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Brave in Babylon

Beans that win, three friends who won’t bow, a fourth person in the fire, and a game about standing tall

  • 💧 Valiant 7–8
  • Week 46
  • 📅 Sunday, November 15, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Like Daniel and his friends, I can choose the right even when nobody else does, and Heavenly Father and Jesus will be with me.

I can stand for the right when it’s hard, and trust that God is with me no matter what.

Study it yourself firstRead Daniel 1–7 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Daniel 1–7)
Know the chapters

About 600 years before Jesus was born, Babylon’s armies conquered Jerusalem. They carried off many young Israelites. Among them were Daniel and three friends, whom the Babylonians renamed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. That’s Daniel 1:1–7. They lived in the palace of the most powerful king on earth, surrounded by people who didn’t worship the true God. Again and again they stayed true. They turned down the king’s food in Daniel 1. They refused to bow to a golden statue in Daniel 3. And Daniel kept praying when it was against the law in Daniel 6. Each time, God blessed them in amazing ways.

Daniel 1 opens a great conversation about the Word of Wisdom. The king’s food probably broke the food laws God had given Israel. It may also have been offered to idols. So Daniel asked for “pulse,” meaning vegetables, beans and seeds, and water. After a 10-day test, the four friends looked healthier than everyone else. God gave them knowledge and wisdom, in Daniel 1:15–17 and 20. Those blessings sound a lot like the promises in Doctrine and Covenants 89:18–21. They include health, wisdom, hidden treasures of knowledge, and strength to run without getting tired.

In Daniel 2, Daniel and his friends prayed for help. Then God showed Daniel the king’s forgotten dream, in 2:16–19. The great statue of gold, silver, brass, iron and clay stood for the kingdoms of the world. A stone “cut out without hands” smashes the statue. That means God made it, not people. The stone grows into a mountain that fills the whole earth, in 2:34–35 and 44–45. Latter-day prophets teach that this stone is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s God’s kingdom on the earth, and it’ll never be destroyed. See also Doctrine and Covenants 65:2.

Daniel 3 holds one of the bravest lines in scripture: “But if not.” Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego knew God could save them. But they decided ahead of time to obey Him even if He didn’t. For eight-year-olds, that’s the heart of this lesson. We choose the right because we love Heavenly Father, not just to get a reward. The king saw a fourth person in the fire “like the Son of God.” Later he said God had sent His angel, in 3:25 and 28. The Lord doesn’t always take the fire away. But He promises to be with us in it, in Isaiah 43:2. Daniel 7:13–14 also looks ahead to “the Son of man,” a title Jesus later used for Himself.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Daniel 3. It’s one exciting page. Grab a flashlight for the fourth person in the fire. Tell the story from Teach Mode while kids listen for the word “bow.” Say “But if not” with motions, play Stand Tall Freeze Dance, and close by praying like Daniel. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” The glowing device becomes the light in the furnace.

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 Daniel 1 and Daniel 3. Add Daniel 6 if you have time.
  2. Keep the flashlight by your chair, switched off, for scene 6.

If your class is wild

  • Listening for “bow” keeps every kid alert. Praise the tallest sitters out loud.
  • Make your loudest kid the Sound Helper. They tap the king’s music at just the right time.
  • Keep the fire fun, not scary. Say it early and often: “God kept the friends safe.”
  • In Stand Tall Freeze Dance, everyone dances in their own space. Bump a neighbor and you dance the next round sitting down.
  • At scene 6, drop to a whisper and switch on the flashlight slowly. 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

King’s Feast or Beans?

3 min

A quick point-and-pick sets up Daniel’s first brave choice.

  1. SAY“Quick! Point left for pizza, right for tacos! Now the king invites you to his fancy feast every day. Or you can eat beans and water. Point!”
  2. SAY“One more thing. God asked you not to eat the king’s food. And everybody else in the palace is eating it.”
  3. Let them switch if they want. Then share what happened next, from Daniel 1:15–17.
  4. SAY“Daniel and his friends chose beans and water. After ten days, they were healthier and wiser than everyone else!”
🌪️ Everyone points from their seat. Stand up and you miss your turn to pick.

Class screen: 👑🫘 King’s feast or beans and water? · 👈 The king’s feast · 👉 Beans and water

2. Story

Story: The Three Who Would Not Bow

7 min

The most exciting rescue story of the year shows that God is with us when we choose the right.

