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Down and Up! Jesus Was Baptized

A peekaboo river, a down-and-up splash, a gentle dove, and a big hug from Heavenly Father

  • 🧸 Nursery
  • Week 4
  • 📅 Sunday, January 24, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus was baptized, and Heavenly Father loves Him and me.

I can go down and up like Jesus in the water and remember that Heavenly Father loves me.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)
Know the chapters

This week John the Baptist teaches by the Jordan River and helps people get ready for Jesus. That’s Matthew 3:1–6. Then Jesus comes and asks John to baptize Him. John baptizes Him all the way under the water. Jesus comes “up straightway out of the water,” in Matthew 3:16. The Holy Ghost comes down, with the sign of a dove. Heavenly Father’s voice says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” That’s Matthew 3:17.

For toddlers, the whole lesson is two things they can feel. There’s going down and coming back up, and there’s a great big hug. Down-and-up is a game they already love. With one squeeze, “Heavenly Father loves Jesus” becomes “Heavenly Father loves me.” Keep the dove simple and accurate. It was a sign that the Holy Ghost was there. Nobody plays Jesus or Heavenly Father. Show Jesus with a picture, and read Heavenly Father’s words yourself.

Don’t expect sitting, sharing or answers. Toddlers learn by copying you. Do every motion big and happy, and move on the moment eyes wander. The lesson takes six minutes. The play-time ideas bring back the river, the down-and-up and the gentle dove. That way the idea sinks in while they play.

Only have 5 minutes?

Grab a blue towel and a picture of Jesus. Play peekaboo behind the towel, then lay it down as the river. Swipe through the six-picture story on your phone or tablet. Do the down-and-up wiggle. Hug yourself and say “Heavenly Father loves Jesus!” End with a quiet testimony. For play time, pick three ideas below. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Your arms become the river, and your phone or tablet shows the pictures.

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. Fold the blue towel small and keep it in your bag until the opening.
  2. Open the Sound Board on your phone or tablet and find the waves, splash and bells buttons. Turn the volume low.
  3. Check the floor for anything small. If it fits through a toilet-paper tube, put it up high or away.
  4. Decide with the other adult who leads the lesson and who greets at the door. There are always two adults in nursery.
  5. Practice the two motions. Crouch down low and pop up: “Down… and up!” Then give yourself a big hug: “Heavenly Father loves Jesus!”

If your class is wild

  • Tears at drop-off are normal. Let the other adult hold the crying child near the fun. They can whisper, “Mommy will come back. You’re safe here.” A quick, happy goodbye beats sneaking a parent out.
  • Down-and-up is the magic move today. When the room gets wild, crouch down, whisper “Down in the water…” and wait. Most toddlers crouch with you. Then pop up together: “Up!”
  • Keep all water pretend today. Real water makes slippery floors. Even a little bowl isn’t safe around toddlers.
  • Follow your ward’s policy for diapers and potty trips. Never leave one adult alone with the class, and never go off alone with one child.

The 25-minute plan6 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

Peekaboo River

1 min

A peekaboo game pulls scattered toddlers toward you, and the towel becomes the river where Jesus was baptized.

  1. Sit on the floor. Tap waves on the Sound Board and whisper, “Shhh… what’s that? Water!”
  2. Hold the blue towel in front of your face: “Where did I go?” Drop it: “Peekaboo!” Repeat while little ones gather.
  3. Lay the towel flat on the floor and wiggle it: “Swish, swish! It’s a river!”
  4. SAY“Jesus went to a river. Let’s see what happened!”
🌪️ If they pile onto the towel, let them. Wave your arms like water: “You’re in the river! Swish, swish!”
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🌊 Peekaboo! A river!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A blue bath towel or small blue blanket (the river)

Peekaboo Hands

  1. Sit on the floor. Tap waves on the Sound Board and whisper, “Shhh… what’s that? Water!”
  2. Cover your eyes: “Where did I go?” Uncover them: “Peekaboo!” Repeat while little ones gather.
  3. Wave your arms low along the floor: “Swish, swish! It’s a river!”
  4. SAY“Jesus went to a river. Let’s see what happened!”

Class screen: 🙈 Peekaboo! A river!

2. Story

Picture Story: Jesus at the River

2 min

Six pictures with one sentence and one action each let toddlers wave the river, go down and up, and hear that Heavenly Father loves Jesus.

