I became the singing time leader in mid February this year. I realized the kids didn't yet know the song they were supposed to have learned that month--some didn't know it at all. So I was focused on that. Then I turned the calendar a few weeks later and realized just how close Easter was--at the end of March. So I asked around about what the kids already might know for them to sing for Easter in Sacrament. (I had moved in recently. I still struggle with knowing what songs to pick so the kids will know them.)
I was told, "Jesus Has Risen" p. 70. I stole an idea from a chorister in Provo.
Materials: a printout of the words of "Jesus Has Risen," with each phrase cut separately
Instructions: Explain that in order to learn a great song really fast, we were going to create our own motions. I handed a phrase of the song to each class and had their teachers help them plan an action for each. I also explained that while we were doing actions to help us learn, we would not be doing them in Sacrament meeting. After a few minutes, with me walking around and asking if we were all doing okay? and if anyone needed help, I asked for the phrases in order. We did the first phrase, singing and actions, and then I asked for the second, and we did them together. Repeat until you're singing the entire song.
Note: I only had 1 paper for the line "Jesus has risen" even though you sing it 3 times and we did the same action each time.
Pros: This really helped the kids learn the song quickly. By week 2 they were confident, while I think flip charts and pictures can make kids rely on them and more fearful of memorizing (and we didn't have time for that)
Cons: When I set each class off by themselves, things got crazy. I had only been there 3 weeks and was still trying to earn their respect, and this didn't help. In retrospect, small group work is harder to control than having the entire class doing one thing. When management is already a bit hairy, this can be hard to do. However, I saw it work fine in another primary, and the next week things were a lot better. I can probably repeat this if I want now since the kids know me better.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
The Blindfolded Listener
Blindfolds are always fun.
Materials: Blindfold (I used a scarf, but it got really hot. I'll have to use something else next time), pictures that go with the song you're singing.
Instructions: I explained to the kids that I was going to do an activity with a blindfold. We needed someone who thought they knew all the words to a song. They would go out of the room and we would secretly pick 1 picture (that corresponds to a line of the song). Then they would come back in and be blindfolded. We would sing every line of the song through EXCEPT the line for the picture we had picked. Our pianist during this line added to it by playing just the melody and no accompaniment. (I didn't ask for this, but it was a great idea)
Then was the challenge. Without taking off the blindfold to see the pictures, could the Blindfolded Listener tell us the words we skipped?
We decided to trick some older kids when it was their turns by picking more than one picture and seeing how they fared.
Pros: It made the one blindfolded (and even the others) think really hard about the words. Also, we sang the same song lots of times, but it was still fun.
Cons: The blindfold was hot. I'll have to use something different next time. Also, the instructions are a little complicated, but the kids understood after we got started.
Materials: Blindfold (I used a scarf, but it got really hot. I'll have to use something else next time), pictures that go with the song you're singing.
Instructions: I explained to the kids that I was going to do an activity with a blindfold. We needed someone who thought they knew all the words to a song. They would go out of the room and we would secretly pick 1 picture (that corresponds to a line of the song). Then they would come back in and be blindfolded. We would sing every line of the song through EXCEPT the line for the picture we had picked. Our pianist during this line added to it by playing just the melody and no accompaniment. (I didn't ask for this, but it was a great idea)
Then was the challenge. Without taking off the blindfold to see the pictures, could the Blindfolded Listener tell us the words we skipped?
We decided to trick some older kids when it was their turns by picking more than one picture and seeing how they fared.
Pros: It made the one blindfolded (and even the others) think really hard about the words. Also, we sang the same song lots of times, but it was still fun.
Cons: The blindfold was hot. I'll have to use something different next time. Also, the instructions are a little complicated, but the kids understood after we got started.
Mother, I Love You
This activity can be used for any song that has a word that repeats several times. I used it for "Mother, I Love You" p. 207
Materials: extra chairs on the ends of each row (theoretically you only need them on 1 side of each row, but it was simpler to be on both sides)
Instructions: Have the kids sing "Mother, I Love You" and tell them before hand to count how many times you sing the word "I." Write the number on the board. We'll get back to that.
