So, you were recently called as a new Primary Music Leader? Congratulations on your new calling! It may seem incredibly overwhelming right now, but you'll

You’ve taught them the new song for the month…. now you need to REPEAT aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand REPEAT it!!! Children (and adults) learn best with repetition so we thought we’d compile a list of ways to repeat a song without the children hearing, “One more time” and “Play it again” or “From the top”. The best kind of Singing Time when repeating and reviewing a new Primary Song is the one where the kids don’t realize they’re singing the same song over and over again! This is also great for them the repeat the words again and again, learn and melody, and feel/understand the message of the song. So you wanna know the ways to do this for your Primary? We came come up with this list as a resource for you to draw from!!! Alright, here is the list, “from the top” : 1-Play Hot Potato. Pass an object around the Primary room as they sing the song to review. The child that ends up with the object gets to say something they love about Primary. Hot Potato Option 2 – Have the Piano play and children sing and pass the “hot potato”. Arrange for the pianist to stop suddenly during the song at different times. The child who has the potato when the music stops says the next word or line to the song (they can get help from the Primary, if needed). 2-Voice Changer. Let the children pick a different voice to sing the song. For example, have them change their voice to sound like: -Computer Robot (staccato) -Baby Voice (sweet and lispy) -Underwater (plug nose, or move pointer finger up and down in lips) -Grandma Voice (pinch a small piece of your neck and move away and then back toward your neck really fast) -Opera (self-explanatory - use hand actions too!) -Feather Voice (whisper) -Bee Voice (Hum) -Chipmunk Voice (sing high, tighten neck and show teeth) -Ninja Movie Voice (move mouth in between words and pauses) -Giant Voice (sing deep and low) -Cowboy Voice (like a country singer) These voices can be chosen from paper strips on the chalkboard, punch out board, rolling a dice (each number represents a way to sing), spinner wheel, or any of our holiday/seasonal pick-and-choose activity. For our Ultimate list of Different Ways to Sing (over 50 ideas) CLICK HERE. 3-Singing Meters. Most kids love a challenge. They like to see how well they’re doing, so Singing Meters are perfect for that. Singing Meters can control their speed, volume, and overall how well they all are singing. A helium balloon as a meter or Eddie Spaghetti, Billy Bubblegum are great for this. Also our Racecar Singing Meter. 4-Stop/Go, ooooo ahhh, boys sing/girls sing Signs. Hold up a sign that tells the children who or how to sing. Switch them during the song so they have to pay attention. 5-Different Lead Sticks. Bring a variety of leading wands/sticks and display them on the table. Choose a child to pick one and lead the song. Tell the children you will be watching to see who is singing their best, and you will pick another child to pick a wand and lead. 6-Hot N Cold. Choose 2 children. One is the hider and the other is the seeker. Have the seeker go into the hall. Have the seeker hide a small object in the Primary room. Call the seeker back into the room and have the children start singing the song. The closer the seeker is to the object the LOUDER the children should sing. The farther away from the object, the QUIETER. If they find the object before the song is over, KEEP SINGING! My Primary children never get sick of this activity! 7-Silent Singer. One child goes out in the hall. Another child is chosen to be the “Silent Singer” meaning that child “lip sings” the song. Have the child in the hall come back in and all children sing – except for the silent singer who is lip singing. See if the child that was in the hall can guess who the “Silent Singer” is. Finish singing the song even if they guess before it’s over! 8-Rubberband Primary Band. Have some recycled instruments displayed on the table. Pick a child for each instrument. Sing that song as those children with their instrument keep the beat. At the end of the song, have them pass their instrument onto another child. Sing the song until each child has had a turn. Some examples of instruments are, oatmeal tube as a drum, egg carton and stick as a Guiro, 2 paper plates as cymbals, comb (scratch fingers across), spoons back to back (hit knee and hand), tap 2 wood spoon together on the stick part, large and wide rubber band around an open box or Tupperware bowl, etc. You could also use bells, shakers, etc. and to finish the song, have a special helper be the finishing cymbal and clap two chalkboard erasers together!!! 