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Peace, Be Still!

A windy, wavy storm, a sleeping Jesus, and three quiet words that make everything calm

  • ☀️ Sunbeams
  • Week 9
  • 📅 Sunday, February 28, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

When I feel scared, Jesus can help me feel peace.

I can think of Jesus and pray when I feel scared.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 8; Mark 2–4; Luke 7)
Know the chapters

This week’s chapters are full of Jesus helping people. He touched a man with a sickness called leprosy and made him clean (Matthew 8:1–4). Four friends carried a man who couldn’t walk up onto a roof and let him down to Jesus, and Jesus forgave him and healed him (Mark 2:1–12). He forgave a woman who came to Him in tears (Luke 7:36–50). And one night on the Sea of Galilee, He stopped a storm (Mark 4:35–41).

Your one tiny truth for today: Jesus can help me feel peace. In the storm story Jesus was asleep on a pillow in the back of the boat. The wind blew, the waves splashed in, and His friends were scared. They woke Him, and He said to the wind and the sea, “Peace, be still.” The wind stopped and everything became calm. Say the tiny truth again and again: “Jesus helps me feel peace.”

Three-year-olds have real fears: thunder, the dark, big dogs, a new classroom, even saying goodbye to Mom at the door. They don’t need to hear that nothing scary will ever happen. They need to know that Jesus loves them, that they can pray and think of Him, and that He can help them feel calm inside. Keep the storm fun and pretend, and make the calm part slow and cozy.

The children are the friends in the boat, the wind and the waves. Nobody plays Jesus: you say His words, “Peace, be still,” in a soft, sure voice, and the whole room freezes. That moment is the lesson.

Only have 5 minutes?

Tell the storm story with your phone or tablet scenes (everyone rocks in the boat, blows like the wind and freezes when you say “Peace, be still”), play Storm and Calm with Freeze Dance, say “Peace, be still” with the hand motions, and end in a quiet circle saying, “When I feel scared, Jesus helps me feel peace. I know it’s true.”

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. Hide the pillow behind your back or in a bag for the hook.
  2. Fold the blue blanket and put the toy boat on top so it’s ready for the wave wiggle.
  3. Clear a spot on the floor where everyone can sit close together in a pretend boat.
  4. Open this lesson in Teach Mode so the story pictures and the wind, waves and thunder sounds are ready.
  5. Practice saying “Peace, be still” softly and slowly. Your calm voice is the magic.

If your class is wild

  • Crying at the door? Let the parent stay a few minutes. Give the child a job: “Can you hold Jesus’s pillow for me?” A job helps a lot. If tears keep going, a parent can sit in the back.
  • Potty breaks: have one grown-up (a class helper or a parent) take the child; never be alone out of sight with a child. Keep going with everyone else.
  • Your call-back for today: raise your hand and say softly, “Peace, be still.” Children freeze and put a hand up too. Practice it in the first two minutes so it works all lesson.
  • Some children really are afraid of thunder. Keep the storm sounds short and not too loud, and say, “It’s pretend! We’re safe in our boat.” Let a worried child sit on your lap or next to you.
  • If the storm gets too wild, lie down and pretend to sleep like Jesus on His pillow. Curious children will quiet down to see what you’re doing.

The 25-minute plan23 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

Sleepy Pillow

2 min

A pillow and pretend sleep bring everyone close and quiet before the storm begins.

  1. Sit on the floor with the children. Pull the pillow out from behind your back: “Look! What is this?”
  2. SAY“A pillow! What do we do with a pillow? Let’s all go to sleep.” Everyone puts hands under their cheek and snores softly.
  3. Tap the wind on the Sound Board (or blow “whoooo” yourself). Sit up surprised: “Uh-oh! What was that?”
  4. SAY“Today we’ll hear about Jesus sleeping on a pillow in a boat, and a big, windy storm!”
🌪️ If snoring turns into loud silly snorting, say, “Shhh! Can you snore like a tiny mouse?” and model the quietest snore ever.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 😴 Shhh… who is sleeping? · Hands under your cheek · Snore softly…

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A small pillow or a folded sweater (Jesus’s pillow in the boat)

Pillow Hands

  1. Put both hands together under your cheek like a pillow. Say: “Look, I made a pillow! Can you make one?”
  2. Everyone lies down or leans over and snores softly.
  3. Tap the wind on the Sound Board. Sit up surprised: “Uh-oh! What was that?”
  4. SAY“Today we’ll hear about Jesus sleeping on a pillow in a boat, and a big, windy storm!”

Class screen: 😴 Make pillow hands! Shhh…

2. Story

Story: Jesus Calms the Storm

5 min

The children feel the storm and the calm with their whole bodies, so the tiny truth is something they live, not just hear.

