Gospel Sparks Join the beta

Daniel Prayed, and So Can I

A peekaboo lion, Daniel kneeling by his window, sleepy lions with closed mouths, and folded arms

  • 🧸 Nursery
  • Week 46
  • 📅 Sunday, November 15, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

I can pray to Heavenly Father, just like Daniel.

I can fold my arms and pray to Heavenly Father.

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

Daniel was a young man from Israel who was taken far away to Babylon and stayed true to Heavenly Father there. In Daniel 6, jealous leaders tricked King Darius into making a law that no one could pray to God for thirty days. Daniel went home, opened his window toward Jerusalem, and knelt and prayed three times a day, just as he always had (Daniel 6:10). He was put into a den of lions, but the Lord sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths (6:22), and in the morning Daniel was safe. Earlier, Daniel and his friends asked for simple food and water instead of the king’s rich food (Daniel 1:12).

For toddlers, keep one idea: I can pray. Many 18-month-olds and 2-year-olds are just learning to fold their arms and bow their heads, and they love copying grown-ups. Practice it several times today, keep it short, and make it happy. Say, “Heavenly Father loves to hear you.”

Keep the lions friendly and sleepy, never scary: small roars, big yawns and lots of snoozing. Leave out what happened to the men who tricked the king (Daniel 6:24). The lesson is six minutes; the play-time ideas add a lion den, gentle-paws petting, Daniel’s good food and prayer practice for the rest of nursery.

Only have 5 minutes?

Grab a stuffed lion (or any stuffed animal) and a picture of a child praying or of Jesus Christ. Let the lion peek out and yawn, swipe through the six-picture story on your phone or tablet, do the sleepy-lion wiggle, fold your arms while you say “I can pray!” and end with “Heavenly Father hears you.” For play time, pick three ideas below. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: your hands become lion paws, and your phone or tablet shows the pictures.

What to bring7 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. Tuck the stuffed lion in your bag until the hook.
  2. Walk the room and check the floor for anything small. Quick test: if it fits through a toilet-paper tube, it goes up high or away.
  3. Decide with the other adult who leads the lesson and who greets and comforts at the door. There are always two adults in nursery.
  4. Practice the motion: fold your arms and bow your head while you say “I can pray!” That’s the whole key phrase.
  5. Open the Sound Board on your phone or tablet and find the magic and bells buttons. Skip the roar button today, or play it very softly; loud roars can scare little ones.

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 is easier than sneaking out.
  • Toddlers can’t hold folded arms for long. Three seconds of folded arms is a win; cheer for it and move on.
  • If a child is scared of lions, make the lion a sleepy kitty: “Meow… yawn… night-night.” Nobody has to roar.
  • 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 Lion

1 min

A sleepy lion peeking out of your bag pulls toddlers close and shows them that today’s lions are gentle.

  1. Sit on the floor with the lion hidden behind your back.
  2. Whisper: “Shhh… I hear something. Is it a… lion?”
  3. Peek the lion out and hide it again: “Peekaboo!” Do it two or three times.
  4. Bring it out, give a tiny “rawr,” then a big yawn: “This lion is sleepy!” Let children pat it gently.
  5. SAY“Today we learn about Daniel. He prayed, and Heavenly Father kept him safe from the lions.”
🌪️ If children grab, say “Gentle paws!” and show them how to pat the lion with one flat hand.

Class screen: 🦁 Peekaboo! A sleepy lion!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A stuffed lion, or any soft stuffed animal that can be a lion today

Peekaboo Lion Paws

  1. Sit on the floor and hide your face behind your hands.
  2. Whisper: “Shhh… I hear something. Is it a… lion?”
  3. Pop your hands open like lion paws: “Peekaboo! Rawr!” (a tiny one). Do it two or three times.
  4. Give a big yawn and rest your cheek on your hands: “This lion is sleepy!”
  5. SAY“Today we learn about Daniel. He prayed, and Heavenly Father kept him safe from the lions.”

Class screen: 🐾 Peekaboo! Rawr! Yawn!

2. Story

Picture Story: Daniel and the Sleepy Lions

2 min

Six pictures with one sentence and one action each let toddlers kneel like Daniel and be the sleepy lions.