9-Hat Review. Display different hats on the table. Sing the song and whichever class sung the best gets to pick a hat from the table and have their teacher wear it! You could also have different categories such as: The class who is sitting up the straightest and folding arms. The class that is smiling the most. The class that is the loudest. The class that is singing the most enthusiastically. Which class know the song the best without the visual? The class that is overall the best in all categories. 10-Missing Mystery. Send a child in the hall. Pick another child to be the “missing mystery” – meaning they hide behind the chalkboard (or piano) for the song. Call the child back out from the hall and have the children start sing the song. See if the child from the hall can guess who’s missing before the song’s end. If they guess who it is, too soon, keep singing until the end of the song! 11-Headbands. Choose some words that are sung in the song and write them on an index card size paper. Call up a child who is up for a challenge. Put a headband (like a basketball sweatband) around their forehead. Clip the index card with the written word to the band. The child should not be able to see the word. Have the Primary children start singing the song. When the word on the card is to be sung, have them skip over it (don’t sing that word). Have the child with the headband try to guess what word is on their forehead. If they don’t guess it the first time, sing the song again and this time have the children sing that word LOUD and obvious, make sure they sing all the way to the end of the song. 12-Musical Measles. All you need for this one is some small round dot stickers. Be careful the measles are contagious! Original post HERE. 13-Guess the Leader. Have one of the members of the Primary Presidency go out in the hall with a child (or by themselves, depending on the child). Choose another child from the Primary to be the “leader”. The “leader’s” job is the have the other Primary children follow their actions during the song. Have the child in the hall come back in and all start singing. The leader starts doing different actions such as clapping, rolling arms, pat head – all the children follow. Have the child who was in the hall try to guess who the “leader” is before the end of the song. 14-Class action. Each class is assigned a secret word (such as the, am, I, etc.) from the song. As a class, they decide on an action to do or sound to make when this secret word is sung in the song. Examples of actions are, jump up off their chair, clap, dab, meow like a cat, etc. Sing the song until all secret words are figured out for each class. Option 2 – Pick some different words that get repeated a few times in the song such as “I or to”. Tell the children NOT to sing that word but to replace it with an action or sound (examples are above). You can replace a different word every time, or have them build on each other each time to make it a fun challenge! 15-Mindful Singing. First, start by having the kids rub their temples on the head to get their “minds ready.” Next, have the children sing the song - to refresh their minds. Then, have the pianist play the song and tell the children to sing the song in their head (mind). Have the pianist stop suddenly and see if the children can say what the next word or line of the song. Have them raise their hand if they think they know it. Sing the song out loud again all together, then play mindful singing. Make sure to give your pianist a heads up on this singing activity before it starts! 16- Heads or Thumbs. Before you sing the song to review, have the children stand up and either put their hands on their head or give a thumbs up – whichever one they want to choose. Sing the song, after the song is sung, flip a coin. If the coin lands on heads, those with their thumbs up, sit down. If the coin lands on Tails, those touching their head, sit down. Start over with those still standing. ALL children sing. Flip the coin at the end of the song. Repeat and sing until there is one child standing! 17-Switching Seats. Have one child go out in the hall. Have another 2 children from the Primary switch seats. Have the child in the hall come back, primary start singing the song, and before the songs end, see if the child that was in the hall can guess who switched seats! Well, now there you go!!!! You have 17 ways to REPEAT a song in a fun way! We hope this helps you feel empowered to help the Primary children review any song. Keep in mind that not every one of these work for every song. Some songs are longer than others and may not work, or some songs are to be sung more reverent than others. Thanks for visiting our site and be sure to check out our other pick and choose review ideas and following our Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook pages!!! -iheartprimarymusic

