I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I currently serve in primary. I’ve actually been in primary for several different callings for almost 8 years. And one thing I’ve gotten to help with the last few years is writing the primary program. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of being in primary.
Writing the program can feel kind of daunting, especially knowing where to start. So today, I’m sharing a free primary program for the 2024 Book of Mormon year. And don’t worry, it is easy to fit your primary no matter how big or small.
I’ll share the program down below, but keep reading for some insight into how I write the program, and how you can easily customize this for your primary.
Before You Download
Okay, I know you’re excited to download this program and get to work customizing it for your own primary. But give me just a few minutes of your time to explain how this program has been written. Otherwise, you might be a bit confused when you open this up.
All About The Blocks
You’ll notice in the program that I have it separated into blocks. Each block is a different topic or story from the Book of Mormon. For example, Block 1 theme is “I will go, I will do.” Block 2 is focused on the tree of life vision. And Block 3 is all about baptism.
Each block might include:
- 1-2 short talks. These are for the older children. I ask them to prepare a 1-2 minute talk. When you send out the talk assignments, you could also included a scripture/song/general conference talk reference to get them started.
- Speaking Part. Not every block has a speaking part, but these are great for the middle age range, or if you have primary children that aren’t comfortable writing and sharing their own talk. If you want to add in a few speaking parts, but aren’t sure what to add, include a couple short scriptures for them to read!
- Fill In The Blank talks. These are for the younger kids. They are something along the lines of “I can be like Jesus by ____.” I would assign this to 4-5 sunbeam or CTR 4/5/6 kids per block. These are my absolute favorite part of the program. The little ones share the sweetest testimonies, and funniest messages in these.
- Song. I know every primary is learning different songs, so for most of the blocks, I added multiple song suggestions. I included a link to each song, and if it’s in the Children’s Songbook, I included the page number. I know lots of primaries like to stick with the songbook, but I’m telling you, there are some incredible songs out now that you can incorporate (with your bishops approval). And honestly, I didn’t even scratch the surface of songs. If you don’t feel like a songs fits to your liking, there are sooo many songs you can choose from. The song goes with whatever the block topic is. I like to have the talks and speaking assignments first, then sing the song at the end of the block. But you could easily move the song to the beginning of the block if you prefer.
There are a lot of blocks, and you won’t be able to get through them all. Be prayerful and choose the topics that best fit your primary. I like to have a block focused on baptism each year so our baptism aged kids have a chance to share something about their baptism or upcoming baptism. There are several topics that I didn’t make a block for, but you could follow the same block format to make your own. If I remember correctly, we have maybe 6-8 blocks per year.
So How Do I Customize This For My Own Primary?
First of all, this program is meant to be customized. It is not made to be ready to go immediately. You will still need to pick songs, choose who speaks. And for some of the blocks, you might need to take out talks, or add in talks. But this is meant to be the perfect starting point for you. This is a good thing! I know a grab and go program would be really nice. But this customizable program will let your kids testimonies shine through.
When you open the Google Doc, you will not be able to make edits to the document. In the upper left hand corner (on a computer) or the 3 dots in the upper right hand corner (on a phone), you will Select File – Make A Copy. Once you have made your own copy, you will be able to share with your presidency.
I wrote this with the primary kids in my ward in mind. And your primary isn’t exactly like ours. This is yours to edit! Change what you need. Add what you need. Take out blocks, add blocks. Reword talks, or move them around. Be prayerful, and I’m sure you and your presidency will know what to do.
For More Help Preparing
If you are still feeling a little stuck or overwhelmed preparing, check out this post with a few tips on how we prepare. You can also comment below, email me or send me a message on Instagram.
Time To Download
Okay, okay. I’m done talking at you. Click the button below to download your 2024 Primary Program.
Enjoy! Honestly, this program was a BIG project. I think knowing I was going to share this on the blog made me more of a perfectionist about it. But I’m so happy with how it turned out. Please reach out after your primary program to let me know how it went! I can’t wait to hear all about them!
Thank you, Thank you very much!1 That was very helpful as we kind a struggling a bit with kids parts this year.