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I Will Not Forget Thee

Sad families far from home, a silly log that can’t help anybody, and a Lord who keeps us in His hands

  • 🛡️ CTR 4–7
  • Week 40
  • 📅 Sunday, October 4, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ will never forget me, and He makes me strong when I trust Him.

I can remember that Jesus knows my name, and I can trust Him when I feel sad, tired, or scared.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 40–49 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 40–49)
Know the chapters

Isaiah 40 opens with a new, gentle word: “Comfort.” Isaiah wrote these chapters for Israelites who would not be born for a long time: families who, more than a hundred years after Isaiah, would be carried off to Babylon after Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. Far from home, many of them felt that the Lord had forgotten them (Isaiah 49:14). The Lord’s answer runs through all ten chapters: “Fear not.” He even names Cyrus, the Persian king who would one day let them go home and rebuild the temple (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; Ezra 1:1–4), long before Cyrus was born.

These chapters are full of pictures a young child can hold onto. The Lord carries the little lambs close to His heart like a shepherd (40:11). He never gets tired, and He helps people who trust Him “mount up with wings as eagles” (40:31). He calls each of us by name (43:1). A mother might forget her baby, but He will not forget us; He has “graven” us on the palms of His hands (49:15–16). The Lord speaking here is Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ. The resurrected Savior still has the marks of the nails in His hands (3 Nephi 11:14–15), a tender reminder of how much He remembers us. Isaiah also pokes fun at idols: a man burns half a log to cook dinner and bows down to the other half (44:14–17). A log can’t hear or help anybody.

Your class runs from four-year-olds who can’t read yet to seven-year-olds getting ready for baptism, so this plan keeps one simple idea, “Jesus will never forget me,” and says it many ways. Little ones get actions, sounds and animal parts (lambs and eagles). Big kids get reading and helper jobs: they read captions and the key verse from your phone or tablet, play King Cyrus, and help the little ones. Tie it to baptism and the sacrament: when we are baptized and take the sacrament, we promise to always remember Jesus, and Isaiah shows He always remembers us.

In the story drama, the teacher reads everything the Lord says. No child plays the Lord; the kids are the families, lambs, eagles, the log-carver and King Cyrus. The idol part is meant to be silly, not scary. Keep Babylon’s army offstage with a simple sentence.

Only have 5 minutes?

Before class, write each child’s name on your palm with a washable marker (or just their first letters). Open with What’s in My Hand?, let your phone or tablet run the story drama, teach “yet will I not forget thee” with motions, and play Forehead Guess. Skip the sponge. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing” and every step switches to a no-supplies version, including a Tiny Seeds, Tall Trees growing game.

What to bring6 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. Just before class, write every child’s name on the palm of one hand with washable marker. Tiny letters are fine. Keep your hand in a fist so nobody peeks.
  2. Leave a dry sponge out overnight so it’s stiff and crunchy. Put it on a plate with a small cup of water next to your chair.
  3. Add your kids’ names in the My Class tab so you can hand out story roles with one tap.
  4. Decide who gets the reading parts: a 6- or 7-year-old reader is great as Isaiah or King Cyrus. Give Little Lambs to your youngest.

If your class is wild

  • Your hand with their names on it is a magnet. Anyone who wiggles off the rug gets called back with, “Come see if your name is on my hand!”
  • Give your two busiest kids the Eagles. They get to flap the biggest in the whole story, as long as their feet stay on their spot.
  • Only the Water Helper pours on the sponge. Choose the kid who most wants to splash, and they’ll guard the job like treasure.
  • Pair each 4- or 5-year-old with a 6- or 7-year-old buddy for Forehead Guess. Big kids love being the helper, and little ones feel safe.
  • If energy spikes, jump straight to River and Waves, then come back to where you were.

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

What’s in My Hand?

2 min

A secret in the teacher’s fist grabs attention and shows each child they are remembered.

  1. Sit down with one hand in a tight fist. Say: “I have something super important in my hand. It’s something I never want to forget. Can you guess?”
  2. Take three quick guesses. Then open your hand slowly and show your palm.
  3. SAY“It’s YOU! I wrote your names on my hand so I would remember every single one of you.” Read each name. That child waves or stands up and takes a bow.
  4. SAY“Today we’ll learn that Jesus said something just like this. He will never, ever forget you.”
🌪️ Kids who want to see your hand up close must be sitting on their bottoms. Walk your open hand around the circle so everyone gets a turn.

