"Come Follow Me" Review

"The 2015 Outline for Sharing Time" on page 15, shows 8 footprints with the phrases printed on them from  the hymn "Come Follow Me."  Make 4 sets (more or less depending on the size of your primary).  Pass them out to the children in the Primary.  (There may not be enough for each child, but that's okay.)  Ask the children to quietly read their footprint. Tell the them that as everyone sings the hymn, when they hear the phrase on their footprint, they are to stand up.  Hopefully all the children holding a footprint will be standing as you finish singing.  Pass the footprints to children who have not had a turn and sing the hymn again following the same pattern.  It is fun to include the leaders and teachers.

You can also do this activity backwards.  Everyone holding a footprint should stand until their phrase is sung.  No one should be left standing at the end of the hymn.  Hopefully you will sing the hymn several times to "seal" the words in the children's mind.

"Come Follow Me" Footprint Review

Hymns tend to be a little more difficult for the children to learn - especially for the little ones.  The more you sing it with them the better they learn and come to love it.

Using the footprints from last week, place them in order on the board and then sing the hymns with the children.  If they are still struggling with the words, sing it one or two more times.

Take the footprints down and place them back up in a mixed up order.  Ask two or three children to come and place them in order.  If they get stumped, sing the song with the children.  Remove the footprints and replace them in a mixed up order but this time leave one footprint out (without the children knowing).  Have a few children put them in order.  See if anyone notices the the missing footprint.  Sing the hymn again.

Now place the footprints up in a mixed up order but leave out 3.  Sing the hymn again.  To end singing time, try singing the hymn with no footprints.

*Plan ahead:  Ask the music director for Sacrament meeting to sing "Come Follow Me" in a few weeks.  The children's faces will light up as they recognize the hymn.

Come Follow Me

The song for July is a hymn - #116.  The 2015 Sharing Time Outline, p. 15 has a great idea for teaching this hymn.  The footprints are easy to make - use brown paper or add pizzazz and use bright colored footprints.  Print the words on the footprints or print word strips and tape or glue them on the footprints.  The words need to be large enough for the back row to read them so the footprints need to be at least a foot (12 inches) long or longer.

Teach one phrase at a time and sing it at least 3 times before moving to the next phrase.  You should be able to learn the 1st verse in one singing time.  Keep the footprints to use as a review during the rest of the month.