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Baby Jesus Is Born!

A peekaboo present, lots of little sheep, flapping angel arms, and rocking arms for Heavenly Father’s best gift

  • 🧸 Nursery
  • Week 52
  • 📅 Sunday, December 27, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Baby Jesus is Heavenly Father’s gift to me.

I can rock my arms like a cradle and say, “Baby Jesus is born!”

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Christmas)
Know the chapters

This Christmas week, the manual looks back over the whole Old Testament to one promise: a Savior would come. Isaiah said, “For unto us a child is born.” That’s Isaiah 9:6. Luke tells how it happened. Mary wrapped baby Jesus and laid Him in a manger. An angel brought the happy news to shepherds, and the shepherds hurried to see Him. That’s Luke 2:7–16. John tells us why: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” That’s John 3:16.

For toddlers, the whole lesson is one happy feeling: baby Jesus is a gift from Heavenly Father. They just had Christmas, so presents are fresh in their minds. Even an 18-month-old knows how to rock a baby. Rock your arms and say “Baby Jesus is born!” over and over, in the lesson and at play time.

Nativity guidelines: baby Jesus is always a doll or a bundled blanket. Nobody plays Jesus or Heavenly Father. In nursery, everyone is a sheep, everyone flaps angel arms and everyone rocks the baby. Don’t expect sitting or answers. The lesson takes six minutes, and the play-time ideas repeat the same idea.

Only have 5 minutes?

Grab a baby doll wrapped in a blanket, a gift bag and a picture of Jesus. Pull the baby out of the bag for peekaboo. Swipe through the six-picture story on your phone or tablet. Baa like sheep and flap like angels. Rock your arms and say “Baby Jesus is born!” End with a quiet testimony. For play time, pick three ideas below. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Your cupped hands become the present, 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. Wrap the doll in its blanket and tuck it into the gift bag. Keep the bag out of sight until the opening.
  2. Open the Sound Board on your phone or tablet and find the bells and magic 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. Watch for ornament hooks, tinsel, candy and tiny stocking toys.
  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 rocking your arms like a cradle while you say “Baby Jesus is born!”

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. They can whisper, “Mommy will come back. You’re safe here.” Visiting cousins don’t know anyone yet. Learn their names at the door and give them a “Baa!” job right away.
  • Everyone will want the baby doll. Say, “Gentle, gentle.” Let each child give one soft pat or a quick rock while you keep a hand on it. The doll is baby Jesus, so no child plays Jesus.
  • Late nights and holiday treats mean extra wiggles. If they’re bouncing, skip straight to the sheep wiggle. Then come back to the last story picture.
  • 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 Present

1 min

A present that hides a baby turns the Christmas feeling toddlers already have into “Heavenly Father gave us Jesus.”

  1. Sit on the floor with the gift bag in your lap. Tap bells on the Sound Board: “Ooh! A present! What’s inside?”
  2. Peek into the bag: “Peekaboo!” Close it and peek again. Little ones will come see.
  3. Slowly lift out the baby in its blanket and rock it. Whisper, “It’s a baby! This is like baby Jesus.”
  4. SAY“Heavenly Father gave us baby Jesus. He is the best present!”
  5. Let the kids pat the baby gently while you keep hold of it.
🌪️ Everyone grabbing for the bag? Hold it up high and whisper, “One, two, three…” Then pull the baby out while they watch.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🎁 Peekaboo! What’s inside?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A baby doll wrapped in a small blanket (or a blanket rolled into a bundle) to be baby Jesus, A gift bag or a box with a lid, big enough to hide the baby; take off every bow and ribbon first

Peekaboo Pretend Present

  1. Tap bells on the Sound Board. Cup your hands like a little box: “Ooh! A present! What’s inside?”
  2. Peek between your fingers: “Peekaboo!” Close them and peek again.
  3. Open your hands, then rock your empty arms: “It’s a baby! Like baby Jesus!”
  4. SAY“Heavenly Father gave us baby Jesus. He is the best present!”

Class screen: 👶 Peekaboo! A baby!

2. Story

Picture Story: Baby Jesus Is Born!

