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Jesus Is My King

Clip-clop hands, a block temple that goes up, waving branches, and a crown made of fingers

  • 🧸 Nursery
  • Week 50
  • 📅 Sunday, December 13, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus is my King, and the temple is His holy house.

I can make a crown with my hands and say, “Jesus is my King!”

Study it yourself firstRead Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14)
Know the chapters

God’s people came home to Jerusalem after years in Babylon, but the temple was still broken down. The prophet Haggai told them, “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house” (Haggai 1:8), and with the prophet Zechariah’s help they finished the Lord’s house. Zechariah also saw a humble King coming on a donkey: “behold, thy King cometh unto thee” (Zechariah 9:9). About 500 years later, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while the people waved branches and shouted “Hosanna” (Matthew 21:1–9), and then He went into the temple (Matthew 21:12).

For toddlers, the whole lesson is a happy parade: build, clip-clop, wave, crown. They love stacking and knocking down, patting their knees like hooves and waving their arms. Say “Jesus is my King!” with a hand crown on your head over and over, in the lesson and in play time. When you build with blocks, call it “the Lord’s house, the temple.”

Nobody plays Jesus. The clip-clop comes from everyone’s hands on their knees, and the children cheer as if He is coming. In December, you can add one gentle line: our King first came to earth as a tiny baby. The lesson is six minutes; the play-time ideas below bring back the blocks, the donkey and the parade for the rest of nursery.

Only have 5 minutes?

Bring a stuffed donkey or horse (or any soft animal) and a picture of Jesus Christ. Tap hooves on the Sound Board and peekaboo the donkey, swipe through the six-picture story on your phone or tablet, do the build-clip-clop-wave wiggle, then make a hand crown and say “Jesus is my King!” End with “I know Jesus loves you.” For play time, pick three ideas below. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: your hands clip-clop on your knees, 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. Hide the stuffed donkey under a blanket or in your bag until the hook.
  2. Open the Sound Board on your phone or tablet and find the hooves, knock and cheer 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. That includes small building bricks.
  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 key phrase: put both hands on your head with your fingers up like a crown and say, “Jesus is my King!”

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.
  • Knocking down is half the fun of building for a toddler. Cheer both: “Build it up! Down it goes! Let’s build the Lord’s house again!”
  • Waving arms can bonk a friend. Spread out before the parade and wave “up high, like tall trees.”
  • 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

Clip-Clop Peekaboo

1 min

A clip-clop sound and a peekaboo donkey pull scattered toddlers toward you and set up the happy parade.

  1. Sit on the floor with the donkey hidden. Tap hooves on the Sound Board and whisper: “Listen! Clip-clop… who’s coming?”
  2. Pat your knees: clip-clop, clip-clop. Little ones will come to see.
  3. SAY“One… two… three… peekaboo!” Bring out the donkey and bounce it along the floor: “A little donkey! Hee-haw!”
  4. Let children give the donkey a gentle pat. Say: “Today we learn Jesus is our King!”
🌪️ If the donkey gets tugged, let it “go to sleep” up high and clip-clop with your hands instead.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🫏 Clip-clop! Who’s coming?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A stuffed donkey or horse (or any soft toy animal you can call “the little donkey”)

Clip-Clop Knees

  1. Sit on the floor. Tap hooves on the Sound Board and whisper: “Listen! Clip-clop… who’s coming?”
  2. Pat your knees: clip-clop, clip-clop. Little ones will come to see and copy.
  3. Put your hands up by your ears like tall donkey ears. Say: “Peekaboo! A little donkey! Hee-haw!”
  4. SAY“Today we learn Jesus is our King!”

Class screen: 🫏 Clip-clop! Hee-haw!

2. Story

Picture Story: Here Comes the King!

2 min

Six pictures with one sentence and one action each let toddlers build, clip-clop and wave their way to “Jesus is my King!”

