"Choose the Right"- egg shakers and body percussion

I am so excited about this idea!!!!  We will be doing it today!

I am using it to teach the 3rd verse of "Choose the Right" but it could easily be applied to learning or reviewing any song...

Prep:

Watch these 2 clips... they will give you the idea of how this activity works!  The first one watch the entire way through, but the rumble ball one just watch the first minute or so...

Set Up:
Arrange chairs in a circle, one for each child and teacher.
(note: we have a large primary so I received permission to use the cultural hall and also I am doing all singing/sharing time, so I hope to be able to get through all the activities... adjustments may need to be made according to the time you have)

I have provided the information below in a printable and editable word document... 

just click on the link below:

PRINTABLE INSTRUCTIONS OUTLINE

 Instructions:

 Sit all the children and teachers on chairs in a circle

Warm-Up:

“Give Said the Little Stream”  cs236 (clap on “gives” stand on “S” words)

Attention Activity:

Clap

Rub hands

Clap

Cup clap low

Alternate clap/ cup clap low

Pat legs

Rub legs

Stomp feet

Rub legs

Pat legs

Snap

Clap

Rub hands

Wiggle/shake fingers

Wave alternating hands

Flip hands back and forth

Pat neighbors hand

Slowly pat your own hand and then neighbors

Speed up

Start singing!

Echo sing verse (you sing a line- everyone else sings echo)

Sing chorus together

Sing song again all the way through

Egg pass- sing the song passing egg shakers one at a time until everyone has one

 Ball Activity:

Shake your eggs to fit the action of the ball

Toss ball in the air a few times

Bounce ball a few times

Roll ball across the ground

Bounce like basketball

Bounce ball and let it stop on own

(Invite a teacher or older child to bounce the ball)

Egg Shaker Activity:

Sing the song passing the egg to the right on word “right” and left on word “light”

Clap on word “choose”

Combine passing and clapping

Sing the song again and have them pass them in (just like they were passed out)

Keep singing until all the eggs are back in the basket

"As a Child of God" Melody Map (3rd verse)

Hey there!  Sharla Dance did an awesome instructional page and video on melody maps!  You can view that here:

I loved the idea but wanted to incorporate it into the 3rd verse.  Here are the files for the melody maps I made for the 11x17 size.  The first 2 are the 3rd verse and the last 2 are the chorus.  I used the same symbols and colors as Sharla uses on her page.  She is a genius!  I got the the 3rd verse inspiration from Heidi on the LDS Primary Choristers Facebook page.  Thank you ladies for sharing your talents!

 verse 3 map 1

 verse 3 map 2

 chorus 1

chorus 2

Pick a Pumpkin

This is a fun Fall time game.  I am using it for a singing time around Halloween, but it could be used anytime in the Fall.  I have 12 mini pumpkins, but you could use paper pumpkins or fake ones.  Really anything pumpkin shaped would work! :)

I am using the 9 songs for the Children's Songbook that have been transposed into a minor key by the very talented Tifany Hoecherl.  She originally posted them a couple years back on the Facebook page for LDS Primary Choristers.  I asked her for permission to post them here, and she graciously agreed!  Thank you so much Tifany for your hard work!!!  She also wrote new lyrics for some of the songs.  You can decide what works for you,  the original lyrics or the new ones. :)

DO AS I'M DOING

FUN TO DO

HEAD, SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES

HINGES

IF YOU'RE HAPPY

ONCE THERE WAS A SNOWMAN

POPCORN POPPING

RAIN IS FALLING ALL AROUND

SING A SONG

 Out of the 12 pumpkins, I put a star on the bottom of 3 of them.

 Next line up all 12 pumpkins and mix the 3 starred pumpkins in.

Call up a child to pick a pumpkin.  If they pick a pumpkin with a star, they get to pick the song (a treat!) and if they pick a non-star pumpkin then they get to play name that tune (a trick).  Have the pianist play a few notes of one of the songs in minor to see if the primary can guess it.  Then sing the song. This would be a fun opportunity to explain the difference between what major and minor sound like.

"Your Happy Birthday"

Another birthday idea!  

This birthday song is a favorite for the kids mostly because of the phrases:

ZIPP-A-DEE-AY

&

HEIGH-DEE-HO

Why not make those phrases even more fun?!?!?!

This idea is not mine... I found in via the Facebook group LDS Primary Choristers.  A very creative lady by the name of Sheryl came up with this and I knew I had to add it to our Primary's singing!  She provided smaller cards than I wanted, so I made my own and thought I would share...

Supplies:

plain wood box

plastic containers (you could use mason jars instead)

2 pinwheels

cake topper banner 

I painted the box white... or you could leave it plain.

I cut vinyl with the original phrases and my daughter painted them on :)

Next drill some holes to fit the dowels and sand the box to give it rustic feel.

You will need to print the phrases... These are the ones I am using (all thanks to Sheryl!) 

