Nursery
Mormon Primary Nursery is a program run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for children ages 18 months to three years of age. The children participate in this class while their parents attend classes, but it is not held during Sacrament Meeting, the basic Sunday worship service. Children attend that meeting with their parents.
The lesson manual for the nursery class states that:
- ...“the purpose of the nursery class is to help children learn the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and live it. The nursery class should help the children increase their understanding of and love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, have positive experiences in a church setting, and grow in feelings of self-worth.”
The nursery is staffed by at least two adults who are the same gender unless they are married. Nursery must be held in rooms designed for that purpose and which meet specific safety standards, including special windows, child-safe door handles, and locked closets.
The nursery is considered to be an actual class, not a babysitting service. Teachers set a schedule for the hour and forty minutes the children attend. The schedule includes a lesson on a religious topic, music time, coloring or crafts, a snack, group games, and free play. Teachers arrange the schedule according to the needs of their students.
Teachers use a lesson manual, Behold Your Little Ones, to prepare the lessons. Lessons are repeated often so the children learn the material well and activities and songs learned in a lesson are repeated throughout future weeks. This manual has a variety of options for teaching each topic, and teachers select those best suited to their students. Each lesson includes full-color illustrations and a coloring page.
Children are encouraged to sit quietly during lessons, and to participate in the structured activities, but are not required to do so. Children sometimes choose to wander during lessons under the supervision of the assistant teacher. The teacher will often encourage the child to return by inviting him to look at a picture or to help with an activity.
Lesson topics feature scripture stories from the Bible and the Book of Mormon and discuss topics that are meaningful to toddlers. Following are several lessons taught:
- I am a Child of God.
- I Can Pray to Heavenly Father.
- Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Love Me.
- Jesus Christ Showed Us How to Love Others.
- I Love the Scriptures
For More Information
- “The Nursery: Where Children Come First,” (Ensign, Dec. 1980, 62)
