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Love That Never Stops

The Lord helps His little children walk, calls them back when they wander, and loves them always

  • ☀️ Sunbeam
  • Week 47
  • 📅 Sunday, November 22, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Heavenly Father and Jesus love me always.

I can feel that Heavenly Father and Jesus love me.

Study it yourself firstRead Hosea 1–6; 10–14; Joel in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Hosea 1–6; 10–14; Joel)
Know the chapters

Hosea was a prophet who taught how much the Lord loves His people, even when they wander away. He compared the Lord’s love to a faithful husband’s love. He also compared it to a parent’s love for a little child. Hosea 11:1 says, “When Israel was a child, then I loved him.” In 11:3–4, the Lord says He taught His children to walk, “taking them by their arms.” He drew them close “with bands of love.”

The people turned away, but the Lord kept calling. “O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God.” That’s 14:1. In 14:4 He promised, “I will love them freely.” His love would be like dew, and His people would “grow as the lily.” That’s 14:5. The prophet Joel told of hungry locusts eating every crop. Then the Lord sent rain so everything could grow again. That’s Joel 2:23–26. Joel 2:28 also promises, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.”

Your one tiny truth: Heavenly Father and Jesus love me always. In the Old Testament, “the LORD” is Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ. He and Heavenly Father love us perfectly. Three-year-olds know what it feels like to be held, helped, and hugged. Use that. Even when we make mistakes, They still love us and want us to come back.

Keep today soft and happy. Think baby steps, hugs, growing flowers, and lots of hearts. Say the tiny truth to each child by name.

Only have 5 minutes?

Cut one big paper heart and a small heart for each child, or use the no-supplies versions. Follow a string to the hidden heart. Tell the story and let them point to what they see. Say “I will love them freely” with a big hug, and play Heart Hunt. End by telling each child by name, “Heavenly Father and Jesus love you always.”

What to bring4 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. Cut one big paper heart and one small heart for each child.
  2. Hide the big heart under the scarf across the room. Tape one end of the yarn by it. Stretch the yarn to where the kids sit.
  3. Tuck the small hearts around the room in easy spots for Heart Hunt. Try chairs, the door, or under a book.

If your class is wild

  • Crying at the door? Today’s lesson is perfect for it. Say, “Your mom loves you, and Heavenly Father and Jesus love you too.” Let the child hold a paper heart. A parent can stay a few minutes.
  • For potty breaks, send the child with another grown-up or their parent. Never be alone out of sight with a child. Keep the class going.
  • The “Come back!” wave is your call-back. When someone drifts off, wave both hands toward you with a big smile. Then wait.
  • Calm-down trick: call “Little seeds!” Everyone curls up small and still while you tap the rain sound. Then they grow up slowly.

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

Follow the String

3 min

A string trail to a hidden heart shows how the Lord draws us close with “bands of love.”

  1. SAY“Where does this string go? Let’s find out!”
  2. Everyone holds the yarn and walks slowly along it like a little train, “Choo-choo!”
  3. At the scarf, count together, “One… two… three… peekaboo!” Lift it to show the big heart.
  4. SAY“A heart means love! The Bible says the Lord pulls us close with ropes of love. Heavenly Father and Jesus love you always!”
🌪️ If they pull the yarn, say, “Gentle hands on the love rope!” Slow the train down.

Class screen: 🧶 Where does the string go? · ❤️ A heart!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A ball of yarn or string (about 10–15 feet), A big paper heart, plus one small paper heart for each child (cut from any paper), A scarf, dish towel or small blanket

Love Train

  1. SAY“Let’s make a love train!”
  2. Everyone holds hands behind you. Choo-choo slowly around the room. Stop in a corner and hide your hands behind your back.
  3. Count together, “One… two… three… peekaboo!” Pop out your hands in a heart shape.
  4. SAY“A heart means love! The Bible says the Lord pulls us close with ropes of love. Heavenly Father and Jesus love you always!”

Class screen: 🚂 All aboard the love train! · 🚂 Choo-choo!

2. Story

Picture Story: The Lord Loves His Little Children

6 min

Seven short scenes show the Lord helping, calling back and always loving His children, and everyone joins in from their spots.

  1. SAY“Let’s look at the pictures. The Lord loves His people like a mom or dad loves a baby. Can you find things?”
  2. Swipe through the scenes. Read each one. Point to the screen first, then let them point too.
  3. At scene 5, you’re reading the Lord’s words. Wave big and smile at each child, “Come back!”
  4. After scene 7, say together, “Heavenly Father and Jesus love me always!”
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 👶 The Lord loves His little children · 👉 Point! · 📣 Come back!

3. Wiggle break

Little Seeds

2 min

A seed-rain-grow wiggle (from Hosea and Joel) burns energy and ends calm.