  1. SAY“This is a true story from the Bible about three brave friends. Listen for the word ‘bow.’ Every time you hear it, sit up extra tall.”
  2. Open the story in Teach Mode. Read each scene, and watch the class sit up tall.
  3. At scene 4, ask, “Did they know God would save them?” No! They trusted Him anyway.
  4. At scene 6, switch on the flashlight and slowly count the people in the fire with the king.
  5. After scene 7, ask, “Who was with the friends in the fire?” God sent help, and He’s with us too.
🌪️ If the room drifts, whisper the word “bow.” Watch everyone sit up tall.

Class screen: 🔥 The Three Who Would Not Bow · 👂 Listen for “bow” · 🧍 Sit up tall!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A flashlight or phone flashlight (the fourth person in the fire)

  1. SAY“This is a true story from the Bible about three brave friends. Listen for the word ‘bow.’ Every time you hear it, sit up extra tall.”
  2. Open the story in Teach Mode. Read each scene, and watch the class sit up tall.
  3. At scene 4, ask, “Did they know God would save them?” No! They trusted Him anyway.
  4. At scene 6, dim the lights if you can. Hold up the glowing phone or tablet and slowly count the people in the fire.
  5. After scene 7, ask, “Who was with the friends in the fire?” God sent help, and He’s with us too.
3. Scripture

Key Verse: Daniel 3:17–18

4 min

“But if not” teaches kids to obey God because they love Him, no matter what happens.

  1. SAY“Here are the bravest words the three friends said.”
  2. Show the verse on your phone or tablet and read it slowly.
  3. Teach the motions one phrase at a time. At “But if not,” everyone freezes silent for three seconds.
  4. Say it together twice, once in a brave-hero voice and once in a whisper.
  5. Ask why they said “but if not” when they knew God could save them. They’d obey God no matter what.

Class screen: 🙌 Our God is able… but if not!

4. Game

Stand Tall Freeze Dance

7 min

Kids practice real brave choices from their own week, the same way the three friends stood tall.

  1. SAY“When the king’s music played, everyone bowed except three. Let’s practice standing tall when it’s hard.”
  2. Tap Freeze Dance. Everyone dances in their own space. When the music stops, freeze and read a tricky moment from the screen.
  3. Kids with a brave choice sit tall, fold arms, and say, “We won’t bow!” Call on one to share. Play four or five rounds.
  4. SAY“Standing tall can be scary. But Heavenly Father and Jesus are with you. Just like the fourth person in the fire.”
🌪️ Dance in your own space. Bump a neighbor and you dance the next round sitting down.
🧊 Freeze Dance (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 💪 Freeze! What’s the brave choice? · Friends laugh at a bad word · A show your parents said no to · Someone copies answers on a test · A kid sits alone at lunch · Everyone skips their prayers at a sleepover

5. Testimony

Open Windows

3 min

End calm and reverent, with a daily prayer habit to take home.

  1. SAY“Years later, Daniel opened his windows and prayed three times a day. He did it even when it was against the law.”
  2. Keep your voice quiet. Briefly share a time you chose the right when it was hard, and how God was with you.
  3. Show the Pray Like Daniel challenge on the screen.
  4. Invite a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🪟🙏 This week: pray three times a day like Daniel! · ☀️ Morning · 🥪 Midday · 🌙 Night

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Babylon Edition

4 minBONUS

A quick Heads Up–style review of every hero, king and lion from today.

  1. SAY“Let’s see what you remember! Give clues, but don’t say the word.”
  2. Tap Forehead Guess.
  3. One kid holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class. Everyone else gives clues from their seats.
  4. Tilt down for “got it” and up to pass. Each turn is 45 seconds. Then pass your phone or tablet to the next kid.
🌪️ Go around the room one clue at a time. That way nobody shouts over anybody.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Give clues, don’t say the word!

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews all four Daniel stories.

  1. SAY“Team Lion versus Team Furnace!”
  2. Split the class in two and 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.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

The story

The Three Who Would Not Bow

Daniel 3 ↗

Optional helpers

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

Scenes

  1. 👑🗿✨ The king builds a giant gold statue

    Long ago in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar built a huge statue covered in gold. It was about ninety feet tall. That’s like fifteen dads standing on each other’s shoulders! It sparkled so brightly that people had to squint.

    🙌

  2. 📯🎶 “When the music plays, bow down!”

    The king’s herald shouted a new law. “When you hear the music, fall down and worship the golden statue! Anyone who doesn’t will be thrown into a burning fiery furnace!”

    🙌

  3. 🙇🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️ Everyone bows… except three

    The music played, and thousands of people fell flat on their faces. But three young men stayed standing: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. They loved God, and they would worship only Him.

