I Lived with Heavenly Father Before I Came to Earth.
- We lived as spirit children of God in a premortal existence.
- God is the father of the spirits of all mankind (see Hebrews 12:9; D&C 76:24; Acts 17:29; Romans 8:16).
- Our spirit bodies are in the form of God’s physical body (see D&C 77:2; Ether 3:6–16).
God is the Father of our spirits.
We are literally His children, and He loves us. We lived as spirit children of our Father in Heaven before we were born on this earth.
Children of God Scriptures
Doctrine and Covenants 93:23, 29, 38
Invite the children to repeat the phrase “We are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29), and explain that offspring means children. Bear your testimony to each child, one by one, that he or she is a child of God. Invite them to share how they feel about their Heavenly Father.
- Print one of the below image for each child and have them write their name on the line in the sentence and then draw a picture of themself
Heavenly Father is the father of our spirits, so we can grow to be like him. Heavenly Father is loving, good, and kind. When we are loving, good, and kind, we are being like Heavenly Father.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine & Covenants 93”The Savior emphasized three times in section 93 that we lived with God “in the beginning” (verses 23, 29, 38). Why might He want us to know this? How might knowing this truth bless the children you teach?
- Repeat together with the children the words “Ye were also in the beginning with the Father” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:23). Explain that before we were born on earth, we lived with Heavenly Father in heaven. Sing together “I Am a Child of God” or “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook,2–3, 4).
- Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the premortal life. Bear your testimony that God loves all of us and that we are all His children.
- Read Doctrine and Covenants 93:23, 29, 38 together, and invite the children to look for a truth about themselves that is repeated in these verses. Ask the children to share anything they know about our life with Heavenly Father before we were born. Give each child one of the following scripture references, and help them find something these scriptures teach about life before we came to earth: Jeremiah 1:5; Doctrine and Covenants 138:53–56; Moses 3:5; Abraham 3:22–26.
- Sing together “I Am a Child of God” or “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, 2–3, 4). What truths do we learn from this song about our purpose for coming to earth?
Friend August 2021 “Scripture Time Fun” Reminder Rocks
- Sing “I Am a Child of God” (Children’s Songbook, 2–3).
- We lived with Heavenly Father before we came to earth (see Doctrine and Covenants 93:23). We are all His children.
- Find some smooth rocks and write “You are a child of God” on them with paint or markers. Then give each rock to a friend, family member, or someone you think could use a reminder.
Heavenly Father knew me before I was born.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20” Because we lived with God before we came to earth, He knows us, even if we can’t remember Him. How will you help the children you teach understand this important truth?
- Read to the children Jeremiah 1:5, and explain that God knew the prophet Jeremiah before he was born. Tell each child, individually, that Heavenly Father also knew him or her before he or she was born and that He sent each of us here for a purpose.
We lived in Heaven: Explain that before we were born on earth we lived in heaven with Heavenly Father.
We were spirits there. A spirit is what is inside of us that makes us alive. When we were spirits, we didn’t have flesh and bones like our bodies have now, but we looked the same.
- Show the children a picture of a baby, and ask the children if they know where this baby lived before he or she was born. Sing together a song that teaches about our premortal life with God, such as “I Am a Child of God” or “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, 2–3, 4). Talk about the spiritual feelings the song brings. Bear your testimony that we all once lived with Heavenly Father and that He sent us here to earth.
- If there is a new baby in the ward, invite the parents to bring him or her to class and share their feelings about welcoming this child into the world. (You could also show a picture of a newborn baby.) Talk with the children about where this baby’s spirit was before he or she came to earth.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20”
You could use this verse to talk about our life with Heavenly Father before we were born. Resources like “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, 4) and “Introduction: Our Heavenly Father’s Plan” (in New Testament Stories, 1–5) could help. How can knowing about our premortal life affect the way we live our mortal life?
We Are All Children of God.
President Dallin H. Oaks said that if we teach “a young person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God,” we can give him or her the “self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life” (“Powerful Ideas,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 25).