Class screen: ✊ What’s hiding in my hand? · Guess! · 3… 2… 1… open!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A washable marker (to write every child’s name on your own palm)

Invisible Ink Hand

  1. Hold up one open hand. Say: “I’m going to write something super important on my hand with invisible ink. Watch!”
  2. Use one finger to “write” on your palm while you say each child’s name out loud. Each child waves when they hear their name.
  3. SAY“There! I wrote all of you on my hand so I would never forget you.” Let each child “write” their own name on their palm with a finger.
  4. SAY“Today we’ll learn that Jesus said something just like this. He will never, ever forget you.”

Class screen: ✋ Invisible ink! Whose names are on my hand? · Listen for your name

2. Story

Story Drama: The Lord Did Not Forget

6 min

Acting out Israel’s long walk and the Lord’s promises lets little bodies move while the big idea sinks in.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode to assign them from your class list). Everyone left over is the Families of Israel.
  2. SAY“I will read what the Lord says. You get to be the families, the lambs, the eagles, the silly log-carver and a king!”
  3. Big-kid readers: let a 6- or 7-year-old read the caption on each screen before you read the scene. Little ones copy the action.
  4. Read each scene and pause for the action. Keep the Babylon army scene quick and gentle.
  5. Slow down at scene 5. Let everyone look at their palms in silence for a moment before you whisper the line.
🌪️ Eagles flap with their feet planted like tree roots. If an eagle flies off, the eagle lands back on its spot and folds its wings for three seconds.

Class screen: 🎭 Story Drama time! · Everyone gets a part

3. Wiggle break

River and Waves

2 min

Kids move like a calm river and strong waves to feel Isaiah 48:18: keeping the commandments brings peace.

  1. Everyone stands. Say: “Isaiah said when we keep God’s commandments, our peace is like a river. A river is calm and smooth.” Everyone swishes their arms slowly side to side.
  2. SAY“And we get strong like the waves of the sea!” Everyone makes big arm waves and jumps: “Splash!” (Tap the waves sound on the Sound Board if you like.)
  3. Call out good choices. For each one, kids do a calm river swish, then one big wave: “I say my prayers!” “I share my toys!” “I say sorry!” “I listen to Mom!”
  4. Finish with one very slow, very quiet river, and everyone sits down as still as a lake.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🌊 Be a calm river. Then a BIG wave! · Swish… swish… · SPLASH!

4. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Isaiah 49:15

3 min

Six words with motions give every child, reader or not, a promise to carry home.

  1. Show the verse on your phone or tablet. Ask a big-kid Reading Helper to read it out loud: “yet will I not forget thee.”
  2. SAY“Thee is an old way to say you. Jesus is saying, ‘I will not forget YOU.’”
  3. Teach the motions one word at a time. Say it three ways: a tiny mouse voice, a normal voice, and a big strong eagle voice.
  4. Ask: “When you’re baptized and take the sacrament, you promise to always remember Jesus. And what does He promise you?” (He will never forget me!)

Class screen: 🤲 “Yet will I not forget thee” · Isaiah 49:15

5. Object lesson

The Thirsty Sponge

4 min

A dry sponge that grows when water pours on it shows how the Lord pours blessings and His Spirit on us (Isaiah 44:3).

  1. Pass around the dry sponge. Let each child tap it. Say: “Feel how hard and crunchy it is? It’s thirsty!”
  2. SAY“Isaiah said the Lord would pour water on thirsty ground, and pour His Spirit and His blessings on His children.”
  3. Hold the sponge over the plate. Choose a Water Helper. Each time a child names a blessing (my family, food, my body, the scriptures, Jesus), the helper pours a few drops.
  4. Watch it puff up and get soft. Say: “Look how it grows! The Lord pours blessings on us so we can grow too.”
  5. For your 7-year-olds, say: “After you’re baptized, you get the gift of the Holy Ghost. It’s one of the best blessings He pours on us.”
🌪️ Everyone who isn’t pouring makes a “drip” sound with their tongue. Mouths busy, hands still.

