How to Write an Primary Talk in 6 Easy Steps

If you have kids, you’ve all been in the awesome situation of being reminded on a hectic Sunday Morning that your child has been assigned to give a talk in Primary.

What do you do?

 

Perhaps you grab the latest edition of the Friend, and frantically skim through the pages to find a feel-good story that will make little Johnny or Julie look like a hero. Or maybe you go to pull your hair out in frustration that you once again had no idea they had to give a talk and you still have to help do the girls’ hair and get dressed yourself.

Don’t worry.

Following these 6 Easy Steps to Write a Primary Talk will help you guide your child along to getting a talk written, and it is a fool-proof method that is sure to teach doctrine and not cause an ulcer for the Primary President.

6 Easy Steps to Write an LDS Primary Talk

I like to use the acronym TESQTI to help me remember all the elements that make up a good talk. Let’s break down what each part means.

Step 1 – T for Topic

This first step is simple, just mention the topic by giving a definition. If you are giving a talk on faith, go to True to the Faith and look up the topic “Faith” and find the spot where it defines what it is. In this case, it says one paragraph down:

Faith is a principle of action and power. Whenever you work toward a worthy goal, you exercise faith. You show your hope for something that you cannot yet see.

There you go. You’ve presented your topic.

Some things to avoid in this first step are saying, “I was asked to give a talk on…”, or “In the Webster’s Dictionary, faith is defined as…”. There’s no need to say it that way because we’ll let everyone else do that. Let’s be different.

Step 2 – E for Example/Story

For the sake of the acronym, I like to share an example or story next. This can be where I summarize a story from the scriptures or relate a story from your life or perhaps something you found in the Friend.

As an example, you could talk about an experience you had with faith – perhaps when little Johnny lost his pillow and prayed to find it, and then he got up from his knees and searched the whole house until he remembered it was left in the car.

Examples and stories are powerful. It might be the only thing anyone remembers. As your children have experiences in life, write them down so you have them available for lots of reasons, but having them handy for an LDS Primary Talk is a great reason too.

Step 3 – S for Scripture

This is such an important step in ensuring we teach the pure doctrine and it will also help bring the Holy Ghost.

A great resource to find a scripture is the Topical Guide, or as my daughter likes to call it, the Tropical Guide. 🙂 To continue with this example, just search for faith and then skim through the list of scriptures until you find one that fits.

I’ll choose one at the top of the list, Habakkuk 2:4 – Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

Step 4 – Q for Quote

This is one of my favorite steps because sharing a quote is often the “ah ha” moment. Maybe not always for kids in primary, but it gets them looking at gospel principles from different perspectives.

One way to search for a quote is to type in Google “LDS quotes on…”. Again, for purposes of this example, we would search “LDS quotes on faith.”

You’ll get lots of articles and pictures memes will cool quotes. Just pick one of these, and feel free to share quotes from non-LDS sources because I feel like it helps kids to realize that truth is everywhere and we can see good in all people.

Here is one quote that I found while searching on Google:

We must live by faith and not by fear.

Step 5 – T for Testimony

Have little Johnny share what he knows or feels about the principle he is teaching. It can be as simple as saying, “I know that faith is important for us.” Sharing testimony allows for the Spirit to testify of pure doctrinal truths.

The shorter the testimony, the easier it is for the Spirit to testify. Don’t feel like this needs to be a talk in and of itself. Have your child keep this short, one to two sentences is best.

Step 6 – I for Invite

Of all the steps, this is the one that is most often neglected.

The purpose of giving talks in church is to teach pure doctrine, which will bring the Spirit so that we can extend an invitation to those in the congregation so they will commit to living more Christlike lives.

“I invite each one of you to read from the Book of Mormon in Ether 12 to learn more about what faith is.”

That was an actionable invitation, something a primary child could do to gain further knowledge or to act on the knowledge they have already been given.

Another example would be, “I invite you to ask in faith next time you pray, knowing the God will answer your prayer.”

Kids learn the gospel and gain their own witness of true principles as they take action.

Wrapping It Up

There you have it, now you know how to guide your child in writing an LDS Primary Talk in less than 10 minutes. I’ll list the steps again, using the acronym TESQTI:

1. Topic – briefly explain what the topic is
2. Example/Story – share an example or story that illustrates the topic
3. Scripture – share a scripture
4. Quote – find a quote that fits in line with the gospel principle
5. Testimony – have your child bear their testimony
6. Invite – extend an invitation to those listening

The great thing about this list is that adults can even use this for talks that are given in Sacrament meeting. Since your talk will most likely need to be a tad bit longer, you just want to add a couple of stories, multiple scriptures and quotes, and perhaps even a few invitations.

As you follow these 6 Easy Steps to Help Write a Primary Talk, I promise that you will be helping your child bring the Spirit into Primary and you will be teaching them an important skill that will bless them for the rest of their life.

 

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