Make sure to check out my most recent planners and schedulers HERE. I’ve seen LOTS of singing time planners and schedulers out there. I’m more of a simpleton when it comes to my scheduling (if you aren’t familiar with my monthly singing time schedules, you can check them all out HERE). I only like to […]

We need to sing a song over and over to memorize the words and think about the message. Here is a list of different ways to practice a song over and over that will make it fun and keep the kids' attention. 1. Alligator mouth to control the volume- when his mouth is open wide, you sing loud. When it's open a little bit, you sing quiet. 2. Eddie Spaghetti - Pull a piece of yarn up through the hole. Colors can mean different things, like boys/girls sing, or hum/sing. (2 things I've learned about this: first- make a two or three-foot loop of yarn and just use that to pull through instead of actually pulling through all that yarn in the bowl - it gets tangled. second- use a dark color and a light color because color blind boys can't see a difference in this red and green yarn.) The bowl is made from an overhead transparency taped onto the posterboard. 3. Speedometer- this one works best if the chorister controls the speed of the song; otherwise the kids will change it too frequently. I cut a half-circle out of a piece of cardboard and covered the whole thing with contact paper on the front and back to make the clear window. The needle is attached with a nut with a bolt on the other side so it moves easily. Kind of like using a brad but heavy-duty. 4. Thermometer- you can use this to have kids sit/stand, sing louder/softer, or it can measure how well they're singing. Make a ribbon loop using one red piece and one white piece. Cut a slit in the top of the poster and one in the bottom and thread the ribbon through, then glue the ends of the loop together and pull it up or down. 5. Happy/sad balls - kids sing happy or sad, depending on which ball you hold up. (I also cut the mouths open with a steak knife and sometimes I put papers inside and the kids can pull out a paper to see how/what we're going to sing.) 6. Conducting elephant - this one helps the kids learn to follow the conductor. Sometimes our stubborn elephant visitor will stop conducting in the middle of the song and the kids have to stop singing until he moves his trunk again. Or he will hold out a note really long and they have to keep singing it til he cuts them off. They think it is hilarious. 7. Bishop Bubblegum: Draw a picture of your bishop (or just draw a plain boy and call him something like "Billy Bubblegum"). Stand behind the poster and blow a pink balloon through the hole when they are singing well. Let air out if they aren't singing well. Their favorite part is at the end of the song when you let go of the balloon and the "gum" flies out of the Bishop's mouth and sails around the room! 8. Everyone conducts 9. No pianist/ No chorister 10. Whisper sing 11. Teachers only/Kids only 12. Girls/boys only 13. Stop sign- make an octagon on red paper and one on green. Glue them to a paint stick. When you hold up the green side, the kids sing. When you turn it around, the kids hum the words. The piano just keeps playing like normal the whole time. This helps them to keep thinking of the words because when you turn back to green, they have to start singing the words that the piano is playing. This one never gets old. 14. Flamingo Style (On one foot) 15. Sing as far as you can in one breath 16. Make a funny face while you sing 17. Opera style 18. Cowboy accent 19. Drill sergeant style (march and say the words grumpy) 20. One class sings while the other claps the rhythm, and the other hums 21. Everyone clap or step to the beat or rhythm 22. Popcorn style (staccato) this one is everybody's favorite! 23. Ice Cream style (Sit/stand on queue)- Hold an ice cream scoop in each hand. The kids are ice cream. Their chairs are the cones. You scoop them up [stand] and smash them down onto the cones [sit]. They love this! (And it's good practice for standing together for the Primary program.) 24. Get a microphone with a long cord and plug it into the wall. Then have kids sing parts of the song solo into it. 25. Have one kid go out in the hall while the other hides a small object. When the first kid comes back in, sing louder as they get closer to finding it and sing quieter as they get farther away. 26. People wearing this color sing (it can be fun to hold up a banana for yellow, etc.) 27. Eyes closed 28. Magic word- I pick one word and they do an action every time we sing it (stand; move down a chair, jump). They especially love when I put an extra chair at the end of each row and have them move down one each time we sing it (left the first time, right the next, etc.). 29. Super singer spray: fill a squirt bottle with a sweet drink that doesn't stain and shoot it into the mouths of the kids who are singing loud. Be sure the squirt bottle is set to stream and not mist, or it will go all over their faces. They will sing louder than you ever thought they could! 30. Blindfold a teacher and have them pin the [whatever] on the [whatever] (the kids sing loud/soft for how close the teacher is to pinning it). 31. Have each class sing one line of the song. The class who sings the best has its teacher come up and wear a crazy hat while we all sing the whole song together. I have a turkey hat and a green curly wig that I use for this. 32. Bring a roll of TP. Pick two teachers. Teacher A walks around teacher B wrapping her in TP while the kids sing. She runs around her faster if they are singing good; walks slow if they're singing bad. 33. Cut a brother’s tie: invite a member of the bishopric in or some other funny brother in the ward. Give him a thrift store tie to be wearing when he comes in. The kids sing their song and you cut off a big chunk of his tie if they sing well or a small chunk if they don't sing as well. Have him tell the kids, "No! don’t sing well!" 34. Musical chairs: walk (to beat/rhythm) while singing. When piano stops, sit in the nearest chair. 35. Record them singing it and play it back for them 36. Race the piano 37. Each class is assigned a secret word (I, and, etc.). That class has to do some silly action (quack, jump) each time we sing their word. We sing the whole song and then we all guess what each class had. We have to keep singing it until they have figured out what each class had (this works for Senior but not for Junior). After singing lots of different ways, have kids vote on their favorite way and which way fits the song best.

