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This caterpillar word family activity was an excellent way for my son to practice sorting words to their word family. It's great for bug theme lesson plans!

Fun Primary Singing Time Idea: Smash the Bug, This month, I've been able to sub as music leader in a couple ward's Primaries (I serve in our Stake Primary Presidency, so when a primary needs some help & is short handed, we love to be there to help them. Plus, I 've subbed a couple times in my own ward). Is there anything greater than listening to Primary children sing their testimonies of Christ and the gospel?!? In one of the wards, we were reviewing the songs that they have been learning this year. So, to choose which song we would sing, I brought some bugs and a fly swatter. We began by singing the song, "I am a Child of God". Before we started to sing the song, I told the Primary children that my special fly swatter could sense who was singing the very best and that, that person would be who would get to come up and swat a bug on the board. I used the printable below to print the bugs onto card stock, I then cut them out and laminated them and cut them out again. So I can reuse the bugs, I used masking tape and wrote the songs on the masking tape, then taped it onto the back of the bugs. With the bugs being laminated, I should be able to easily remove the masking tape. I've also done it where I have used erasable markers to write on the back of the laminate. If you don't care about reusing, you can just write on the back. Click Free Download button for Bug Printable: I then taped the bugs with masking tape onto the board. The primary child would come up and swat one of the bugs with the fly swatter. We would then sing that song that was written on the back, as we sang that song I did a few things. One, my fly swatter would be watching for the best singer (whoever you could tell was really trying to sing the song). I also before hand asked the primary children to put a thumbs up if they felt they knew the song really well, side ways if they kind of knew the song, and thumbs down if they didn't really know it. Then we would sing and after I would ask the teachers to rank how they thought they did. Thumbs up really well. Side ways, was that they could use some work. Thumbs down was that they really didn't know they song. I tried a couple other things. With the first primary I let the primary child that was chosen to come swat the bug, I let them use the fly swatter to help me lead the song. The second time, I just used the fly swatter to lead. It really went better with me just using the fly swatter to lead. Another thing you could do, is wear some silly glasses. This is one of my favorite things to do. You explain to the primary children that the silly glasses are your super singer detector glasses. That they help you to see who is singing really well. I've done this several times and it's surprising how well it gets the primary children to sing. Anyways, back to the activity. We just continued, choosing someone to come up to swat the bugs and sing the song, until time allowed. We were able to go through all of the songs in the allotted time. It was a great way to gage, how well the primary children knew the songs and what they needed to work on. Since, I was just subbing, I forwarded the information onto the music leader of which songs they could use more work on. The kids loved this activity!! They also sang so well :) I also feel like it is so important as you sing each song to point out the doctrine found in the song. For instance, I brought items that would go with each of the songs. We sang, "Search, Ponder and Pray" so I brought my scriptures and shared my testimony of how we can know the scriptures are true as we search them and ponder and pray about them. I also had a picture of Christ being baptized, that we talked about how we follow the Savior's example when we are baptized. I think that if we are not discussing the doctrine in the songs as we sing them, we are missing out on a big opportunity for the spirit to teach the primary children. I love hearing them share their thoughts and testimonies about the songs as well! These Primary songs will stick with these primary children all of their lives. I remember clearly standing when I was a primary child and singing, "The Lord needs valiant servants". If you'd like another fun singing time idea, check this out: Fun Punch it Activity for Singing Time

Check out how you can make a simple popsicle stick catapult with materials you already have at home. It's a fun STEM project that you can do with your kids indoors on a rainy day!

Teach your kids about having the right attitude with this family night lesson inspired by Nephi and his bow and arrow. Get all the details on the blog!

Have you seen those floating ball toys where you blow into one end and the ball "magically" floats above in place? Here's a way to create your own!

A free covid-19 time capsule kids activity. A free download to capture family memories. A great way to keep kids busy and record their experiences.

Spend some time connecting with your family with this fun 'What Am I?' family game. Free printable cards make it quick and easy to play.

Drawing games for kids help them practice drawing skills, get warmed up before tackling a larger project, and are extremely fun (and funny).

This Long Ago and Today Unit scaffolds learning for students. It helps them compare artifacts as well as their lives to those who lived long ago.

If you want to find out more about your family, download the life history questions and make time to interview your family members. Learn some fun facts.

Get all sorts of helps so you can teach Come, Follow Me Jacob 5-7 "The Lord Labors with Us" (March 16-22)

The best and most fun pen and paper games to cure the boredom blues. Solo, two player and three or more player pencil and paper games for kids and adults!