If you would like a copy you can find it

 here.

 

 There are 8 phrases for each original phrase.  I printed them on 2 different colors so I could keep track of which goes with which.  Each color pack goes in one of the 2 containers.

 

How to use:

The birthday child(ren) choose one phrase from each container. (So they choose 1 green and 1 pink card).  Each of those cards replace a part of the song.  See the picture below.  Sing the song like normal and just change the phrases when you get to them.

 I use the clip magnets  to put the phrases on the chalkboard because I have the birthday children do something else while we sing... I'll share that later... :)

Here is the front view:

 

Here is back:

I printed the first page in a 3x5 size and glued it to the back.

Enjoy!

Primary Go!

I was thinking that we needed a fun day after the Primary Program.  The children have worked so hard and need to have a down day.  

I also have a need to sing more of the fun wiggle/nature songs that I feel we don't get to very often.

  Thus was born Primary Go!  

I got the initial idea off of the LDS Primary Choristers Facebook page. There were a few ideas of using the popular Pokemon Go game to review songs.  I decided to use the game portion idea and combined it with amazing super powered characters from the Children's Songbook to give you Primary Go! (my version:)

SET UP:

You will need to print all the cards you are planning on using. 

DOWNLOAD HERE!

 There are 14 character cards and you can pick which ones fit your Primary.  

Also there is a Primary Go back of the card. 

 That is there to be printed for as many cards as you have and attached to the back of the cards.  

I would laminate for durability.  

I also have a map of my ward building I got years ago when I was Primary Secretary which I used as a map to the hidden cards around the building.  I printed off 8 different ones with a red star in the place the card is located. 

If you don't have a map, you could draw a rough sketch of the building or just have word strips that say "kitchen", "stage", etc.  That way they know where to go to find the card.

Get to church a little early to set up the cards in their places around the building.  Note, please be respectful of the chapel, classes in session, other wards that may be meeting, etc.  Make sure when you plan out your map that you place the cards in places that are easily accessible and are not disruptive to others attending church.

HOW TO PLAY:

It's basically a treasure hunt game.

Choose a helper.  The helper chooses a map and with their teacher or other adult leader, they go on the hunt to find the card.  When they return, read the card and sing the song.  

Each card is labeled with a character from a song from the Children's Songbook.  Below the picture is a "superpower" that the character possesses, and in some cases it is something we would all like to have! :) 

Some cards have a note on bottom for others that share the power. (ie- rain- "Rain is Falling" shares it with sun, wind, leaves, and snow) These are variations of the song or other objects included in the song. 

 Sing the song listed and while you are singing, send out the next child to find another card.

Sing the song as many times as it takes for the child to get back.  Then switch songs and start again!

Simple and easy!  I am planning on trying to do 8 different songs (one for each class).  We will see if we will get through all of them or not...

Have fun!

"I Believe in Jesus"- song chart

This has been one of my favorite songs I taught this year.  

It is simple and beautiful, perfect for Primary!

This is how I taught it:

First I printed the song chart I created here.

Bring in 7 large (21in) paint sticks- the ones that are used for the 5 gallon paint buckets. And also bring tape to stick the pictures onto the sticks.  You will fit 2 pictures on a stick except for the last phrase in the chorus which has 3 small pictures (as shown below).  You will have a total of 2 sticks for each verse and 3 for the chorus.

I called up one child and had them pick 2 of the pictures from off the table.  I then handed him/her one of the paint sticks and placed the pictures picked into the right order. (The first time I had to bring up another child to help hold a second paint stick).  Then we "ooo"ed the song until we came to the pictures we had up and sang those parts. (Lots of "ooo"ing the first few times but I like that especially with a song they have never heard.  They get to hear the melody and are still learning the song.) I would then call up another child and would add 2 more pictures, repeating the "ooo"ing.  We continued with this until we had the whole song up and we sang it all the way through.

I would stop and give them hints and I would throw in a few hands signs to help them remember as we sang it.  I also liked pointing out how the melody moves while we sing the first "I believe in Jesus". 

After we completed in getting all the pictures on the sticks, I put them all up on the board and sat the helpers down.  We then played a hot and cold game for the remaining few minutes.  The children learned this song in ONE week!!!  It was amazing to see them pick up on it so fast!

Lastly, bear your testimony.  I liked being able to tell them that you can bear your testimony through song and this song is a strong and simple testimony of our Savior.  The words are something they can understand and relate to easily.

Thank you to the artists who wrote this song and made it available. Here is the link to the song.  You will need to scroll down to find it.  The list is in alphabetical order.  This song was submitted to and published by lds.org.

And here is the YouTube video someone put together of this song:

"Our Primary Colors"

As a welcome song in Primary I love to use the song, 

"Our Primary Colors" (cs 258)

It is a song I grew up singing and I feel it's one I want the children to learn before leaving Primary! :)  

Here is what I use to sing the song...