Click HERE to download a PDF version of the medley.

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

Tons of Primary Chorister ideas for teaching music to children in Primary. Singing time for junior and senior primary and even nursery. For teaching in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I mentioned in this post a wheel that I created for teaching singing in Primary. I thought it would be fun to make it a freebie you can download! There are actually files for two different wheels. So you make one backboard, and then two different games to play. The first is the song wheel--this one has interchangeable pieces for different songs, so when the kids spin the wheel, it chooses the song for them. The other is for HOW you sing the song. This one is a bit more simple and isn't interchangeable. Items you need: The Backboard: One sheet of poster paper--any color. I backed mine on actual wood, which made it sturdier, but it's up to you. A brad--preferably a long one. The Song Wheel: One sheet of poster paper--any color. Draw a circle that is 16x16 inches. Cut out. Laminate if possible. Printed copies of provided song pieces, on cardstock. Cut out and laminate if possible. Ticky-tac How to Sing Wheel: One sheet of poster board - any color. Draw a circle that is 16x16 inches. Cut out. Printed copies of the "how to" files, on cardstock. Tape or glue Backboard How To: First, you will want to create your backboard. Get a regular sized poster board. Press a hole in the center with your brad, where you want you wheel to spin. Add some sort of arrow on one side that is the "stopping point" when you spin the wheel. I backed mine on real wood so that it would stand up in the chalk tray easier, but you don't have to--you can always pin it up instead. Song Wheel How To: I have created pieces for 66 songs. I even went in and made sure I had all the songs for the 2012 Primary program. You can always create your own, adding new songs, but tracing mine and decorating them yourself. Print them in color on cardstock. 22 pages. Draw a circle on poster board that is 16x16. Cut it out and laminate if you can. Cut out each of the pieces and laminate them if you can. Or you can print them on photo paper--that works great too. Prick your brad through the center of the 16x16 poster circle, then through the center of your backboard. Use ticky tack to attach your pieces to the board. That easy. You can change out songs as much as you like! How to Sing How to: Create a 16x16 circle out of poster board. Print the four pages of the How to Sing template in color on cardstock Cut off margins and glue the four pieces together to create one circle. Back it with the poster board you have prepared by gluing them togehter.Laminate if possible. Press your brad through the center and attach to your backboard. I hope these work great for you! My primary kids would get SO excited when they saw I had brought the Primary Wheel that day. It was a bit of work, but totally worth it. If you have someone covering for you, its an easy quick thing to give them to do. I don't have mine anymore--the new Primary chorister really wanted it, so I let her borrow it. Not sure if I'll ever see it again, but oh well. The kids are getting plenty of use out of it! TO DOWNLOAD: (May, 2019) The demand for these files has been so high that I decided to move all the files over to my Teachers Pay Teachers account--that way if there are updates, you will be notified! Don't worry--IT'S STILL FREE!!! I have also added a bunch of songs--including Christmas songs--and I have changed the formatting. Now you will have the files in PDF, but you will also have them as JPG files so you can pick and choose which songs you want to print. The download includes step by step instructions on how to do that. To get the download of all these files, click on the link below! In 2019 I added the new songs for the year, and made interchangeable pieces for how to sing. UPDATE: 2018 I have been called once again to be the Primary Chorister, and hope to be adding lots of new things I create! My newest game is called Primaryland, and it was an absolute HIT! Check it out!

It's SUMMER! If you need a fun summer primary idea for singing time, this one is fun, and easy! Dressing up is Dan's fave, and the kids always love to see what he comes up

How to teach the verses to the Primary song We'll Bring the World His Truth in singing time with picture puzzles, Army of Helaman

Click HERE to download a PDF version of the medley.

