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Jesus Keeps Me Safe

A peekaboo umbrella, pitter-patter rain, an arm-roof shelter, and a desert that pops into flowers

  • 🧸 Nursery
  • Week 39
  • 📅 Sunday, September 27, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus loves me and keeps me safe.

I can make a roof with my arms and remember that Jesus keeps me safe.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35)
Know the chapters

This week Isaiah warns proud nations like Babylon that they will fall (Isaiah 13–14), then turns to hope. He says the Lord is “a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat” (Isaiah 25:4), that He will wipe away tears (Isaiah 25:8), and that one day even the dry desert will burst into flowers (Isaiah 35:1). The Lord who speaks in Isaiah is Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ.

For toddlers, the whole lesson is one feeling: I am safe and loved. Children this age may have just said goodbye to Mom or Dad at the door, so “safe” is exactly what they need to feel in nursery. A roof in the rain is something they know with their whole bodies. Say “Jesus keeps me safe!” and make the arm roof over and over, all day long, in the lesson and in play time.

Don’t expect sitting, sharing or answers. An 18-month-old who wanders off while you talk is still listening. Keep your voice warm, do every motion yourself so they can copy you, and go on to the next step the moment attention fades. The whole lesson is six minutes; the play-time ideas below repeat the same idea for the rest of nursery, so it sinks in without anyone sitting still.

Only have 5 minutes?

Grab an umbrella and a picture of Jesus. Pop the umbrella open for peekaboo, swipe through the six-picture story on your phone or tablet, do the rain wiggle, make the arm roof while you say “Jesus keeps me safe!” and end with “I know Jesus loves you.” For play time, pick three ideas below. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: your arms become the roof, 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. Keep the umbrella closed and hidden in your bag until the hook.
  2. Open the Sound Board on your phone or tablet and find the rain and wind buttons. Turn the volume low. Skip thunder today: big booms can scare little ones.
  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 arm roof (hands together over your head like a pointy roof) and say “Jesus keeps me safe!” a few times. That’s the whole key phrase.

If your class is wild

  • Tears at drop-off are normal and usually pass in a few minutes. Let the other adult hold the crying child near the fun, and say softly, “Mommy will come back. You’re safe here.” Don’t sneak parents out; a quick, happy goodbye is easier.
  • Nobody has to sit. Lead from the floor at their level and keep going; toddlers who wander still hear you and often copy the motions from across the room.
  • The umbrella is for grown-up hands only. Open it slowly, away from faces, and put it up high when you’re done.
  • 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 Umbrella

1 min

A soft rain sound and a surprise umbrella pull scattered toddlers toward you and show them a safe place in the rain.

  1. Sit on the floor. Tap rain on the Sound Board and whisper: “Shhh… what’s that? Rain!”
  2. Tap your fingers on the floor: pitter-patter. Little ones will come to see.
  3. SAY“Oh no, I’ll get wet! Where can I go?” Slowly open the umbrella away from faces: “Peekaboo! Ta-da!”
  4. Hold it over a few children at a time. Say: “Safe and dry! Today we learn Jesus keeps us safe.”
  5. Close the umbrella and put it up high.
🌪️ If they grab for the umbrella, close it, put it behind your back, and do the peekaboo with your hands instead.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ☂️ Peekaboo! Safe and dry!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A small umbrella (a child’s umbrella is perfect); a grown-up always holds it

Peekaboo Arm Roof

  1. Sit on the floor. Tap rain on the Sound Board and whisper: “Shhh… what’s that? Rain!”
  2. Tap your fingers on the floor: pitter-patter. Little ones will come to see.
  3. Cover your eyes. Say: “Oh no, I’ll get wet! Where can I go?”
  4. Uncover your eyes and pop your arms over your head like a roof: “Peekaboo! A roof! Safe and dry!”
  5. SAY“Today we learn Jesus keeps us safe.”

Class screen: 🙆 Peekaboo! A roof!

2. Story

Picture Story: Safe in the Rain

2 min

Six pictures with one sentence and one action each let toddlers feel the rain, the hug and the flowers while they hear that Jesus keeps them safe.

