Primary

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 gave a talk in which the purpose of primary was clearly stated, “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.”

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 firs Primary met. It included 224 boys and girls, and records of the Church show that they met “to be taught obedience, faith in God, prayer, punctuality, and good manners.” Now Primary is an essential part of the Church around the world.

All of the children attend 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 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.” 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 encourage to keep the lesson focused on what is suggested in the manual, but teach by the spirit and be aware of the children’s needs.

Other Links: http://www.lds.org/pa/display/0,17884,4695-1,00.html Church Publication Search http://lds.about.com/od/ldsprimary/