Today I am going to bring to you some of those good "ole" go to games that we can always rely on when we have THOSE kind of weeks. Yep, look at the pic. We all have them and its totally okay! These games can be pulled out last minute at anytime. They are great to have on hand for subs or the presidency in case of an emergency. You know the ones. You wake up in the middle of the night Saturday and look and feel like this: or GREAT for times like these: Yay, vacation!! My favorite!!! Below is a list of games you can always rely on last minute. I have taken some from off of the internet and tried to compile them in one place for you. I hope this is helpful for anyone needing some last minute ideas. Thanks for taking a peek. Happy Singing to everyone!!! Hide the Note 1.)The first one I have for you has been around for quite sometime. You all know the one, Hide the Note/Hot and Cold. To play you will print yourself out a copy of a music note. You can easily cut one out of black card stock or construction paper. Whatever is easiest and something you already have on hand. Once you have your note you are ready to play! Choose your song. This is a great one to use for repetition because the kiddo's will sing the same song over and over and have a good time while doing it! To start you choose a child to be your seeker. They will step out into the hallway while another child helper comes up front and hides the music note somewhere in the room. Once the note is hidden you will have the seeker step back into the room. The kiddo's will sing quietly until the seeker gets closer to where the note is hidden. They will sing louder the closer the seeker gets to the hidden note until it is found. They will then finish the verse and the seeker will then hide it from the next child that is chosen. Name that Tune 2.) Number two is another oldie but goodie that has been around for years. It is Name that Tune. This one is pretty simple to figure out. You will need some songs written out on some slips of paper and a dice so that it can be rolled to determine the amount of notes that the children get. You can break into teams or just play with the whole group. Whatever suits your primary the best. To play: A child will roll the dice to determine the amount of notes for the pianist to play. You could use two dice if you feel you need more than 6 notes for play. The Child will then pick a piece of paper out of a basket, or container and you will hand it to your pianist. She/he will play the amount of notes determined by the roll of the dice. The kids have to try and guess which song by the amount of notes that are played. Again, you can do teams or just play as a whole. If they get it right then give them a point, if not, then you get the point and they sing the song anyway:) Play then continues.. You can set an amount of points to try and reach before the end of singing time and give a small reward or not. Whatever you prefer.... Stump the Chorister 3.) Comes to us from this blog Here. It is called Stump the Chorister and it is a very cute idea. For this one you will have a bag or box full of dress up items. A chosen child will come to the front and pick a question about a song you have been working on. If they can answer the question then they get to pick an item out of your dress up bag/box for you to put on. If they can't answer the question then you get to pick an item and they have to put it on. There are different ways this could be played. I would only make them wear the item while we sing the song the question was regarding. If I have to wear the item then I would have to keep it on throughout singing time unless they don't all participate. Then I can remove the item after they sing the song. This would add in a little motivation as well. Pop the Balloon 4.) Another simple one that the kiddo's love and can do over and over is POP the balloon. For this one you just put your songs to be practiced in some balloons and the kiddo's get to pop the balloon and sing the song inside. You can change this up however you would like. I saw an idea posted stating that you can call this POP QUIZ and just put a line from a specific song and see if they kids can figure out what song it is. Once they guess the song you sing it.. Skittles Challenge 5.) For this one you need a bag of skittles. Simple, Simple, Simple! To play you have a child come to the front. They pick a skittle with their eyes closed. They then eat the skittle and try and determine the color of the skittle they have eaten. If they guess right then they get to choose their favorite song, if they miss then we sing a program song. Who's Missing 6.) This game is great for repetition. To start you will have your song picked out beforehand. You will then have a child step out into the hallway. While the seeker is in the hallway you will then pick another child to hide behind the piano. Once they are hidden the kiddo's will start singing the song. The seeker will come into the primary room and try and decide who is missing. They can not walk around and look. They have to stand at the front of the room while the song is being sung and try and determine from there. Once the song is over they can guess who is missing? If they are right then they can pick the next seeker, if the hider tricked them then they get to be the next seeker. Somthing's Different, Sister ________ 7.) This next one sounds really cute. I found it on this blog Here. It is called Something's Different, Sister ______! It is a great one for review of your program songs. To play, you bring a few items to change your appearance but only slightly. Items could be; Earrings, lipstick, a hair clip, shoes, stickers, a jacket, etc. You would then tell the kiddo's to take a good look at you. Notice what your wearing, your hair, try to memorize everything about you. You would then step out into the hallway and change something about your appearance. Once you step back into the room the kiddo's will start singing the song for review while you stand in the front and direct. While singing they have to try and determine what is different about your appearance. At the end of the song they guess what is different. Play continues with the next song. You will always be the one to change our appearance. You wouldn't want another child putting in your earrings or wearing your lipstick:) 8.) These last two I have for you tonight are from previous posts on my site. They are called 4 corners and Swat Team. You can find them by clicking Here. I have a few others under the review games label that would be GREAT for last minute prep. They are listed as Silent Singer, Sparkle, Heads up 7 up, & Around the World. These are just a few. Please feel free to take a peek. There are quite a few there that would work GREAT for those CRAZY weeks that we all know.. I hope this is helpful to anyone having one of those days, weeks, months.... Happy Singing Everyone and Happy WEEKEND!!!

