Share and Sing

Ask several children to find or draw a picture of the nativity.  Collect them before Sunday or have them bring them to Primary.  Share the pictures with the Primary and sing one of the songs in the Christmas section of the Primary Songbook.  Some pictures may be specific, such as a picture of Joseph - the song could be "When Joseph Went to Bethlehem," a picture of a star - "Stars Were Gleaming."  Children could share their picture and choose a song to sing that goes with their picture. 

Another option would be to ask several children to draw or find a picture of a specific song.  Have them share it with the Primary and sing the song.

Treasure Box

Find a box - the size depends on what you put inside.  The box can be decorated or left plain.  Choose a song to teach the children, for instance, "Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus" p. 36.  In the box put the following:

• picture of Samuel the Lamanite
• a number "5" or calendar
• a large star - it can be folded
• picture of baby Jesus or a doll wrapped in a simple blanket
• a map of the world (this could be a "rough" sketch of the Americas, the ocean and Bethlehem)
• picture of angels singing

Bring out one item at a time and sing the song and have the children tell what part of the song it represents.  Or you can bring each item out in order as it is sung.

You can use this for many songs by putting an item in the box that represents something in the song.  The children can guess what song it represents.  Having a list of songs for them to choose from helps narrow the choices down.

This activity is great for Christmas time.  You can have an entire nativity in the box and bring out a piece and sing about it.  Be sure to watch your time so you don't go too long.

Thankful

This is a great week to sing about thankfulness.  I like to sing "I Am Glad for Many Things," p. 151.  Then we sing it several more times replacing "many things" with something specific: "I am glad for my pet frog . . ." or parents, grandparents, turkey, etc.  The children enjoy coming up with things that don't always fit the music but do your best.  Look in the "Gratitude" section of the index and choose some songs to add to singing time.

Quiet Control

Everyone has had difficulty managing a group of children.  I like to vary the songs that we sing from quiet and slow songs to lively ones.  However, sometimes the children don't move well from one mood to another as smoothly as I'd like.  After a lively or active song, here are some things you can try to help the children settle.

• Talk loudly so they can hear you, "If you can hear me put your hands on your shoulders."
• Softer voice, "If you can hear me clap your hands once."
• Softer voice, "If you can hear me tap your little fingers."
• Even softer, "If you can hear me lace your fingers."

There are a variety of things you can ask the children to do, but the softer your voice the quieter they become.  This works great as we change from singing time to closing exercises.

Word Hints

As I have been working with the children to memorize the Sacrament Meeting Songs, I find that there are a few words that they are singing incorrectly.  I put each word on a small circle (6 to 8 inches wide - I like a circle shape) then taped it to a popsicle stick.  I hold it up just before we sing the song and it's just enough to remind them to sing the correct word.

Focus

Practicing for the "big" performance can be tedious.  I like to use signs like "P" for piano or soft and "F" for forte or loud.  I also use a "Hum" sign as well as a "boys" and "girls" sign.  This helps keep the children focused on me.  They quite enjoy the changes.

5 Star Singing

Reviewing songs prior to a preformance is critical.  However, the process has to have some "pizazz!"  Cut out several stars in varying colors or all one color.  Make them at least 3" in diameter.  Write out each song title on the board or make large word strips of each title (so you can use them again).  They can be listed in any order.  Sing each song and then ask by show of hands (this can be totally silent) how many stars the singing was worth.  Example:

• Do we know this song well enough for 1 star?
• 2 stars?
• 3 stars?
• 4 stars?
• 5 stars?  This would mean that they all know the words memorized and sing it the "best."

Place the number of stars next to the title.  This visual will help the children see which songs need extra work.  In two weeks try this again to see improvement.  Make sure you write down how many stars each song received the first time you did this activity.