  1. SAY“Everybody sit close. We are all in a boat with Jesus!” Pick two Wind Helpers and two Wave Helpers.
  2. Show each scene on your phone or tablet and read the one or two sentences.
  3. Do each action together. Go slowly and make it big.
  4. In scene 6, raise your hand and say “Peace, be still” very softly. Wait until everyone freezes. Enjoy the quiet for three seconds.
  5. End by saying the tiny truth together: “Jesus helps me feel peace!”
🌪️ If rocking turns into tipping over, say, “Oh no, don’t fall out of the boat! Hold on to the sides!” and hold the floor with both hands.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ⛵ We’re in the boat with Jesus! · Row, row · Whoosh! · Peace, be still

3. Wiggle break

Blanket Waves

2 min

Burns energy and lets every child make the storm stop when they hear Jesus’s words.

  1. Spread the blue blanket on the floor. Everyone kneels around it and holds the edge. Put the toy boat in the middle.
  2. SAY“Tiny waves!” (small shakes) “Bigger waves!” (bigger shakes) “Giant storm waves!” (big shakes, but hold on!)
  3. Then say softly, “Peace, be still.” Everyone stops and holds the blanket flat and still. The boat is safe!
  4. Play 3 or 4 rounds. Let a different child say “Peace, be still” each time.
🌪️ If the boat flies off, laugh and say, “Man overboard!” Put it back and say, “Let’s try gentle waves this time.”

Class screen: 🌊 Make waves! Then… peace, be still!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A blue blanket, big towel or large scarf for the sea, A small toy boat, toy car or stuffed animal to ride the blanket waves

Body Waves

  1. Everyone stands up. Say: “We are the sea!” Make tiny waves with your hands.
  2. SAY“Bigger waves!” (arms wave up and down) “Giant storm waves!” (whole body sways, arms go high and low).
  3. Then say softly, “Peace, be still.” Everyone freezes like a statue.
  4. Play 3 or 4 rounds. Let a different child say “Peace, be still” each time.

Class screen: 🌊 Be the waves! Then freeze!

4. Scripture

Key Words: “Peace, Be Still”

3 min

Three words with motions help the children remember that Jesus can bring calm.

  1. Hold up your scriptures. Say: “These words are from the Bible. Jesus said them to the wind and the waves.”
  2. Say it slowly with the motions: “Peace” (hand up, palm out) “be still” (lower your hand slowly and freeze).
  3. Say it together three ways: in a whisper, in a slow sleepy voice, and in a teeny-tiny mouse voice.
  4. SAY“Even the wind and the sea listened to Jesus. When I feel scared, Jesus helps me feel peace!”

Class screen: 📖 “Peace, be still” · ✋ Peace · 🧊 be still

5. Song

Row and Sing

2 min

Singing while rowing lets them move while they think about Jesus.

  1. SAY“Let’s row our boat and sing about Jesus!”
  2. Sing the first verse of “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 57) while everyone rows slowly.
  3. Sing it once more, rowing slower and slower until the boat stops. Say: “Calm water. Peace, be still.”

Class screen: 🎵 Row the boat and sing!

6. Game

Storm and Calm

3 min

A freeze game practices the big moment again and again: the storm stops when Jesus speaks.

  1. Open Freeze Dance. Say: “When the music plays, you are a big storm! Blow, splash and sway.”
  2. When the music stops, say, “Peace, be still!” Everyone freezes as calm and quiet as a smooth sea.
  3. Cheer the best frozen statues: “So calm! Jesus helps us feel peace.”
  4. Play 4 or 5 rounds. On the last round, freeze sitting down.
🌪️ No phone or tablet? Clap and stomp for the storm and hold up your hand for the calm. It works just as well.
🧊 Freeze Dance (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🧊 Storm! Then freeze! · 🎵 music = storm · 🤫 stop = calm

7. Wiggle break

Do As I’m Doing: Boat Moves

2 min

A copy-me song gives one last big wiggle before the quiet part.

  1. Sing “Do As I’m Doing” (Children’s Songbook, 276).
  2. Use boat moves: row the boat, blow the wind, splash the waves, bail out water, sleep on a pillow.
  3. Finish with a slow move: smooth the calm water with flat hands and sit down very, very slowly.

Class screen: 🙌 Do what I do!

8. Talk it over

When I Feel Scared

2 min

Children name their own little storms and learn what they can do: pray and think of Jesus.

  1. Hold up the picture of Jesus. Say: “Jesus loves you. He can help you when you feel scared.”
  2. Ask the questions one at a time. Any answer, even a point or a nod, gets a smile and a “Yes!”
  3. Share a tiny example of your own: “When I heard thunder at night, I said a prayer and I felt calm.”
💬 Ask the class
  • Show me your scared face! Now show me your calm face.
  • What makes you feel scared? Thunder? The dark?
  • What can you do when you feel scared? (Pray, hug someone who loves you, think of Jesus)
  • Who helped the friends in the boat feel safe?

