“Life Preparation Lessons Training,” Seminary Curriculum Training (2025)

Life Preparation Lessons Training

Overview

Watch the video “A Teacher’s Guide to Life Preparation Lessons,” looking for what Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Seventy and Brother Chad H Webb wanted teachers to know about these lessons shortly after they were announced.

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Life Preparation lessons help students:

Apply principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to questions and life situations.
Demonstrate the ability to use the scriptures to receive help and inspiration.
Receive strength from the Lord to make inspired choices.
Build self-reliance in the Lord’s way.
Apply principles and skills to be more physically and emotionally healthy.
Understand the importance of lifelong temporal and spiritual education and create a plan for future education and employment.
Apply skills to succeed in school.
Feel an increased desire to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.
Feel an increased desire to make covenants with God in the temple.
Apply the teachings of Church leaders to their lives.

These lessons will help address the challenges youth face by helping teachers focus on Jesus Christ, teach the doctrine, and invite diligent learning in a way that is Spirit directed. Along with the Scripture Course lessons, Life Preparation lessons can help deepen students’ conversion to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.

Life Preparation Lessons and the Objective

In this training, you will have the opportunity to explore how Life Preparation lessons are designed to accomplish the S&I objective, just like Scripture Course lessons. Each Life Preparation lesson was written according to the following standards in the “Teach” paragraph of the S&I objective:

We center each learning experience on Jesus Christ and His example, attributes, and redeeming power. We help students learn the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as found in the scriptures and words of the prophets. We help students fulfill their role in learning for themselves. We strive to invite the Holy Ghost to fulfill His role in each learning experience.

Life Preparation Lessons Help Accomplish the S&I Objective

Define

As you prepare lessons, including the Life Preparation lessons, it can be helpful to look for how the lesson accomplishes each of the sentences from the “Teach” paragraph of the objective.

Model

Below are two selections from the Life Preparation lessons for 2025. The first one is a Physical and Emotional Health lesson titled “Developing Healthy Thinking Patterns.” The second is a Succeeding in School lesson titled “Discovering Your Strengths and Abilities.” Look for how these learning activities, which focus on very different topics, are designed to accomplish the S&I objective.

Lesson 186: Developing Healthy Thinking Patterns

Focus on Jesus Christ: Here are some examples from this lesson that help center the learning experience on Jesus Christ. Notice how in these instances, students are asked to seek the Savior’s help and learn from His example and teachings.

You might share with students that they will practice inviting the Savior’s help to correct inaccurate or unhealthy thoughts.
What do you think it means to look to the Savior in our thoughts? (Some examples include the following: pondering how the Savior may act in situations we face, looking for how His teachings may apply to the situation, and remembering His love.)

Teach the Doctrine: Here are some examples from this lesson that help students learn doctrine from the scriptures and the words of the prophets. Notice that students are given opportunities to study the scriptures and that the words of President Russell M. Nelson may help students understand this scripture.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 6:36, looking for what the Lord invites us to do.
Speaking about this scripture, President Nelson taught: “Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and His gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought. But when we do, our doubts and fears flee” (Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 41).

Invite Diligent Learning: Here are some examples from this lesson that help students fulfill their role in learning for themselves. Notice that students are invited to recognize their own needs to motivate them to engage in the learning experience. Students are also invited to share their own, unique thoughts and ideas.

Invite students to ponder how often they take notice of their own thinking patterns and whether those patterns tend to be helpful or accurate.
What impresses you from President Nelson’s statement?

Teach by the Spirit: Here is an example of a way the lesson can help teachers invite the Holy Ghost to fulfill His role in the learning experience. Teachers are encouraged to be deliberate about inviting students to seek guidance from the Holy Ghost. Invitations like this can help students in their efforts to receive inspiration from the Holy Ghost in their learning.

Invite students to seek guidance through the Holy Ghost to better understand their own patterns of thinking, particularly when responding to challenging situations.

Lesson 193: Discovering Your Strengths and Abilities

Focus on Jesus Christ: Here are some examples from this lesson that help center the learning experience on Jesus Christ. Notice how the bolded truths in this lesson are connected to Christ and invite students to turn to Him for help. Students are also reminded of their divine identity and that the strengths and abilities they have are manifestations of God’s love and mercy.

Students may point out truths similar to the following: The Lord does not look upon the outward appearance but upon the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7). We can do all things through Jesus Christ, who can strengthen us (see Philippians 4:13; Alma 26:12). The worth of our souls is great in the sight of God (see Doctrine and Covenants 18:10).
Remind students that as children of God who are created in His image, each of us is blessed with different strengths and abilities. There may be students who have a difficult time recognizing the strengths and abilities God has blessed them with.

Teach the Doctrine: Here are some examples from this lesson that help students learn doctrine from the scriptures and the words of the prophets. Notice that the scriptures students will study are purposely selected to turn students to Jesus Christ for His help. Students then have an opportunity to study counsel from an Apostle about how to discover some of their God-given gifts.

Study a few of the following passages, looking for eternal truths that could help us recognize our ability to achieve our potential through Jesus Christ. 1 Samuel 16:7; Philippians 4:13; Jacob 4:7; Alma 26:12; Doctrine and Covenants 18:10.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared some of the ways we can recognize the talents, strengths, and abilities our Heavenly Father has blessed us with: “The talents God has given us first become apparent in the interests we pursue. If you are wondering about your talents, make a list of the things you like to do. Include all the activities you enjoy from different dimensions of your life—spiritual, musical, dramatic, academic, athletic, and so on. Study and ponder your patriarchal blessing for insights and inspiration. Consult family members, trusted friends, teachers, and leaders; others often can see in us what we find difficult to see in ourselves” (Ronald A. Rasband, “Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Talents,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 34).

