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Little Town, Big Promise

Micah promised Jesus would be born in little Bethlehem, the wise men found Him, and we practice waiting with happy hearts

  • 🛡️ CTR 4–6
  • Week 49
  • 📅 Sunday, December 6, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Heavenly Father always keeps His promises: He said Jesus would be born in little Bethlehem, and He was.

I can trust Heavenly Father’s promises and wait for them with a happy heart.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah)
Know the chapters

Micah was a prophet at the same time as Isaiah, about 700 years before Jesus was born. He warned leaders who were greedy and unfair. He also shared one of the most famous Christmas promises in the Bible. The Ruler of Israel would come from Bethlehem. In Micah 5:2, it’s a village so small it was “little among the thousands of Judah.” Seven hundred years later, wise men asked King Herod where the new King was. Herod’s scribes answered by reading Micah’s words, in Matthew 2:1–6.

For 4- to 7-year-olds, keep it to one exciting idea: God makes promises, and God keeps them. Habakkuk 2:3 gives the class a phrase to whisper and shout: “wait for it; because it will surely come.” Every child knows about waiting: for Christmas, a birthday, a wiggly tooth. Your 7-year-olds are waiting for something bigger. When they turn 8 they can be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Those are blessings Heavenly Father has promised too.

The shorter books each offer one bright picture you can use if there’s time. In Nahum 1:7, the Lord is “a strong hold in the day of trouble,” like a safe castle. In Micah 7:19, the Lord loves to forgive and will “cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” In Zephaniah 3:17, the Lord “will joy over thee with singing.” Pick one or two. Don’t try to cover everything.

Mixed ages work well here. Your 6- and 7-year-olds can read the scroll, the verse and the promises from the screen. One can be the Sound Helper. Your 4- and 5-year-olds shine at the motions: little roof hands, a finger on the lips, arms up high. You tell the story from the pictures, and everyone joins from their seats.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Micah 5:2, Habakkuk 2:3 and Matthew 2:1–11. Roll a paper into a scroll with BETHLEHEM written inside. Tell the story in Teach Mode, stopping for guesses. Teach the “wait for it” motions and play The Waiting Game. Close with a quiet testimony. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing,” and your own scriptures become Micah’s scroll.

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 Micah 5:2, Habakkuk 2:3 and Matthew 2:1–11.
  2. Write BETHLEHEM in big letters on the paper. Draw a star beside it for your pre-readers. Then roll it up.

If your class is wild

  • Take guesses from raised hands. Every guess gets a “Great guess!”
  • Give your wiggliest 6- or 7-year-old the Sound Helper job. Now their energy has a job.
  • Seat each 4-year-old by a reader buddy. The buddy reads, and the little one leads the motion.
  • At scene 4, drop your voice to a whisper. Kids almost always match your volume.

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

Big City or Little Town?

3 min

A quick seated vote starts the mystery.

  1. SAY“The greatest King ever is going to be born! Should He be born in a big city with a castle? Or in a little town with sheep?”
  2. Kids vote from their seats. Castle-tower arms mean the big city. Tiny roof hands mean the little town.
  3. Let a 6- or 7-year-old unroll the scroll and read it. Help them sound out BETHLEHEM!
  4. SAY“The little town! Micah wrote it down long before.”
🌪️ Vote from your seat. Towers stretch up, not out, so nobody bonks a neighbor.

Class screen: 🗺️ Big city or little town? · 🏰 Big city · 🏘️ Little town

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A sheet of paper with BETHLEHEM and a star drawn on it, rolled into a scroll

Micah’s Scroll

  1. SAY“The greatest King ever is going to be born! Should He be born in a big city with a castle? Or in a little town with sheep?”
  2. Kids vote from their seats. Castle-tower arms mean the big city. Tiny roof hands mean the little town.
  3. Open your scriptures to Micah 5:2. Point to Bethlehem and let a reader say it.
  4. SAY“The little town! Micah wrote it down long before.”
2. Story

Story: The Little Town with the Big Promise

7 min

You tell a true scripture story with pictures. The whole class joins in from their seats.

