Weak Link

Did you make note of the songs that needed a little extra work before the upcoming program?  Determine which songs you would like to review - sometimes it's a verse that is weak.

Tell the children that sometimes we need to scrub the floor a little harder to get it clean or a stain on our clothes.  Our shoes may look okay but with a little cleaning and brushing we can make them shine.

Our songs for the program may be okay, but we want them to be spectacular.  It's our way of giving our best to Heavenly Father.  So . . . lets "shine" up our songs so we know that we are doing the best we can.

• Sing through the first song to be reviewed.  Ask the children what could be better - words, melody, etc.
• Sing it again and look for improvement.  Let the children help check for improvement.  
• Go over words, melody or a weak spot in the song.
• Sing it again.  Is it better?

Continue in this fashion.

Judgement Time

It's review time as we all prepare for our Primary Sacrament Meeting Program.  I like to evaluate what songs the children know well and those that need some refreshing.

• Sing through each song that you plan on singing in the program - remember to sing all verses if possible.
• Rate each of the songs - 1 through 10, 10 being awesome.
• Make written note of each song and what needs work as you review.

I like to engage the children in this activity.

• Make 3 or 4 sets of cards numbering 1 through 10
• Choose 3 or 4 children to "judge" the first song
• after singing the song, each of the "judges" will hold up a card that will show how well they all know the song.
• Make sure the "judges" know that 1 is pretty bad, 5 is okay and 10 is awesome.
• You might want to judge verses separately as sometimes one verse is better than another.
• Choose 3 or 4 different children to "judge" the next song. 
• Continue in this fashion

Next week plan on working on the songs that need the most work.

Be sure to use these songs for opening and closing songs to keep them fresh in the children's minds.

Making the Most Out of Singing Time

How can I help children internalize the messages in the songs that we sing?

This is a great question that we should ask ourselves every time we teach or sing Primary songs.  As we prepare for the Sacrament meeting program, we review songs over and over.  It is when you hear the children humming or singing the songs at home, while they play, in the car, on walks, etc. that many of the words and precepts become apart of them.  They begin to understand why they are baptized, stories from the scriptures, why we study the scriptures, why we pray, the importance of missionary work and genealogy, etc.

This post is to encourage singing, reviewing songs and singing again to help the children remember the songs.  You don't always have to have props or visuals. Singing one song after another or having a contest to see how many songs you can sing during your singing time is a great activity.

Sing standing up, facing the back or side of the room, singing every other phrase and humming the other phrase all help the children think about what they are singing.