Father-son-outdoors-laughing
A father and son spend time together outdoors. The Primary General Presidency recently announced new resources for parents and Primary leaders to help children and youth understand the blessings and privileges of making and keeping sacred covenants.2022 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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By Sydney Walker, Church News
How can parents and Primary leaders better prepare children for baptism and confirmation? Teach them about the importance of the sacrament? Help them understand priesthood power and the blessings of the temple?
The Primary General Presidency recently announced two new resources for parents and Primary leaders to help children and youth understand the blessings of making and keeping covenants.
For Primary teachers, “Preparing Children for a Lifetime on God’s Covenant Path” is a series of learning activities that can be used on fifth Sundays starting in 2023. It can be found in the appendix of the “Come, Follow Me — For Primary” New Testament 2023 manual.
For parents, “Preparing Your Children for a Lifetime on God’s Covenant Path” is a series of discussion guides for talking about covenants in normal and natural ways. It can be found in the appendix of the “Come, Follow Me — For Individuals and Families” New Testament 2023 manual.
Primary General President Susan H. Porter said, “Our hope is that with the help of parents and Primary teachers, children will come to understand and want to live the covenants they make with their Heavenly Father when they are baptized — and look forward to walking the covenant path with the Savior throughout their lives.”
Primary-General-Presidency
The Primary General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Sister Amy A. Wright, first counselor, left; President Susan H. Porter, center; and Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor.2022 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning Activities for Primary Teachers
In months that have five Sundays, Primary teachers have the option to replace the scheduled “Come, Follow Me” outline on the fifth Sunday with one or more of the covenant path learning activities.
“Preparing Children for a Lifetime on God’s Covenant Path” for Primary teachers includes sections on the following topics:
- Principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- The sacrament
- Priesthood power, authority and keys
- The temple and the plan of happiness
President Porter said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for Primary teachers to choose from the material what would be most appropriate for their age group or what their class is preparing for.”
For example, one idea to help children learn about priesthood power, authority and keys is to invite them to think of something that needs a key to open, such as a car or a door, and discuss what happens if they don’t have the key. Read together Doctrine and Covenants 65:2 and share testimony of the importance of priesthood keys.
“These resources can help our children understand what President [Russell M.] Nelson has been teaching the adults about priesthood power through covenants — this even applies to children when they are baptized,” President Porter said.
Primary-children-listen
Children listen during Primary. In months that have five Sundays, Primary teachers now have the option to replace the scheduled “Come, Follow Me” outline on the fifth Sunday with one or more of the covenant path learning activities.2022 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Discussion Guides for Parents
“Preparing Your Children for a Lifetime on God’s Covenant Path” for parents includes the following topics:
- Baptism and confirmation
- Teaching your children about the priesthood
- Going to the temple — baptisms and confirmations for the dead
- Receiving a patriarchal blessing
- Going to the temple — the endowment
- Serving a mission
- Going to the temple — sealing
Sister Amy A. Wright, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency said: “This is a resource to empower and support families in their sacred stewardship to prepare children for their journey on the covenant path. It invites them to engage and teach their children in normal and natural ways, in conversations and activities they’re already doing as a family.”
For example, one idea to prepare children and youth to serve a mission is to help them become comfortable talking to people. Ask, “What are some good ways to start a conversation?” Encourage them to learn how to listen to what others say, understand what is in their hearts and share truths of the gospel that could bless their lives.
Sister Wright said this discussion guide can also be a resource for ministering brothers and sisters assigned to families who have children preparing for baptism or families preparing to be sealed in the temple.
“It can be customized to each family’s needs and where they are along the covenant path, and I think that’s the beauty of it,” she said. “It’s a conversation starter and it gives them the confidence to move forward.”
Mother-son-temple
A mother and her son sit in front of the temple. The Primary General Presidency recently announced two new resources for parents and Primary leaders to help children and youth understand the blessings of making and keeping covenants.2022 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
What Does Using This Guide Look Like?
While Sister Tracy Y. Browning, Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, recently read through the new discussion guide for parents about the covenant path, she felt prompted to talk to her 16-year-old son about one of the topics: receiving a patriarchal blessing.
The discussion guide includes simple suggestions for helping children and youth understand the significance of patriarchal blessings and prepare to receive one.
“It was such a sweet conversation,” Sister Browning said of talking with her son about patriarchal blessings. “One of the things that struck me was when he said, ‘You know, I’ve been hearing a lot about that recently and I’ve been thinking about it as well.’ …
“As a parent, having the resources that allowed me to figure out how to have that conversation in natural ways in my home was such a blessing. … This resource can really be helpful to anyone who is looking to find the language for those conversations.”
Resources ‘for Everyone’
Sister Browning said each of the topics in the discussion guide for parents and the learning activities for Primary teachers “speak to a joyful connection to our Savior Jesus Christ.”
“I hope that as families and leaders go through these resources that they can see and understand that living our covenants, and walking along the covenant path with our Savior, is one that brings joy — joy that we’re not going to find anywhere else,” Sister Browning said.
“These resources are for everyone,” President Porter added. “I love reminders about the covenants I made at baptism, and it informs how I partake of the sacrament. We have a wonderful Church of converts — we’re all converts — and we can all be reminded of these beautiful covenants with Heavenly Father that point us to Jesus Christ.
“President Nelson has promised us that if we keep those covenants, we can access the power of Jesus Christ in our lives. So I think all of us and any of us can profit from these discussions.”
President Porter posted a video on social media on Friday, October 28, introducing these resources and how to find them.
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