Tag Archives: Primary

Primary Time: Treating Others Kindly

One difficult but important thing to teach your children is to be accepting and loving of others, especially in Primary. This can be a difficult concept to teach, and it can be difficult to know when to begin to teach it. For example most young children do not recognize if a child has Down Syndrome, and so would not treat the child any differently than any other child. However, there may come a point when your child notices the difference or becomes uncomfortable. You do not want to point out differences that your child may not notice and draw attention … Continue reading →

Primary Time: Teaching Sunbeams

If you have been called to teach Sunbeams you have an important responsibility. The Sunbeam teacher helps the children adjust from nursery to Primary. It is important to work with the children to help them learn the proper way to act in Primary. Wards may make the adjustment differently, regarding when the Sunbeams begin coming to opening exercises and Sharing Time, so at the beginning of the year you may have the children for the entire time period. Depending on the size of the class you may need to have an assistant teacher as well. If you start out the … Continue reading →

Primary Time: September 2007 Sharing Time Theme

The sharing time theme for September is “My faith in Jesus Christ grows when I serve others.” The scripture is Mosiah 2:17: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” Since the Sacrament Program is coming up there is not a specific song that the children will learn this month. You should take the time to review all of the songs with your children. The theme is broken down into four separate points. The children will learn that Jesus taught that we should serve others. They will learn that … Continue reading →

Primary Time: Seeing Past the Disability

When it comes to Primary children and dealing with those who have special needs it can be too easy to become so caught up in dealing with the difficulties that these situations may create, that you forget to love the child as a spirit sent from Heavenly Father. The needs that you deal with in Primary could be autism, deafness, food allergies or extreme shyness. It is important o look for the child who is underneath all these extenuating circumstances. Often people are intimidated or worried about how the child is going to react or about how to best communicate … Continue reading →

Serving in the Primary: Primary Pianist

One calling that is quite important is that of Primary pianist. Although this calling may seem peripheral to the Primary organization, it really is an important calling. I have served in a Primary presidency when we had an extremely difficult time finding someone to be the pianist. If you are serving as the pianist then you should realize that your calling is essential in helping the Primary children learn the songs. It is important to practice and prepare to play the songs that the children will be singing each week. If you feel that you do not play well enough … Continue reading →

Primary Time: Assigning Talks

Children need to be given the chance to speak in Primary. These talks help the children become comfortable speaking in front of others. It really can prepare them for giving talks in Sacrament meeting and teaching lessons at church. One of the key points of having successful talks, prayers and scripture sharing is good communication with the parents. Here are a few tips to make it work better. 1) There are several different ways to assign talks. You may assign them on a rotating basis or you may have the names drawn out of a hat. You may assign a … Continue reading →

Primary Time: August 2007 Sharing Time Theme

The Sharing Time theme for August is “My Faith in Jesus Christ grows when I listen to the Holy Ghost.” The scripture is Doctrine and Covenants 42:17: “For, behold, the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father and the Son.” The song for the month is “Listen, Listen” p 107 Children’s Songbook. The theme is broken into four major points. The first is that the Holy Ghost bears witness to you as you gain your testimony. The second talks about living worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The third teaches the children to recognize … Continue reading →

Serving in the Primary: Primary Chorister

It is amazing how important it is to have a good Primary chorister. Many may brush aside this calling, as something that is secondary or others may think that the chorister only teaches songs. The Primary chorister really brings the music to life for the children. The chorister will help the children learn songs that teach gospel principles. These songs may come to mind when the children are struggling with something in their lives. Here are four tips on being a successful Primary chorister. 1) Be there each week. This makes a huge difference to the children. If they know … Continue reading →

Primary Time: Including Everyone

It is important that every child in Primary has a positive experience in Primary. They should be accepted and loved for who they are. It is important that as teachers and leaders that we treat the children fairly. It is also equally important to have the children treat each other with love and respect. We do not want any negative feelings to come as a result of experiences in Primary. Here are five tips to help children feel loved and accepted. 1) Take the time to learn every child’s name. This is really important. Children know if you do not … Continue reading →

Primary Time: July Theme “My Family Can Follow Jesus Christ in Faith”

The Sharing Time theme for July is “My family can follow Jesus Christ in faith.” The scripture is taken from the family proclamation: “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The theme focuses on learning about righteous families from the scriptures. It also points out that you can learn from the example of the first member of your family to join the church. The theme also focuses on the importance of honoring your parents. Finally the theme emphasizes the importance of family home evening, scripture study and … Continue reading →