  1. Hold your phone or tablet up at their eye level. Everyone is a Praying Friend and a Sleepy Lion.
  2. Read the one sentence, then do the action big so they can copy you. Don’t wait for everyone to join.
  3. On the angel picture, go very quiet: “Shhh… sleepy lions.” Toddlers love a whisper.
  4. If attention is gone early, jump to the last picture: “I can pray too!”
🌪️ 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: 🪟 Daniel prayed! Shhh, lions!

3. Wiggle break

Wake Up, Lions! Sleep, Lions!

1 min

Toddlers need to move after two minutes, and waking and sleeping lions is a giggly way to repeat the story.

  1. SAY“Let’s be lions! Hands and knees!”
  2. Crawl or walk around like lions with a tiny “rawr.”
  3. SAY“Night-night, lions!” Everyone lies down, closes their mouth and snores softly.
  4. SAY“Good morning, lions!” Stretch up and shake your mane. Do it again while they giggle.
  5. End by folding your arms: “I can pray!” and sit down together.

Class screen: 🦁 Rawr! Night-night! Good morning! · 🦁 Crawl · 😴 Snooze · ☀️ Stretch · 🙏 Fold arms

4. Scripture

Our Little Verse: Daniel 6:10

1 min

Three 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 Daniel.”
  2. Kneel down. Read slowly: “he kneeled upon his knees … and prayed.” Say: “Daniel prayed. I can pray!”
  3. Fold your arms and bow your head. Say it together three times: a tiny whisper, a regular voice, a happy voice.
  4. Kneel by each child and help them fold their arms: “Ella can pray!” A few seconds is plenty.

Class screen: 🙏 I can pray! · 🙏 Fold your arms!

5. Testimony

Heavenly Father Hears You

1 min

A quiet moment and a real little prayer let toddlers feel what praying is like, right after they practiced it.

  1. Lower your voice to a whisper. Hold up the picture. Say: “Look! This child is praying.”
  2. Let each child look closely, point or gently pat the picture.
  3. SAY“Heavenly Father hears you when you pray. I know He loves you.”
  4. Fold arms together. A grown-up says a very short prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for our friends. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Class screen: ❤️ Heavenly Father hears you!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A picture of a child praying or of Jesus Christ (meetinghouse library, a Friend magazine, or home)

  1. Lower your voice to a whisper. Put your hand on your heart and say: “Shhh. Let’s get ready to pray.”
  2. Help each child fold their arms, or just touch their hands gently.
  3. SAY“Heavenly Father hears you when you pray. I know He loves you.”
  4. A grown-up says a very short prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for our friends. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
6. Song

We Bow Our Heads

2 minBONUS

If they’re still with you, a short, gentle song gives them one more try at folded arms and bowed heads.

  1. Sit close together. Say: “Let’s practice getting ready to pray.”
  2. Sing “We Bow Our Heads” (Children’s Songbook, 25) slowly. Fold your arms and bow your head as you sing.
  3. At the end, cheer quietly: “You did it! Just like Daniel!”

Class screen: 🙏 Fold arms, bow heads!

Story drama

Daniel and the Sleepy Lions

Daniel 6:10–23 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • Praying FriendsEveryone! Fold your arms and bow your head, like Daniel.
  • Sleepy LionsEveryone! Make a tiny roar, a big yawn, then lie down and snooze.

Scenes

  1. 🧔❤️ This is Daniel. He loved Heavenly Father.

    This is Daniel, and he loved Heavenly Father very much.

    🎬 Wave hello to Daniel on your phone or tablet: “Hi, Daniel!”

  2. 🪟🙏 Daniel knelt by his window and prayed.

    Every day, Daniel knelt down by his window and prayed.

    🎬 Kneel down and pat your knees, then fold your arms: “Daniel prayed!”

  3. 🦁 Daniel was put with the lions.

    Some grumpy men put Daniel in a room with lions.

    🎬 Make lion paws and a tiny, soft roar: “Rawr.”

  4. 😇🦁 An angel closed the lions’ mouths. Shhh!

    Heavenly Father sent an angel to close the lions’ mouths.