2 min

Six pictures with one sentence and one action each let toddlers walk, baa, flap and rock their way through the first Christmas.

  1. Hold your phone or tablet at their eye level. Everyone gets to be a Little Sheep, Angel Arms and a Baby Rocker.
  2. Keep the doll in your lap as baby Jesus. Read the one sentence, then do the action big so they can copy you.
  3. After the baby picture, rock your arms on every picture and whisper, “Baby Jesus is born!”
  4. Losing them before the end? Jump to the last picture: “Heavenly Father gave us Jesus!”
🌪️ Give the busiest child a job. They tuck the doll into your lap on the manger picture. A job beats a battle.

Class screen: 👶 Baby Jesus story time!

3. Wiggle break

Sheep and Angels

1 min

Toddlers need to move after two minutes of anything, and the story’s animals and angels are perfect moves.

  1. SAY“Stand up! Let’s be little sheep!”
  2. Crawl or toddle around: “Baa!” Then flap your arms up high and down low: “Now we’re angels!”
  3. Tiptoe with a finger on your lips: “Shhh! The baby is sleeping!”
  4. Rock your arms like a cradle: “Baby Jesus is born!” Then sit down together.

Class screen: 🐑 Baa! Flap! Tiptoe! Rock! · 🐑 Baa · 👼 Flap · 🤫 Tiptoe · 👶 Rock

4. Scripture

Our Little Verse: Isaiah 9:6

1 min

Four words and one motion, 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: “a child is born.”
  4. SAY“That means baby Jesus is born!”
  5. Rock your arms and say “Baby Jesus is born!” three times: whisper, normal, happy. Then kneel by each child: “Baby Jesus was born for you, Ella.”

Class screen: 👶 Baby Jesus is born! · 👶 Rock the baby!

5. Testimony

I Know Jesus Loves You

1 min

A quiet moment with a picture of the Savior helps each child feel the love behind Christmas.

  1. Drop your voice to a whisper and hold up the picture.
  2. SAY“This is Jesus. He was a baby, and He grew up.”
  3. Let each child look closely, point or gently pat the picture.
  4. SAY“I know Jesus loves you. He is Heavenly Father’s best gift to us.”
  5. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms 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 the Nativity (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, “Jesus loves you.”
  4. SAY“I know Jesus loves you. He is Heavenly Father’s best gift to us.”
  5. If your nursery has a prayer now, fold arms while a grown-up says a short one.
6. Song

Rock-a-Bye, Baby Jesus

2 minBONUS

If they’re still with you, a slow song with rocking arms is a calm, happy way to finish.

  1. SAY“Let’s sit close together and sing baby Jesus to sleep.”
  2. Sing “Away in a Manger,” Children’s Songbook page 42, slowly and softly while everyone rocks their arms.
  3. At the end, lay the doll gently in your lap. Whisper, “Shhh… baby Jesus is sleeping.”

Class screen: 🌙 Rock-a-bye, baby Jesus

The story

Baby Jesus Is Born!

Luke 2:4–16; John 3:16 ↗

Optional helpers

  • Little SheepEveryone! Crawl or toddle and say, “Baa!”
  • Angel ArmsEveryone! Flap soft arms like wings.
  • Baby RockersEveryone! Rock your arms like holding a baby and whisper, “Shhh.”

Scenes

  1. 🚶 Mary and Joseph walk to Bethlehem.

    Mary and Joseph walked a long, long way to Bethlehem.

    🙌 Pat your knees like walking feet: step, step, step.

  2. 👶 Baby Jesus is born!

    Baby Jesus was born, and Mary laid Him in a soft manger bed.

    🙌 Hold up the doll and whisper, “Shhh, baby Jesus.”

  3. 🐑 Baa! Sheep in the field.

    Out in the field, shepherds were watching their little sheep.

    🙌 Get down on hands and knees like sheep: “Baa!”

  4. 👼 An angel brings happy news!

    A bright angel came with happy news: baby Jesus is born!

    🙌 Cover your eyes from the bright light… then peekaboo!