  1. Hold your phone or tablet up at their eye level. Everyone is a Busy Builder, Clip-Clop Hands and a Branch Waver.
  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. After the crown picture, make the hand crown and say “Jesus is my King!” one more time with a big smile.
  4. If attention is gone before the end, jump to the last picture and make the crown together.
🌪️ 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: 👑 Here comes the King!

3. Wiggle break

Build, Clip-Clop, Wave

1 min

Toddlers need to move after two minutes of anything, and building and parade moves replay the story with their whole bodies.

  1. SAY“Stand up! Let’s build!” Stack fists higher and higher until you’re on tiptoes: “A tall temple!”
  2. Bang gently on the floor: “Bang, bang!” Then pat your legs and trot in place: “Clip-clop!”
  3. Wave your arms up high like branches: “Hosanna!”
  4. Make a hand crown: “Jesus is my King!” Sit down together.

Class screen: 🎉 Build! Clip-clop! Wave! · 🧱 Build · 🫏 Clip-clop · 🌿 Wave · 👑 Crown

4. Scripture

Our Little Verse: Zechariah 9:9

1 min

A few 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: “thy King cometh unto thee.” Say: “That means Jesus the King is coming!”
  3. Make the hand crown and say it together: “Jesus is my King!” Say it three times: a tiny whisper, a regular voice, a happy voice.
  4. Kneel by each child and make a finger crown on their head: “Jesus is Ella’s King!”

Class screen: 👑 Jesus is my King! · 👑 Make a crown!

5. Testimony

I Know Jesus Loves You

1 min

A quiet moment with a picture of the Savior helps each child feel that our King is kind and loves them.

  1. Lower your voice to a whisper. Hold up the picture of Jesus Christ. Say: “This is Jesus. He is our King.”
  2. Let each child look closely, point or gently pat the picture.
  3. SAY“Jesus is a kind King. I know Jesus loves you.”
  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 or of a temple (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, our King.”
  2. Whisper each child’s name as you touch their hand or wave: “Jesus loves you, Ella.”
  3. SAY“Jesus is a kind King. I know Jesus loves you.”
  4. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms together while a grown-up says a short one.
6. Song

Temple Song

2 minBONUS

If they’re still with you, a temple song with a pointy-roof motion is a calm, happy way to finish.

  1. SAY“Let’s make the temple!” Put your hands together over your head like a tall point.
  2. Sing “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95) slowly, holding the temple roof.
  3. At the end, change your hands into a crown and whisper: “Jesus is my King.”

Class screen: 🏛️ I love the temple!

Story drama

Here Comes the King!

Haggai 1:8; Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1–12 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • Busy BuildersEveryone! Tap fists gently on top of each other: bang, bang.
  • Clip-Clop HandsEveryone! Pat your knees like little donkey hooves: clip-clop.
  • Branch WaversEveryone! Wave your arms up high and cheer: “Hosanna!”

Scenes

  1. 🧱 Let’s build the Lord’s house!

    Long ago, a prophet named Haggai told the people to build the Lord’s house, the temple.

    🎬 Stack your fists one on top of the other, higher and higher.

  2. 🔨 Bang, bang! Everybody helps!

    Everybody worked together, bang, bang, bang!

    🎬 Tap fists gently together or on the floor: “Bang, bang!”

  3. 🏛️ Hooray! The temple is finished!

    At last the temple was finished, and everyone was so happy!

    🎬 Put your hands together over your head like a tall point. Cheer: “Hooray!”

  4. 🫏 Clip-clop! Jesus rides a little donkey.

    Many years later, Jesus rode a little donkey, just like the prophet Zechariah said.

    🎬 Pat your knees: “Clip-clop, clip-clop!”

  5. 🌿 Wave, wave! Hosanna!

    The people waved branches and shouted, “Hosanna!”

    🎬 Wave your arms up high and shout a happy “Hosanna!”

  6. 👑 Jesus is my King!