  1. Hold your phone or tablet at their eye level. Everyone gets to be a River Waver, a Down-and-Up Splasher and a Gentle Dove.
  2. Read the one sentence, then do the action big so they can copy you. Don’t wait for everyone. The joiners will come.
  3. On the down-and-up picture, go slow: “Down, down, down… and UP!” They’ll want it again, so go again.
  4. Losing them before the end? Jump to the last picture and give the big hug: “Heavenly Father loves you!”
🌪️ Got a child who won’t stop moving? Let them tap your phone or tablet to change the picture, with your hand on it too. A job beats a battle.

Class screen: 💦 Down in the water… up!

3. Wiggle break

Down and Up!

1 min

Toddlers need to move after two minutes of anything, and crouching down and popping up is the baptism story in their own bodies.

  1. SAY“Stand up! Let’s go down and up like Jesus in the water!”
  2. Crouch slowly: “Down, down, down…” Pause, then pop up with arms high: “Up!” Go again while they giggle.
  3. Hop like little grasshoppers: “Hop, hop! John ate grasshoppers!”
  4. Flap your hands gently and float down to sit: “Gentle dove… sit down.”

Class screen: ⬇️⬆️ Down, down… UP! · ⬇️ Crouch down · ⬆️ Pop up! · 🦗 Hop, hop · 🕊️ Gentle dove

4. Scripture

Our Little Verse: Matthew 3:17

1 min

Five words and one hug, said many times, is how a toddler carries a scripture home.

  1. Hold up your scriptures.
  2. SAY“This is the Bible. It tells about Jesus. Listen!”
  3. Read slowly: “This is my beloved Son.”
  4. SAY“Heavenly Father said that. It means He loves Jesus so much!”
  5. Hug yourself and say “Heavenly Father loves Jesus!” three times: whisper, normal, happy. Then kneel by each child: “Heavenly Father loves Ella too!”

Class screen: 🤗 Heavenly Father loves Jesus! · 🤗 Big hug!

5. Testimony

I Know Heavenly Father Loves You

1 min

A quiet moment with a picture of the Savior helps each child feel loved by Heavenly Father and Jesus.

  1. Drop your voice to a whisper and hold up the picture of Jesus Christ.
  2. SAY“This is Jesus.”
  3. Let each child look closely, point or gently pat the picture.
  4. SAY“Jesus was baptized. When you’re big, you can be baptized too. I know Heavenly Father loves you.”
  5. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms while a grown-up says a short one.

Class screen: ❤️ Heavenly Father loves you!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A picture of Jesus Christ, ideally of Jesus being baptized (from your meetinghouse library, a Friend magazine, or home)

  1. Drop your voice to a whisper and put your hand on your heart.
  2. SAY“Let’s think about Jesus.”
  3. Touch each child’s hand or wave, and whisper, “Heavenly Father loves you.”
  4. SAY“Jesus was baptized. When you’re big, you can be baptized too. I know Heavenly Father loves you.”
  5. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms while a grown-up says a short one.
6. Song

Down-and-Up Song

2 minBONUS

If they’re still with you, a copy-me song with down-and-up moves repeats the story one more happy time.

  1. Stand in a little circle. Sing “Do As I’m Doing,” Children’s Songbook page 276.
  2. Lead the moves: wave the river, crouch and pop up, flap like a gentle dove and give a big hug.
  3. Finish with a hug: “Heavenly Father loves Jesus! He loves you!”

Class screen: 🎵 Do what I do!

The story

Jesus at the River

Matthew 3:13–17 ↗

Optional helpers

  • River WaversEveryone! Wave your arms side to side like water: swish, swish.
  • Down-and-Up SplashersEveryone! Crouch down low, then pop up: “Up!”
  • Gentle DovesEveryone! Flap your hands slowly and float them down soft and gentle.

Scenes

  1. 🏞️ Here is a big river. Swish, swish!

    Here is a big river, and the water goes swish, swish.

    🙌 Wave your arms side to side like water: “Swish, swish!”

  2. 🧔 John helped people by the river.

    A man named John helped people get ready for Jesus by the river.

    🙌 Wave hello to John: “Hi, John!”

  3. 🚶 Jesus walked to the river.

    Jesus walked to the river to be baptized.

    🙌 Pat your legs like walking feet: pat, pat, pat.

  4. 💦 Down in the water… and up!

    John baptized Jesus all the way down in the water, and Jesus came right back up!

    🙌 Crouch down low, then pop up: “Up!” Do it twice.

  5. 🕊️ A gentle dove came down.