Class screen: 🧽 Name a blessing. Watch the sponge grow! · Drip… drip… · It’s growing!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A dry kitchen sponge (the flat, stiff kind is best) and a small cup of water, A bowl or plate to catch drips, and a paper towel

Tiny Seeds, Tall Trees

  1. Everyone crouches down small like a tiny, dry, thirsty seed. Say: “Isaiah said the Lord would pour water on thirsty ground, and pour His Spirit and His blessings on His children.”
  2. Tap the rain sound on the Sound Board. Each time a child names a blessing (my family, food, my body, the scriptures, Jesus), everyone grows a little taller.
  3. After five or six blessings, everyone is a tall tree waving its branches. Say: “Look how you grew! The Lord pours blessings on us so we can grow too.”
  4. For your 7-year-olds, say: “After you’re baptized, you get the gift of the Holy Ghost. It’s one of the best blessings He pours on us.”

Class screen: 🌱 Name a blessing. Grow a little taller! · Seed… · Sprout… · Tree!

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Wings Like Eagles Edition

4 min

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

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. A guesser holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class.
  2. Everyone else looks at the picture and gives clues without saying the word. Little ones can act it out: flap for eagle, “baa” for lamb.
  3. Big kids can read the hint under the picture if the class gets stuck.
  4. Tilt down for “got it,” up to pass. Give each guesser about 30 seconds, then pass your phone or tablet. Pair a little one with a big-kid buddy when it’s their turn to guess.
🌪️ Clue-givers stay on their bottoms and raise a hand. Shouting the word means you act out the next clue with no sound at all.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Act it out or give a clue · Don’t say the word!

7. Talk it over

Talk It Over

2 min

Connect the Lord’s promise to their own week.

  1. Sit close in a circle. Ask one question at a time. Let two or three kids answer each, and share your own answer too.
  2. Little ones can answer by pointing or showing: “Show me how you feel when…”
💬 Ask the class
  • When have you felt sad or left out, like the families in Babylon?
  • Who is someone you would never, ever forget?
  • Jesus knows your name and never forgets you. How does that make you feel?

Class screen: 💬 Let’s talk!

8. Testimony

Look at Your Hands

2 min

End calm and reverent, with a simple way to remember Jesus all week.

  1. Lower your voice. Everyone holds out their hands and looks at their palms.
  2. SAY“When Jesus came back to life, He still had marks in His hands. They show how much He loves us. He will never forget you.” Share one or two sentences about how you know Jesus remembers you.
  3. Introduce the Look at Your Hands challenge on the screen.
  4. Ask a child to say the closing prayer. Little ones can repeat a prayer after you, a few words at a time.

Class screen: 🤲 Jesus will never forget me. · Look at your hands this week

9. Game

Clear the Way!

3 minBONUS

Kids straighten a crooked path to learn what Isaiah meant by “prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3).

  1. While kids hide their eyes, make a messy, crooked path across the room with a few chairs, a jacket, or anything in the room.
  2. SAY“Isaiah said, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord.’ That means get everything ready for Jesus. Can you make this path straight and clear?” Everyone helps, walking only.
  3. When it’s clear, everyone walks the straight path on tiptoe.
  4. SAY“John the Baptist got people ready for Jesus. We get ready too, when we’re baptized, take the sacrament, and are kind.”

Class screen: 🛤️ Make the crooked path straight! · Walking feet only

10. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A team picture quiz reviews the lesson.

  1. Split into two teams, each with big kids and little kids mixed.
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. A big kid on each team reads the question out loud; the whole team whispers and points to an answer.
  3. 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!

Story drama

The Lord Did Not Forget

Isaiah 40:1, 11, 31; 44:14–17, 28; 49:14–16; Ezra 1:1–4 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • IsaiahHolds up a pretend scroll and says, “Comfort!” in a kind voice. A good part for a big-kid reader.
  • Families of IsraelEveryone who isn’t something else: walk sadly far away, cry by the river, then march happily home.
  • The Log-CarverChops a pretend tree, warms his hands by the fire, then bows to a silly log. Everyone laughs.
  • Little LambsThe youngest kids: say “Baa!” and huddle close together when the story says the lambs are carried.
  • King CyrusStands tall by a chair “throne” and reads the big announcement from the screen: “Go home!”
  • EaglesFlap huge wings at the end and soar home, feet staying on their own spot.

Scenes

  1. 📜🤗 Isaiah writes a gentle word

    Long ago, the Lord gave the prophet Isaiah a message for people who would live many years later. The very first word was a gentle one: “Comfort.” Comfort means, “It’s going to be OK. I am here.”