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!

After watching this video explanation of how to sign "If the Savior Stood Beside Me," I made myself a chart of very simple signs to teach the primary children as they learn this song. Mostly the chart is to help me remember. It took quite a bit of time and some photoshopping (can I use that as a verb now?), so I thought I would share it for those without the time or software to create your own. This certainly is not the only way to sign it, but I chose the easiest signs with what I could find on the internet. You can find my chart for all 3 verses here: If the Savior Stood Beside Me (Signs)

Happy Thursday Everyone! It sure feels like it has been awhile since I have been on here. I apologize for those checking in. Now that we a...

Image from Ashley singingtimeinfortworth.blogspot.com She's got some great ideas!! I needed a last minute singing time idea and found...

Singing time yoga also known as position cards, singing time review activity providing tons of movement as you sing Primary songs.

Let me set the scene. It’s late Saturday night. You’ve had a busy and packed day full of soccer games, bridal showers, whiney kids, family get-to-gether, making dinner, put (forced) kids to bed. Then you think, “Oh man! I have to plan my singing time lesson for tomorrow!!!” What can I do that really quick and easy???? We’ve all been there. We get it. So, here you go: Pick one. We got your back J (((***KEEP IN MIND, THESE ALSO WORK FOR REVIEWING YOUR PROGRAM SONGS!!!!!))) 1- Target Practice Write the number 1-9 on the chalkboard (or however many songs you’d like to review) like this: 123 456 789 Draw a circle around each number. Like a Target. Now you’re ready! All you need is something for the kids to throw/hit/shoot at the board. The number they hit, is the corresponding song to sing! Ideas to throw/hit/shoot with: Nerf gun, ball, crumbled up piece of paper, bean bag, etc. Whatever you have on hand! This is a Saturday late night idea people!!! 2 – Who’s Missing? All you need for this one is a blanket or sheet! Put the blanket or sheet over a classroom table or over the chalkboard. Ask for a “hider” and a “guesser”. The “guesser” goes out into the hall. The “hider” hides under the classroom table or behind the chalkboard. The “guesser” comes back in the room, music plays, children sing song. The “guesser” tries to figure out Who’s Missing before the end of the song. If they guess before the end of the song, keep singing until the end!!!! 3 – Hot and Cold It’s not a new idea, but we’re talking easy Saturday night ideas here. Hide an object, like a paper note (I use a figurine of Captain Moroni). But this object could be aaaanything. Have a pen? Perfect. A CTR ring borrowed from a child? That works too J Have one child go out of the room, hide the object, have the child come back in as the children sing start singing. Have the children sing loud when the seeker is close to the object. Have them sing quieter as the seeker is farther away. This is a classic and NEVER gets old! 4 – Secret Word Pick a couple words out of the song(s) you’d like to review. Write them on a note card size paper. Send one child out of the room (guesser), show everyone the word from the song. Tell them to NOT sing this word as they sing. Have the guesser come back in and put the word piece of paper on their forehead. Children sing song, skipping that secret word. At the end of the song, have guesser guess the Secret Word. 5 – Voice Changer Have a song you need to sing over and over to practice? Write these different ways to sing on the chalkboard. Choose a child being reverent and let them choose. Change singing voice to that style for the song. -Computer Robot (staccato) -Baby Voice (sweet and lispy) -Underwater (plug nose, or move pointer finger up and down in lips) -Grandma Voice (pinch a small piece of your neck and move away and then back toward your neck really fast) -Opera (self explanatory - use hand actions too! -Feather Voice (whisper) -Bee Voice (Hum) -Chipmunk Voice (sing high, tighten neck and show teeth) -Ninja Movie Voice (move mouth in between words and pauses) -Giant Voice (sing deep and low) -Cowboy Voice (like a country singer) For our ULTIMATE LIST of DIFFERENT WAYS to sing, Click HERE . (There's over 50 ways listed!!!) 