    A gentle dove came down. It was a sign the Holy Ghost was there.

    🙌 Flap your hands and float them gently to your lap: “Gentle.”

  6. 🤗 Heavenly Father loves Jesus. He loves you!

    Heavenly Father said He loves Jesus, and He loves you too!

    🙌 Hug yourself, then say each child’s name: “Heavenly Father loves Ella!”

Key verse

Matthew 3:17 ↗
“This is my beloved Son”
In kid words: Heavenly Father loves Jesus!
🙌 Give yourself a big, tight hug and hold it while you say all four words, then let go and point up and smile.

More verses

Matthew 3:16 ↗
“Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water”
In kid words: Jesus went down in the water and came right back up!
Matthew 3:3 ↗
“Prepare ye the way of the Lord”
In kid words: John said, “Get ready for Jesus!”

Forehead Guess words8 words

  • 🏞️ River
  • 💧 Water
  • 🕊️ Dove
  • 💦 Splash
  • 🦗 Grasshopper
  • 🍯 Honey
  • 🤗 Hug
  • 🚶 Walk
Clues for each word
  • River: Swish, swish! Jesus was baptized in one.
  • Water: Wet and splashy
  • Dove: A gentle white bird
  • Splash: Down and up!
  • Grasshopper: Hop, hop! John ate them.
  • Honey: Sweet and sticky. John ate it too.
  • Hug: Squeeze! Heavenly Father loves you.
  • Walk: Pat, pat! Jesus walked to the river.
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown5 questions

  1. Where was Jesus baptized?
    • A. 🏞️ River
    • B. 🚗 Car
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🏞️ River Swish, swish! Jesus was baptized in a river.

  2. Which bird came down gently?
    • A. 🦖 Dinosaur
    • B. 🕊️ Dove
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🕊️ Dove Flap gently! The dove was a sign the Holy Ghost was there.

  3. Jesus went down in the water. Then what?
    • A. ⬆️ Up!
    • B. 😴 Sleep
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ⬆️ Up! Pop up! Jesus came right back up out of the water.

  4. Who loves Jesus and you?
    • A. 🧦 Sock
    • B. ❤️ Heavenly Father
    Show answer

    ✅ B. ❤️ Heavenly Father Big hug! Heavenly Father loves Jesus, and He loves you.

  5. What did John eat?
    • A. 🍯 Honey
    • B. 🍕 Pizza
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🍯 Honey Yum! John ate wild honey, and grasshoppers too. Hop, hop!

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Do As I’m Doing Children’s Songbook, p. 276

    Toddlers copy you: wave the river, go down and up, flap like a gentle dove, hug. Find it ↗

  • Baptism Children’s Songbook, p. 100

    Hum or sing it softly while the children rest or look at the river picture; it’s the song they’ll hear in Primary. Find it ↗

  • I’m Trying to Be like Jesus Children’s Songbook, p. 78

    A gentle song for the dove game or quiet time: Jesus showed us the way. Find it ↗

  • Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes Children’s Songbook, p. 275

    All the way down to the toes and back up, just like going down and up in the water. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Down-and-Up Bath Time

At bath time this week, gently pour water over your child’s back. Say, “Jesus was baptized in water!” After the bath, crouch down and pop up together. Give a big hug and say, “Heavenly Father loves you!”

Text the parents

Today in nursery we learned that Jesus was baptized in a river. That’s Matthew 3:16–17. We waved our arms like the river. We crouched down and popped up like Jesus coming out of the water. We flapped our hands like a gentle dove. Then we hugged ourselves and said, “Heavenly Father loves Jesus!” Try it at home. Say “Down… and up!” and see if your child pops up. Then hug and say, “Heavenly Father loves you!”

📝 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.

Nursery play time

The lesson is short on purpose. Fill the rest of nursery with these: pick what fits your little ones today.

🧸 Walk to the River · 10 min

  1. Spread the blue towel flat as a river, or pick a spot on the carpet. Set out dolls and toy cars, and let kids play.
  2. Every few minutes, tap waves on the Sound Board: “Let’s walk to the river, like Jesus!” Help each child walk a toy over.
  3. Let the toys go down and up at the edge: “Down… and up! Jesus was baptized!” Then back to free play.
  4. SAY“Jesus walked to the river because He loves Heavenly Father.”
  5. The towel stays flat on the floor, never over heads or around necks. One adult stays near the river.