  5. 🧑‍🌾 The shepherds hurry to see Jesus.

    The shepherds hurried to see baby Jesus in the manger.

    🙌 Finger on your lips: “Shhh, the baby is sleeping.”

  6. 🎁 Jesus is Heavenly Father’s best gift!

    Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gave us Jesus.

    🙌 Hold out your hands like a present, then hug yourself: “Jesus loves me!”

Key verse

Isaiah 9:6 ↗
“a child is born”
In kid words: Baby Jesus is born!
🙌 Rock your arms like a cradle, side to side, the whole time you say it.

More verses

Luke 2:7 ↗
“wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger”
In kid words: Mary wrapped baby Jesus up snug and laid Him in a manger.
Luke 2:11 ↗
“unto you is born this day … a Saviour”
In kid words: Jesus was born for you!
John 3:16 ↗
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son”
In kid words: Heavenly Father loves us, so He gave us Jesus.

Forehead Guess words8 words

  • 👶 Baby
  • 🐑 Sheep
  • 👼 Angel
  • ⭐ Star
  • 🎁 Present
  • 🐄 Cow
  • 🌙 Moon
  • ❤️ Heart
Clues for each word
  • Baby: Rock your arms! Baby Jesus is born.
  • Sheep: Baa!
  • Angel: Flap your arms like wings
  • Star: Twinkles up in the sky
  • Present: Peekaboo! What’s inside?
  • Cow: Moo! Animals eat from a manger.
  • Moon: Shines at night while babies sleep
  • Heart: Jesus loves you!
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown5 questions

  1. Who is the baby?
    • A. 👶 Baby Jesus
    • B. 🦆 Duck
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 👶 Baby Jesus Rock your arms: baby Jesus is born!

  2. Which one says baa?
    • A. 🐶 Dog
    • B. 🐑 Sheep
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🐑 Sheep Baa! Shepherds took care of little sheep.

  3. Who brought the happy news?
    • A. 👼 Angel
    • B. 🐟 Fish
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 👼 Angel Flap your arms! An angel told the shepherds about baby Jesus.

  4. Which one is a present?
    • A. 🥾 Boot
    • B. 🎁 Present
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🎁 Present Peekaboo! Baby Jesus is Heavenly Father’s best present.

  5. Who gave us baby Jesus?
    • A. ❤️ Heavenly Father
    • B. 🚂 Train
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ❤️ Heavenly Father Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gave us Jesus.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Away in a Manger Children’s Songbook, p. 42

    Many families sang it at Christmas. Rock your arms while you sing it after the story or at quiet time. Find it ↗

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

    The whole lesson in one gentle song: Heavenly Father sent Jesus to us. Find it ↗

  • Once within a Lowly Stable Children’s Songbook, p. 41

    Short and soft; sing it while the sheep crawl to the manger basket. Find it ↗

  • Silent Night Hymns, no. 204

    Hum it softly during Silent Night Rest. Parents will know it too. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Rock-a-Bye at Home

When you see a baby, your Nativity or Christmas lights this week, rock your arms together. Say, “Baby Jesus is born!”

Text the parents

Today in nursery we pulled a baby out of a present. We learned that baby Jesus is Heavenly Father’s best gift, from John 3:16. We baaed like sheep and flapped like angels. We rocked our arms and said, “Baby Jesus is born!” That’s from Isaiah 9:6. Try it at home. Rock your arms by your Nativity and see if your child joins in.

📝 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.

🧺 Baby Jesus’s Manger · 10 min

  1. Line the laundry basket with dish towels and set it on the floor, away from tables and walls. No basket? Fold a blanket.
  2. Tell them, “This is a manger, a soft bed for baby Jesus.” Set out dolls, stuffed animals and blocks for play.
  3. Every few minutes, tap bells on the Sound Board: “The baby is sleepy!” Help a child lay a doll in the manger.
  4. Rock your arms: “Baby Jesus is born!” Bring the stuffed animals to visit: “The sheep came to see baby Jesus! Baa!”
  5. An adult stays close by. If a child climbs in, lift them out gently: “Let’s rock the baby!”

