Preparing for the Primary Program

As you prepare for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program, listen carefully to the children as they sing.

• Can you understand their words?
• Do they know all the words?
• Are they watching you?
• Are they shouting?
• Are they singing too softly?
• Do they stand and sit quietly?
• Do they stand reverently (I ask them to stand like toy soldiers)?
• Are they smiling?

If there is a word or phrase that they are missing, or the first word of a verse (Follow the Prophet might need this), make a word strip and hold it up in front of you just before they sing it.  The congregation won't notice if you keep the word strip right in front of you.  This also helps the children to watch you.

If children are shouting, they are not singing.  You can't sing and shout at the same time.  Be careful when you ask the children to sing louder.  Ask them to make a big, beautiful sound.  Choose words that the children can understand and demonstrate the difference..

Challenge the children to see how quietly they can stand and sit.  They will rise to the occasion.

You may need to make a funny face or hold up a smiley face to help remind the children to smile. 

Review with a Purpose

Reviewing songs for the Primary program can be quite boring for everyone!  Planning and preparation can help tremendously!  Here are some suggestions :

• Plan seating before you rehearse in the chapel 
• Give seating chart to all the teachers so they can be a support
• Print a copy of the program including songs and talks and give copies to all Primary personnel - you need all the support you can get!
• Print the words to the songs for all teachers - not children ( you need them to keep their eyes on you)
• Encourage reverence - even during rehearsals.  The chapel is a sacred place.
• Plan some physical movement during rehearsals
• walk around the building - inside or out
• plan for drinks and bathroom breaks
• a treat can go a long way if your rehearsal is longer than 30 minutes.

The theme is "I Know that My Heavenly Father Lives."  Tell the children that you will be making a list of ways we know that Heavenly Father lives.  Ask them to be thinking of how they know that He lives.  During the rehearsal and the weeks leading up to the program, sporadically ask a child how he/she knows Heavenly Father lives.  Answers can come from the songs, sharing time or the talks.  Challenge them to see how many ways they know that Heavenly Father lives.  Set a goal to have a list of 30, 50 or more ways that they know.

This is a great way to keep everyone focused.

Follow the Prophet Performance

It is "REVIEW TIME!"  Some primaries have learning all the verses to "Follow the Prophet" and others have learned a few.  Here are a few ideas to perform the song so it is more exciting to listen to and perform.

• Assign each class a verse and have them sing it in turn.
• Sing the chorus after every other verse or after every 3 verses.
• Rotate children and teachers singing every other verse.
• Print the last verse for the congregation to sing with the primary after they have sung all the verses (or a few of the verses).
• Have the 2 youngest classes sing the chorus once or twice.  Have the whole primary sing the chorus the last time.
• Ask the congregation to sing the chorus the final time with the primary.

Include ALL Children in Singing Time

One of the challenges in teaching in Primary is dealing with readers and non-readers.  Depending on the size of your primary, there could be half or more that aren't yet reading.  How can we be more inclusive for all children?

When teaching new songs, many music directors default to a would chart of some kind.  As they teach the song, they wonder why the young children are not paying attention, or they are fidgeting or somewhat rowdy. What would happen if you were the student and all the words and/or notes were written in a foreign language?  The teacher would be speaking in English but the notes were not.  At what point would you "shut-down" and let your mind go elsewhere?  This is exactly what happens to non-readers - they have not yet learned to read the written word.

On the other hand, you don't want your readers to feel that singing time is for "babies."  Next time you choose to make a word chart, make a list of all the words that could be substituted with a picture or symbol. Write the words but let a non-reader hold the picture or symbol that belongs in the phrase.  This way you are involving the youngest children and the older children can exercise their reading ability.  Every time you sing the song both picture and words are in front of the children.  As you learn it better, remove more and more words but keep the pictures.  You will find that the children will then be able to use the pictures as a prompts for the phrase. This method keeps all children involved.

Choosing Sticks

As I have watched over the many years that I've served in Primary, many children are chosen to help while a few never get a chance.  Some of the "ugly truths" that I've seen are: children of parents serving in the Primary  and disruptive children are chosen far more than the rest, particularly the quiet and shy children.

The best way to prevent "favoritism" is simple.  Purchase a bag of popsicle sticks (craft sticks, tongue depressors, etc) - it is well worth the investment!  Write the names of each child in Primary on a stick.  I like to separate them into junior and senior Primary - a jar for each.  Make a few "visitor" sticks, also.

When you need help from a child, choose from the sticks and you will find the children will find it to be more fair.  It will be easier for you so you don't have to remember who was chosen and who wasn't.  Also, if you have a large Primary, don't put the sticks back into the container each week.  Set aside the ones chosen this week and choose from the jar until all have been chosen then return all the sticks to the jar and begin again.

No one is left out and that is fair . . . and Christ-like!

Why do I like this song?

Write the title for each song that you are singing for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program on strips of paper. You will need 2 or 3 strips for each song.   Hopefully, you will be singing at least 5 songs.  Put the papers in a basket or container.  Tell the children to be thinking about the songs that they have been learning for the program and what they like about the song.  Answers could be: I like the melody, I like how fast we sing it, I like the words, I like the part that goes like _______, I like how fun it is to sing it, I like the story it tells, etc.  The children may need suggestions to begin with.

Have a child draw a paper and read the title.  Sing the song and then ask two or three children to tell what they like about it.  Continue drawing the papers and singing the songs.  You should be able to sing each song twice during singing time.

Butterfly Review

August is a great time to review songs for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program.  Cut out several butterflies - at least one for each song that you will be singing for the program.  Decorate them if you would like and/or use different colored paper for each butterfly.  Print the name of each song on the back of the butterflies.  You can place them in a basket or punch a hole in one wing and tie a string (different lengths) on each butterfly and hang them on a dowel rod, broom handle or anything else to display them.  Divide the board in half  and label one side "Needs Practice" and the other side "Awesome."  Ask a child to pick a butterfly and have them hold it while you sing.  Have the children vote by show of hands which side the butterfly should fly to and tape it to the board.

Be sure to make note of which songs need more practice.  if time permits, review those songs on the "Needs Practice" side of the board.