We lived in Heaven: (Click on the below picture. Print the picture, or show it on an electronic device.) Explain that before we were born on earth we lived in heaven with Heavenly Father.
We were spirits there. A spirit is what is inside of us that makes us alive. When we were spirits, we didn’t have flesh and bones like our bodies have now, but we looked the same.
Explain that Heavenly Father is the father of our spirits, and we are his spirit children
- To help the children understand their potential to become like God, find ways to show them that baby animals grow to become like their parents—perhaps the children could match pictures of animals with pictures of the animals’ babies. Open the scriptures to Doctrine and Covenants 76:24, and tell the children that we are all “sons and daughters unto God.” Bear your testimony that God is our Father and that we can grow to be like our Heavenly Parents.
We can be like Heavenly Father
(Print and cut out these images pdf.) Use the following questions with the images. They could also be made into a matching game.
- What is a baby dog called?
- What will that puppy grow up to be?
- What is a baby chicken called?
- What will that chick grow up to be?
Explain that just as animals grow up to be like their parents, we will grow up to be like our parents.
Friend January 2017 “Kylie’s Parents” Kylie is like her earthly parents, and she is also like her Heavenly Parents. PDF version
Heavenly Father is the father of our spirits, so we can grow to be like him. Heavenly Father is loving, good, and kind. When we are loving, good, and kind, we are being like Heavenly Father. We should try to become more like Heavenly Father every day.
Have children tell or act out ways they can be loving, good, or kind.
- Sing together “I Am a Child of God” (Children’s Songbook,2–3), and invite the children to point to themselves when they sing “I.” Ask them to sing the song again, replacing “I am” with “you are” and pointing to someone else in the class.
Explain that God is another name for Heavenly Father.
(The below visuals are from the Nursery Manual. Also see lds.org for the music)
Heavenly Father Presented the Plan of Salvation
Council in Heaven
God the Father provided the plan of salvation by which His spirit children could eventually become like Him.
“Sharing Time: I Shouted for Joy!” (February 1999 Friend)
“Hurray!” we cried. “Hurray!” We shouted for joy! Have you ever been so happy in a meeting that you wanted to shout for joy? Did you know that you attended a very big meeting before you were born? It was called the Council in Heaven. All of Heavenly Father’s spirit children were there. Jesus Christ was there, and each one of us was there. Jesus was Heavenly Father’s Firstborn Son in the spirit world. We are also His spirit children. We lived with Heavenly Father and Jesus in heaven before we were born on this earth.
In the Council in Heaven, Heavenly Father told us about His wonderful plan. We call it the plan of salvation or the great plan of happiness. As part of this plan, Jesus, under the direction of Heavenly Father, would create a beautiful earth for us. Heavenly Father wanted each of His children to come to earth and receive a body. We had learned as much as we could in the spirit world. With a body and with the gift of agency (freedom to choose right or wrong) we could prove to Heavenly Father that we wanted more than anything else to keep His commandments and return to live with Him again. We were excited to be able to come to earth. [We had progressed as far as we could without a physical body.]
Jesus Christ was chosen and foreordained to come to earth to perform the atoning sacrifice
s 1 Peter 1:19–20; Moses 4:2; Revelation 13:8; Abraham 3:27).
But there was a problem. Heavenly Father knew that when we became mortal and had bodies, we could get sick and die. We would make mistakes and could be tempted. We could sin, and no one who is sinning can live with Him. Heavenly Father knew that someone would have to pay the price for our sins so that we could be clean again and free from sin. We would need a savior who would give his own life in payment for our sins. Heavenly Father asked, “Whom shall I send?” Jesus said, “Here am I, send me.” Jesus said that He would do whatever Heavenly Father wanted Him to do to help us. There was another spirit person there who wanted to take away our agency and force us all to follow him. That was Lucifer, or Satan. He didn’t want to follow Heavenly Father’s plan—he wanted his own plan. Heavenly Father said, “I will send the first.” (See Abr. 3:24–27.)