    Jesus is our King, and He loves you!

    🎬 Make a crown on your head with your hands. Say: “Jesus is my King!”

Key verse

Zechariah 9:9 ↗
“thy King cometh unto thee”
In kid words: Jesus is my King!
🙌 Put both hands on your head with fingers pointing up like a crown, and hold it while you say all four words.

More verses

Haggai 1:8 ↗
“Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house”
In kid words: Let’s build the Lord’s house!
Matthew 21:9 ↗
“Hosanna to the Son of David”
In kid words: Hooray for Jesus!
Zechariah 9:9 ↗
“Rejoice greatly”
In kid words: Be so, so happy!

Forehead Guess words8 words

  • 🫏 Donkey
  • 👑 Crown
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 🧱 Blocks
  • 🌿 Branch
  • 🔨 Hammer
  • ⛰️ Mountain
  • 🌳 Tree
Clues for each word
  • Donkey: Clip-clop! Hee-haw!
  • Crown: A King wears it on His head
  • Temple: The Lord’s holy house
  • Blocks: Stack them up high!
  • Branch: Wave it up high: Hosanna!
  • Hammer: Bang, bang! Build the house.
  • Mountain: Go up to get wood
  • Tree: Branches grow on it
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown5 questions

  1. Which one goes clip-clop?
    • A. 🐟 Fish
    • B. 🫏 Donkey
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🫏 Donkey Clip-clop! Jesus rode a little donkey.

  2. Who is our King?
    • A. ❤️ Jesus
    • B. 🐸 Frog
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ❤️ Jesus Make a crown: Jesus is my King!

  3. What did the people wave?
    • A. 🌿 Branches
    • B. 🍝 Noodles
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🌿 Branches Wave, wave! They shouted, “Hosanna!”

  4. Which one is the Lord’s house?
    • A. 🚗 Car
    • B. 🏛️ Temple
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🏛️ Temple The temple is the Lord’s holy house.

  5. What goes on a king’s head?
    • A. 👑 Crown
    • B. 👟 Shoe
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 👑 Crown A crown! Make one with your hands.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Love to See the Temple Children’s Songbook, p. 95

    Hold a pointy temple roof over your head while you sing. Find it ↗

  • Joy to the World Hymns, no. 201

    A happy Christmas hymn about Jesus our King. Wave branch arms while a grown-up sings. Find it ↗

  • He Sent His Son Children’s Songbook, p. 34

    Hum it softly at quiet time: our King came as a tiny baby. Find it ↗

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

    Toddlers copy you: build, bang, clip-clop, wave, crown. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Hand-Crown Hello

Every time your little one sees a temple or a picture of Jesus this week, make a crown on your heads with your hands and say together, “Jesus is my King!”

Text the parents

Today in nursery we learned that God’s people built the temple, the Lord’s house (Haggai 1:8), and that Jesus rode a little donkey while people waved branches, just like the prophet Zechariah said (Zechariah 9:9). We built, clip-clopped, waved our arms and made crowns with our hands while we said, “Jesus is my King!” Try it at home: stack blocks into a temple, then make a hand crown together.

📝 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.

🧱 Block Temple · 10 min

  1. Set out the big blocks or taped-shut boxes along with the nursery’s other toys. Let children play however they like.
  2. Sit by the blocks and start stacking: “Let’s build the Lord’s house, the temple! Bang, bang!” Hand a block to anyone who wanders over.
  3. When it falls, cheer: “Down it goes! Let’s build again!” Haggai’s people kept building until it was done.
  4. When a tower stands, make a pointy temple roof with your hands: “The temple is the Lord’s house!” Then a crown: “Jesus is my King!”
  5. Safety: big blocks only, nothing that fits through a toilet-paper tube, and no towers taller than the smallest child. No blocks? Stack couch cushions or build a “temple” of grown-up fists and toddler hands.