    🎬 Close your mouth tight: “Mm-mm!” Then yawn, lie down and snooze like sleepy lions.

  5. ☀️🧔 Good morning, Daniel! You’re safe!

    In the morning, Daniel was safe, and everyone was so happy!

    🎬 Wake up and stretch up high: “Good morning, Daniel! Hooray!”

  6. 🙏❤️ I can pray too!

    Daniel prayed, and you can pray to Heavenly Father too!

    🎬 Fold your arms. Point to each child and say their name: “Ella can pray!”

Key verse

Daniel 6:10 ↗
“he kneeled upon his knees … and prayed”
In kid words: I can pray!
🙌 Fold your arms and bow your head the whole time you say it.

More verses

Daniel 6:22 ↗
“My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths”
In kid words: Heavenly Father closed the lions’ mouths.
Daniel 1:12 ↗
“let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink”
In kid words: Daniel ate good food and drank water.

Forehead Guess words8 words

  • 🦁 Lion
  • 🪟 Window
  • 🙏 Pray
  • 😇 Angel
  • ☀️ Sun
  • 😴 Sleep
  • 💧 Water
  • 🛏️ Bed
Clues for each word
  • Lion: Rawr! Then a big yawn.
  • Window: Daniel prayed by it
  • Pray: Fold your arms and bow your head
  • Angel: Closed the lions’ mouths
  • Sun: Good morning, Daniel!
  • Sleep: Night-night, lions! Shhh.
  • Water: Daniel drank it
  • Bed: I can pray here at night
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown5 questions

  1. Which one says rawr?
    • A. 🦁 Lion
    • B. 🐟 Fish
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🦁 Lion Rawr! Then yawn: the lions got sleepy.

  2. Show me praying! Which one?
    • A. 🤸 Cartwheel
    • B. 🙏 Folded arms
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🙏 Folded arms Fold your arms and bow your head: I can pray!

  3. Where did Daniel pray?
    • A. 🪟 By his window
    • B. 🛝 On a slide
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🪟 By his window Daniel knelt by his window and prayed every day.

  4. Who closed the lions’ mouths?
    • A. 🐸 A frog
    • B. 😇 An angel
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 😇 An angel Heavenly Father sent an angel. Shhh, sleepy lions!

  5. Who hears me when I pray?
    • A. ❤️ Heavenly Father
    • B. 🚗 A car
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ❤️ Heavenly Father Heavenly Father hears you and loves you!

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • We Bow Our Heads Children’s Songbook, p. 25

    Short and gentle: practice folding arms and bowing heads. Find it ↗

  • A Child’s Prayer Children’s Songbook, p. 12

    Hum it softly during Goodnight, Lions. Find it ↗

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

    Toddlers copy you: lion paws, yawns, stretches and folded arms. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Pray Like Daniel

Before a meal or at bedtime this week, kneel down with your little one, fold arms together and say, “I can pray, like Daniel!” Let them say “amen” with you.

Text the parents

Today in nursery we learned that Daniel prayed every day, even when it was hard, and Heavenly Father kept him safe with the lions (Daniel 6). We were sleepy lions, knelt like Daniel and folded our arms while we said, “I can pray!” Try it at home: kneel together before bed and see if your child folds their arms.

📝 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.

🦁 Sleepy Lion Den · 10 min

  1. Drape a blanket over a low table (or pile a few floor cushions) to make a lions’ den. Put the stuffed lion and other stuffed animals inside, and let children play however they like.
  2. Crawl in and out with them as friendly lions: “Rawr… yawn!”
  3. Every few minutes say: “Night-night, lions!” Everyone lies down and snores. Then: “Good morning, Daniel! You’re safe!”
  4. SAY“Daniel prayed, and Heavenly Father kept him safe.” Fold arms together for a few seconds.
  5. Safety: skip chairs, which tip when toddlers pull the blanket. One adult stays by the den. No blanket? The space under a table is a fine den.

