I don’t know what it is, but every once in a while, the Primary kids get a little ….WILD! All the possible reasons run through my head, “Is it a full moon? Is it the last week of school? A holiday coming up??? Murphy’s Law???!??!?” No matter the reason (or no reason at all!), it can be intimidating to stand in front of ALLLLLL the children and gain order!!!! So we thought it would be helpful to share some of the secrets we use to help get the sweet kiddos to calm down, focus, and bring the energy down to a level that can invite the Spirit. If the Spirit is felt, the love of Jesus Christ can be felt through the Primary Song words, and their faith can increase. And that, my friends, is a win! HERE THEY ARE!!!!! (shhhhh) 1 - Go up the microphone and start WHISSSSPERING. The microphone is my best friend when I need to regain order. But whispering into it, makes it hard for the children to hear – so they quiet down to be able to listen. That’s what we want people! 2 - Just going up to the microphone and folding your arms, and say “SHHHHHHH”, “SHHHHHHHHH” (pointer finger to mouth), and then walking around the room by the noisy side of children and flapping your folded arms (hinting for them to fold their arms) and “eyeing” to individual children (in a kindly stern way). Always give them a thumbs up, wink or nod and thank the Primary Children for being reverent. 3 - Start naming/pointing out the children who are being reverent. “Oh! I see ______ is being reverent, and _______ is sitting nicely in their sit, and yep, ___________ is listening etc. Walk around the room with your arms folded and dramatically “squint look” (SEE who's being reverent). 4 - If the children need a good focus back to me as the chorister, I go up to the microphone and say, “If you can hear me, touch your nose. If you can hear me, touch your head. If you can hear me, pull your ears. If you can hear me, fold your arms.” I start with “touch your nose” in a loud (er) voice and end with, “fold your arms” in a quieter voice (like a whisper). I like to switch it up and say, "If you can hear me, show me your: Book of Mormon hands (put hands together like a book) Prayer hands (put hands palm to palm) Steeple hands (touch tips of fingers together to make a steeple) Lamanite hands (like BOM Stories put feathers on back of head with one hand in front of you) Reverence arms (fold arms) You can make up as many as you'd like. The children not paying attention will wonder why others are doing these actions and will follow. 5 - Use Repeating Clapping Patterns. Tell them to repeat your clapping patterns. Mix different amounts of time you clap, rhythms and timing and then have them repeat. You could end with, “Now, get your listening ears on and please fold your arms”. 6 - “I want to you pretend like you’re going to blow a REEEEEALLY big balloon with me. So you’re going to need a big breath. (Breath in deep together – fill your lungs all the way and blow out), do it again. And one more time to make the balloon HUUUUUGE! Good, now fold your arms. Zip your lips." 7 - Keep the piano playing the WHOLE Singing Time! (so there's no time for chatting in between songs). Introduce the next song to sing and softly explain the words/meaning (show song visual on poster or flip chart or even just displaying a picture of Christ). In between singing songs, have the pianist play some music softly. Ask the children what they learn from each song after it is sung. 8 - Hold up a Reverence O Meter. It’s like a Singing Meter – but measures their volume the opposite way! The quieter, the better! 9 - This one I personally don’t use but I saw another chorister use and thought it was cute: “Everyone make a bubble in your mouth (hold breath and puff cheeks out) and don’t pop it until the start of our next song”. As song starts, use pointer finger to “pop” balloon so they can sing. This prevents chatting in between songs. 10 - Play Simon says or Sister/Brother __________ (your last name) says. I like to play the sky says when they are really wiggly or at the beginning of singing time: The sky says: Twirl like a tornado Clap like Thunder Fingers fall like rain Float up on toes like a cloud Sway like the wind 11 - Have a Rainstorm! Turn off lights. Rub palms together Snap fingers Pat legs Tap toes Stomp feet and pat legs and then do this in reverse order. 12 - When I pick a choosing stick (popsicle sticks with each having a Primary kids names on it) I say, "Let me see if this person is being reverent..." And I look all around the room and wait until everyone is quiet. If the child is not being reverent I go stand right in front of them and shuffle the sticks in the choosing-stick-can loudly. 13 - Start singing an Action/Wiggle Song where they mimic your actions. For example, Do as I’m Doing, Book of Mormon Stories, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, If You’re Happy and You’re Know it, etc. At the end of the song, fold your arms so they mimic you and start speaking softly to give directions. 14 - In the microphone, start counting down slowly, “5…4…3…2...1 aaand reverence”. Fold your arms to show the example. 15 - Bring some hand bells, a rain stick, fun leading wand (tap it on the music stand), anything that makes a noise or grabs their attention. Not too big of a noise, but noise. I once said, “I have a challenge for you. Let’s see if we can hear this push pin drop on the floor. Shhhhhhhh. Listen for it. Are you ready???? Here is goes!” It was probably to most quiet they've EVER been! 16 - Before our closing song, I usually end with something like this, “Now everyone stand UP! Jump three times, turn around in a circle. Now reach way up high and take a deep deep breath in. Bring your arms down as you breathe out. And do it one more time.” Do the actions with the kids. Then fold your arms so they are ready for the closing prayer. 