  1. Hold your phone or tablet up at their eye level. Everyone is a Rain Maker, a Swaying Tree and a Little Flower.
  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. After the roof picture, make the arm roof again on every picture and say, “Jesus keeps me safe!”
  4. If attention is gone before the end, jump to the last picture: “Jesus 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: 🌧️ Pitter-patter story time!

3. Wiggle break

Rain Falls Down

1 min

Toddlers need to move after two minutes of anything, and weather moves repeat the story with their whole bodies.

  1. SAY“Stand up! Let’s be the rain!”
  2. Reach up high and wiggle your fingers all the way down to your toes: “Pitter-patter, down, down, down!”
  3. Stomp in pretend puddles: “Splash, splash!” Then sway like trees: “Whoosh!”
  4. Crouch down tiny, then pop up like a flower: “Pop!” Do it again and again while they giggle.
  5. End with an arm roof: “Jesus keeps me safe!” and sit down together.

Class screen: 💦 Pitter-patter! Splash! Pop! · 🌧️ Fingers down · 💦 Stomp · 🌳 Sway · 🌸 Pop!

4. Scripture

Our Little Verse: Isaiah 25:4

1 min

Four words and one motion, 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: “a refuge from the storm.” Say: “That means Jesus keeps me safe!”
  3. Make the arm roof and say it together: “Jesus keeps me safe!” Say it three times: a tiny whisper, a regular voice, a happy voice.
  4. Kneel by each child, make a roof over them with your arms, and say, “Jesus keeps Ella safe.”

Class screen: 🙆 Jesus keeps me safe! · 🙆 Make a roof!

5. Testimony

I Know Jesus Loves You

1 min

A quiet moment with a picture of the Savior helps each child feel loved and safe.

  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“I know Jesus loves you. He keeps you safe.”
  4. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms together while a grown-up says a short one.

Class screen: ❤️ Jesus loves you!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A picture of Jesus Christ (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: “Jesus loves you,” as you touch each child’s hand or wave to them.
  3. SAY“I know Jesus loves you. He keeps you safe.”
  4. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms together while a grown-up says a short one.
6. Song

Grow, Little Flowers

2 minBONUS

If they’re still with you, a slow song while the seeds grow into flowers is a calm, happy way to finish.

  1. SAY“Let’s be tiny seeds.” Curl up small on the floor with them.
  2. Sing “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228) slowly. Gently wiggle your fingers on each back, like soft rain.
  3. Grow a little bit at a time. At the end, pop open like flowers and say: “Jesus makes the desert bloom!”

Class screen: 🌸 Grow, little flowers!

Story drama

Safe in the Rain

Isaiah 25:4, 8; 35:1 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • Rain MakersEveryone! Tap fingers on legs or the floor: pitter-patter.
  • Swaying TreesEveryone! Arms up high, sway side to side in the wind.
  • Little FlowersEveryone! Curl up tiny like seeds, then pop your hands open.

Scenes

  1. 🌧️ Pitter-patter! Here comes the rain!

    Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, here comes the rain!

    🎬 Everyone taps fingers on their legs or the floor. Grown-ups tap too, so little ones can copy.

  2. 💨🌳 Whoosh! The wind blows the trees.

    Whoosh goes the wind, and the trees sway back and forth.

    🎬 Arms up high like tree branches. Sway side to side and say “Whoosh!”

  3. 🤗 A storm can feel scary. Hug!

    When a storm feels scary, we can hug and feel safe.

    🎬 Everyone hugs themselves. Grown-ups offer a gentle hug to any child who wants one.

  4. ☂️❤️ Jesus keeps me safe!

    The prophet Isaiah said Jesus is like a safe roof in a storm.

    🎬 Everyone makes an arm roof over their heads. Say: “Jesus keeps me safe!”

  5. 🏜️🌸 Look! Flowers grow in the desert!

    Isaiah said even a dry, dusty desert will grow pretty flowers.

    🎬 Curl up tiny like seeds, then pop your hands open like flowers: “Pop!”

  6. ❤️ Jesus loves you!

    Jesus loves you, and you, and you!

