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Children's organization within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints

While Primary classes will differ slightly in different regions, most meetings are standardized. For the second half of primary, children are separated into age groups with names for each group (see below). Where participants, classrooms or teachers are limited, multiple age grouped classes may be taught together. In most congregations, Primary classes are co ed. Primary begins with a prayer, scripture (or Article of Faith), and a short talk, all of these given by primary children. About 20 minutes are then spent on music, primarily from the Children's Songbook. After music time, children are then sent to their individual classes where they are taught lessons from Come, Follow Me For Primary.

The names of the classes in Primary have varied over time. The following is a partial list of names that have been applied to different age groups in Primary. In January 2010, the names of the classes were changed to the age of children entering the class, i. e., 4 year olds are in the class CTR 4. Previously, names were indicative of the age children would turn the coming year, (4 year olds in CTR 5).

Primary was first organized in 1878 by Aurelia Spencer Rogers in Farmington, Utah, and adopted church wide in 1880 under the direction of Louie B. Felt, who served as the president of the organization through 1925. Rogers was concerned because younger Latter day Saint children had too much unsupervised time due to the long hours that fathers and older sons kept on the farms and mothers and older daughters in the home. In particular, Rogers felt that the younger boys in the community were becoming unruly and mischievous. With permission from church leaders and under the initial direction of General Relief Society President Eliza R. Snow, Rogers organized a Primary Association for her local Farmington congregation on August 11, 1878. Two weeks later, the first meeting was held on August 28, with 215 children in attendance. That day, boys were specifically taught not to steal fruit from orchards and girls were taught not to hang on wagons. In addition, they were given lessons on faith, manners, obedience, and other principles. May Anderson, the second general president of the Primary Association from 1925 to 1939, initiated what became Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City (now part of Intermountain Healthcare). Anderson also helped establish kindergartens in Utah. In the 1970s, as a result of the Priesthood Correlation Program, the Primary Association was renamed "Primary". Beginning in April 2021, Camille N. Johnson was the Primary General President, with Susan H. Porter as First Counselor and Amy Wright as Second Counselor. In the church's April 2022 general conference, it was announced that Johnson would become the new Relief Society General President on August 1, 2022. As a result, on that date, Porter became the new Primary General President, with Wright serving as First Counselor and Tracy Y. Browning as Second Counselor.

Presently, the worldwide Primary provides Sunday school and church related activities to approximately 1.1 million Latter day Saint children. In most congregations, optional nursery care and supervision is available for children from 18 months to age 3. Classroom instruction begins for three year olds and continues to age 12, with classes grouped by age. At the beginning of the year they turn 12, children begin to attend Sunday School and the Young Men or Young Women programs. The Primary has its own songbook, made up of original songs and hymns modified for children.

All members called to serve in a position that deals with youth or children are required to take the Church's "Protecting Children and Youth" training module which is available on the Church's website for free. Nursery and Primary leaders are required to release children only to members of their immediate families unless permission has been granted for someone else to pick the child up.