Ask the kids to make sure that there is an extra chair on the ends of their rows. Explain to teachers that the kids are going to be moving from chair to chair and if the teachers don't want to participate, they need to move to the aisles. (And, yes, it's lots of fun to see which teachers are game for this).
Then explain that every time every time you sing the word "I," you're going to move 1 chair over, first left, then right, then left, then right. (I pointed each time to help).
Pros: This one really had the kids' attention. Also, it was surprisingly reverent. The kids have singing time after individual classes which is after Sacrament meeting, so they always have energy. In fact, they behaved well after because it wore them out a little.
Cons: I didn't have any problems with this one.
Materials: extra chairs on the ends of each row (theoretically you only need them on 1 side of each row, but it was simpler to be on both sides)
Instructions: Have the kids sing "Mother, I Love You" and tell them before hand to count how many times you sing the word "I." Write the number on the board. We'll get back to that.
Ask the kids to make sure that there is an extra chair on the ends of their rows. Explain to teachers that the kids are going to be moving from chair to chair and if the teachers don't want to participate, they need to move to the aisles. (And, yes, it's lots of fun to see which teachers are game for this).
Then explain that every time every time you sing the word "I," you're going to move 1 chair over, first left, then right, then left, then right. (I pointed each time to help).
Pros: This one really had the kids' attention. Also, it was surprisingly reverent. The kids have singing time after individual classes which is after Sacrament meeting, so they always have energy. In fact, they behaved well after because it wore them out a little.
Cons: I didn't have any problems with this one.
Daring Dads Dare to do Right!
For Father's Day I wanted to focus on dads a bit, but I was short on preparation time since I was out of town until late Saturday night. I knew I had a picture of kids and a dad to use, and here's what I came up with for the activity.
I had been wanting to teach the song "Dare to Do Right" p. 158 because of its good message. The plan for teaching "Dare to Do Right" could also work without it being Father's Day.
To start with I talked about how dads are so great and daring, and today I wanted some volunteers who were willing to do some dares, and be daring like their dads.
1) I picked a child and told them that dads are strong and love the scriptures. I dared the child to hold out my little quad with his arms straight for the entire song while we all sang
"Book of Mormon Stories." p. 118
2) The next child I picked I explained that dads cheer people up when they are sad. I dared a child to not smile for 15 secs. and timed it. Then we sang
"If You Chance to Meet a Frown" ("Smiles") p. 267
3) Before picking anyone, I told them the dare, since this one was super scary. I told them that daring dads have to sometimes do things by themselves, and asked if anyone was willing to sing by themselves in front of us. Out of my primary of 20 kids, 5 volunteered. I called them all up!
For 1 of our songs I have pictures to go with each line, to remind them of the words. I had each child pick 1 from the board and hold it. Then the primary sang everything except those lines, letting each line be a solo for the kid who was holding it. We sang
"Whenever I Hear the Song of a Bird" ("My Heavenly Father Loves Me") p. 228
Here are the pictures I got off sugardoodle.net (thanks others online!) The kids love them.
http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9421
4)This one I wanted to make a point that you don't have to do something just because someone dared you to do it. I called up a volunteer and explained that dads do a lot of things with their mouths that are good. They tell us they love us and they give prayers. Then I asked a child to hold her breath for 10 minutes. That's when we discussed that not all dares are good ideas, and it's okay to say no. After that I lessened the time to 15 secs. We sang
"A Child's Prayer" p. 12
Note 1: There was some chaos when I asked the child to hold her breath for 10 minutes, other kids calling out that it was impossible. Some choristers would have handled this great, but I think that if I did it again, I would have followed a different plan.
Note 2: I could have easily challenged every child to participate in this dare, if I'd thought of it.
5) I told the kids that I had a really good dare for each of them to do. I was going to write it on the board. I then wrote "To Do Right" and "To Be True"
I told them we were going to learn the chorus to a new song about being daring, called "Dare to Do Right." I told them how easy the chorus was and sang it for them, pointing at the "Do Right" and "Be True" whenever we sang it.
Then I had some pictures to represent the first verse (from the primary cupboard, but I'm sure you could make your own easily too) and taught them that.