    🎬 Point to each child gently and say their name: “Jesus loves Ella!” Blow a kiss or wave.

Key verse

Isaiah 25:4 ↗
“a refuge from the storm”
In kid words: Jesus keeps me safe!
🙌 Make an arm roof: hands together over your head like a pointy roof, and hold it while you say all four words.

More verses

Isaiah 25:8 ↗
“the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces”
In kid words: Jesus loves me when I’m sad.
Isaiah 26:3 ↗
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace”
In kid words: Jesus helps me feel calm.
Isaiah 35:1 ↗
“the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose”
In kid words: Flowers grow in the desert!

Forehead Guess words8 words

  • ☂️ Umbrella
  • 🌧️ Rain
  • 💨 Wind
  • ☀️ Sun
  • 🌸 Flower
  • 🌳 Tree
  • 🏠 House
  • 🤗 Hug
Clues for each word
  • Umbrella: Keeps us dry in the rain
  • Rain: Pitter-patter! Wiggle your fingers.
  • Wind: Whoosh! Sway like a tree.
  • Sun: Big and bright in the sky
  • Flower: Pop! It grows in the desert.
  • Tree: Tall, with arms up high
  • House: Has a roof to keep us safe
  • Hug: Squeeze someone you love
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown5 questions

  1. What keeps us dry in the rain?
    • A. ☂️ Umbrella
    • B. 🍌 Banana
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ☂️ Umbrella Peekaboo! An umbrella is a little safe place in the rain.

  2. Which one goes pitter-patter?
    • A. ☀️ Sun
    • B. 🌧️ Rain
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🌧️ Rain Pitter-patter! Wiggle your fingers like rain.

  3. Who keeps me safe?
    • A. ❤️ Jesus
    • B. 🦖 Dinosaur
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ❤️ Jesus Make an arm roof: Jesus keeps me safe!

  4. What grows in the desert?
    • A. 🧦 Socks
    • B. 🌸 Flowers
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🌸 Flowers Pop! Isaiah said the desert will bloom with flowers.

  5. Which one is a hug?
    • A. 🚗 Car
    • B. 🤗 Hug
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🤗 Hug Squeeze! A hug helps us feel safe.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • My Heavenly Father Loves Me Children’s Songbook, p. 228

    Sing it slowly while the little seeds grow into flowers, or hum it during Quiet Rain Rest. Find it ↗

  • The Wise Man and the Foolish Man Children’s Songbook, p. 281

    A rainy action song: rain fingers, stomping feet and a house that stays safe. Find it ↗

  • Popcorn Popping Children’s Songbook, p. 242

    Pop up like blossoms, just like the flowers in Isaiah’s desert. Find it ↗

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

    Toddlers copy you: rain fingers, swaying trees, arm roof, flower pop. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Arm Roof at Home

When your little one hears rain, sees a storm or feels scared at bedtime, make an arm roof together, say “Jesus keeps me safe!” and say a short prayer.

Text the parents

Today in nursery we learned from Isaiah that Jesus is like a safe place in a storm (Isaiah 25:4). We made pitter-patter rain, swayed like trees, popped up like desert flowers and made a roof with our arms while we said, “Jesus keeps me safe!” Try it at home: make an arm roof and see if your child copies you, especially when it rains or at bedtime.

📝 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.

🧸 Teddy’s Safe Place · 10 min

  1. Drape the blanket over a small table to make a low, cozy shelter, and set out the nursery’s dolls, stuffed animals and trucks. Let children play however they like. No blanket? The table alone is the roof.
  2. Every few minutes, tap rain on the Sound Board and say: “Uh-oh, rain! Let’s take Teddy to the safe place!” Help each child tuck a toy under the roof.
  3. SAY“Teddy is safe and dry. Jesus keeps you safe too!” Make an arm roof together.
  4. SAY“The rain stopped!” Carry the toys back out and play until the next rain.
  5. Safety: skip chairs, which tip when toddlers pull the blanket. One adult stays by the shelter.

