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

For toddlers, the whole lesson is two things they can feel: going down and coming back up, and a great big hug. Down-and-up is a game they already love, and “Heavenly Father loves Jesus” becomes “Heavenly Father loves me” with one squeeze. 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, so do every motion big and happy, and move on the moment eyes wander. The lesson is six minutes; the play-time ideas below bring back the river, the down-and-up and the gentle dove for the rest of nursery, so 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, 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 while you say “Heavenly Father loves Jesus!” and end with “I know Heavenly Father loves you.” 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 hook.
  2. Open the Sound Board on your phone or tablet and find the waves, splash and bells buttons. Turn the volume low.
  3. Sweep the floor with your eyes and hands for anything small. Quick test: if it fits through a toilet-paper tube, it’s a choking hazard and goes up high or away.
  4. Decide with the other adult who leads the lesson and who greets and comforts at the door. There are always two adults in nursery.
  5. Practice the two motions: crouch down low and pop up (“Down… and up!”), and a big self-hug while you say “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 and say softly, “Mommy will come back. You’re safe here.” A quick, happy goodbye works better than sneaking a parent out.
  • Down-and-up is the magic move today. When the room gets wild, crouch down and 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, and even a little bowl of water isn’t safe around toddlers.
  • Follow your ward’s policy for diapers and potty trips, and never leave one adult alone with the class or 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 up in front of your face. Say: “Where did I go?” Drop it: “Peekaboo!” Do it two or three times 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. Say: “You’re in the river! Swish, swish!” and wave your arms like water.
🔊 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 with your hands. Say: “Where did I go?” Uncover: “Peekaboo!” Do it two or three times 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 up at their eye level. Everyone is 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 to join; the joiners will come.
  3. On the down-and-up picture, go slow: “Down, down, down… and UP!” They’ll want it again, so do it again.
  4. If attention is gone before the end, jump to the last picture and give the big hug: “Heavenly Father loves you!”
🌪️ Let a child who won’t stop moving 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 down slowly: “Down, down, down…” Pause. Then pop up with arms high: “Up!” Do it again and 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. Say: “This is the Bible. It tells about Jesus.”
  2. Read slowly: “This is my beloved Son.” Say: “Heavenly Father said that. It means, ‘I love Jesus!’”
  3. Hug yourself tight and say it together: “Heavenly Father loves Jesus!” Say it three times: a tiny whisper, a regular voice, a happy voice.
  4. Kneel by each child, give yourself a hug, and say: “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. Lower your voice to a whisper. Hold up the picture of Jesus Christ. Say: “This is Jesus.”
  2. Let each child look closely, point or gently pat the picture.
  3. SAY“Jesus was baptized. When you are big, you can be baptized too. I know Heavenly Father loves you.”
  4. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms together 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. Lower your voice to a whisper. Put your hand on your heart and say: “Let’s think about Jesus.”
  2. Whisper: “Heavenly Father loves you,” as you touch each child’s hand or wave to them.
  3. SAY“Jesus was baptized. When you are big, you can be baptized too. I know Heavenly Father loves you.”
  4. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms together 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, 276).
  2. Lead the moves: wave the river, crouch down and pop up, flap like a gentle dove, give a big hug.
  3. End with a hug: “Heavenly Father loves Jesus! He loves you!”

Class screen: 🎵 Do what I do!

Story drama

Jesus at the River

Matthew 3:13–17 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • 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.

    🎬 Everyone waves arms side to side like water. Grown-ups wave too, so little ones can copy.

  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, pat.

  4. 💦 Down in the water… and up!

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

    🎬 Everyone crouches down low, then pops up: “Up!” Do it twice.

  5. 🕊️ A gentle dove came down.

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

    🎬 Flap your hands slowly and float them down gently to your lap. Whisper: “Gentle.”