  1. SAY“Let’s be little seeds!”
  2. Everyone curls up small on the floor. Tap the rain sound, or wiggle your fingers, “Pitter-patter!”
  3. Make a big sun with your arms. Grow slowly, slowly, into tall flowers! Smell your flower, “Mmm!”
  4. Do it twice, then sit back on your spots.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🌱 Seed… rain… sun… GROW! · 🌱 · 🌧️ · ☀️ · 🌷

4. Scripture

Our Little Verse: Hosea 14:4

3 min

Four Bible words with a hug help the children remember the Lord’s love.

  1. SAY“The Lord said this in the Bible. It’s for you too! Listen!”
  2. Hold up your scriptures and read, “I will love them freely.”
  3. Teach the motions. Hug yourself for “I will love.” Point to friends for “them.” Open your arms wide for “freely.”
  4. Say it three ways: a soft whisper, happy and loud, then slow like a sleepy flower.
  5. Say, “That means He loves us always. Heavenly Father and Jesus love me always!”

Class screen: 🤗 “I will love them freely” · 🤗 I will love · 👉 them · 🙌 freely

5. Game

Heart Hunt

5 min

Every child finds a heart, comes back when called, and hears “You are loved” by name.

  1. SAY“Hearts are hiding all around the room! Find ONE heart, then come back to me.”
  2. As each child comes back, wave “Come back!” and kneel. Say their name, like “Ava, Heavenly Father and Jesus love you always!”
  3. Have them cover their eyes while you hide the hearts again. Play once more.
  4. Say, “Heavenly Father and Jesus always want us to come back to Them. They love us always.”
  5. Everyone keeps a heart to take home.
🌪️ If someone grabs extra hearts, ask them to help a friend find one.

Class screen: ❤️ Find a heart!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A big paper heart, plus one small paper heart for each child (cut from any paper)

Come Back! Come Back!

  1. SAY“Walk around the room like little children. When I say, ‘Come back!’ hurry back to me!”
  2. Call out fun ways to walk, like tiptoes, baby steps, or giant steps.
  3. Open your arms and call, “Come back!” Everyone comes back for a gentle high five. Say, “I love you!” Play three or four rounds.
  4. Say, “Heavenly Father and Jesus always want us to come back to Them. They love us always.”

Class screen: 📣 Come back! Come back!

6. Testimony

Always Loved

3 min

A calm, loving moment where each child hears that they are loved.

  1. SAY“Let’s be quiet like flowers in the sunshine. Fold your arms.”
  2. Softly say, “Heavenly Father and Jesus love you when you’re happy. They love you when you’re sad. They even love you when you make a mistake. I know it’s true.”
  3. Look at each child and say their name, like “Leo, you are loved.”
  4. Invite them to do Heart on the Fridge this week. Have a child say the closing prayer. Whisper a few words at a time for them.

Class screen: ❤️ Heavenly Father and Jesus love me always.

7. Game

Heart Picture Quiz

3 minBONUS

Picture questions review the story; every child points or calls out.

  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 each answer, everyone hugs themselves, “Love!”
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: ❤️ Point to the right picture!

8. Game

Mystery Picture: What’s Hiding?

3 minBONUS

A slow reveal names things from the lesson.

  1. SAY“Something is hiding! Let’s take the squares away.”
  2. Open Mystery Picture. Remove a square each time the kids do a motion, like rocking the baby or “Come back!”
  3. When they guess, show it together. A flower grows tall. Rain wiggles its fingers. A baby gets rocked.
🧩 Mystery Picture (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ❓ What’s hiding?

The story

The Lord Loves His Little Children

Hosea 11:1–4; 14:1–5 ↗

Optional helpers

  • Heart HelperSits by you and holds up the big paper heart at the end of the story.
  • Rain HelperTaps the rain sound on your phone or tablet at scene 7 with your help.

Scenes

  1. 👶 The Lord loved His little children

    Long ago, the Lord called His people His children. He loved them like a mom or dad loves a baby.

    🙌 Rock a pretend baby in your arms.

  2. 🚶 He helped them learn to walk

    A mom or dad helps a baby learn to walk. The Lord held His people by their arms, just like that. Wobble, wobble!

    🙌 Find the walking feet. Wobble, wobble in your seat!

  3. 🤗 He pulled them close with love

    He drew them close with ropes of love. And He gave them food to eat.

    🙌

  4. 🔙 Uh-oh! They walked away

    But the people forgot about Him. They walked away. Uh-oh!

    🙌

  5. 📣 Come back! Come back!

    The Lord did not stop loving them. He called to His people to come back to Him!

    🙌 Wave both hands toward you: “Come back!”

  6. ❤️ “I will love them freely”

    The Lord said, “I will love them freely.” He loved them always!

    🙌

  7. 🌷 They grew like pretty flowers

    His love was like gentle dew on the flowers. His people grew up like beautiful lilies.

    🙌 Point to the flowers. Everyone takes a big sniff, “Mmm!”

Key verse

Hosea 14:4 ↗
“I will love them freely”
In kid words: The Lord says, “I will love them freely.” He loves us always!
🙌 “I will love” = hug yourself tight · “them” = point to all your friends · “freely” = open your arms wide like a big sunshine.