🎵 Rain and Sunshine Dance · 5 min

  1. Stand up and sing “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Children’s Songbook, 281). Wiggle rain fingers and stomp feet with the song.
  2. Sing “Popcorn Popping” (Children’s Songbook, 242). Crouch down and pop up like blossoms. Say: “Isaiah said the desert will bloom!”
  3. Sing “Do As I’m Doing” (Children’s Songbook, 276). Lead rain fingers, swaying trees, an arm roof and a flower pop, and let them copy you.
  4. Tap Freeze Dance on your phone or tablet. When the music stops, everyone makes an arm roof: “Jesus keeps me safe!”
  5. Don’t know a tune? Play it once in the Gospel Library app, or just chant “Pitter-patter” while you move.

🍎 Snack in the Shade · 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: “Who keeps you safe? Mommy! Daddy! Jesus!” Say: “Rain gives water to flowers. Water helps us grow too.”
  5. Take a sip of water together. Say: “Isaiah said water will come to the dry desert (Isaiah 35:6), and flowers will grow!”
  6. No snack today? Have a pretend picnic: pretend to munch apples and sip water, and say thank you to Heavenly Father.

🖍️ Flowers for the Desert · 8 min

  1. Tape a big sheet of paper to the table or floor. Color a brown patch in the middle and say: “This is a dry, dusty desert.”
  2. Give each child one chunky washable crayon. Every scribble is a flower! Say: “Jesus makes the desert bloom!”
  3. Write each child’s name by their flowers and hang the picture by the door for parents to see.
  4. Safety: chunky crayons only. Skip stickers, glitter, pom-poms and marker caps (small parts). Count the crayons back into the box.
  5. No paper or crayons? Open Draw & Guess on your phone or tablet and let each child finger-paint flowers while you hold your phone or tablet.

🧣 Scarf Rain · 5 min

  1. Toss play scarves or light dish towels up high. As they float down, say: “Pitter-patter, here comes the rain!” Let children catch them.
  2. Play peekaboo: drape a scarf over your head, then pull it off. Say: “Peekaboo! Safe under my roof! Jesus keeps me safe!”
  3. Feel how soft the scarves are. Blow on one together and watch it move: “Whoosh, wind!”
  4. Safety: an adult watches the whole time. Never tie a scarf on anyone, and gather every scarf when you’re done.
  5. No scarves? Play Tickle Rain: ask “Rain?” and gently wiggle your fingers down a child’s back or arm, only if they like it. Then peekaboo with your hands.

🖼️ Picture Walk: Rain, Sun, Flowers · 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 open a picture book about weather or flowers.
  2. Point and name one thing on each picture: “Rain! Pitter-patter.” Ask: “Where’s the flower?” and let them point.
  3. Walk together to the window. Look at the sky: “Do you see sun? Clouds? Rain?” Say: “Heavenly Father and Jesus made the sky.”
  4. Finish at a picture of Jesus Christ. Say: “Jesus keeps me safe,” and make an arm roof.
  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.

🔎 What’s Hiding? · 3 min

  1. Tap Mystery Picture on your phone or tablet. A picture from today is hiding behind tiles.
  2. Ask a “show me”: “Show me rain fingers!” “Show me an arm roof!” After each one, tap away a tile.
  3. When the picture shows, name it and act it out together: umbrella, flower, hug!

😴 Quiet Rain Rest · 4 min

  1. Spread out the blanket. Children may lie down, sit or climb into a lap. Nobody has to.
  2. Play soft rain on the Sound Board with the volume low.
  3. Hum “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228) softly and pat backs gently, like soft rain.
  4. Whisper each child’s name: “Jesus loves you, Ella. You are safe.”
  5. Upset child? Hold them, rock side to side and walk to the window together. Calm comes before learning.

👋 Safe-Home Goodbye · 5 min

  1. Five minutes before the end, tap rain on the Sound Board: “Rain is coming! Toys go home to their safe place!” Put the toys in their bins together.
  2. Sit together one more time. Make an arm roof: “Jesus keeps me safe!”
  3. Hand each child only to their own parent or guardian, as your ward’s policy says. Give an arm-roof high five and say: “Ask for the arm roof at home!”
  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 Scarf Rain 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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