Gospel Sparks Get the app

Little Seeds, Good Ground

Tiny seeds in a hand, a farmer’s picture story, and good ground that grows

  • ☀️ Sunbeam
  • Week 12
  • 📅 Sunday, March 21, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

I can listen to Jesus with my ears and my heart.

I can use my listening ears to learn about Jesus.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13)
Know the chapters

Matthew 13 is full of parables. They’re short stories Jesus told about everyday things like seeds, bread, treasure, and pearls. They teach about Heavenly Father’s kingdom. So many people came to hear Him by the sea that He sat in a boat and taught them from the water. Luke 8 tells the sower story too. Luke 13 tells of Jesus healing a woman who’d been bent over for eighteen years.

The story for Sunbeams is the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3–23. A farmer scattered seeds. Some fell on a hard path, and birds ate them. Some fell on rocky ground, sprouted fast, then dried up in the hot sun. Some fell in thorns and got crowded out. But some fell on good ground and grew and grew. Then He said, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Later He explained that the seed is God’s word and the ground is our heart.

Your one tiny truth today: I can listen to Jesus with my ears and my heart. Three-year-olds won’t follow every kind of ground, and that’s fine. From their spots they can scatter seeds, flap like hungry birds, and grow tall like good plants. They can learn that good things grow in us when we listen to Jesus. That happens in Primary, at home, and in prayers.

The mustard seed that grows into a big tree is in Matthew 13:31–32. The hidden treasure is in Matthew 13:44. Both are in the extras. They’re perfect if your class loves hunting for things.

Only have 5 minutes?

Grab a few seeds and a picture of Jesus. Show the tiny seeds. Tell the sower story in Teach Mode, growing your hands up high when the good seeds grow. Say “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” with motions, and play Good Ground Grows. End with, “I can listen to Jesus with my ears and my heart.” Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Use an invisible seed and reach toward the sky.

What to bring2 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. Put the seeds in a small cup. Hide it in your closed hand or pocket for the hook.
  2. Tuck the picture of Jesus in your scriptures. You’ll hold it up high in Good Ground Grows.
  3. Practice once. Palms together, growing up high: “Grow!”

If your class is wild

  • Crying at the door? Let the parent stay a few minutes. Give the child a job, like “Can you hold the picture of Jesus for me?” If tears keep going, a parent can sit in the back.
  • Potty breaks happen. Follow your ward’s policy. Usually a parent or the second adult takes the child. Keep two adults with the children, and never leave the class alone.
  • Here’s your call-back today. Cup your hands behind your ears and say, “Who has ears to hear?” The kids cup their ears and freeze. Use it whenever the room gets loud.
  • Real seeds can go in mouths and noses. Keep them in your hand or the cup. Kids can look but not hold.
  • If the hungry-bird flapping gets swoopy, say, “These birds are sleepy!” Flap slowly yourself.

The 25-minute plan22 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

What’s in My Hand?

3 min

Tiny real seeds make three-year-olds curious about what grows.

  1. SAY“I have something tiny in my hand. Can you guess what it is?”
  2. Hold out your closed fist and let a few kids guess. Open your hand slowly and show the seeds. Say, “Seeds! Tiny, tiny seeds!”
  3. Ask, “What happens when a seed gets dirt, water, and sun?” Everyone grows their hands up high and says, “It grows!”
  4. SAY“Jesus told a story about seeds. Let’s use our listening ears!”
🌪️ Seeds stay in your hand or the cup. Kids look with their eyes, not their fingers.

Class screen: 🌱 What’s in my hand?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A few dry beans, sunflower seeds or apple seeds in a small cup (for looking, not holding)

The Invisible Seed

  1. SAY“I have something tiny in my hand. Can you guess what it is?”
  2. Hold out your closed fist and open it slowly. Say, “It’s a pretend seed! It’s so tiny you can’t even see it!” Everyone holds one too.
  3. Ask, “What happens when we plant a seed?” Everyone grows their hands up high and says, “It grows!”
  4. SAY“Jesus told a story about seeds. Let’s use our listening ears!”

Class screen: ✊ A pretend seed! Can you see it?

2. Story

Picture Story: The Farmer and the Seeds

6 min

Seven picture scenes show that seeds in good ground grow, and so do we when we listen to Jesus.

  1. SAY“Jesus told a story about a farmer and his seeds. When the seeds grow, grow your hands up high!”
  2. Practice once from your spots. Palms together, growing up high: “Grow!”
  3. Swipe through the scenes. Read each one. Do a motion together when one shows.
  4. At scene 6, grow your hands up slowly while the rain sound plays. After scene 7, say together, “I can listen to Jesus!”
🌪️ If the birds get noisy in scene 3, whisper “Tweet, tweet.” They’ll have to get quiet to hear you.

Class screen: 👨‍🌾 The farmer and the seeds! · 🌱 Scatter! · 🙌 Grow!

3. Wiggle break

Do As I’m Doing: Garden Moves

2 min

A copy-me song with garden moves gets the wiggles out before the verse.

