A Favorite Repeat Activity

My primary LOVES this activity, and I thought I'd share it with all of you. It's just a really easy way of repeating a song in a fun way. That way the kids get plenty of practice in, but don't get bored. In fact, they love it so much that I have a hard time keeping them reigned in, and I can only use it sparingly.

I have two posters numbered 1-6. The first poster is titled "Who" and says
1. All
2. Girls only
3. Boys only
4. Light hair
5. Dark hair
6. All

The second poster is titled "How" and says
1. Loud
2. Soft
3. On one foot
4. Facing backwards
5. Fast
6. Slow

Each poster also has a laminated yellow star that can move around to indicate which selection we'll be doing.

I have a child roll an oversized, soft die. Whatever number it lands on tells us who will sing. Then another child rolls it again to determine how they are going to sing. Then we repeat certain verses or whatever section of a song needs working on over and over.

The children LOVE rolling the die and fight over it. So it is helpful to use choosing sticks or tell them you're picking by whomever is singing the best or being the most reverent. They also like to throw it around, against walls, up in the air, etc. So if you're not okay with the rowdy factor, you will need to set up some ground rules for appropriate behavior.

I'm not sure why they love this game so much, but it is really motivating to them. It even gets my boys in senior primary singing loud and participating.

Please post one of your effective strategies for repeating a song without lulling the children into a stupor of boredom. I know I could use new ideas.

Snow Ball Fight

We've been working hard on a couple of Christmas songs to sing in Sacrament meeting next week.

However, I think my kids have earned a break, so I've decided to do something fun this week. Since we finally have enough snow on the ground for it to be considered winter, I've decided to have a snow ball fight in primary.

I'll give each child a piece of white paper on which they are to write their favorite primary song. Then they get to crumple it up in a ball. I'll don a hat and coat, and let them throw their "snowballs" at me. I'm not sure if I'll hold a basket for them to aim for, and if they get it inside we sing that song, or if I'll just let them attack me, and I'll try to catch them, or what.

Just a fun and easy week for me.

Thanksgiving Theme

I am going to use this cute little cornucopia picture that I found at:
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/thanksgiving/mcornicopia.htm

All the pieces are separate. I am going to write a song title on the back or write Thankful. If they choose a Thankful picture they will have to say something they are thankful for.
I am also going to have them sing Thanks to Our Father - pg 20 and have them say things they are thankful for and sing those thing (change the words in verse 2). I will have the kids who have said what they are thankful for stay up front with me so they can help with the words.
I hope it will get them thinking about the things they are thankful for and how very blessed we all are.

Top Ten

This week I'm playing it easy again (I love it when the SMP is finally over and you can relax a little bit).

Last week I had everyone in primary (teachers and presidency included) write down their favorite primary song. Then I compiled the list into our top ten favorites. We'll play "Name that Tune" and when the children guess each song, we'll sing it together.

Here is our list:

10. I Hope They Call Me On a Mission
9. I Think the World is Glorious
8. When I am Baptized
7. A Child's Prayer
6. If the Savior Stood Beside Me
5. Called to Serve
4. Army of Helaman
3. I Am a Child of God
2. Once There Was a Snowman
1. Scripture Power

Once I finished compiling the list there were actually only eight songs that had received more than one vote. So I voted from the remaining songs on the list to pick the last two. It might have worked better if I had everyone write down their top three favorites, then maybe I would have had more songs mentioned more than once.

The Apostle Song

We taught this song for Singing time/Sharing time a few weeks ago. One of the councilors had children in the primary research and report on each of the 12 apostles. The children presented the information to the whole primary. After they were familiar with each apostle, his name, and information about him we started learning the song. The children really loved it. Many of you will remember the tune (Beverly Hill Billies) and once you pick up on the tune than the words come right along after. I have the sheet music, but I think that you can also find it online as well.

I looked up pictures about each one and put them in the bottom corner of each apostles picture, (ie I put a photo of a surgeon on Russel M. Nelson). We sang the song several times and than I started to hide the names and remove the pictures. By the end of singing time we knew nearly all the words. We sang the song again the next week. The children did really well remembering everything. It is a fun way to help them remember the names of the 12 apostles!

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

Do you remember this song?

My kids have worked so hard for the program, that they deserve a break. I've decided to play with this song a bit. I'm going to change it to "Oh what do you do in the Autumn time?" and have the children help me make up new lyrics.

I've made a bunch of colored leaves to hang around the room. I'll also draw a leafless tree on the chalk board. For Junior Primary the children will take turns picking a colored leaf, reading the lyric suggestion on it, and posting it on the tree. Then we'll sing the verse with the new lyrics.
I made three leaves of five different colors: green, yellow, orange, red, and brown. On each red leaf I'll write lyric suggestions for verse 1. For example one leaf will read "dress like a queen", the next "for halloween", and the third "go trick or treating all night." So the verse will go:

Oh what do you do in the autumn time, when all the world is red?
Do you dress like a queen for Halloween, and go trick or treating all night?
Is that what you do? So do I.

Each color is a different verse, so we'll end up with five verses.

Here are some other verse suggestions:

Oh what do you do in the autumn time when all the world is yellow?
Do you collect colored leaves, and look at the trees, and eat lots of apple pie?
Is that what you do? So do I.

Oh what do you do in the autumn time when all the world is green?
Do you help your mom cook, and read lots of books, and go to bed on time?
Is that what you do? So do I.

etc.

In Senior Primary I'll teach the children the rhyming pattern of the song and let them write their own lyrics.

Hopefully that makes sense, and hopefully it will be fun. Making the leaves took me just a few minutes, as I already had colored paper on hand, and I just roughly cut them out with scissors. It was quick prep, it's easy, and I think the kids will like it.

Upcoming SMP

This Saturday the 11th ward is having a pancake party and final practice before our Sacrament Meeting program on Sunday. My lucky husband gets to help cook pancakes, and then the kids get to put an assortment of toppings on their pancakes: sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, whipped cream, etc. Sounds gross to me, but the kids love it. Then we'll go into the chapel and have our final practice.

My kids have been doing great. I know they know the music well, the question is whether or not they are willing to sing it. We have lots of kids (mostly older boys) that refuse to sing at all. If I look directly at them while I lead, they will barely move their lips to pretend that they are singing, but I know they're not. Ah, to be too old for Primary and too cool for the program.

My only worry is that because my kids are so well prepared that they have already hit and passed their peak. We've been practicing the same songs over and over for so long it seems, and I know they want to do something new. So I'm excited to perform this Sunday and get to move onto new material.

How are you feeling about your upcoming program?