    🎬 Isaiah holds up the scroll and says, “Comfort!” Everyone gives themselves a great big hug.

  2. 🚶🏜️ A long, long walk to Babylon

    Many years later, an army came to Jerusalem. The families had to walk far, far away to a land called Babylon. They missed their homes and their beautiful temple.

    🎬 The Families walk slowly in place with sad faces, saying, “Long way… long way…”

  3. 😢🏞️ “Has the Lord forgotten us?”

    In Babylon, the families sat by a river and cried. “The Lord has forgotten us,” they said. But the Lord knew they would feel that way, so Isaiah had already written down His answer.

    🎬 Everyone sits and rubs their eyes: “Boo-hoo!” Then cup a hand to your ear: “What’s the answer?”

  4. 🪵🤪 The silly log can’t help

    Some people in Babylon prayed to statues made of wood. Isaiah told about a man who burned half a log to cook his dinner, then carved the other half and bowed down to it. “Save me!” he said. But a log can’t hear, can’t see, and can’t help anybody.

    🎬 The Log-Carver goes “Chop, chop!” and warms his hands, “Ahhh.” Then he bows to the log. Everyone: “Can a log hear you? NO!”

  5. 🤲✨ “Yet will I not forget thee”

    The Lord sent His people a promise. A mother would never forget her baby, and even if she did, the Lord said, “yet will I not forget thee.” He said He had written them on the palms of His hands.

    🎬 Everyone holds out their hands and looks at their palms. Whisper together: “He will not forget me.”

  6. 🐑💛 He carries the little lambs

    Isaiah said the Lord takes care of His people like a kind shepherd. He gathers the little lambs in His arm and carries them close to His heart. That is how Jesus cares for you.

    🎬 The Little Lambs say, “Baa!” and huddle close together. Everyone else makes a big, gentle circle around them.

  7. 👑📣 King Cyrus says, “Go home!”

    Then a new king named Cyrus ruled Babylon. Isaiah had written his name more than a hundred years before he was born! King Cyrus told everyone, “The Lord’s people may go home and build the temple again!”

    🎬 King Cyrus stands tall and reads: “Go home!” Everyone jumps up and cheers.

  8. 🦅🏠 Strong like eagles, all the way home

    It was a long walk home. But Isaiah had promised that people who trust the Lord get new strength. They “mount up with wings as eagles.” The Lord never forgot His people, and He will never forget you.

    🎬 The Eagles flap huge wings. Everyone marches in place, then flaps and soars without leaving their spot: “Whoosh!”

Key verse

Isaiah 49:15 ↗
“yet will I not forget thee”
In kid words: Jesus says, “I will never, ever forget you.”
🙌 “yet will I” = point up to heaven · “not” = shake your head · “forget” = tap your forehead and make a puzzled face · “thee” = point to a friend, then hug yourself.

More verses

Isaiah 49:16 ↗
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands”
In kid words: Look! I have written you on My hands.
Isaiah 43:1 ↗
“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
In kid words: Don’t be scared. I saved you. I know your name. You are Mine.
Isaiah 40:11 ↗
“he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom”
In kid words: Like a kind shepherd, He picks up the little lambs and holds them close to His heart.
Isaiah 40:31 ↗
“they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary”
In kid words: When we trust the Lord, He makes us strong, like eagles flying high.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🦅 Eagle
  • 🐑 Lamb
  • 🧑‍🌾 Shepherd
  • 🪵 Log
  • 🔥 Fire
  • ✋ Hand
  • 👶 Baby
  • 🏞️ River
  • 🌊 Wave
  • 👑 King
  • 📜 Scroll
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 🏜️ Desert
  • 🧽 Sponge
  • 🌧️ Rain
  • 🌳 Tree
  • 💪 Muscles
  • 🤗 Hug
Clues for each word
  • Eagle: A big bird that flies high. Flap your wings!
  • Lamb: A baby sheep that says “baa”
  • Shepherd: Takes care of the sheep
  • Log: A piece of a tree. It can’t hear you!
  • Fire: Hot! You can cook on it
  • Hand: Five fingers. Wave it!
  • Baby: A mother would never forget hers
  • River: Water that flows. Peace is like one
  • Wave: Big water in the sea goes splash
  • King: Wears a crown. Cyrus was one
  • Scroll: Isaiah wrote on a rolled-up paper
  • Temple: The house of the Lord
  • Desert: Hot and sandy with no water
  • Sponge: Soaks up water and gets big
  • Rain: Water falling from the clouds
  • Tree: Grows tall with branches and leaves
  • Muscles: Show how strong you are!
  • Hug: Wrap your arms around someone
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. What gentle word starts Isaiah 40?
    • A. Comfort 🤗
    • B. Hurry 🏃
    • C. Pizza 🍕
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Comfort 🤗 Comfort means, “It’s going to be OK. I am here.”

