨ It was strong again, just like his other hand!

  7. Which is a good thing to do on the Sabbath?
    • A. Visit Grandma 👵
    • B. Be grumpy all day 😠
    • C. Never talk to anyone 🙊
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Visit Grandma 👵 The Sabbath is a day to come to Jesus and do good.

  8. What does Heavenly Father give to those who ask?
    • A. A rock 🪨
    • B. The Holy Ghost 🕊️
    • C. A snake 🐍
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The Holy Ghost 🕊️ Luke 11:13. He gives good gifts when we pray.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Feel My Savior’s Love Children’s Songbook, p. 74

    A gentle song about coming to Jesus, perfect for the testimony. Find it ↗

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

    Ask, seek and knock: Heavenly Father hears children’s prayers. Find it ↗

  • Kindness Begins with Me Children’s Songbook, p. 145

    Doing good on the Sabbath starts with being kind. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Sunday Helper

Next Sunday, do one good thing to help someone. Draw a picture for a grandparent, help set the table or share a toy. When something feels heavy this week, say a prayer. Ask Jesus to help you carry it.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned that Jesus said, “Come unto me… and I will give you rest.” That’s Matthew 11:28. We carried a heavy bag with a buddy, like oxen in a yoke. We also heard how Jesus healed a man’s hand on the Sabbath, in Matthew 12:9–13. Ask your child, “What did Jesus say about the sheep in the pit? What good thing can we do together this Sunday?”

📝 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?

📝 Sunday Do-Good List · 4 min

  1. Draw a big sun on a paper and write “Sunday Do-Good” at the top.
  2. Kids call out good things to do on the Sabbath. Readers write them, and little ones draw a tiny picture next to each.
  3. Let each child pick one to try next Sunday.

🥣 Clean Inside and Out · 3 min

  1. Show a cup that is shiny outside but has a smudge of dirt inside.
  2. Ask, “Would you drink from it?”
  3. Show Luke 11:39–41 on your phone or tablet.
  4. SAY“Jesus taught that being good on the inside matters. It’s not just about looking good on the outside.”
  5. Ask, “What makes our hearts clean inside?” Repenting, loving others and praying.

📅 Seven-Day Hop · 3 min

  1. Name the days of the week while hopping in place: “Monday, Tuesday…”
  2. On “Sunday,” everyone stops, folds their arms and whispers one thing that makes Sunday special.
  3. Play again faster.

🚪 Ask, Seek, Knock · 3 min

  1. Put a slice of bread and a clean rock in a paper bag. A child knocks on the bag three times and asks, “May I have some bread?”
  2. Pull out the rock first. Ask, “Would a mom or dad give you a rock when you asked for bread?” No! Then pull out the bread.
  3. SAY“Heavenly Father gives even better gifts. When we pray and ask, He sends the Holy Ghost to help and comfort us.”
  4. Read Luke 11:9 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.

All CTR 4–6 lessons