When we heard that Jesus would be our Savior, we were so grateful and so happy that we shouted for joy. All the prophets from Adam’s time onward knew that Jesus would come and be our Savior. All the prophets who have lived since Jesus’ birth testify that He did come and that He is the Christ. The Apostle John, who knew Jesus personally, declared “We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:69). When we read that scripture, our faith can grow. Once again, we feel like shouting for joy!
- Poem: “I Shouted for Joy” (March 2008 Friend)
- On the board, draw a heart with the word Satan and a sad face inside it. Explain that Satan said in his heart, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13), which means that he wanted to be better than Heavenly Father. Invite a child to draw another heart, this one with the word Jesus and a happy face inside it. Help the children understand that Jesus wanted to do what Heavenly Father asked Him to do (see Moses 4:1–2). How can we follow Jesus’s example?
There was a war in heaven.
Lucifer, a spirit in authority in the presence of God, sought the glory and honor of God and the elimination of the agency of the children of God
Moses 4:1–3; D&C 76:25–28; Isaiah 14:12–14).
Lucifer’s rebellion against God caused a war in heaven
Revelation 12:7; D&C 76:25–29).
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Isaiah 13–14; 24–30; 35” Before the world was created, Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior. Isaiah 14:12–14 describes the pride that Satan showed in the premortal Council in Heaven.
- Use “Introduction: Our Heavenly Father’s Plan” (in New Testament Stories, 1–3) or the song “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, 4) to tell the children about the War in Heaven before we were born. (As you do, include phrases from Isaiah 14:12–14 that describe Satan.) Then invite the children to take turns telling the story back to you. Emphasize that Jesus Christ followed Heavenly Father’s plan and became our Savior.
New Testament Stories “Introduction to Our Heavenly Father’s Plan” Images and video
One-third of the spirits were cast out of heaven because they chose not to keep their first estate
Abraham 3:27–28; D&C 29:36–38; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 12:8–9).
- All who kept their “first estate” (premortal life) were promised that they would “be added upon” (which includes receiving mortal bodies). All who keep their second estate will have “glory added upon their heads for ever and ever” (Abraham 3:26).
Friend January 2010 “Jehovah and the Wonderful Plan of Our Heavenly Father”
- We loved Heavenly Father. And He loved us so much that He wanted us to grow up to be like Him and live with Him forever. He wanted us to know everything He knew. But how could we learn all that?
- Heavenly Father had a wonderful plan. He gathered us all together and told us about His plan. He would create a beautiful world with rivers, mountains, flowers, and animals. Then He would give each of us a chance to come to earth and have a physical body. We would be able to hold warm sand in our hands and feel soft grass under our feet.
- You would depart from the arms of yourFather, pass through a veil of forgetfulness, receive a mortal body, and learn and experience things that hopefully would help you grow to become more like Father in Heaven]“Back to Your Heavenly Home” (April 2015 Friend)
- On earth we would have families. They could feed, protect, and love us.
- On earth we wouldn’t be able to remember Heavenly Father, so we would need to learn about Him. The scriptures, the prophets, and our parents could teach us about Him. We would be tempted to disobey, and sometimes we would make mistakes. Sometimes we would get sick, and eventually we would all have to die.
- Jehovah was the firstborn of Heavenly Father’s children. He always obeyed His Father. He was like Heavenly Father. He accepted Heavenly Father’s plan. One of the other spirit children of our Heavenly Father, Lucifer, rebelled against the plan. He said we shouldn’t be able to choose between right and wrong.
- Heavenly Father said that for His plan to work, someone needed to go to earth to help us learn how to get back to heaven.
- Someone needed to show us how to follow Heavenly Father. Who was obedient enough to do it?
- Someone needed to atone for our sins so we could repent when we made mistakes. Who was good enough to do it?
- Someone needed to die and be resurrected so we could all be resurrected and return to heaven. Who was brave enough and loving enough to do it?