17 – Recite a quick reverence poem. Here is an example: (author unknown) I wiggle my fingers. I wiggle my nose. I wiggle my shoulders. I wiggle my nose. No more wiggles are left in me. So I will be still, as still as can be. Or the Butterfly poem CLICK HERE. You can recite this poem in the microphone before the closing prayer, at the very beginning of Singing Time or at any time you’d like them to settle down. 18 – Show a picture of Christ. Say, “Stand up if you know who this is. Clap twice because He is the Christ. Jump three times because He is your Brother. Sit down, He is your Redeemer. Take a deep breath for He is The Life. Fold your arms in reverence, He is your Savior and the way back to our Father in Heaven”. "Now, let's sing a song from our hearts for Heavenly Father and Jesus so they can feel our love for Them". Now, trust me, I’ve had some train wreck Sunday’s. Some Sunday’s just don’t come together for some reason or another. But hopefully you can feel prepared and armed (ha!) and not feel helpless when you can feel the energy in the room going crazy and out the roof! Hopefully one or two of these ideas can help you with restoring and keeping REVERENCE during your Primary Singing Time. Have confidence in yourself! If YOU have confidence in YOU, the children will have confidence in YOU. You can do this!!!!! (*Last side note: If you feel your children are extra irreverent every week, speak with your Primary President and make sure to enlist the Presidency’s help, the teachers, the Bishopric, or even the Stake Primary’s. Make sure ALL are on board with the reverence expectancies and that they model and are examples themselves. Communication is key so that you don’t feel alone. All leaders and teachers in the Primary room should be your advocate for respect and reverence!) -iheartprimarymusic

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Hi Friends!I shared on FB a couple of ideas for practicing program songs, and in return I received a lot of questions! Which is great! So here are some more details about the things we've done in hopes that it helps a few other lovely choristers out there!PRACTICE AT HOMEThis is something new I tried this year and I have LOVED it. I sent each child home with a practice page asking them to sing each song 3 times. They colored in a circle for each time they sang it.(This is my practice page) When

Every month, there are 3 suggested songs to teach the Primary children. Discuss with your Primary President, and other chorister(s), which songs you’d like to focus on for each month. I try to pick one that THEY KNOW pretty well and one that they DON’T KNOW from the suggested songs. Teaching 3 new songs from scratch a month would be a lot for them to learn! So for the 3rd song, I will either sing it during a pick-and-choose Sunday, or as one of the opening songs that month. On the first Sunday of the month, I introduce the NEW SONG (the suggested song that they are unfamiliar with). To make Primary Singing Time interesting and fun and also bring the Spirit, I like to introduce the songs in different ways. I think introducing a song can be the most daunting of Sunday’s! I LOVE repeating songs, doing pick-and-choose activities, and incorporating holiday’s (if you follow our Instagram, it’s packed with those ideas!) But introducing a NEW song seems… I don’t know… boring? I don’t want to lose focus with their short attention spans by just telling them the words and then singing it over and over. So we’ve compiled some ideas as a resource on how to first introduce and help the children learn a BRAND NEW song. One they’ve NEVER heard before. ***With any and every new song, make sure you have the right attitude and prayer in your heart about the message the song will bring. Be enthusiastic, saying something like, “Today we are going to be learning a wonderful song”. You can also explain the words, message and story it conveys. Alright, you’ve waited long enough! Here are the ideas!!!!!! 1-Flipchart or Posters. I pretty much ALWAYS use a poster or flipchart for every song. I feel most children are visual learners and this helps Junior and Senior learn the words through pictures and words. Poster (my preference) Flipchart: (this flipchart is from Finch Family games found HERE) 2-Compound Learning. First, have them LISTEN to the song. This can be played on the piano, your phone through the Sacred Music app, CD, cassette, or Youtube video, etc. Second, let them HUM along to the melody. Third, have them SWAY their bodies (or sway scarves/wands) and hum to the music. Fourth, after showing and explaining the poster board/flipchart, SING the words to them (holding up the Poster or Flipchart). Fifth, have THEM SING along. Sixth, have them use shakers, paper plate drum, or clap/snap the rhythm as they sing along. 