🎵 Down-and-Up Dance · 5 min

  1. Sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” Children’s Songbook page 275. Touch your toes, then stretch up high: “Down and up, like Jesus!”
  2. Sing “Do As I’m Doing,” Children’s Songbook page 276. Lead river arms, a crouch-and-pop, grasshopper hops and dove flaps.
  3. Tap Freeze Dance on your phone or tablet. When the music stops, everyone crouches low. When it starts again: “Up!”
  4. Don’t know a tune? Play it once in the Gospel Library app. Or just chant “Down, down, down… UP!” while you move.

🍯 Honey and Water Snack Talk · 10 min

  1. Check allergies and your ward’s snack policy first. Wipe every child’s hands, and yours.
  2. Everyone sits to eat while an adult watches. Skip popcorn, nuts, whole grapes, hard candy and raw carrot chunks.
  3. Fold arms while a grown-up says a short blessing: “Thank you for our snack.”
  4. SAY“John ate wild honey! Yum! And grasshoppers! Yuck?”
  5. Make a silly face, then sip water together: “Jesus was baptized in water. Down and up!” No snack? Dip pretend honey fingers.

🖍️ Big Blue River Scribble · 8 min

  1. Tape a big sheet of paper down. Draw one long wavy line across it: “This is a river!”
  2. Give each child one chunky blue crayon. Every scribble is river water: “Swish, swish! Jesus was baptized in a river.”
  3. Draw a simple white or gray bird above the river: “A gentle dove came down.” Let kids scribble around it.
  4. Write names by the scribbles and hang it by the door. No stickers, glitter or marker caps. Count the crayons back in.
  5. No paper or crayons? Open Draw & Guess on your phone or tablet. Hold it while each child finger-paints blue water.

🪶 Soft Like a Dove, Scratchy Like John’s Coat · 5 min

  1. Sit on the floor with something soft and something scratchy. Try a fuzzy blanket and a clean doormat or scrub brush.
  2. Let each child pat the soft one: “Soft and gentle, like the dove!”
  3. Let them touch the scratchy one and make a funny “Ooh!” face. Tell them, “John wore a scratchy coat made of camel hair.”
  4. Go back to the soft one and stroke it gently: “Gentle hands. Heavenly Father loves you.”
  5. Big items only, and no feathers. An adult holds the scratchy one. No items? Try a sleeve and the carpet.

🕊️ Gentle Dove Scarf · 5 min

  1. Hold the white scarf or dish towel up high: “Watch the gentle dove!” Let it float down slowly, and let kids catch it.
  2. SAY“Gentle! The dove came down when Jesus was baptized.”
  3. Drape the scarf over your own head, then pull it off: “Peekaboo! Heavenly Father loves you!”
  4. An adult watches the scarf the whole time. Never tie it on anyone, and put it away when you’re done.
  5. No scarf? Link your thumbs for a hand dove. Flap your fingers and float it down onto each child’s knee.

🖼️ Picture Walk: Down to the River · 5 min

  1. Sit with a child or two in your lap. Swipe through today’s story pictures, or look at the picture of Jesus being baptized.
  2. Name one thing in each picture: “Water! Swish, swish.” Ask, “Where’s the dove? Where’s Jesus?” and let them point.
  3. SAY“Jesus was baptized. Heavenly Father loves Him.”
  4. Point to each child: “And Heavenly Father loves you!” Give a hug if they want one.
  5. Both adults stay in the nursery room. If a child drifts off, let them go.

😴 Quiet River Rest · 4 min

  1. Spread out the blue towel or a blanket. Kids can lie down, sit or climb into a lap. Nobody has to.
  2. Play soft waves on the Sound Board with the volume low.
  3. Softly hum “Baptism,” Children’s Songbook page 100, or “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus,” page 78. Flutter your fingers on backs like a dove.
  4. Whisper each child’s name: “Heavenly Father loves you, Ella.”
  5. Upset child? Hold them, rock side to side and walk to the window together. Calm comes before learning.

👋 Down-and-Up Goodbye · 5 min

  1. Five minutes before the end, tap waves on the Sound Board: “The river says, toys go home!” Clean up together.
  2. Sit together once more. Crouch and pop up: “Down… and up!” Then a big hug: “Heavenly Father loves you!”
  3. Hand each child only to their own parent or guardian. Wave: “Play down and up at bath time!”
  4. Share today’s family note from the app, and tell parents one happy moment about their child.
  5. Kids still waiting? Play with the Gentle Dove Scarf or read a picture book. Both adults stay until every child is picked up.

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.

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