Dare to Do Right Week 2:
Materials: Animal erasers glued to Popsicle sticks, pictures to remind kids of the words
I had some little animal erasers. I bought a hot glue gun for just $4 and glued them to Popsicle sticks. It's amazing how much more fun and real props seem by putting them on sticks!
I explained that to help us sing this week, I had brought some very daring animals. There were hippos and alligators and cheetahs and ducks! Now some ducks you meet aren't very daring, but I promise you, all the ducks in my bag are!
I explained that when singing "Dare to Do Right" we were going to hold up our daring animals every time we sang the word "dare."
I had teachers help me pass them out and then I picked 2 kids to be examples of holding up their animals, standing in front of the primary.
Pros: Easy, cheap, and involved every kid while they were singing. The kids liked the daring animals a lot.
Cons: I don't know. I can see the sticks being a potential distraction. Kids might also fight over who got which animal, but everyone was pretty good last week.
I had been wanting to teach the song "Dare to Do Right" p. 158 because of its good message. The plan for teaching "Dare to Do Right" could also work without it being Father's Day.
To start with I talked about how dads are so great and daring, and today I wanted some volunteers who were willing to do some dares, and be daring like their dads.
1) I picked a child and told them that dads are strong and love the scriptures. I dared the child to hold out my little quad with his arms straight for the entire song while we all sang
"Book of Mormon Stories." p. 118
2) The next child I picked I explained that dads cheer people up when they are sad. I dared a child to not smile for 15 secs. and timed it. Then we sang
"If You Chance to Meet a Frown" ("Smiles") p. 267
3) Before picking anyone, I told them the dare, since this one was super scary. I told them that daring dads have to sometimes do things by themselves, and asked if anyone was willing to sing by themselves in front of us. Out of my primary of 20 kids, 5 volunteered. I called them all up!
For 1 of our songs I have pictures to go with each line, to remind them of the words. I had each child pick 1 from the board and hold it. Then the primary sang everything except those lines, letting each line be a solo for the kid who was holding it. We sang
"Whenever I Hear the Song of a Bird" ("My Heavenly Father Loves Me") p. 228
Here are the pictures I got off sugardoodle.net (thanks others online!) The kids love them.
http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9421
4)This one I wanted to make a point that you don't have to do something just because someone dared you to do it. I called up a volunteer and explained that dads do a lot of things with their mouths that are good. They tell us they love us and they give prayers. Then I asked a child to hold her breath for 10 minutes. That's when we discussed that not all dares are good ideas, and it's okay to say no. After that I lessened the time to 15 secs. We sang
"A Child's Prayer" p. 12
Note 1: There was some chaos when I asked the child to hold her breath for 10 minutes, other kids calling out that it was impossible. Some choristers would have handled this great, but I think that if I did it again, I would have followed a different plan.
Note 2: I could have easily challenged every child to participate in this dare, if I'd thought of it.
5) I told the kids that I had a really good dare for each of them to do. I was going to write it on the board. I then wrote "To Do Right" and "To Be True"
I told them we were going to learn the chorus to a new song about being daring, called "Dare to Do Right." I told them how easy the chorus was and sang it for them, pointing at the "Do Right" and "Be True" whenever we sang it.
Then I had some pictures to represent the first verse (from the primary cupboard, but I'm sure you could make your own easily too) and taught them that.
Dare to Do Right Week 2:
Materials: Animal erasers glued to Popsicle sticks, pictures to remind kids of the words
I had some little animal erasers. I bought a hot glue gun for just $4 and glued them to Popsicle sticks. It's amazing how much more fun and real props seem by putting them on sticks!
I explained that to help us sing this week, I had brought some very daring animals. There were hippos and alligators and cheetahs and ducks! Now some ducks you meet aren't very daring, but I promise you, all the ducks in my bag are!
I explained that when singing "Dare to Do Right" we were going to hold up our daring animals every time we sang the word "dare."
I had teachers help me pass them out and then I picked 2 kids to be examples of holding up their animals, standing in front of the primary.
Pros: Easy, cheap, and involved every kid while they were singing. The kids liked the daring animals a lot.
