Singing Time Apron

This is a fun way to teach, review or have choosing time.  You will need an apron.  If you want to make one, sew 8 or more pockets on it.  If you don't make one, any apron will do and you will need 8 or more large safety pins.

On slips of paper, write the titles of songs you would like to review or songs the children love to sing including action songs.  If you are teaching a new song, write one phrase per slip of paper. 

If your apron has several pockets, fold the slips of paper and put them in the pockets.  If your apron has no pockets, fold each slip of paper and with a safety pin, pin each piece on to the apron.

Put the apron on and explain to the children that you are wearing your "singing time" apron.  Choose a child to pick a pocket or unpin a paper.  Sing the song or phrase.  Continue until all the papers have been chosen - or you run out of time.

If you have a holiday apron, use it at that time of year.  A Christmas apron is especially fun for the holidays and Christmas songs.

Prophet Quiz

We are preparing for General Conference this week through singing time.  This activity is quite revealing as to how much we know about our prophet.  Encourage the teachers to help the children.

Choose ten pictures of prophets throughout time and include a couple of latter-day prophets.  Tape them on the board so all can see them.  Leave room next to or under each picture to tally how much they know about each.  Choose 10 songs, some that you would like to review, a few action songs and prophet songs.  Put the class names in a jar- Sunbeams, 4 - 5 year-olds, etc.  Put the titles of the songs in another jar.  Choose a child to pick a song.  Sing it.  You pick from the class jar and ask the class to tell one thin about one of the prophets on the board.  Put a tally mark under each picture that the children know something about.  The hope is that there is a mark under each picture by the end of singing time.

Possible questions to help them start thinking:

• Why do you remember him?
• What story do you remember about him?
• How did he serve the Lord?
• What book of scripture do we read about him?
• What do we learn from him?

*Make sure that you have some hints or uncommon facts about each prophet so you can help the children.

Performance Tips

As Primary Sacrament Meeting Programs draw closer, here are a few "performance" tips that will help the children focus and look good.

• smile - make an 6 to 8 inch yellow circle and draw a smiley face on it.  Hold it up when you see only a few smiles.
• Show the children a "perfect" stance - shoulders back, hands to your side, head up just like a soldier.  You can make a soldier figure and hold it up during practices to help children remember.
• Eyes on you - don't begin a song until eyes are on you.  During practice take the time to wait for their eyes.
• Practice sitting and standing quietly.
• Remind the children that each of them are helping to invite Heavenly Father's spirit to be in the meeting.  Reverence is critical!

Remember the Fun Songs

Our Primary Sacrament Meeting Program is tomorrow and I'm glad to be able to sing some other songs . . . and so are the children.  Now is a good time to sing the Autumn songs: p. 247, 246 and 241 (use leaves instead of rain).  The 7th section in the Children's Songbook has many action songs that all the children love to sing. 

Choose some favorites and put the titles on the back of autumn-colored leaves.  Draw a tree on the board and tape the leaves to the tree.  Ask a child to pick a leaf, then sing the song.  Continue until you are out of time.  It never hurts to have extra songs in case you need them.  Also, the tree looks fuller.

Remember to end singing time with a reverent song to create a calm atmosphere.

What Is the Message to Me?

Don't let them become bored!  As we draw near to the Primary Sacrament Program, do your best to help the children love the songs, not become bored.

• Make a list of all the classes on a chart or blackboard - sunbeams, 4-5 year-olds, etc.
• Write the name of each song for the program on a small piece of paper:
• Place the song titles in a basket, bag or similar container

Ask a child to draw a piece of paper.  Write the first song chosen next to the first class, the second song drawn to the next class until all the songs have been drawn. If you run out of songs, have two classes do the same song.

Now explain that each song has a special message for each of us that will help us in some way, for instance:

• "I Am a Child of God" - Who am I? Why am I here? Where did I come from?
• "Heavenly Father Loves Me" - Helps me to be thankful for everything around me
• "I Can Be Valiant" - Gives me courage to stand up for what I believe.

Ask each class to tell what the song chosen for their class means to them. Teachers may help. Sing the song.
Allow the classes time to think of their response - 2 or 3 minutes.  Each song can have several messages, so if two classes do the same song, their responses should be different.

Back-to-School Review

You will need the following items or a picture of the items:

• pencil
• box of crayons
• eraser
• notebook
• backpack
• lunch box or sack
• apple or orange (healthy snack)
• a picture of a happy face (my happy face should always go to school)

Tape the title of each song that you need to review on each object. (There are 8 songs in the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program.) Place all of the items in the backpack, then put the backpack into a large bag.

Tell the children that all students need to be prepared for school each year. And, each year we need to be prepared for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program. In this bag are things that we might need to be ready for school and a song is taped on each item to help us be prepared for our program.

Ask one child to pull out what is in the bag. Sing the song taped onto the backpack. Now ask on child to pick an item out of the backpack.  Sing that song.  Continue until all the songs have been sung.

Optional:

• pillow - we need plenty of sleep
• pencil box
• box of markers
• hand sanitizer
• box tissue
• picture of a healthy breakfast - gives us energy to start the day
• Scriptures - read them every day so we can hear the whispering of the Holy Ghost
• umberella
• rain boots/coat
• jacket
• gym shoes or weights - to get plenty of exercise

If you would like to reward the children, a new pencil for each of them is a great reward.

Stump the Class

Reviewing songs can become a little boring, so it is our job to liven it up.  Choose one sentence or phrase from each song to be reviewed and write it on a slip of paper.  Fold them up and put them into a container.  Choose a child to pick a paper from the container.  You and the child (and of course the pianist) will know the phrase.  On the board, draw a short line for each letter in the phrase.  Choose 5 children, one at a time, to guess a letter.  If it is in the phrase, write the letter wherever it appears in the phrase.  Hopefully, by the time the 5th child chooses a letter they can guess the phrase.

_ _  _ _ _  _ _ _ _  _ _  _ _ _ _
   e               e            e     e    e
             s   s
h      h                            h
                           t
                                m

he h_s se_ t   me  he_e
he has sent me here

With the help of teachers, this should be a fun review.  Sing the song once the children have guessed the phrase.