    🙌 Sit tall and fold your arms: “We won’t bow!”

  4. 😡🙌 “Our God is able… but if not!”

    The king was furious! “Bow down, or into the furnace you go!” The friends stood firm. Their God was able to save them, they said. “But if not,” they still would never bow to his statue.

    🙌

  5. 🔥🔥🔥 Seven times hotter!

    The king ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than ever! His strongest soldiers tied up the three friends. They were still wearing their coats and hats. And the soldiers threw them into the roaring flames.

    🙌

  6. 👀4️⃣ Wait… FOUR people in the fire?

    The king looked in and jumped up. “Didn’t we throw in THREE men? I see FOUR men walking in the fire, not tied up and not hurt! And the fourth looks like the Son of God!”

    🙌 Count with the king: “One, two, three… FOUR?!”

  7. 👃🎉 Not even a smell of smoke!

    Out walked the three friends. Their hair wasn’t singed. Their coats weren’t burned. They didn’t even smell like smoke! The king said no other god could save like this. God had been with them in the fire.

    🙌 Sniff the air: “No smoke!”

Key verse

Daniel 3:17–18 ↗
“our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace … But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image”
In kid words: Our God can save us. But even if He doesn’t, we will still choose Him.
🙌 “our God whom we serve” = point up · “is able to deliver us” = flex both arms like a superhero · “from the burning fiery furnace” = wiggle your fingers upward like flames · “But if not” = hold up one finger and freeze · “we will not serve thy gods” = shake your head and fold your arms · “nor worship the golden image” = stand extra tall (no bowing!)

More verses

Daniel 1:8 ↗
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank”
In kid words: Daniel decided deep in his heart that he would not eat the king’s food or drink the king’s wine.
Daniel 2:44 ↗
“the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed”
In kid words: God will set up His kingdom, His Church, and nobody will ever be able to destroy it.
Daniel 6:10 ↗
“his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God”
In kid words: Daniel opened his windows, knelt down and prayed three times a day, even when it was against the law.
Daniel 6:22 ↗
“My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me”
In kid words: God sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths, so they didn’t hurt me.

Forehead Guess words20 words

  • 🧔 Daniel
  • 🦁 Lion
  • 🔥 Fiery Furnace
  • 👑 King Nebuchadnezzar
  • 🧍‍♂️ Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-nego
  • 🗿 Golden Statue
  • 🫘 Beans
  • 💧 Water
  • 👼 Angel
  • 🪟 Window
  • 🙏 Pray
  • 🪨 Stone
  • ⛰️ Mountain
  • 💭 Dream
  • 🤴 King Darius
  • 🎺 Trumpet
  • 💨 Smoke
  • 🏰 Babylon
  • 🥦 Word of Wisdom
  • 🛡️ Choose the Right
Clues for each word
  • Daniel: Prayed three times a day and was put in a lions’ den
  • Lion: Big cat with a roar. An angel shut its mouth!
  • Fiery Furnace: Made seven times hotter
  • King Nebuchadnezzar: Babylon’s king with a giant gold statue
  • Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-nego: Three friends who would not bow
  • Golden Statue: Everyone had to bow to it when the music played
  • Beans: Daniel ate these instead of the king’s food
  • Water: What Daniel drank during the 10-day test
  • Angel: God sent one to protect Daniel
  • Window: Daniel opened his when he prayed
  • Pray: Talk to Heavenly Father
  • Stone: Cut out without hands, it smashed the statue
  • Mountain: The stone grew into one that filled the earth
  • Dream: What the king had while he was sleeping
  • King Darius: Couldn’t sleep all night worrying about Daniel
  • Trumpet: When the music played, everyone had to bow
  • Smoke: The three friends didn’t even smell like it
  • Babylon: The big city where Daniel lived far from home
  • Word of Wisdom: God’s law for keeping our bodies healthy
  • Choose the Right: The CTR on your class ring!
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. What did Daniel and his friends eat instead of the king’s food?
    • A. Cake and candy
    • B. Pulse (vegetables and beans) and water
    • C. Nothing at all
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Pulse (vegetables and beans) and water Daniel 1:12. After ten days they looked healthier than everyone who ate the king’s food!

  2. In the king’s dream, what was the statue’s head made of?
    • A. Gold
    • B. Iron
    • C. Clay
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Gold Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar, “Thou art this head of gold” (Daniel 2:38).

  3. What smashed the statue in the king’s dream?
    • A. A giant hammer
    • B. A flood
    • C. A stone cut out without hands
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A stone cut out without hands The stone is God’s kingdom, the Church of Jesus Christ, and it grows to fill the whole earth!