  1. SAY“Let’s be a garden! Do what I do.”
  2. Sing “Do As I’m Doing,” Children’s Songbook page 276. Scatter seeds, flap like a bird, droop like a thirsty plant, then grow up tall.
  3. Finish slow. Curl up small like a seed and sit very still on your spot.

Class screen: 🌻 Scatter, flap, droop, grow!

4. Scripture

Our Little Verse: Matthew 13:9

3 min

Ear-and-heart motions help Sunbeams remember to listen to Jesus.

  1. SAY“Jesus said these words after His seed story. Listen!”
  2. Hold up your scriptures and read slowly, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
  3. Teach the Key Verse motions one at a time. Say it together with the motions.
  4. Say it three ways: a whisper, a big farmer voice, then a tiny seed voice.
  5. Say, “Jesus wants us to listen. I can listen to Jesus with my ears and my heart!”

Class screen: 📖 “Who hath ears to hear” · 👂 Who hath ears · 🤲 to hear · 💛 let him hear

5. Game

Good Ground Grows

5 min

Growing taller for every way we listen to Jesus practices the big idea: I can be good ground.

  1. SAY“Let’s be little seeds in good ground. Curl up small on your spot!”
  2. Hold the picture of Jesus up high. Say, “When I say a way to listen to Jesus, grow a little taller!”
  3. Try singing in Primary, saying prayers, hearing scriptures, and listening to Mom.
  4. Try a silly one, like “Covering my ears when Dad reads scriptures.” Everyone stays still. Ask, “How can we be good ground instead?”
  5. When everyone’s reaching toward the picture, cheer, “Good ground! When we listen to Jesus, good things grow!” Play again with a child holding the picture.
🌪️ Growing happens right on your spot. If anyone wanders, say, “Plants don’t walk! Roots down!”

Class screen: 🌱 Listen to Jesus and grow! · 🌱 Grow! · 🪨 Stay still

No supplies? Do this instead

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

Grow Toward the Sun

  1. SAY“Let’s be little seeds in good ground. Curl up small on your spot!”
  2. SAY“When I say a way to listen to Jesus, grow a little taller!”
  3. Try singing in Primary, saying prayers, hearing scriptures, and listening to Mom.
  4. Try a silly one, like “Covering my ears when Dad reads scriptures.” Everyone stays still. Ask, “How can we be good ground instead?”
  5. When everyone’s reaching up high like the sun, cheer, “Good ground! When we listen to Jesus, good things grow!”

Class screen: ☀️ Listen to Jesus and grow!

6. Testimony

Quiet Little Seeds

3 min

A calm close where each child hears that they can be good ground for Jesus’s words.

  1. SAY“Let’s be quiet little seeds, resting in the good ground. Fold your arms.”
  2. Ask softly, “Where can we listen to Jesus?” Nod at every answer, like Primary, prayers, scriptures, or Mom and Dad.
  3. Say softly, “Jesus loves you. When you listen to Him, good things grow in your heart. I know that’s true.”
  4. Name each child, like “Eli, you are good ground.” Invite them to use Good-Ground Ears at home. Then say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🌾 I can listen to Jesus. · 👂 Good-Ground Ears this week

7. Game

Seed Picture Quiz

3 minBONUS

Picture questions review the story if you have a few extra minutes, and every child gets to point.

  1. SAY“Let’s see what you remember! Point to the right picture.”
  2. Open Scripture Showdown. Read each question and point to each picture. Skip the teams. Everyone wins.
  3. After every answer, everyone grows their hands up high and says, “Grow!”
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 👉 Point to the right picture!

8. Game

What’s Hiding? Mystery Picture

3 minBONUS

A slow picture reveal reviews the story.

  1. SAY“A picture from our story is hiding! Let’s find out what it is.”
  2. Open Mystery Picture. Call out a “show me,” like “Show me listening ears!” Tap away a tile after each one.
  3. Let everyone guess. When the picture shows, tell that part of the story together.
🧩 Mystery Picture (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🖼️ What’s hiding?

The story

The Farmer and the Seeds

Matthew 13:3–23 ↗

Optional helpers

  • Sound HelperTaps each scene’s sound on your phone or tablet with your help. Waves, rain, and cheer!
  • Picture HelperSits by you and holds up the picture of Jesus in scenes 1 and 7.

Scenes

  1. ⛵👂 Jesus tells a story

    Lots of people came to hear Jesus. He sat in a boat and told them a story about seeds.

    🙌

  2. 👨‍🌾🌱 A farmer plants seeds

    A farmer went out to plant seeds. He threw them this way and that way.

    🙌 Flick your fingers: “Scatter!”

  3. 🐦🛤️ Birds gobble seeds on the path

    Some seeds fell on the hard path. Birds swooped down and gobbled them up!

    🙌 Flap your hands like hungry birds: “Tweet, tweet!”

  4. 🪨☀️ Seeds on the rocks droop

    Some seeds fell on rocky ground. They popped up fast. But they had no roots. And the hot sun made them droop.

    🙌

  5. 🌵😣 Prickly thorns squish the plants

    Some seeds fell in prickly thorns. The thorns grew so big that the little plants got squished.

    🙌

  6. 🌱🌧️ Seeds in good ground grow tall

    But some seeds fell in good, soft ground. They grew slowly… taller… and taller!