Class screen: 💛 Jesus helps me when I’m scared

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A picture of Jesus (from the Friend magazine, a printout from the Gospel Library app, or the ward library)

Calm Hands

  1. Put one hand on your heart. Say: “Jesus loves you. He can help you when you feel scared.”
  2. Ask the questions one at a time. After each answer, everyone smooths the calm water with flat hands.
  3. Share a tiny example of your own: “When I heard thunder at night, I said a prayer and I felt calm.”

Class screen: 💛 Jesus helps me when I’m scared

9. Testimony

Calm Sea

2 min

A calm, loving moment where the teacher shares a simple testimony.

  1. SAY“Our sea is calm now. Let’s be very still. Fold your arms and take a slow breath.”
  2. In a soft voice, say: “Jesus loves you. When you feel scared, you can pray and think of Him. He helps me feel peace. I know that is true.”
  3. Name each child: “Mia, Jesus can help you feel peace. Sam, Jesus can help you feel peace.” (Use your own class names.)
  4. Say a short closing prayer or help a child say one.

Class screen: 😌 Jesus helps me feel peace.

10. Game

Storm Picture Quiz

3 minBONUS

Picture questions review the story, and every child gets a turn to point.

  1. Open Scripture Showdown. Read each question and point to each picture.
  2. Children point to the right picture or call it out. No teams needed: everyone wins.
  3. After every answer, everyone whispers, “Peace, be still.”
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: ⛵ Point to the right picture!

11. Game

Mystery Picture: What’s Hiding?

3 minBONUS

A slow reveal keeps them guessing and names things from the story.

  1. Open Mystery Picture. Say: “Something is hiding! Let’s take the squares away.”
  2. Remove a square each time someone does a storm move: blow, splash, row or snore.
  3. When they guess, act it out: boat = row, wind = whoosh, fish = swim, pillow = snore.
🧩 Mystery Picture (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ❓ What’s hiding?

12. Craft

Rocking Paper Boat

4 minBONUS

A take-home boat that rocks reminds them of the storm that stopped.

  1. Give each child half a paper plate. Show them it rocks like a boat when you tap it.
  2. Let them color it and draw a little person (the friends in the boat).
  3. Everyone rocks their boat fast, then says, “Peace, be still,” and holds it still. Say: “When you rock your boat at home, remember: Jesus helps me feel peace.”

Class screen: 🖍️ Make a rocking boat!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: For the bonus craft: one paper plate per child, cut in half, and crayons

Hand Boats

  1. Show how to cup both hands together like a little boat.
  2. Rock your hand boat on pretend waves: gentle, bigger, stormy!
  3. Say “Peace, be still,” and hold your hand boat perfectly still. Say: “Take your hand boat home. Jesus helps me feel peace.”

Story drama

Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4:35–41 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • Everyone: Friends in the BoatSit close together, row the boat, rock with the waves and wake Jesus up when they’re scared.
  • Wind HelpersTwo or three children blow “whoooo” and wave their arms when the teacher points at them.
  • Wave HelpersTwo or three children wiggle their fingers and say “splash, splash!” when the teacher points at them.

Scenes

  1. ⛵ Jesus and His friends get in a boat

    One evening Jesus and His friends got into a boat. They wanted to go across the sea.

    🎬 Sit down close together in our boat. Row, row, row!

  2. 😴 Jesus sleeps on a pillow

    Jesus was tired. He lay down on a pillow in the back of the boat and fell asleep.

    🎬 Hands under your cheek like a pillow. Shhh… tiny snores.

  3. 🌬️ Whoosh! The wind starts to blow

    Then the wind began to blow. Whoosh! The boat started to rock.

    🎬 Blow like the wind: “Whoooo!” Sway side to side.

  4. 🌊 Big, big waves!

    The waves got bigger and bigger. Splash! Water came into the boat!

    🎬 Rock back and forth. Wiggle your fingers like splashing water.

  5. 😟 His friends wake Jesus up

    Jesus’s friends were scared. They woke Him up and asked Him for help.

    🎬 Make a scared face. Then gently pat the air: “Wake up! Wake up!”

  6. ✋ Jesus says, “Peace, be still.”

    Jesus stood up. He said to the wind and the waves, “Peace, be still.”

    🎬 The teacher raises a hand and says it softly. Everyone freezes!

  7. 😌 Everything is calm

    The wind stopped. The water was smooth and quiet. Jesus loved His friends and helped them feel safe.

    🎬 Smooth your hands out flat like calm water. Take a big, slow breath.

  8. 💛 Jesus helps me feel peace

    When I feel scared, I can pray and think of Jesus. He can help me feel calm inside too.

    🎬 Give yourself a hug and say, “Jesus helps me feel peace!”

