General Conference Ready

The week before General Conference is a great time to prepare for ways to listen and get the most out of Conference.  Choose several songs you need to review for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program or songs that the children love and know well.

• cut out several leave shapes from colored paper or use artificial leaves
• tape or glue the titles of the songs that you have chosen on the back of the leaves
• place the leaves in a bag or basket
• Ask a child to pick a leaf from the basket
• Sing the song
• Ask the children how the song will help us prepare and listen to Conference.  Here are a few examples.  Help the children see that songs can really help us learn the gospel as well as prepare us to listen to Conference.
• Last verse of Follow the Prophet - Our prophet will speak to us.  Write down one ore two things that Pres. Monson says that will help me in some way.
• I Am a Child of God - How can those that speak "lead me and guide me?"
• How will those that speak help me to follow Jesus?  (Come Follow Me)

Autumn Time

The day of your Sacrament Meeting Program can be a fun day for singing time.  If you know some favorite songs of the primary, this is a good week to sing them.  Also, singing some fall songs are perfect.

Autumn Day p. 247
It's Autumntime  p. 246
Rain Is Falling (use "leaves are falling:)  p. 241
Popcorn Popping p. 242  (Use these words that I wrote as a substitute for fall:)

Autumn Leaves (Popcorn Popping music) 

I looked out the window and what did I see?

Autumn leaves were falling from the tree.

Fall has brought me such a nice surprise,

Leaves all colors fall before my eyes. 

I could rake the leaves into one big pile,

A mound so high it just made me smile.

My feet began to run,

Leap and oh, what fun!

What a treat the autumn leaves can be!

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.