🎵 Hosanna Parade · 5 min

  1. Give each child a scarf or dish towel to wave like a branch. Spread out so nobody gets bonked.
  2. Tap hooves on the Sound Board and march in a wobbly line around the room, waving: “Hosanna! Hosanna!”
  3. Sing “Joy to the World” (Hymns, 201) while you march. Toddlers won’t know the words; they’ll wave and bounce.
  4. Stop, lay the branches on the floor like the people did on the road, and make a hand crown: “Jesus is my King!” Gather every scarf when you’re done.
  5. No scarves? Wave your arms as branches. Don’t know a tune? Play it once in the Gospel Library app, or just chant “Hosanna!” while you march.

🥤 Clip-Clop Cups · 5 min

  1. Sit on the floor with the big plastic cups. Turn two upside down and tap them on the floor: “Clip-clop, clip-clop! Here comes the little donkey!”
  2. Give each child a cup to tap. Try fast clip-clops, slow clip-clops, loud and quiet.
  3. Tap on a hard floor, then on the rug: “Listen! That one’s soft!” Let them feel both.
  4. Stop and whisper: “Jesus rode a little donkey. Jesus is my King!” Make a hand crown.
  5. Safety: adult-size cups only, never small cups or lids. No cups? Clip-clop with hands on the floor, then on the rug, and hear the difference.

🍎 Builders’ 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. Fold arms. A grown-up says a short blessing: “Thank you for our snack.”
  4. Talk while they munch. Say: “Builders get hungry! God’s people worked hard to build the temple.” Ask: “Who is our King?” and make a crown together: “Jesus!”
  5. No snack today? Have a pretend builders’ lunch: munch pretend sandwiches, sip pretend water and say thank you together.

🖍️ Color the Temple · 8 min

  1. Tape a big sheet of paper to the table or floor. Draw one big, simple temple: a tall box with a pointy top. Say: “This is the Lord’s house!”
  2. Give each child one chunky washable crayon. Every scribble helps build it! Say: “Bang, bang! We’re building!”
  3. Draw a crown at the top together and say: “Jesus is my King!”
  4. Write each child’s name by their scribbles and hang the temple by the door. Chunky crayons only: no stickers, glitter or marker caps. 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 a temple while you hold your phone or tablet.

🖼️ Picture Walk: Temples · 5 min

  1. Sit on the floor with a child or two in your lap. Show the temple picture, or swipe back through today’s story pictures on your phone or tablet.
  2. Point and name one thing at a time: “Temple! The Lord’s house.” “Donkey! Clip-clop.” “Branches! Wave, wave.”
  3. Ask: “Where’s the temple?” “Where’s the donkey?” and let them point. Cheer every point.
  4. SAY“When you grow up, you can go inside the temple.” Make the pointy roof with your hands.
  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.

😴 Rest, Little Donkey · 4 min

  1. Spread out a blanket. Say: “The little donkey walked so far. Time to rest.” Children may lie down, sit or climb into a lap. Nobody has to.
  2. Walk your fingers slowly down each back, only if they like it: “Clip… clop… clip… clop.”
  3. Hum “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34) softly. Whisper each child’s name: “Jesus loves you, Ella.”
  4. Upset child? Hold them, rock side to side and walk to the window together. Calm comes before learning.

🔎 Where’s the Donkey? · 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 clip-clop hands!” “Show me a crown!” After each one, tap away a tile.
  3. When the picture shows, name it and act it out together: donkey, temple, branch!

👋 Crown-Wave Goodbye · 5 min

  1. Five minutes before the end, tap hooves on the Sound Board: “Clip-clop, toys go home!” Put toys and blocks in their bins together.
  2. Sit together one more time. Make a hand crown: “Jesus is my King!”
  3. Hand each child only to their own parent or guardian, as your ward’s policy says. Wave goodbye with a hand crown and say: “Show your family the crown!”
  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 Clip-Clop Cups 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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