Difference between revisions of "Primary"

Revision as of 16:15, 16 August 2006

“All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (Isa. 54: 13; 3 Nephi 22:13).

~The Primary theme

Objectives

Primary is an organization within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that is for the children of the Church between the ages of three and eleven. On Sundays, Primary is held for a two-hour block. Coleen K. Menlove, former Primary General President, said this about the purpose of the Primary:

In Primary, we want each child to feel welcome, feel the Spirit, and be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. We teach children about their relationship with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. We cannot teach of a loving relationship without feeling and demonstrating that same Christlike love" (Coleen K. Menlove, "Primary Is Missionary Work," Open House address, Oct. 2000).

The Church has outlined the following objectives for the Primary:

1. Teach children that they are children of God and that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love them.
2. Help children learn to love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
3. Help children prepare to be baptized, to receive the Holy Ghost, and to keep their baptismal covenants.
4. Help children grow in their understanding of the gospel plan and provide opportunities for them to live gospel principles.
5. Help boys prepare to receive the priesthood and be worthy to use this power to bless and serve others.
6. Help girls prepare to be righteous young women, understand the blessings of the priesthood and the temple, and serve others

(see Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2: Priesthood and Auxiliary Leaders [1998], 229).

History

The primary program started 128 years ago when a member of the Church, Aurelia Spencer Rogers, thought it would be good for the boys in the Church to have their own organization. The purpose was to teach them to be better men. The idea was taken to the President of the Church, John Taylor and he thought an organization would not only be good for boys, but also for the girls in the Church. Just a short time later, the first Primary met. It included 224 boys and girls who were taught obedience, faith in God, prayer, punctuality, and good manners. Today, Primary is an essential part of the Church around the world.

Sunday Primary Meetings

All of the children attend what is called "opening exercises." The children start this with a prayer, followed by a scripture, announcements, a song, and talks. At this point half of the primary is sent to classes. The classes are divided by age. From three years old to five children are in the Sunbeam class. From five to eight they are in CTR (Choose the Right) classes, and from eight to eleven they are in Valiant classes. Further divisions are made as necessary depending on how many children are in the primary. For example a primary may have a lot of children in the CTR age group. They would then divide the kids into smaller classes CTR 5 for the five year olds, CTR 6 for the six year olds, and so on.

While the older children are in class, the younger children participate in Sharing Time.

Sharing time allows children to participate in activities and to learn and sing songs that teach gospel principles. Sharing time is under the direction of the Primary presidency. This is an opportunity for the presidency to interact with the children and teach them gospel principles. One presentation a month should be a class presentation. At least half of sharing time should be used for singing (from "Sunday Primary: Sharing Time at www.lds.org)

About half way through the block of time, the older children return from classes to have sharing time, and the younger children go to class.

Classes are taught from a manual provided by the Church. All of the lessons provide a summary or purpose of the lesson, followed by preparation for the teacher, activities, discussion questions, stories, and additional activities related to the topic. Teachers are encouraged to keep the lesson focused on what is suggested in the manual, but to teach by the spirit and be aware of the children’s needs.

For More Information: Visit Introduction to Primary on the Church's official website