3-I sing, You Sing. After explaining the meaning of the song and showing the visual, play the music to the song all the way through. Sing the first line of the song with the piano, have the children repeat. Sing the second line of the song, have them repeat. Put the first and second line together and sing together. Continue on for the whole song. Make sure that before Primary you let your pianist know what you’re planning to do. You could also start with learning the chorus of the song. 4-Guess the Visual. Have the flipchart papers up on the board – all scrambled up and out of their correct order. Sing the first line of the song and have them guess which flipchart paper matches the first line. Continue this for each line of the song and put the flipchart in order. For Senior Primary, you could have word strips of each line of the song (out of order). Sing the first line and have them pick our which word strip is the correct one and have the children put the strips in order as you continue singing the rest of the song. For Senior Primary, you could have word strips of each line of the song (out of order). Sing the first line and have them pick our which word strip is the correct one and have the children put the strips in order as you continue singing the rest of the song. 5-Vanishing Flipchart Papers. For this one, call up as many children as papers you have in the flipchart. Each child holding one paper. Sing the song with children, one flipchart paper at a time. After the whole song has been sung, take away 1 paper and have that child stay standing. Sing the song and point to child as they sing that missing flipchart paper. Continue taking away papers and having them sing the song again until they’re all gone! Keep them up to the challenge using reverse psychology saying things like “Oh no! Can we do it now? (Yes!) Ok, here we go!” or “I don’t know, do you think you can remember this one????” 6-Bubblegum Blobs. For this idea, you’ll need a flipchart or poster hung up on the chalkboard. Sing the song with children (with idea number 2 or 3 on our list above). Tell the children you stepped on some sticky bubble gum on your way to church and thought the gum could help with singing time. Use one pink “gum blob” (pink paper or poster board cut into blob shape) to cover up a part of the song at a time. Sing after each blob is added. 7-Fill in the Blank. Write the words to the song on the chalkboard leaving out a word on each line. So intentionally NOT write some of the words to the song but draw a blank _______ so it can be added in. Sing the first line of the song. Have the children listen and see what the blank word is and fill it in. Continue on for each line of the song. This is a great one to get the children really listening! 8-Disappearing Words (eraser pass). Write the words to the song on the chalkboard. Have the children listen to the song as you point to the words. Next, sing the song with the piano. After, have the Primary sing along. Sing it one more time all together and tell the children to try to remember the words because they are going to start to disappear! As they sing the song, have them pass around the eraser. Whoever ends up with it at the end of the song, gets to erase 2-3 words!!! Sing again and pass the eraser! 9-Use Hand-Actions (or sign language). Sing the first line of the song. Ask the children to think of a hand action to be used for the meaning of the words. Sing the second line and again, ask them to think of a hand-action that would represent the words. Continue on for the whole song and combine all the hand-actions. This is another great idea for getting them to really listen to the words! (You could also sing the whole song together and only do sign language for KEY words). 10- Find It’s Home. Have the words to the song on the board - cut into separate word-strips and in the correct song order. Call up a child and give them a picture that matches up to one of the wordstrips. Have them match that picture to the word strip as you sing each line of the song. Have children sing along as they learn. 11-Picture to Lyric Match. (This one is the harder version of #10 "Find It's Home") Have pictures and song lyrics for each line of the song on the board (like a flipchart, but cut the words out separate from the picture so they’re not together). Sing the first line of the song and have the children try to match the picture to the words. Sing the song over and over until they’re all put in the correct place! 12-Listening Detective. Start by explaining we have a new song case. Listen up detectives!!! We need to find out: Who is it about? What do we learn? How many times does it read “He” or “Love”, etc.? You may want to read the scripture reference at the bottom of the song in the Songbook. 13-Visual Object Lesson. Show a quick visual lesson on what the song is about. Just a quick object lesson before you have them listen to the melody. In the Primary Music Instructions it say’s: For example, the song “Faith” (Children’s Songbook, 96–97) mentions a little seed. You could show the children a seed and talk about how we show faith when we plant a seed; this could lead to a discussion about ways we show faith in Jesus Christ, as described in the song. I also did this for “How Firm a Foundation” years ago. This helps them understand the meaning behind the song. Remember, it’s not just about learning the song and words, but learning and feeling the Spirit. AND now 2 last small tips: 14- Have the Pianist play the song as the interlude so that the children can hear the melody and be familiar with the tune. 15- Find the song in A Children’s Songbook Companion and read what’s suggested! This is a great resource for teaching the songs in the Primary Children’s Songbook. I refer to this book often. Find one HERE. It's seriously been a lifesaver on some Sunday's when I need an idea on how to introduce a specific song! and it also includes visuals on some songs! **Remember! This is the children's FIRST time hearing and learning this song! So don’t feel like a failure if they don’t pick it up right away! As you repeat and repeat this song, they will catch on! Also, remember the purpose is to help draw in the Spirit and let them feel the words and the meaning of the song. Good luck with your introducing your new song! Pray and listen the Spirit as you prepare! You can do this! -iheartprimarymusic