  4. Why wouldn’t Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego bow to the golden statue?
    • A. They would worship only God
    • B. Their knees hurt
    • C. They didn’t hear the music
    Show answer

    ✅ A. They would worship only God They loved God and would worship only Him, even if it meant the furnace.

  5. How much hotter did the king make the furnace?
    • A. Two times hotter
    • B. Seven times hotter
    • C. One hundred times hotter
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Seven times hotter Daniel 3:19. Seven times hotter, and God still kept them safe!

  6. How many people did the king see walking in the fire?
    • A. Three
    • B. Five
    • C. Four
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Four The king said the fourth one looked “like the Son of God.” God sent help right into the fire!

  7. How many times a day did Daniel pray?
    • A. Once a week
    • B. Three times
    • C. Only at church
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Three times Daniel 6:10. He kept praying with his windows open, even when it was against the law.

  8. How did God protect Daniel in the lions’ den?
    • A. He made Daniel invisible
    • B. He built a wall
    • C. He sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths
    Show answer

    ✅ C. He sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths Daniel 6:22. In the morning, Daniel didn’t have a single scratch!

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Dare to Do Right Children’s Songbook, p. 158

    Sing it right after the story. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego dared to do right! Find it ↗

  • The Word of Wisdom Children’s Songbook, p. 154

    Daniel chose God’s way to eat and drink. We have the Word of Wisdom today. Find it ↗

  • Follow the Prophet Children’s Songbook, p. 110

    It has a verse about Daniel. Sing it before Lions’ Den Freeze Dance. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Pray Like Daniel

Pray three times every day this week, just like Daniel. Pray in the morning, sometime midday, and at night. A quiet prayer at lunch or before something hard counts! Tell your family which prayer felt the most special.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we heard how Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego wouldn’t bow to the king’s golden statue. The king saw a fourth person with them in the fiery furnace. We played a freeze game to practice standing tall at school and with friends. The big idea is that we can choose the right even when others don’t, and God is with us. Your child’s challenge is to pray three times a day like Daniel. Ask them what the three friends said when the king threatened them.

📝 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?

🦁 Sleeping Lions · 3 min

  1. Everyone lies on the floor as a sleeping lion with their mouth shut tight, like the lions in Daniel’s den.
  2. Pick one or two angels. They walk around and try to make the lions giggle with funny faces. No touching!
  3. Any lion who moves or laughs becomes an angel too. The last sleeping lion wins.
  4. It’s perfect for the last few minutes of class, or anytime the room needs to calm down fast.

🙏 Pray Anywhere Clues · 4 min

  1. Say, “Daniel prayed at his window. Where can YOU pray?”
  2. Kids take turns giving clues about a place to pray, like the school bus or a soccer game. The class guesses.
  3. After each guess, ask, “Would that be a spoken prayer or a quiet prayer in your heart?”
  4. Say, “Heavenly Father hears us anywhere, anytime, just like He heard Daniel.”

🥦 Ten Times Wiser · 4 min

  1. Read Daniel 1:17 and 20. The king found the four friends “ten times better” than all his wise men.
  2. Share the Word of Wisdom promises from Doctrine and Covenants 89:18–21. They include health, wisdom, and strength to run.
  3. Everyone runs in place for about 20 seconds, then walks in place for 20. Talk about taking care of our bodies God’s way.
  4. Ask what the Word of Wisdom asks kids to do. Eat good food, sleep, exercise, and stay away from harmful things.

🎨 Draw the Dream · 5 min

  1. Tap Draw & Guess. One kid draws a word from today, like lion or furnace, while the class guesses.
  2. Or hand out paper. Read Daniel 2:31–35 slowly while kids draw the king’s statue and the stone.
  3. Ask, “What does the stone stand for?” God’s kingdom, the Church of Jesus Christ.

🪨 The Stone That Smashed the Statue · 5 min

  1. Stack five boxes into a wobbly statue. Say, “God showed Daniel the king’s dream. It was a statue with feet of iron and clay.”
  2. Say, “Then a stone was cut out ‘without hands.’ That means God made it.” A child rolls a soft ball at the feet. CRASH!
  3. Say, “The stone grew into a mountain that filled the whole earth.”
  4. Pass the ball. Each child wraps a sheet of paper around it and names something in Jesus Christ’s Church today.
  5. Read Daniel 2:44. Say, “God’s kingdom will never be destroyed. When you were baptized, you became part of the stone!”

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 Valiant 7–8 lessons