🎵 Little Sheep Parade · 5 min

  1. Sing “Once within a Lowly Stable,” Children’s Songbook page 41. Everyone crawls or toddles like sheep to the manger.
  2. Sing “Away in a Manger,” Children’s Songbook page 42, and rock your arms.
  3. Tap Freeze Dance on your phone or tablet. When the music stops, everyone freezes like a sheep: “Baa!”
  4. Don’t know a tune? Play it once in the Gospel Library app. Or just chant “Baa, baa, baby Jesus!” while you parade.

🍎 Happy Birthday, Jesus Snack · 10 min

  1. Check allergies and your ward’s snack policy first. Wipe every child’s hands, and yours. Holiday candy stays home.
  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 and for baby Jesus.”
  4. SAY“At Christmas we remember baby Jesus’s birthday! Heavenly Father gave us Jesus. He’s the best present!”
  5. Clap together for baby Jesus. Skip candles. No snack today? Have a pretend party and say thank you for Jesus.

🖍️ Hay for Baby Jesus · 8 min

  1. Tape a big sheet of paper down. Draw a big box: “This is a manger. Baby Jesus needs soft hay!”
  2. Give each child one chunky yellow or brown crayon. Skip stickers, glitter, pom-poms and marker caps.
  3. Every scribble is hay! Cheer them on: “Soft hay for baby Jesus!”
  4. Draw a simple baby face in the middle. Write names by the hay, count the crayons back and hang it by the door.
  5. No paper or crayons? Open Draw & Guess on your phone or tablet. Hold it while each child finger-scribbles hay.

🌾 Soft Bed, Scratchy Hay · 5 min

  1. Fill the manger basket with dish towels and baby blankets. Let kids pull them out, pile them up and feel them: “Soft!”
  2. Let them touch the bumpy side of the basket or a clean, dry scrub brush: “Scratchy, like hay!”
  3. Lay the doll on the softest blanket and tuck it in together: “Mary made a soft bed for baby Jesus.”
  4. No real hay or straw, since pieces go in mouths. No tinsel or ornaments. An adult watches the whole time.
  5. No basket or towels? Feel a soft sweater sleeve and the bumpy carpet instead, then rock your arms.

🖼️ Picture Walk: Who Came to See Baby Jesus? · 5 min

  1. Sit on the floor with a child or two in your lap. Swipe through today’s story pictures, or open a Nativity book.
  2. Name one thing in each picture: “Sheep! Baa.” Ask, “Where’s the angel?” and let them point.
  3. On the baby picture, rock your arms together: “Baby Jesus is born!”
  4. Finish at the picture of Jesus Christ: “Baby Jesus grew up. He loves you.”
  5. Both adults stay in the nursery room. If a child drifts off, let them go.

🎁 What’s in the Present? · 4 min

  1. Hide one big toy in the gift bag and shake it gently: “What’s inside?”
  2. Let a child peek and pull it out: “A ball! Thank you!” Clap together.
  3. Take turns hiding toys. Last of all, hide the baby doll: “Baby Jesus! The best present!”
  4. Big toys only, nothing that fits through a toilet-paper tube. No bag? Hide toys under a blanket or behind your back.

😴 Silent Night Rest · 4 min

  1. Turn off some of the lights, never all. Spread out a blanket. Kids can lie down, sit or climb into a lap.
  2. Offer a doll or stuffed animal to rock, if they want one.
  3. Softly hum “Silent Night,” Hymns number 204, and rock side to side.
  4. Whisper each child’s name: “Jesus loves you, Ella.”
  5. Upset child? Hold them, rock side to side and walk to the window together. Calm comes before learning.

👋 Shepherds Go Home · 5 min

  1. Tap bells five minutes before the end: “Time for the sheep to go home!” Clean up and lay the doll in the manger.
  2. Sit together once more and rock your arms: “Baby Jesus is born!”
  3. Hand each child only to their own parent or guardian. Wave: “Rock baby Jesus at home!”
  4. Share today’s family note from the app, and tell parents one happy moment about their child.
  5. Kids still waiting? Try the Little Sheep Parade 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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