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I needed an idea for after program singing time, but I wanted to give the kids a break from the same old songs/learning a new song. I saw the mustache on a plate idea somewhere(the song was hidden under the mustache) but I wanted to change things up a bit. Cue TRIVIA GAME!! I titled the game "I Mustache You A Question". I put together a bunch of questions about primary songs (I have the document of questions I used. I'll add them at the end). A few children at a time came forward (I did 3 for lack of time) and answered their question. If they got the answer correct they pulled a mustache off any plate and got to wear it while they helped lead the next song. It was a hit! It brought lots of laughter and smiles to the room, but they were quick to be reverent again because they all wanted a turn. (For making the Mustache Men) I cut lots of different looking mustaches out of felt. Laminated a piece of card stock(helped a ton for durability) and hot glued the mustaches to it. Cut the mustaches out and taped them on the plates that I had drawn silly faces on. (I stuck a few pieces of tape on the area of the plate I would be removing the mustache from over and over again so it wouldn't rip my plates.) After junior primary was over and put a new piece of tape on each mustache and stuck them back on the plates for sr. primary. The kids had a wonderful time playing and I was happily surprised how well they answered some of the questions. Hopefully this can help someone out. Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!! -Brooke I googled primary singing time trivia games and a whole bunch came up. I picked through them, came up with a few of my own and compiled this list of questions. It was the perfect amount. 1. Complete the title of this song: My Heavenly Father Loves ___________ A. Me pg. 228 2. T/F Book of Mormon Stories has 8 verses. A. True pg. 118 3. If on occasion you have found your language is in question...what should you do? A. Hum your Favorite Hymn pg.152 5. Does Daniel have his own verse in the Follow the Prophet song? A. Yes pg. 110 6. God gave us families to help us what? A. Become what He wants us to be. Song: The Family Is Of God 7. What is the rainbow song actually titled? A. When I am Baptized pg.103 8. Scripture power is the power to? A. Win song: Scripture Power 9. What do the chapel doors say? A. Sh, be still. pg.156 10.Complete the line: My life is a gift; my life has a __________ A. Plan pg.164 11. How much taller do you have to grow to go on a mission? A. A foot or two pg.169 12. Why is Saturday a special day? A. It’s the day we get ready for Sunday pg.196 13. What does the little stream do? A. Give pg.236 14. In the song Popcorn Popping is the line 1. Blossoms popping right before my eyes or 2. Popcorn popping right before my eyes A. Blossoms pg.242 15. In the song Our Primary Colors what does red stand for? A. courage to do what is right pg.258 16. If I had one wish what would it be? A. To wish a happy birthday to you from me pg.284 17. What is the first song in the Songbook? A. I am a child of God pg.2 18. True/False The following songs appear in the Songbook and the Hymn Book. I am a child of God Teach me to walk in the light Families can be together forever Called to Serve I know my Father lives A. True 19. Is the Songbook called: A. Children’s Songbook B. Primary Songbook C. Sing with Me D. The Friend A. Children’s Songbook 20. True/False Feliz Cumpleanos is an Easter song? A. False pg.282 21. What are we when we are helping? A. Happy pg.198 22. What does the Snowman do at the end of his song? A. Melts pg.249 23. Where did you live before you came to Earth? A. Heaven pg.4 24. Complete the phrase: I will follow God’s plan ___ ___ A. For Me pg.164 25. Who is our living prophet today? A. Thomas S. Monson pg.134 26. Who Baptized Jesus Christ? A. John The Baptist pg.100 27. What is your favorite thing to do during Primary? A. (any answer) 28. How old must you be to be baptized? A. 8 pg.104 29. What are the missing words to this primary song? “I looked out the window and what did I see? _______ ________ on the apricot tree!” A. Popcorn Popping pg.242 30. To what song is this the chorus? “ Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do to live with him someday.” A. I Am A Child Of God pg.2 31. Finish the phrase of this song. “Book of Mormon stories that __ __ __ __ __ A. My Teacher tells to me. pg.118

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Gah! I got the musical MEASLES!!!!!! This one is SOOOO fun, keeps the kids’ attention and keeps them singing well! Win, win, win. Tell the kids that singing can be contagious (songs can spread joy, peace, and feel the Spirit) just like the Measles!!!! Pass out red stickers to all teachers. Pick a song to sing. After the song, each teacher pick 2 kids from their class to get a stickers. Aaand the stickers get stuck on YOU (or the Pianist!) It’s so fun to see how many stickers “measles” you end up with at the end! Have fun with this one, but make sure to tell them, they only get a sticker if they’re singing their best!

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