  2. Can a wooden log hear your prayers?
    • A. Yes, always
    • B. Only on Sunday
    • C. No! Only God can
    Show answer

    ✅ C. No! Only God can A log can’t hear, see, or help. Heavenly Father and Jesus always hear us.

  3. Where did the Lord say He wrote His people?
    • A. On a cloud ☁️
    • B. On His hands ✋
    • C. On a cookie 🍪
    Show answer

    ✅ B. On His hands ✋ Isaiah 49:16. He wrote us on the palms of His hands.

  4. How does the Lord carry the little lambs?
    • A. In His arm, close to His heart 🤗
    • B. In a bucket 🪣
    • C. In a truck 🚚
    Show answer

    ✅ A. In His arm, close to His heart 🤗 Isaiah 40:11. Jesus takes care of you like a kind shepherd.

  5. Which king told the families, “Go home!”?
    • A. King Kitty 🐱
    • B. King Cyrus 👑
    • C. King Cupcake 🧁
    Show answer

    ✅ B. King Cyrus 👑 Isaiah wrote Cyrus’s name more than a hundred years before he was born!

  6. People who trust the Lord fly up with wings like…
    • A. Chickens 🐔
    • B. Bees 🐝
    • C. Eagles 🦅
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Eagles 🦅 Isaiah 40:31. The Lord gives us new strength.

  7. When the Lord pours blessings on us, what do we do?
    • A. Grow 🌱
    • B. Shrink 🐜
    • C. Fall asleep 😴
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Grow 🌱 Like a thirsty sponge or a seed in the rain, His blessings help us grow.

  8. Will Jesus ever forget you?
    • A. Maybe
    • B. Only if I’m good
    • C. Never!
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Never! “Yet will I not forget thee.” He always remembers you, every single day.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

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

    Sing it after Look at Your Hands. Jesus loves and remembers each of us. Find it ↗

  • Keep the Commandments Children’s Songbook, p. 146

    Pairs with River and Waves: keeping the commandments brings peace. Find it ↗

  • I Am a Child of God Children’s Songbook, p. 2

    Heavenly Father and Jesus know each of us by name. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Look at Your Hands

Every time you wash your hands this week, look at your palms and whisper, “Jesus will not forget me.” Then tell someone in your family that Jesus won’t forget them either.

Text the parents

This week we learned from Isaiah 49:15–16 that Jesus will never forget us. He said He has written us on the palms of His hands. We acted out the families of Israel walking far away to Babylon and coming home strong “with wings as eagles,” and we laughed at a man who prayed to a log. Ask your child: what did the Lord say He wrote on His hands? Then try the challenge together: look at your palms when you wash your hands and say, “Jesus will not forget me.”

📝 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?

🪴 Pour Out Blessings · 3 min

  1. Bring a small, droopy plant and a cup of water. Read Isaiah 44:3: “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty.”
  2. Each child names one blessing and pours a tiny splash of water on the plant.
  3. SAY“What happens to a plant when it gets water? It grows! The Lord pours blessings on us so we can grow too.”

✋ My Name in His Hand · 5 min

  1. Give each child a sheet of paper. Help them trace their own hand.
  2. Big kids write “Jesus will not forget me” and their name inside the hand. Little ones write their first letter or draw a heart, with help.
  3. SAY“Take it home and hang it where you’ll see it. Every time you see it, remember: He has you in His hands.”

🐑 Find the Lost Lamb · 3 min

  1. While kids hide their eyes, hide a stuffed lamb (or any soft toy) somewhere in the room.
  2. Kids look for it with walking feet. When it’s found, everyone says, “Baa! Found you!”
  3. SAY“The Lord gathers every little lamb. He never loses track of one of us.” Let the finder hide it next.

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 4–7 lessons