More verses

Hosea 11:3 ↗
“I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms”
In kid words: The Lord helped His children walk, holding them by their arms.
Hosea 11:4 ↗
“I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love”
In kid words: He pulled them close with ropes of love.
Hosea 14:5 ↗
“I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily”
In kid words: His love is like gentle dew, and His people grow like flowers.
Joel 2:28 ↗
“I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh”
In kid words: Heavenly Father will give His Spirit to lots and lots of people.

Forehead Guess words12 words

  • ❤️ Heart
  • 👶 Baby
  • 🤗 Hug
  • 🌷 Flower
  • 🌱 Seed
  • 🌧️ Rain
  • ☀️ Sun
  • 🧶 String
  • 🦗 Grasshopper
  • 🌾 Wheat
  • 🍇 Grapes
  • 👨‍👩‍👧 Family
Clues for each word
  • Heart: It means love
  • Baby: Learning to walk
  • Hug: Squeeze someone you love
  • Flower: It grows in the sunshine
  • Seed: Tiny, then it grows
  • Rain: Pitter-patter
  • Sun: Bright and warm
  • String: We followed it to a heart
  • Grasshopper: A hoppy, munchy bug
  • Wheat: It grows in the field to make bread
  • Grapes: Purple fruit on a vine
  • Family: People who love us at home
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown7 questions

  1. Who loves you always?
    • A. 🙏 Heavenly Father and Jesus
    • B. 🦖 A dinosaur
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 🙏 Heavenly Father and Jesus Heavenly Father and Jesus love you always!

  2. What did the Lord help His little children learn to do?
    • A. ✈️ Fly a plane
    • B. 🚶 Walk
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🚶 Walk He held them by their arms, like a mom or dad helping a baby walk.

  3. The people walked away. What did the Lord say?
    • A. 😠 “Go away!”
    • B. 📣 “Come back!”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 📣 “Come back!” He wanted them to come back, because He loved them.

  4. Did the Lord still love them?
    • A. ❤️ Yes, always!
    • B. 💔 No
    Show answer

    ✅ A. ❤️ Yes, always! “I will love them freely.” He loves them always!

  5. What did His people grow like?
    • A. 🍄 Mushrooms
    • B. 🌵 A prickly cactus
    • C. 🌷 Pretty flowers
    Show answer

    ✅ C. 🌷 Pretty flowers They grew like lilies, beautiful flowers!

  6. What can you say when you make a mistake?
    • A. 😊 “I’m sorry”
    • B. 🙈 Nothing, just hide
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 😊 “I’m sorry” We can say sorry, and Heavenly Father and Jesus still love us.

  7. What helps flowers grow?
    • A. 🍫 Chocolate
    • B. 🌧️ Rain
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 🌧️ Rain Rain and sunshine help flowers grow, and love helps us grow.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • My Heavenly Father Loves Me Children’s Songbook, p. 228

    The tiny truth in a song, with things to point to. Find it ↗

  • I Am a Child of God Children’s Songbook, p. 2

    We are His children, and He loves us. Find it ↗

  • Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes Children’s Songbook, p. 275

    A wiggle song: He loves all of me. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Heart on the Fridge

Put your paper heart on the fridge or by your bed. No heart? Draw one with Mom or Dad. Every time you see it, hug someone in your family and say, “Heavenly Father and Jesus love you!”

Text the parents

Today your Sunbeam learned from the prophet Hosea about the Lord’s love. He loves His children like a parent helping a baby walk. When they wander away, He calls, “Come back!” We rocked pretend babies, waved “Come back!”, hugged ourselves for “Love!”, and hunted for paper hearts. Ask your child, “Who loves you always?” The answer is Heavenly Father and Jesus! This week, tell your child you love them even when they make mistakes. Heavenly Father and Jesus do too.

📝 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?

💧 Pour It Out! · 3 min

  1. Over a dishpan or towel, pour a tiny trickle of water into a cup. Then pour a whole lot. Splash!
  2. Point to Joel 2:28. Say, “The prophet Joel said Heavenly Father will pour out His Spirit, lots and lots, on His children.”
  3. Say, “The Holy Ghost can help us feel warm and happy inside. That’s one way we feel Their love.”

🦗 Munchy Bugs and the Rain · 2 min

  1. Say, “In Joel’s day, hungry bugs ate all the plants!” Everyone hops like a grasshopper and munches. Crunch, crunch!
  2. Say, “Then the Lord sent rain.” Everyone wiggles fingers like rain, and the bugs hop away.
  3. Everyone grows into tall wheat and yummy grapes again. Point to Joel 2:23–26. Say, “The Lord helped everything grow back!”

🤗 Love Hug Pass · 2 min

  1. Sit in a circle. Hold up a paper heart, or make a heart with your hands.
  2. Pass the heart around the circle. Each child says, “I love you,” as they pass it to a friend.
  3. Say, “We can share love like Heavenly Father and Jesus do.”

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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