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

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

    🎬 Give yourself a big hug. Then point to each child gently: “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 and say, “Jesus was baptized in water!” Then play down and up (crouch and pop up) after the bath, 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 (Matthew 3:16–17). We waved our arms like the river, crouched down and popped up like Jesus coming out of the water, flapped our hands like a gentle dove, and hugged ourselves while we said, “Heavenly Father loves Jesus!” Try it at home: say “Down… and up!” and see if your child pops up, then give a 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 on the floor as a river and set out the nursery’s dolls, stuffed animals and toy cars. Let children play however they like. No towel? Point to a spot on the carpet and call it the river.
  2. Every few minutes, tap waves on the Sound Board and say: “Let’s walk to the river, like Jesus!” Help each child walk a toy to the river.
  3. Let the toys go “down and up” at the edge: “Down… and up! Jesus was baptized!”
  4. SAY“Jesus walked to the river because He loves Heavenly Father.” Then back to free play until the next walk.
  5. Safety: 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. Stand up and sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (Children’s Songbook, 275). Touch all the way down to the toes, then stretch up high: “Down and up, like Jesus!”
  2. Sing “Do As I’m Doing” (Children’s Songbook, 276). Lead river arms, a crouch-and-pop, grasshopper hops and dove flaps, and let them copy you.
  3. Tap Freeze Dance on your phone or tablet. When the music stops, everyone crouches down 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, before snack.
  2. Everyone sits to eat, with an adult watching. Skip choking foods for this age: no popcorn, nuts, whole grapes, hard candy or chunks of raw carrot.
  3. Fold arms. A grown-up says a short blessing: “Thank you for our snack.”
  4. Talk while they munch. Say: “John ate wild honey! Yum! And grasshoppers! Yuck?” Make a silly face and let them copy.
  5. Take a sip of water together. Say: “Water! Jesus was baptized in water. Down and up!”
  6. No snack today? Have a pretend picnic: pretend to dip fingers in honey (“Sticky!”) and sip water, and say thank you to Heavenly Father.

🖍️ Big Blue River Scribble · 8 min

  1. Tape a big sheet of paper to the table or floor. Draw one long wavy line across it and say: “This is a river!”
  2. Give each child one chunky blue washable crayon. Every scribble is river water! Say: “Swish, swish! Jesus was baptized in a river.”
  3. Draw a simple bird shape above the river with a white or gray crayon: “A gentle dove came down.” Let children scribble around it.
  4. Write each child’s name by their scribbles and hang the picture by the door for parents to see.
  5. Safety: chunky crayons only. Skip stickers, glitter, pom-poms and marker caps (small parts). Count the crayons back into the box.
  6. No paper or crayons? Open Draw & Guess on your phone or tablet and let each child finger-paint blue water while you hold your phone or tablet.

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

  1. Sit on the floor with your touch items: something soft (a fuzzy blanket or stuffed animal) and something scratchy (a clean doormat or a big scrub brush).
  2. Let each child pat the soft one. Say: “Soft and gentle, like the dove!”
  3. Let them touch the scratchy one. Say: “Scratchy! John wore a scratchy coat made of camel hair.” Make a funny “Ooh!” face.
  4. Go back to the soft one and stroke it gently: “Gentle hands. Heavenly Father loves you.”
  5. Safety: big items only, no feathers or anything that fits through a toilet-paper tube, and an adult holds the scratchy one. No items? Stroke a child’s sleeve (“soft!”) and the carpet (“scratchy!”).

🕊️ Gentle Dove Scarf · 5 min

  1. Hold the white scarf or dish towel up high. Say: “Watch the gentle dove!” Let it float down slowly.
  2. Let children catch it and give it back. Say: “Gentle! The dove came down when Jesus was baptized.”
  3. Play peekaboo: drape the scarf over your own head, then pull it off: “Peekaboo! Heavenly Father loves you!”
  4. Safety: an adult holds and watches the scarf the whole time. Never tie it on anyone, and put it away when you’re done.
  5. No scarf? Make a hand dove: link your thumbs, flap your fingers, and float it gently down onto each child’s knee.

🖼️ Picture Walk: Down to the River · 5 min

  1. Sit on the floor with a child or two in your lap. Swipe back through today’s story pictures on your phone or tablet, or look at the picture of Jesus being baptized.
  2. Point and name one thing on each picture: “Water! Swish, swish.” Ask: “Where’s the dove?” and let them point.
  3. Ask: “Where’s Jesus?” Let them point or pat. 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. Stay in the nursery room with both adults. If a child drifts off, let them go; picture walks are for whoever wants to come.

😴 Quiet River Rest · 4 min

  1. Spread out the blue towel or a blanket. Children may lie down, sit or climb into a lap. Nobody has to.
  2. Play soft waves on the Sound Board with the volume low.
  3. Hum “Baptism” (Children’s Songbook, 100) or “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78) softly, and flutter your fingers gently on backs like a dove landing.
  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!” Put the toys in their bins together.
  2. Sit together one more time. Crouch down and pop up: “Down… and up! Jesus was baptized!” Then a big hug: “Heavenly Father loves you!”
  3. Hand each child only to their own parent or guardian, as your ward’s policy says. Say: “Ask for down and up at bath time!”
  4. Share today’s family note from the app with parents, and tell them one happy moment about their child.
  5. Kids still waiting? Keep them busy with the Gentle Dove Scarf or 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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