 These flags in red, yellow, and blue are BIG!  They are made out of a rayon type material and the letters are felt.  This project was completely hot glued, but could be sewn as well.

The visitor (and sometimes other helpers if their are not enough visitors) hold up each of the flags.  And we sing the song.  

If the primary children don't know the song well enough yet, I print and attach the words found below to the pole of the corresponding colored flag.  

Feel free to print them and use them as well!

Another little fun thing I like to do is bring in a triangle to play.  If you listen to the song you will hear a triangle played every time a color is sung.  So every time we sing "red", "yellow", or "blue" I ring the triangle.  Fun and engaging for the children... I hope your primaries have a chance to learn this song as well!

The Articles of Faith Binder

This has been a project many years in the making.  About 10 years ago I was called as a Stake Primary Chorister.  At the time I began to develop this idea of having a binder to help teach The Articles of Faith.  I came up with an idea and spent many hours compiling it together.  I then proceeded to share it with my stake.  I used it when I was called to be a chorister about 5 years ago with much success!  I have again been called to be a primary chorister (for the 4th time!:) and decided it was time to update this binder.  Back 10 years ago I had to search through magazines and try and compile appropriate pictures with little resources.  This time around it was much easier (especially since I had done most of the ground work years ago.:)  I updated the binder and wanted to share it with those of you who are interested in having some help in teaching these songs and their meaning.

Here we go!

Each Article of Faith has 4 pages that go into a notebook.  Each page is explained in the download.

There are 3 pages of explanations with the cover page for each Article of Faith.  Page 1 of the 1st Article of Faith looks like the image below.  Click on either image above or below to see these.  Or click on the link at the end of the post.

For page 2 I have enlarged a poster insert found in The Friend, January 1995.  I have provided the enlargements at the end of the post.  Page 3 is for the Article of Faith written out.  I decided to use one found here on the blog It's Always Autumn.   The church also provides individual printables if interested. Here is the link.

 The last page is taken from The Friend Jan-Dec 2015.  Each month had a page spread of an Article of Faith.  They contain really good explanations of each of the articles, current applications from children, and memorization tips.  I love to have this as a reference. The only month that is different is Jan, it has both the 1st and 2nd on one page.

COVER, EXPLANATION, AND FIRST PAGES

KEYWORDS FROM THE FRIEND- ENLARGED

 ARTICLES OF FAITH

THE FRIEND JAN-DEC 2015

How I use this in singing time:

I hold the binder in front of me. We sing an Article of Faith a month.

In Junior Primary I focus more on the children just memorizing the keyword to help recall the article and hearing the song.

In Senior Primary, I start the first week with the keyword and song.  The following weeks we keep singing but I explain a little each Sunday about that particular Article of Faith.  Adding a little at a time so they gain an understanding.  Towards the end of the month I quiz them before I show the binder to see if they remember keywords.  It is so fun to see them begin to understand what they are singing and memorizing!

"If You're Happy" and You Know It!

I have been looking for a spinner to help with the song "If You're Happy" cs 266,  but I couldn't find one I really loved.  Sooooo I made one. :)  I used the pictures provided by the church in the sharing time outlines because I love their simplicity.  This is what I came up with!  Hope it helps someone else, but I know we are going to love it in our primary!

note: print this on 11x17 and then laminate it and attach the spinner

Shhhhhhhh! Don't Wake Dad!

Here is a little Father's Day game that I came up with to play with the children during singing time!

I found the original idea here.  It's a "Don't Eat Pete" game turned "Don't Eat Dad!"  We are HUGE fans of this game in our house.  Everyone, and I mean everyone no matter the age, loves to play it.  So I started to mull the idea in my head how I could make a similar game work for primary to play up on a board. I also was hoping to bring down the noise of this game a little because if you have ever played "Don't Eat Pete", you know it can get a bit crazy! (At least at our house it does!:)  So evolved the game:

Shhhhhhhh! Don't Wake Dad!


Here are a few ways to play this game during singing time:
*While a child is placing the speech bubbles on the dads, the primary children can be singing. 
Stop singing when the dad is picked to say "shhhh, don't wake dad!"  Then finish up the song.

*Correspond songs to the different dads and have the children sing the song of the dad picked.

*Put songs or ways to sing on the speech bubble. 
The speech bubble placed on the wakeful dad is the song or way to sing to lull the next dad to sleep.  
This would be especially funny if the song was fast and spirited. ie "Scripture Power" :)

*You could have the children sing the song quietly and then loudly when the dad is picked.

*Also, if a child is able to get all the way through to the last dad, 
you could give them a reward of picking their favorite song to sing next.

 

For your info, these images were designed to be printed in 11x17 inch size.  I send them to my local UPS store.  The instructions are on the game pieces sheet.  I cut out the instructions and adhered them to the back of the game so that I would have them where I could always find them.  Also, I taped the 'sleep speech bubbles' to magnets which make them easily removable for storage later.

Hope this helps and enjoy!