  1. SAY“This is a true story from the scriptures. I’ll stop so you can guess what happens next.”
  2. Open the story in Teach Mode. At each “Guess!”, take a few guesses, then read on. Big kids can read the caption first.
  3. Whisper scene 4. Ask, “Where was Jesus born?” Bethlehem! Then ask, “Did Heavenly Father keep His promise?” Yes!
  4. After scene 7, ask, “What gift could you give Jesus?” Little ones can point to their heart.
🌪️ If the room drifts, whisper “Wait for it…” and wait. A finger on the lips means ears are listening.

Class screen: ⭐ The Little Town with the Big Promise · 🤔 Guess! · 🙌 It came true!

3. Wiggle break

Tick-Tock Clock

2 min

A quick stand-and-sway lets wiggles out and feels how long God’s people waited.

  1. SAY“God’s people waited a long, long time. Stand up and be a clock. Tick-tock, tick-tock!”
  2. Everyone sways side to side. Tick faster, then slower, then so slow… freeze! Whisper, “Wait for it…”
  3. Arms up high: “It came true!” Sit down softly. Play two more times.
🌪️ Clocks stay in their own spot. They sway, but they don’t walk.

Class screen: ⏰ Tick-tock! Wait for it… · 🙌 It came true!

4. Scripture

Key Verse: Habakkuk 2:3

3 min

A short verse with two big motions gives kids a promise they can say all week.

  1. SAY“A prophet named Habakkuk learned something. God’s promises always come true, even when we have to wait.”
  2. Show the verse on your phone or tablet. Let a reader read it, and little ones echo each part.
  3. Teach the motions. Say it twice, once in a tiny whisper and once in a big, happy voice.
  4. Ask, “What are you waiting for?” Take two or three quick answers, like Christmas, a birthday or a loose tooth.

Class screen: ⏳ Wait for it… it will surely come! · Habakkuk 2:3

5. Game

The Waiting Game

6 min

Kids practice waiting for Heavenly Father’s promises with happy, trusting hearts.

  1. SAY“Waiting is hard! Let’s practice waiting with happy hearts, like God’s people did.”
  2. Everyone sits tall with a finger on their lips. Read a promise from the screen. Start the Big Timer for 10 seconds while everyone waits and smiles.
  3. When it rings, arms up: “It will surely come!” Let a 6- or 7-year-old read the next promise.
  4. Ask, “What can we do while we wait?” Listen for ideas like praying, being kind and getting ready.
  5. SAY“Heavenly Father keeps every promise.”
🌪️ Give your wiggliest waiter a job, like tapping the timer or pointing to the next promise. Waiting is easier with something to do.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ⏳ Can you wait with a happy heart? · Jesus will be born in Bethlehem 🏘️ · Christmas is coming 🎄 · At 8, you can be baptized 💧 · The Holy Ghost will help you 🕊️ · Jesus will come again ☁️

6. Testimony

A Promise Kept

3 min

End calm and reverent, with a promise to remember every day this week.

  1. SAY“Let’s be as still as the night Jesus was born. Fold your arms.”
  2. Shine the flashlight softly on the ceiling if you brought one.
  3. In a sentence or two, share a promise Heavenly Father has kept for you. Say that Jesus was born just as Micah said.
  4. Show the Star Countdown challenge on the screen. Then ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🌟 Heavenly Father always keeps His promises · This week: color a star each day!

7. Game

Forehead Guess: Bethlehem Edition

4 minBONUS

A Heads Up–style review of today’s story. The picture shows with each word, so pre-readers can play 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. Motions and sounds make great clues. Baa for Sheep, twinkle fingers for Star, a little roof for Bethlehem. Tilt down for “got it” and up to pass.
  4. Give each turn about 30 seconds. Pair a 4- or 5-year-old guesser with an older buddy who whispers help.
🌪️ Go around the circle 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 quiz reviews everything they learned.

  1. SAY“It’s Team Star versus Team Scroll!”
  2. Split the class in two, mixing big and little kids. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  3. Read each question and the picture choices 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

The Little Town with the Big Promise

Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1–7; Matthew 2:1–11 ↗

Optional helpers

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

Scenes

  1. 🧔📜 Micah writes a big promise

    Long, long ago, Heavenly Father told the prophet Micah a secret. The promised King would be born in a tiny town. Micah wrote the name down, so nobody would forget. The town was called Bethlehem!

    🙌

  2. ⏳🐑 Waiting… and waiting… and waiting

    People waited and waited for the promise to come true. Babies grew up and became grandmas and grandpas. They waited for hundreds and hundreds of years. But Heavenly Father had not forgotten!

    🙌 Guess! Will Heavenly Father forget His promise?

  3. 👩🧔‍♂️🚶 Mary and Joseph walk to Bethlehem

    One day Mary and Joseph had to take a long trip. Mary was going to have a baby very soon. Where did they have to go? To little Bethlehem!

    🙌

  4. 👶🌾 Baby Jesus is born!

    There was no room for them at the inn. Baby Jesus was born. Mary laid Him in a manger, a box that holds hay for animals. Micah’s promise came true, right in little Bethlehem!

    🙌 Arms up high: “It came true!” Then whisper: “Shh, He’s sleeping.”

  5. ⭐🔭 A bright new star!

    Far away, wise men saw a bright new star. They knew it meant a great King had been born. They packed special gifts and traveled a long, long way to find Him.

    🙌 Guess! Where will the star lead the wise men?

  6. 📜🔍 “Where is the new King?”

    The wise men asked King Herod where the new King was. Herod asked the teachers who knew the scriptures. They opened Micah’s old scroll and found the answer. It had been written down all along!

    🙌

  7. ⭐🎁 The star leads them to Jesus

    The star led the wise men to the house where young Jesus was. They were so happy! They knelt and gave Him their very best gifts. Heavenly Father always keeps His promises.

    🙌 Hold out a pretend gift. What gift could you give Jesus?

Key verse

Habakkuk 2:3 ↗
“wait for it; because it will surely come”
In kid words: God’s promises are worth waiting for. They will come true!
🙌 “wait for it” = hands down low in your lap, finger on your lips · “because it will surely come” = throw your arms up wide like a shining star

More verses

Micah 5:2 ↗
“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel”
In kid words: Little Bethlehem, you are small, but the King will be born in you!
Nahum 1:7 ↗
“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble”
In kid words: The Lord is good. He is like a strong, safe castle when I’m scared.
Micah 7:19 ↗
“he will have compassion upon us … thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea”
In kid words: When we’re sorry and repent, God throws our wrong choices far away, to the bottom of the sea.
Zephaniah 3:17 ↗
“he will joy over thee with singing”
In kid words: Heavenly Father is so happy about you, it’s like He sings!

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🧔 Micah
  • 🏘️ Bethlehem
  • ⭐ Star
  • 🔭 Wise Men
  • 👩 Mary
  • 🧔‍♂️ Joseph
  • 🌾 Manger
  • 🐑 Sheep
  • 👑 King Herod
  • 📜 Scroll
  • 🎁 Present
  • 🏰 Castle
  • 🌊 Ocean
  • 🎶 Singing
  • ⏰ Clock
  • 💧 Baptism
Clues for each word
  • Micah: The prophet who said “Bethlehem!”
  • Bethlehem: The little town where Jesus was born
  • Star: It twinkled and led the wise men
  • Wise Men: They followed the star to find Jesus
  • Mary: Jesus’s mother
  • Joseph: He took care of Mary and Jesus
  • Manger: Baby Jesus’s first bed, full of hay
  • Sheep: Baa! Fluffy animals near Bethlehem
  • King Herod: Grumpy king: “Another king? Hmph!”
  • Scroll: Rolled-up paper with Micah’s promise
  • Present: The wise men brought these to Jesus
  • Castle: Strong and safe, like the Lord in trouble
  • Ocean: God throws our sins deep into it
  • Singing: The Lord is so happy about you, He does this
  • Clock: Tick, tock! We wait and wait
  • Baptism: A promise you can make when you’re 8
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Where did Micah say Jesus would be born?
    • A. 🏰 A big castle
    • B. 🏘️ Little Bethlehem
    • C. 🚢 On a boat
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🏘️ Little Bethlehem Micah 5:2: little Bethlehem, just like he promised!

  2. Who told Micah the secret promise?
    • A. 🙏 Heavenly Father
    • B. 👑 King Herod
    • C. 🐑 A sheep
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🙏 Heavenly Father Heavenly Father tells His prophets what will happen.

  3. What led the wise men to Jesus?
    • A. 🌈 A rainbow
    • B. 🗺️ A map
    • C. ⭐ A star
    Show answer

    ✅ C. ⭐ A star A bright star led them all the way to young Jesus.

  4. Where did Mary lay Baby Jesus?
    • A. 🌾 In a manger
    • B. 🏰 In a castle bed
    • C. 🌳 In a tree
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🌾 In a manger A manger is a box that holds hay. It was His first bed!

  5. Habakkuk said God’s promises will surely…
    • A. 💨 disappear
    • B. ✅ come
    • C. 😴 be forgotten
    Show answer

    ✅ B. ✅ come “Wait for it; because it will surely come!”

  6. Nahum said the Lord is strong and safe, like a…
    • A. 🎈 balloon
    • B. 🏰 castle
    • C. 🍝 noodle
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🏰 castle The Lord is “a strong hold in the day of trouble” (Nahum 1:7).

  7. What did the wise men give Jesus?
    • A. 📚 Homework
    • B. 🙅 Nothing
    • C. 🎁 Their best gifts
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 🎁 Their best gifts They knelt down and gave Him their very best.

  8. What can you do when you turn 8?
    • A. 🚗 Drive a car
    • B. 💧 Be baptized
    • C. 👑 Become a king
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 💧 Be baptized When you’re baptized, you make a special promise with Heavenly Father!

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • O Little Town of Bethlehem Hymns, no. 208

    Sing it right after the story. It’s all about Micah’s little town. Find it ↗

  • Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus Children’s Songbook, p. 36

    Another prophet who told about Jesus’s birth before it happened, just like Micah. Find it ↗

  • Stars Were Gleaming Children’s Songbook, p. 37

    A gentle Christmas song about the star, perfect for the calm ending. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Star Countdown

Draw 7 stars on a paper. Each night this week, color one star and tell your family one promise Heavenly Father keeps. Then whisper together, “Wait for it… it will surely come!”

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned that the prophet Micah made a promise in Micah 5:2, long before it happened. Jesus would be born in little Bethlehem. We heard how the wise men followed the star to find Him. We practiced Habakkuk 2:3: “wait for it; because it will surely come.” Ask your child, “What promise from Heavenly Father are you waiting for?”

📝 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?

🔗 Paper Chain Countdown · 6 min

  1. Give each child paper strips. Share a stapler or tape. Help them make one loop for each day until Christmas.
  2. On a few loops, older kids write a way to get ready for Jesus, like pray, help, share or sing. Little ones draw one.
  3. SAY“Every day you take off a loop, remember this. God’s promises always come.”

🌍 Fill the World · 4 min

  1. Read Habakkuk 2:14: “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
  2. Kids draw quick pictures of things Jesus did, like healing people, loving children or being baptized. Drop them into a cup or jar until it’s full.
  3. Ask: “Who could you tell about Jesus this Christmas?”

🎶 Happy Singing · 3 min

  1. Read Zephaniah 3:17: the Lord “will joy over thee with singing.”
  2. Sing one happy Christmas song from the list. First sing it in a whisper, then in a big, joyful voice.
  3. SAY“Heavenly Father is so glad about you. Let’s sing, because we’re glad about Him too!”

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