I Will Follow God's Plan - Review

You can make this poster or use the just the pictures and words to teach or review "I Will Follow God's Plan."   Once I have used this poster a couple of weeks, I make just the pictures and word strips and put them in a bag or box (preferably a cute bag or box) and ask a child to draw one of the pictures or words.  There are 17 "prompts," so you may want to draw 2 or 3 at a time.  Write the numbers 1 - 17 on the board and see if the children can figure out where the pictures or words belong.  This will require singing the song several times.  The children will be listening for the words so it is a great way to review this song.
You can also leave out a few prompts as time permits.

Note: Sing the songs at the tempo marked.  If you sing to fast the little ones can't sing the words fast enough and too slow looses interest and meaning.

"I Will Follow God's Plan"

Review "I Will Follow God's Plan"  using the following activity.

Put the pictures used last week on the board in the correct order.  You will need a ball of string or yarn that can go around the primary room or at least half of it. Hold the end of the string and ask a child to take the ball and walk around the room while you stand at the front and hold the end.  Let the string fall to the ground so it outlines the room.  Ask the child to return to you with the string once he has gone around the room.

Tell the children that Jesus has given us a path or plan to return to Him.  Explain to the children that this song helps us understand how Jesus helps us.  Sing the song.  Ask the children what ways or things did we sing about in this song that Jesus has given to us to help us return to Him.  (a plan, purpose, choice, seek His light, His word, His love, etc.)  

Choose a few children to hold onto the string and walk around the room while you sing the song.  Choose a few more and sing it again.  Ask the children why it is important to hold onto the string.  Sing the song again as a few more children walk around the room holding onto the string.

I Will Follow God's Plan

"I Will Follow God's Plan," p. 164, was included in the 2014 Sacrament Meeting Program.  That means that many of the children (not all) will know this song with some review.  Check out this title on my previous entries.  There is a down load for a great visual and many helps for teaching this song.

I keep all my visuals in a large container because I know that I can "recycle" them as we use songs over and over.  However, as a new music director, you do need to begin your collection.  It is always nice to pass your materials - visuals, etc. to the new music director so they have something to begin with, especially generic helps and visuals.  Stop and Go signs, loud and soft signs, fast and slow signs, etc. are a must as we teach music.

I have written posts about many of the songs we sing.  Look them up by title or subject for ideas and help.

Because He Loves Us

My theme this week is "Because He Loves Us." 
Prepare the following word strips: (If this list is too long, choose a few to meet your needs)

• love and tenderness
• peace and holiness
• pathway we should go
• walk with men on earth
•  sacrifice and death
• have faith, have hope
• Live like His Son
• live is a gift
• a plan
• a purpose
• my choice
• home on earth
• God's light
• holding fast
• work, pray
• happy on earth
•  home above

Cut out 17 hearts (or as many hearts as you have phrases) - red, pink, white - or any color
Tape the strips to the back of the hearts (you may have to fold the strips)
Tape the hearts with the strips on the board in front of the room or on the walls around the room.

• Tell the children that the Lord has given us so many things and done so much for us all because He loves us.
• Tell them that you have spread His love all over the board or room.
• On the back of each heart is a phrase from He Sent His Son or I Will Follow God's Plan.
• Ask two or three children to pick a heart, read the phrase and have them guess which song the words are from.  
• If your phrase is from He Sent His Son, stand on the right of the room (or wherever you would like them to stand).
• If your phrase is from I Will Follow God's Plan, stand on the left side.
• Sing the song and as soon as the children hear/sing the words on the heart, have them stand up.  
• After they sing the phrase they are to sit back down because there might be another phrase from that song that they will need to stand up for.

Hopefully, you can pick all the hearts. It's better to be prepared for more time than have too little prepared. No matter how many hearts that are chosen, you will be able to sing those songs several times.  A great review!

I Will Follow God's Plan

The song for this month is I Will Follow God's Plan, pg 164.  I have included the words and pictures that you can easily download, print and color.  Draw a path on the board and place the pictures and words along the path as shown.  Sing one phrase at a time - preferably 3 times, then place the pictures and/or words along the path for the next phrase.  Sing the phrase 3 times adding the previous phrase or phrases as you sing the new phrase the third time.

It's possible to learn the entire song in about 10 to 15 minutes but a review will be needed next week.  However, If the children become restless, review last month's song and/or sing a fun song.

I Will Follow God's Plan Download

"I Will Follow God's Plan"

A rebus is a picture or symbol that represents a word, part of a word or phrase.  These are fun for all ages but especially helpful for non-readers -- junior primary specifically.  With free clip art available on the internet, finding pictures for songs has become much easier.  I use "Google" to find pictures.  An example is: type in the Google space "flashlight free clip art."  Up comes many examples of flashlights or web sites to go to and find more examples.  In the February "Friend," p. 11, "I Will Follow God's Plan," there is a perfect example of teaching a song using rebus.  It was fun to watch the children figure out what the pictures stood for.  I displayed all the pictures in random order on either side of the black board.  I sang the first phrase, then the children chose the pictures that best fit the phrase and we put them in order in the middle of the board.  We all sang the phrase twice.  We did the same process for each phrase always singing the new phrase then the whole song.

The Friend

If you are working in Primary you need to subscribe to The Friend!  If you don't have the magazine, check out the Church website.  There are great ideas there, as well.  On page 11 in the 2011 February Friend, there is a great idea for teaching "I Will Follow God's Plan."  Check out this site:  Friend.lds.org