Cons: I don't know. I can see the sticks being a potential distraction. Kids might also fight over who got which animal, but everyone was pretty good last week.
 |
| I'm glad I had enough animals that I didn't have to use the palm tree ones. The "Daring Ducks" proved to actually be a favorite. |
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Clothespin Carnival Game
Materials Needed: colored clothespins (I used colored Sharpies to color mine), a heavy mug or jar with a wide mouth, a chair, chalk and blackboard
Instructions: Write the names of the 5 songs you want to practice today on the board, each with a color next to it that corresponds to a clothespin. Choose 1 child to kneel on the chair backwards and then drop clothespins into the jar from the height. Tell them the clothespin MUST be touching the tip of their nose when they let go (in order to make kids aim from a tall height). Of the clothespins that make it in, the child can then pick 1 song that we'll sing next (if they get red and blue in, they can pick either the red or blue song. But the can't pick the yellow song).
For smaller kids (about 6 and under) I let them stand in front of the jar leaning over instead of having them on the chair.
Pros: It was a new way to pick songs and the materials were easy. Also, it was lots of fun. The kids were really interested in trying the activity and wanting to get in certain colors more than others. The kids also really supported each other, wanting the person up front to succeed.
Cons: The activity was fun and I'd do it again, but it's not as good as activities that occur while singing or are directly related to scripture or doctrine.
Instructions: Write the names of the 5 songs you want to practice today on the board, each with a color next to it that corresponds to a clothespin. Choose 1 child to kneel on the chair backwards and then drop clothespins into the jar from the height. Tell them the clothespin MUST be touching the tip of their nose when they let go (in order to make kids aim from a tall height). Of the clothespins that make it in, the child can then pick 1 song that we'll sing next (if they get red and blue in, they can pick either the red or blue song. But the can't pick the yellow song).
For smaller kids (about 6 and under) I let them stand in front of the jar leaning over instead of having them on the chair.
Pros: It was a new way to pick songs and the materials were easy. Also, it was lots of fun. The kids were really interested in trying the activity and wanting to get in certain colors more than others. The kids also really supported each other, wanting the person up front to succeed.
Cons: The activity was fun and I'd do it again, but it's not as good as activities that occur while singing or are directly related to scripture or doctrine.
Find the Frog
Activity time: as long or as short as you want it. The kids love this one in my primary and will play it forever.
Supplies: a stuffed animal (in my case, a frog) or an action figure or paper cut out of a shape. I know primaries that use action figures of Nephi or Moroni, which is great for tying the activity into scriptures.
This game is easy and most primaries do it: you have 1 child go out into the hall and then pick another child to hide the stuffed animal frog. Then the child in the hall returns and tries to find it while everyone sings. It's a game of hot and cold--the closer the child gets, the louder the kids sing. The farther away, the softer. It helps to direct so your pianist can see so they can do dynamics too.
Pros: This game is great for getting kids to practice the same song over and over again (which helps them learn words for the primary program). Also, it's really simple, inexpensive, and fun. The kids love to be picked to help for this game and I tell them I watch for good singers to be picked next. That really makes them sing well.
Cons: Sometimes the kids can get irreverant because they are so excited. I talk to them about it and if they're hyper I do a reverent song with them with no game to quiet them for the next part of primary.
Supplies: a stuffed animal (in my case, a frog) or an action figure or paper cut out of a shape. I know primaries that use action figures of Nephi or Moroni, which is great for tying the activity into scriptures.
This game is easy and most primaries do it: you have 1 child go out into the hall and then pick another child to hide the stuffed animal frog. Then the child in the hall returns and tries to find it while everyone sings. It's a game of hot and cold--the closer the child gets, the louder the kids sing. The farther away, the softer. It helps to direct so your pianist can see so they can do dynamics too.
Pros: This game is great for getting kids to practice the same song over and over again (which helps them learn words for the primary program). Also, it's really simple, inexpensive, and fun. The kids love to be picked to help for this game and I tell them I watch for good singers to be picked next. That really makes them sing well.
Cons: Sometimes the kids can get irreverant because they are so excited. I talk to them about it and if they're hyper I do a reverent song with them with no game to quiet them for the next part of primary.