I was in charge of our Primary Singing time at church a few weeks ago and decided to play a simple game of tic-tac-toe to help us practice a song. It was so easy to put together, the kids had fun, and we got a good practice on one of my favorite songs! Supplies: Construction paper in Red and Blue Scissors Tape Chalk Prep Work: Draw an X on a piece of red construction paper. Cut it out and trace 5 more onto more red paper. Draw an O on a piece of blue construction paper and do the same thing. After they're all cut out, put them in a bag with some tape and chalk and you're all ready to go! Singing Time! I wanted to practice the song, "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" (Children's Songbook, pg. ). I think kids learn songs well when they sing them over and over. This game was a way to sing the song over and over and not get bored because we had a fun game going on at the same time! First, I drew a tic-tac-toe grid on the chalkboard, and taped up the X's on one side of it, and the O's on the other side. I split the kids into 2 groups: Team X and Team O. Here's how it worked with the younger kids (Jr. Primary, ages 3-8). The younger kids don't know this song very well, and the song is kind of long, so I chose to break it up into parts. I sang the first 1-2 lines of the song, and then had Team X repeat those lines. Then I did the same thing with Team O. So the kids got to hear and/or sing the same line 4 times. Repetition is key. :) After both teams heard and sang that line, then I chose 1 person from each team to come up and place an X and O on the board. Then we went onto the next line, and so on. It took about 4-6 turns before one of the teams had won. At the end we sang the song all the way through. We even had enough time to play another round! *Note: A few of the younger kids are a little bit more sensitive to winning and losing, so I made sure to have each team turn to the other and say "good job" to show how to be a good sport. :) Luckily for us, both teams each won a round so everyone was happy. Here's how it worked with the older kids (Sr. Primary, ages 8-11) The older kids know this song pretty well. They even know the second verse! So instead of the repetition, I played a fill in the blank game with each team. I went through the song in order and said a line to the song. Wherever I stopped the line, they had to tell me what the next word was. For example, "Whenever I hear the song of a _______," (the answer is BIRD) After each team got a chance to fill in a blank, I chose 1 person from each team to come put an X and O on the board. Then I did it all again. When the game ended, we sang the whole song all the way through. :) Again, we had enough time to play another round, and AGAIN, both teams each won one round. Hooray for Singing Time! ♫ We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Is your child learning about "bucket filling" at school? Learn how you can make this translate into your home. Steps to a happy, healthy childhood.

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As a mother, sometimes I worry if my son is learning enough on a daily basis. He has lots of toys and I play with him and show him new…

I had sooooooo much fun doing this monster art project in my son Elliot's kindergarten class recently! I chose to do this project because Elliot LOVES monsters and he LOVES using his imagination to make characters come to life. We have enjoyed using popsicle stick puppets for many many years and he always enjoys both creating

"Family Feud" is a great game for family and friends of all ages. You can play at work, at parties, or at home. Here is a list of over 100 playable and funny "Family Feud" questions.

For everyone who hasn't gotten their Hogwarts letter yet.

Hey friends! I'm linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday to share 5 fun things from this week. This week is all ...

Paper Bag Dramatics: A fun activity for Team Building and Developing Community. Here's an idea that can be used just about anywhere at any time. It encourages groups to solve problems, think creatively, and work as a team.

These alternative homework ideas for elementary students are fun, engaging, family centered, and will get your students thinking!

Rhyming is an important part of word discovery and learning to read. These engaging rhyming games make the practice fun and easy!

Family fun nights are a huge thing in our family. We are always looking for new and fun things to do together. Since we spent an insane amount of time together last year we set

These indoor activities for kids are perfect for winter, rainy days or any time you just need to keep kids busy! Screen-free activities for all ages.

Discover 45 fun family night ideas that the entire family will LOVE! If you ever find yourself running out of ideas for bonding with your kids, this epic list of fun family night activities is a must-read.

Have you ever wished that you could find more quality time with your family? Use family night ideas and activities to connect!

Discover cheap family activities you can enjoy without breaking the bank. Get 13 great ideas for family activities this weekend.

Laughter really is the best medicine! With these family activities, it will surely make you bond, but also laugh so hard it hurts!

Looking for fun family activities to do at home with the kids? Here are 25 easy, fun, & affordable family activities to add to your list!

101 creative FREE activities for kids to have fun and build lasting memories! Fun boredom busters that will cost nothing but time.

12 Easy ways you can spend quality time with kids and not break the bank!

Having a hard time getting kids to open up about their day? These free printable family conversation starters will get kids talking and laughing as family.

If this year taught us anything its that family is the most important part of our life. Spending quality time together single hanidly helped us manage the world together. Fun family traditions help create memories

Family Traditions. Family traditions can be something your family looks forward to every week, month or year. Turning into fond childhood memories for your children and memories for you. It's nice to have fresh ideas every once in a while. Here are ten fun traditions you can start with your family this week! This post

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read full disclosure here. An Huge Amazingly Inspirational List of Fun Activities to do With Your Kids! Having kids is the absolute best! It is exhausting, engaging, entertaining,

Today we’re talking about fun, easy, one hour family dates as a great way to get in more quality time with your favorite people this summer. I’m sharing 20 ideas as well as our last family date on HBS campus: scootering and ice cream . Welcome to summer! A few years ago...

A unique list of 10 inexpensive (mostly free) at home family fun night ideas to gather together and make some new memories.

101 creative FREE activities for kids to have fun and build lasting memories! Fun boredom busters that will cost nothing but time.

20 of the best family weekend activities. Most of the activites are FREE, with minimal or no preparation and kid-approved!

Try out these simple, fun and easy bucket list ideas. Easy at home, outdoor, and travel activities for the whole family to enjoy.

If this year taught us anything its that family is the most important part of our life. Spending quality time together single hanidly helped us manage the world together. Fun family traditions help create memories

Looking for fun family activities? Here's a list of the best things to do at home that will take your family bonding to a whole new level!

We have gathered some of the best outdoor play ideas that kids of all ages will love. You don't always need a play set, water slides, outdoor playhouses,