Key verse

Mark 4:39 ↗
“Peace, be still”
In kid words: Jesus told the wind and the waves, “Peace, be still,” and they stopped.
🙌 “Peace” = raise one hand, palm out, like a gentle stop sign · “be still” = slowly lower your hand and freeze like a statue.

More verses

Mark 4:41 ↗
“even the wind and the sea obey him”
In kid words: Even the wind and the water listen to Jesus.
Mark 2:5 ↗
“When Jesus saw their faith”
In kid words: Four friends brought a man to Jesus, and Jesus saw that they believed in Him.
Luke 7:50 ↗
“go in peace”
In kid words: Jesus told a woman He loved to go and feel peace.

Forehead Guess words12 words

  • ⛵ Boat
  • 🌬️ Wind
  • 🌊 Waves
  • ⛈️ Storm
  • 😴 Sleep
  • 🐟 Fish
  • 🌧️ Rain
  • ⚡ Lightning
  • 👫 Friends
  • 🏠 Roof
  • 🛏️ Bed
  • 📖 Scriptures
Clues for each word
  • Boat: Jesus and His friends rode in it
  • Wind: Whoooo! It blows
  • Waves: Splash! Up and down
  • Storm: Thunder and rain
  • Sleep: Jesus did this on a pillow
  • Fish: Swims in the sea
  • Rain: Drip, drop from the clouds
  • Lightning: A bright flash in the sky
  • Friends: They woke Jesus up
  • Roof: Four friends climbed up on it
  • Bed: The friends carried a man on it
  • Scriptures: The book with Jesus’s words
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown7 questions

  1. Where were Jesus and His friends?
    • A. ⛵ In a boat
    • B. 🌳 Up a tree
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ⛵ In a boat They were in a boat on the sea. Row, row, row!

  2. What did Jesus sleep on?
    • A. 🍕 A pizza
    • B. 🛏️ A pillow
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🛏️ A pillow Jesus was tired and slept on a pillow. Shhh!

  3. What sound does the wind make?
    • A. 🐶 Woof!
    • B. 🐮 Moo!
    • C. 🌬️ Whoosh!
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 🌬️ Whoosh! Whoooosh! Let’s all blow like the wind!

  4. Jesus said, “Peace, be…”
    • A. 🤫 Still
    • B. 🐸 Froggy
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🤫 Still “Peace, be still.” Freeze like a statue!

  5. After Jesus spoke, the water was…
    • A. 🌊 Big and splashy
    • B. 😌 Calm and quiet
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 😌 Calm and quiet The wind stopped, and everything was calm.

  6. Who can help me when I feel scared?
    • A. 🦖 A dinosaur
    • B. 🍌 A banana
    • C. 💛 Jesus
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 💛 Jesus Jesus loves me and helps me feel peace.

  7. What can I do when I feel scared?
    • A. 🙏 Say a prayer
    • B. 🙈 Hide forever
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🙏 Say a prayer I can pray and think of Jesus.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Tell Me the Stories of Jesus Children’s Songbook, p. 57

    Sing it while rowing the pretend boat. Find it ↗

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

    A copy-me wiggle song for boat and storm moves. Find it ↗

  • I Feel My Savior’s Love Children’s Songbook, p. 74

    A gentle song for the calm, quiet end of class. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Peace Hands

When you feel scared this week, put up your hand, whisper “Peace, be still,” and say a little prayer with your family.

Text the parents

Today in Sunbeams we learned that Jesus calmed a big storm by saying, “Peace, be still,” and that He can help us feel peace when we’re scared. Ask your child: “What did Jesus say to the wind?” (Peace, be still!) Then share a time you prayed and felt calm.

📝 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.

Got extra time?

🏠 Through the Roof · 3 min

  1. SAY“Four friends had a friend who couldn’t walk. They wanted to bring him to Jesus, but the house was too full!” (Mark 2:1–12).
  2. Lay a teddy bear on a towel. Four children each hold a corner and carefully walk it across the room, then gently lower it to the floor.
  3. SAY“Jesus saw that the friends believed in Him, and He made the man well. We can help our friends come to Jesus too.”
  4. No towel? Four children hold hands in a square and walk together around a “friend” in the middle.

😴 Sleep, Wake, Calm · 2 min

  1. Everyone pretends to sleep. The teacher says, “Wind!” (everyone blows) or “Waves!” (everyone rocks).
  2. When the teacher says, “Peace, be still,” everyone lies still and quiet again.
  3. SAY“Jesus has power over the wind and the waves. He can help us feel calm.”

🌬️ Peace Breaths · 2 min

  1. Teach a calm breath: smell a pretend flower (breathe in), blow out a pretend candle (breathe out).
  2. Do it three times together, slowly.
  3. SAY“When you feel scared, you can take a peace breath and say a prayer. Jesus helps me feel peace.”

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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