    🙌 Palms together, then grow them up high: “Grow!”

  7. 🌾💛 I can listen with my ears and heart

    Jesus said, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Let’s listen! When I listen to Jesus, good things grow in me!

    🙌

Key verse

Matthew 13:9 ↗
“Who hath ears to hear, let him hear”
In kid words: Jesus said, “If you have ears, use them to listen!”
🙌 “Who hath ears” = point to your ears · “to hear” = cup your hands behind your ears · “let him hear” = touch your heart and nod.

More verses

Matthew 13:16 ↗
“blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear”
In kid words: Jesus is happy when we use our eyes and ears to learn about Him.
Matthew 13:23 ↗
“he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word”
In kid words: Good ground is like a person who listens to God’s words.
Matthew 13:31–32 ↗
“a grain of mustard seed … becometh a tree”
In kid words: A tiny mustard seed can grow into a big tree.

Forehead Guess words12 words

  • 🌱 Seed
  • 👨‍🌾 Farmer
  • 🐦 Bird
  • 🪨 Rock
  • ☀️ Sun
  • 🌵 Thorns
  • 🌧️ Rain
  • 🌻 Flower
  • 🌳 Tree
  • 👂 Ears
  • 💎 Treasure
  • ⛵ Boat
Clues for each word
  • Seed: Tiny, and it grows
  • Farmer: He planted the seeds
  • Bird: Tweet! It gobbled the seeds
  • Rock: Hard, with not much dirt
  • Sun: Bright and hot in the sky
  • Thorns: Prickly! Ouch!
  • Rain: Drip, drop! Plants drink it
  • Flower: It grows in good ground
  • Tree: A tiny mustard seed grows into one
  • Ears: We listen with them
  • Treasure: Something special hidden in a field
  • Boat: Jesus sat in it to teach
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown7 questions

  1. What did the farmer plant?
    • A. 🌱 Seeds
    • B. 🧦 Socks
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🌱 Seeds The farmer threw seeds this way and that way!

  2. Who gobbled up the seeds on the path?
    • A. 🐄 A cow
    • B. 🐦 Birds
    • C. 🐟 A fish
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🐦 Birds Tweet! The birds swooped down and gobbled them up.

  3. What made the little plants droop?
    • A. ☀️ The hot sun
    • B. 🎈 A balloon
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ☀️ The hot sun The hot sun came out, and they had no roots.

  4. Which one is prickly?
    • A. 🧸 A teddy bear
    • B. 🍰 Cake
    • C. 🌵 Thorns
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 🌵 Thorns Ouch! Thorns are prickly.

  5. Where did the seeds grow big and tall?
    • A. 🪨 On the rocks
    • B. 🌱 In good ground
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🌱 In good ground In good, soft ground they grew and grew!

  6. What do we listen with?
    • A. 👂 Our ears
    • B. 👃 Our nose
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 👂 Our ears Jesus said, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

  7. Who can we listen to with our ears and hearts?
    • A. 🦖 A dinosaur
    • B. 🍌 A banana
    • C. 💛 Jesus
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 💛 Jesus When I listen to Jesus, good things grow in me.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Listen, Listen Children’s Songbook, p. 107

    A quiet song about using our listening ears. Find it ↗

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

    Today’s wiggle: scatter seeds, flap like a bird, droop, and grow tall. Find it ↗

  • Search, Ponder, and Pray Children’s Songbook, p. 109

    Reading scriptures and praying help good things grow in us. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Good-Ground Ears

When your family reads scriptures or says prayers, cup your listening ears. Be good ground!

Text the parents

Today in Sunbeams we heard Jesus’s story about a farmer’s seeds. We learned that we can listen to Jesus with our ears and our hearts. Ask your child, “Where did the seeds grow tall?” The answer is in the good ground! Then read a short scripture story together and cheer for good listening ears.

📝 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?

🌳 Tiny Seed, Big Tree · 2 min

  1. Show the tiniest seed you have, or pinch your fingers together to show something tiny.
  2. Point to Matthew 13:31–32. Say, “Jesus said a tiny mustard seed grows into a big tree, and birds sit in its branches.”
  3. Everyone curls up tiny, then grows into a giant tree with branch arms. Flap your hands like little birds and land them on your branches.

💎 Hidden Treasure Hunt · 3 min

  1. While the kids cover their eyes, hide a small treasure, like a shiny coin or a picture of Jesus. Put it somewhere easy to find.
  2. Everyone tiptoes and looks. When someone finds it, everyone cheers.
  3. Point to Matthew 13:44. Say, “Jesus told a story about a treasure hidden in a field. Learning about Jesus is the best treasure!” No treasure? Hide a child’s shoe instead.

🧍 Bent Over, Standing Tall · 2 min

  1. Open to Luke 13:11–13. Say, “Jesus met a woman who was bent over for a long, long time. She couldn’t stand up straight.”
  2. Everyone bends over and walks slowly. Then say, “Jesus touched her, and she stood up straight!” Everyone stands up tall.
  3. Say, “Jesus can lift us up and help us too.”

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 Sunbeam lessons