6 – Name that Tune All you need for this one is a pair of dice! Nice! (hey, that rhymed!) Let your pianist know what songs you’d like to practice ahead of time. During singing time, let a child come to the front of the Primary room and roll the dice. Whatever number they land on is how many notes the pianist plays. Let them guess the song. Make sure to tell them to raise their hand when they recognize it. Otherwise, you’ll hear them out shouting it out! Then sing the song. Another fun classic that is always a winner singing time! 7 – Teacher Dress Up Items needed: Crazy, fun dress up items (yes, go look in your husband and kids closets, and the Halloween bin!) Think scarves, hats, glasses, gloves, apron Tell the kids you’re going to have a singing competition between classes. Whichever class sings the best for each song, their teacher has to come pick up a dress up item. If there is a tie between classes, have each teacher come up. Sometimes it’s hard to choose, so I have judgement help from the Primary Presidency. 8 – Visual Pick Bring the visuals/poster boards of the songs you’d like to sing. Display the around the room, or in front on the table/podium. Choose a reverent child to come pick which song they’d like to sing. Sing that song. 9 – Memory Match All you need is paper, pen, and tape (or sticky tack) Make a scratch list of the songs you’d like to review. Write each Song title on 2 pieces of paper. Put those on the chalkboard. Let children try to match a match (one pick at a time). When they get a match, sing that song! Let the match finder help lead the song! 10 – Ready, Set, ACTION Write these different ways to ACT on the board (or popsicle sticks, paper, etc ) as you sing the review songs. -Stand on One foot -Close one Eye -Close both eyes (no peeking!) -Face Backwards -Pat Head, Rub Belly -March -Stand on Chair -Ears Forward (bend ears forward with hands, as to hear yourself better) -Clap Or add your own idea! We still have more ideas, is that ok????? Good. Here's some more!!! :) 11 - Silent Singer. Ask one child to go into the hall. Next, choose a child from the Primary that wants to be the "Silent Singer". Have the child in the hall come back in as the children sing a song. The child who is the "Silent Singer" lip sings and the child that was in the hall tries to guess which child is the "Silnet Singer" before the song is over! 12- Switch Seats - Call one child to come up to the front of the Primary room and have them turn around. Point at 2 hildren sitting down to switch seats. Start singing a song and have the child in front turn around and try to guess who switched seats by the end of the song! It's harder than you think! Do you have any other great EASY SATURDAY NIGHT APPROVED Singing time ideas? We’d love to hear! -iheartprimarymusic

LDS Primary Chorister Ideas by Sheree Peterson

It's the day of the program. So much to do. So much to worry about. So many things that can go wrong. Stay Calm! Here are a few things that can help you this morning. 1. Take a few minutes and say a prayer. 2. Eat breakfast. 3. Wear something comfortable. 4. Get ready to smile! It's all going to be wonderful! On the Sunday of the program the children sit down in their chairs and face the audience. What yesterday was a big empty chapel, today is filled with people. They look out at parents, grandparents, cousins, ward members and visitors. Suddenly they realize just how many people come to church and their hearts start to beat fast too. They get a little nervous and scared. But who do they see? Who is looking back at them with a smile? It's you! They love you! Suddenly with a prompt and a huge smile, they sing for you. Some will sing loud, too loud maybe. Some will whisper. Some will fidget. It's okay. It's really okay. We aren't going for perfection here, we are aiming for the spirit and children singing brings the spirit like nothing else. Let them sing their way, and from their hearts and they will bring the spirit. It's going to be a wonderful day!