- Was anyone willing to do all this for us?
- One person was. Our oldest brother, Jehovah, said, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).
- How we loved Him for that.
- When Jehovah came to earth, He was our Savior. He was called Jesus Christ.
- God’s whole purpose—His work and His glory—is to enable each of us to enjoy all His blessings. He has provided a perfect plan to accomplish His purpose. We understood and accepted this plan before we came to the earth. In the scriptures God’s plan is called a merciful plan, the plan of happiness, the plan of redemption, and the plan of salvation.
- Our instruction and preparation for earth life began in the world of spirits (see D&C 138:56).
- God gave us agency in the premortal life (see Moses 4:3; D&C 29:36).
- Sing songs about God’s plan for us, such as “I Know My Father Lives” or “I Will Follow God’s Plan” (Children’s Songbook, 5, 164–65). Invite the children to draw pictures that go with the words. Let them use their pictures to teach each other truths from the songs.
I showed faith in Jesus Christ in the premortal life.(Jr)
To help the children understand what it means to follow someone’s example, choose one child to be a “leader,” and ask the others to follow him or her by doing whatever he or she does. Then let other children be the leader. Read Revelation 12:7–11 to the children and explain that before we were born, we chose to follow Jesus and not Satan.(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 6–14”)
Sing together a song about the premortal life, such as “I Lived in Heaven” or “I Will Follow God’s Plan” (Children’s Songbook, 4, 164–65). Ask questions like, “What happened in heaven before we were born?” and “What did we choose to do?” (See also “Introduction: Our Heavenly Father’s Plan” in New Testament Stories, 1–5, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 6–14”)
I showed faith in Jesus Christ in the premortal life.(Sr)
Read together Revelation 12:7–11, and write on the board the words dragon, War in Heaven, cast out, testimony, and Lamb. Ask the children to summarize these verses using the words on the board. What do we learn about Jesus Christ (the Lamb) from these verses? What do we learn about the choices we made in the premortal life?(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 6–14”)
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 6–14”vWhat might the phrase “the word of their testimony” mean? How do our testimonies of Jesus Christ help us and others overcome Satan?
Some family members might enjoy drawing pictures of the visions described in Revelation. For example, drawing pictures based on Revelation 12 could lead to discussions about the War in Heaven (see verses 7–11). Pictures based on Revelation 14:6 could lead to discussions about the Restoration of the gospel.
After reading Revelation 14:6 together, consider showing pictures of the angel Moroni and of other angels who helped restore the gospel in our day (see the pictures at the end of this outline). Perhaps family members could take turns holding up one of the pictures and sharing reasons they are thankful that angels came “having the everlasting gospel to preach unto [us].”
On the board, create three columns and label them Before this life, During this life, and Both. Prepare strips of paper that state truths about the premortal life and about mortal life, such as We have bodies, We don’t have bodies, We live in God’s presence, We are at war with Satan, We exercise faith in Jesus Christ, and We follow God’s plan. Let the children take turns picking a paper strip and deciding which column it belongs in. Share your confidence that the children can continue to show faith in Christ.(Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 “Revelation 6–14”)
The Creation
- 1 Nephi 17:36
- Alma 30:44
- Doctrine and Covenants 88:41–47
- Moses 2:1
- Moses 6:63
- Abraham 3:24–25
- JST, John 1:1–3
- 2 Corinthians 5:6–7
The Earth was Created so We Could Become Like Our Heavenly Father
Jesus Christ Created the Earth Under the Direction of Heavenly Father.
Preach My Gospel “Plan of Salvation” Under the direction of the Father, Jesus Christ created the earth as a place for us to live and gain experience. In order to progress and become like God, each of us had to obtain a body and be tested during a time of probation on the earth. While on the earth we are out of God’s physical presence. We do not remember our premortal life. We must walk by faith rather than by sight.
Many became noble and great in the premortal world (see Abraham 3:22–25; Jeremiah 1:4–6; Alma 13:3–5).
