Sing a little louder!

Have you ever tried to get the children to sing louder -- and they just yell or scream? I've had the same results. However, I came up with a wonderful way to get the results I want. I made a a grandma and grandpa -- I colored their hair gray to ensure that they would look elderly. I put them on a stick so I could hold them easily. I explained to the children that sometimes as we get older we don't hear as well. I asked if any of them had grandparents or great-grandparents that couldn't hear them very well. Several raised their hands. I asked them what helped their grandparents hear them better. One little boy said, "I just talk a little louder." That was the perfect answer! I added, "You didn't yell or scream at them?" The little boy smiled and said, "I wouldn't do that, I love my grandpa." Again, another perfect answer. So if we have grandparents in the audience/congregation, we might want to sing a little louder so they can hear us. I explained to the children that when I hold up the grandma or grandpa, or both of them, we all need to sing a little louder so Grandma and Grandpa can hear us.

As we rehearsed for our primary program, this technique worked beautifully. There was no yelling or screaming. They all just sang louder. You are welcome to use the following pictures.