Umbrella Singing Time

How about "Singing in the Rain" under an umbrella!  Print as many umbrellas as you have songs or phrases to sing and teach.  Print them on colored paper or color them yourself.  On the pack tape the song title or phrase of a new song to learn.  Put the umbrellas in a basket or other container.  Choose super singers to pick an umbrella and tape it to the board where you have drawn a number of raindrops.  If you have time, you can draw or cut out stick-figure children to place on the bottom of the board and have the children place the umbrellas above them so they don't get wet.  This is a great way to review songs!

Songs about Jesus

This month's song is your choice - a song about Jesus.  In the Sacrament Meeting Outline, page 9, there are some suggestions on teaching "He Sent His Son" CS p. 34 - 35.  This is a great song that teaches the children some of the things Jesus taught us.  Counting how many times we sing "His son" is a good way to keep the children focused.

Another song about Jesus is "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus," CS p. 57.  Use pictures that illustrate the phrases of the song such as:

• Children gathered around Jesus
• Healing the lepers or the good Samaritan
• Christ by the seashore or walking on water

Make sure the you repeat the phrases several times if the children are not familiar with the song.

Easter Week

Write the follow events on a paper then fold it and put it in a plastic Easter Egg.

• Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem
•  The Last Supper  (washing the apostles' feet)
• Jesus praying in Gethsemane
• Peter's denial
• The crucifixion
• Burial of Jesus
• Mary and the Resurrected Lord

Obtain the pictures of each of these events -- it is a good visual for the children.

Choose 7 songs that go along with the Easter theme or about Jesus.  Place the eggs in a basket.  Write the numbers 1 - 7 on the board.  Place the pictures on the floor or on the board in a scrambled order. Explain to the children that they will be putting the pictures in order of when each event happened the last week of Christ's life.  Choose a child from each class or pick names from a jar with all the children's names in it.  Let the child choose an egg and read what the event was.  Sing a song.  While you are singing have the children decide where that event (and picture) goes in order of when it happened.  Repeat until all the pictures are up in order.  Always share your testimony -- it will have great impact on the children as they remember their Primary experiences.

Twelve Apostle Matching

Obtain pictures of the Quorum of the Twelve.  (There is a link for these pictures two posts ago.)  Make sure their names are NOT on the picture.  Print the name of each apostle on a strip of paper or you can write them on the board.  Tape the pictures in random order on the board.  The children's job is to match the name to the apostle.  You can also add the first Presidency which will equal 15.  Choose 5 songs to sing and after each song let 3 children try to match 3 names - teachers may help.  Sing another song and do the same.  Make sure you watch the time and keep the activity moving so you can complete the matching by the end of singing time.  Challenge the children to tally how many times President Monson speaks this General Conference and tell one thing that he tells us.  Plan time in primary to share their findings in the coming weeks.

The "Acronym" Game

Write "THOMAS S. MONSON" in a column down the left side of the board.  There are 13 letters.  The goal is to write a word that begins with each letter that has to do with Conference.  After the children sing a song or verse, choose a child or class to think of a word that begins with the letter in Pres. Monson's name that goes along with General Conference.  Here are a few examples:
Testify
Honor or honesty or Heavenly Father
Obey or obedience
Missionaries
Atonement, ancestors
Service

If time permits, sing 13 songs or verses.  You could also ask two children or classes to think of a word after each song or verse sung. 

Choose the Right with the General Authorities

Obtain a picture of the current twelve apostles and the first Presidency.  This equals 15 pictures.  The meeting house library has them or you can click here and down load them from the Church website.  They need to be large enough so the children can see them.  In the hymn, "Choose the Right" we sing "right" 6 times.  Every time the children sing "right" put up a picture of a general authority.  You may want to put a number on the board and place the men in order -- just as they are on the website.  You can also see the order in the March Friend on page 40.  Note: You will need to sing the hymn 3 times in order to get all 15 pictures on the board. 

When the children see pictures of the General Authorities and hear their names, it will help them listen for them as they listen to General Conference.

* Remember to save all your visual aids and keep them organized so you can use them again.

This is a great month to get ready for General Conference.  The March issue of The Friend, page 26, has a great picture page.  I downloaded the page from the Church website.  I enlarged each square to about a 6 inch square, then cut each one out and laminated each square.  This week I will place them on the sides or the board.  As we sing our songs (I'm using the songs from the 2012 Sacrament Meeting Program), I'll ask one or two children to find a picture that we sang about or has the word in the song.  We will then try to make a large square of pictures.

I will be using these pictures for the rest of the month to help the children listen for these words.  By April 1, 2012, they will be ready to listen to Conference and find these words as they listen to each speaker and songs that are sung.  Each week this month I will post a new activity.