🎵 Lion Moves and Prayer Songs · 5 min

  1. Sing “Do As I’m Doing” (Children’s Songbook, 276). Lead lion paws, a tiny roar, a big yawn, a stretch and folded arms, and let them copy.
  2. Sing “We Bow Our Heads” (Children’s Songbook, 25) slowly and practice folding arms.
  3. Tap Freeze Dance on your phone or tablet. Dance like happy lions; when the music stops, everyone folds their arms: “I can pray!”
  4. Don’t know a tune? Play it once in the Gospel Library app, or just chant “Rawr, yawn, fold my arms” while you move.

🥦 Daniel’s Good Food Snack · 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. Before anyone eats, fold arms together. Say: “Daniel prayed. We can pray too!” A grown-up says a short blessing on the food.
  4. Talk while they munch. Say: “Daniel ate good food and drank water (Daniel 1:12). Good food helps us grow strong!” Take a sip of water together.
  5. No snack today? Have a pretend picnic: fold arms and pray first, then munch pretend vegetables and sip pretend water.

🖍️ Big Lion Mane Art · 8 min

  1. Tape a big sheet of paper to the table or floor. Draw one big circle with a happy lion face in the middle.
  2. Give each child one chunky washable crayon (yellow, orange or brown). Every scribble around the face is lion hair! Say: “A happy, sleepy lion!”
  3. When you’re done, close the lion’s mouth with a smile line: “The angel closed the lions’ mouths.”
  4. Safety: chunky crayons only. Skip stickers, glitter, pom-poms and marker caps (small parts). Count the crayons back into the box. Hang the lion by the door for parents.
  5. No paper or crayons? Open Draw & Guess on your phone or tablet, draw a circle face, and help each child finger-scribble the mane while you hold your phone or tablet.

🐾 Gentle Paws Feely Basket · 6 min

  1. Set out a basket of soft, furry things: a fuzzy blanket, a fleece, the stuffed lion and other stuffed animals.
  2. Show how to pet gently with one flat hand: “Gentle paws. Soft lion!”
  3. Let children pet each thing and say how it feels: “Soft! Fuzzy! Snuggly!” Say: “Heavenly Father made the lions gentle for Daniel.”
  4. Safety: big items only. Check stuffed animals for loose eyes or buttons before class. An adult sits with the basket the whole time.
  5. No basket? Practice gentle paws on your own arm, then a gentle pat on a friend’s hand (only if they like it).

🪟 Peekaboo Window · 5 min

  1. Set the cardboard box on its side with the window facing out. Crouch behind it and peek through: “Peekaboo! I see you through the window!”
  2. Let children take turns peeking through. Say: “Daniel prayed by his window.”
  3. Kneel by the box together and fold arms for a few seconds: “I can pray, like Daniel!”
  4. Safety: tape any rough edges, and keep the box on the floor; no climbing on top.
  5. No box? Make a window with your arms (a big square in front of your face) and play peekaboo through it.

🖼️ Picture Walk: Where Can I Pray? · 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 and name one thing in each: “Window! Lion! Sun!”
  2. Walk around the room together and stop in different spots: by the window, by the snack table, on the rug.
  3. At each spot, fold arms for a moment and say: “I can pray here!”
  4. SAY“I can pray in my bed, at the table and at church. Heavenly Father always hears me.”
  5. Stay in the nursery room with both adults. Picture walks are for whoever wants to come; let others keep playing.

😴 Goodnight, Lions · 4 min

  1. Spread out a blanket or sit on the carpet. Children may lie down like sleepy lions, sit or climb into a lap. Nobody has to.
  2. Whisper: “Night-night, lions. Shhh.” Give a slow, big yawn together.
  3. Hum “A Child’s Prayer” (Children’s Songbook, 12) softly and pat backs gently, only for children who like it.
  4. Whisper each child’s name: “Heavenly Father hears you when you pray, Ella.”
  5. Upset child? Hold them, rock side to side and walk to the window together. Calm comes before learning.

👋 Good Morning, Daniel! Goodbye · 5 min

  1. Five minutes before the end, say: “Good morning, lions! Wake up! Time to put the toys away.” Stretch big, then put the toys in their bins together.
  2. Sit together one more time. Fold arms: “I can pray!”
  3. Hand each child only to their own parent or guardian, as your ward’s policy says. Wave: “Goodbye, little lion! Pray with your family tonight!”
  4. Share the 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 Peekaboo Window 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.

All Nursery lessons