Invite Diligent Learning: Here are some examples from this lesson that help students fulfill their role in learning for themselves. Notice how these activities help students think about their own experiences and circumstances. They are intended to help students feel motivated to invest their hearts and minds into the learning experience to address needs they currently have. Students also have an opportunity to think about real challenges they face and how truths found in the scriptures can help them.

Think about responsibilities or employment opportunities you are interested in pursuing in the future. Also try to identify skills and abilities you still need to develop that will help you be better prepared for the future.
How can these truths help us when we feel discouraged about our abilities?

Teach by the Spirit: Here is an example of a way the lesson can help teachers invite the Holy Ghost to fulfill His role in the learning experience. Notice students are invited to seek inspiration from the Holy Ghost to see more clearly their current needs and next steps to be better prepared for life.

As you study today, seek Heavenly Father’s guidance through the Holy Ghost to help you identify strengths and skills you already have that can prepare you for these responsibilities.

Practice

Identify a Life Preparation lesson that you will teach soon, based on your local pacing guide. Review this lesson looking for answers to the following questions:

How is the learning experience centered on Jesus Christ?
How does the lesson help students learn the gospel of Jesus Christ as found in the scriptures and the words of prophets?
How does the lesson help students fulfill their role in learning for themselves?
How does the lesson help invite the Holy Ghost to fulfill His role in the learning experience?

Cautions

Life Preparation lessons provide opportunities for students in seminary to learn how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can help them navigate the challenges of mortality. As you teach these lessons, be aware of the following cautions:

Every Learning Experience Should Focus on Jesus Christ, Teach the Doctrine, and Invite Diligent Learning

Every learning experience in seminary should help accomplish the Objective of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion. If we are not careful, Life Preparation lessons can easily become imbalanced and fail to reach this objective. For example, a teacher may have a great deal of experience in one of the topics and could decide to focus extensively on many skills and strategies for how to address a need students have. However, in the process, the teacher could easily overlook the need to connect students to Christ and to teach the doctrine from the words of the scriptures and prophets.

Case Study: Sister Jones has extensive experience with financial planning. Sister Jones decides to teach her students many skills about financial planning in a very learner-focused way.

What are some of the potential consequences of Sister Jones approaching the lesson this way?

Balance the Number of Life Preparation Lessons as Outlined in the Curriculum

There may be some lesson types or topics that some teachers would like to spend more or less class time on than others. Keep in mind that many people, including those from other Church departments, counseled together to determine the number of lessons in each category. Even a topic that might seem less interesting for a teacher may be very valuable for certain students. Spending more class time on some lessons than is outlined in the curriculum can lead to underemphasizing other important learning outcomes. The “Create a Pacing Guide Training” recommends that typically there should be more Scripture Course lessons than Life Preparation lessons in your pacing guide. The number of lessons for each Life Preparation category also indicates a suggested balance. Follow these guidelines with very few exceptions.

Case Study: Brother Hendricks is thrilled that there are finally deliberate efforts in seminary to prepare youth for missions. Rather than teaching only five lessons on mission preparation, he spends two weeks teaching these lessons as well as several he created on his own.

What are some of the potential consequences of Brother Hendricks’s approach to teaching missionary preparation lessons?

Utilize the Curriculum Regardless of Your Level of Experience

Similar to the number of lessons, each lesson purpose was also determined in collaboration with many people, including members of other Church departments. These departments often relied on research completed by the Correlation Research Division of the Church for the input they provided. As with all S&I curriculum lessons, the Correlation Department of the Church has carefully reviewed the Life Preparation lessons for doctrinal accuracy and appropriateness. The lessons are designed to be a simple approach to the topic they address, not a comprehensive course on the subject. If you are experienced in the topic, you may feel that important ideas have been left out. Be very cautious about adding something that is not already included. Regardless of how much or how little experience you have with a given topic, use the curriculum as a foundation for the learning experience you will provide. Begin by adopting the lesson before making decisions about what to adapt. For more on this, see the “Adopting and Adapting Seminary Curriculum Training” found in the Seminary Curriculum Training.

Case Study: Sister Benson is a licensed clinical social worker. She is currently finding a great deal of success with a new approach to helping her clients with addiction. She decides to teach her students skills associated with this new approach instead of one of the physical and emotional health lessons.

What are some of the potential consequences of Sister Benson’s approach to the physical and emotional health lessons?

Remember Your Role as a Teacher

As you teach Life Preparation lessons, remember your role as a seminary teacher. Students may share with you challenging situations they face. Your role is to direct them to their parents and priesthood leaders, who can guide them to the help they need. For help with situations that may involve abuse, please see “Abuse” in the Seminaries and Institutes Emergency Response Guide.

Case Study: Sister Benson has found that after teaching her lessons, many students are staying after class. They want to share with her some very personal details about their lives. She meets with them individually in her office after class and after school.

What are some of the potential consequences of Sister Benson’s interactions with her students?

Conclusion

Over the course of four years in seminary, students will have many opportunities to learn how to apply the Savior’s teachings to a variety of different circumstances and situations. The learning experiences that the Life Preparation lessons add to the Scripture Course lessons will better prepare an entire generation to meet the challenges of life by drawing on the Savior’s strength, teachings, and gospel. They will be better equipped to prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven.