Candy Corn Singing Time

October Fun

Choose 10 favorite songs that the children love to sing.  Many of them will be from this year's program.  Be sure to add some "wiggle/action" songs.

Below are patterns for candy corn (popular this time of year).
Cut out 20 and color them like candy corn, print them on colored paper - orange, yellow and white or print the colored corn.

Laminate them if you want to use them again next year.

Tape or write the names of the songs on 10 of the candy corn.

The theme this month is "prayer."  Write or tape a question mark on the last 10 pieces of corn.  If they choose one of these candy corn, as them to tell how saying prayers has helped them or relate a scripture story about prayer - prayer in Gethsemane, Joseph Smith's first prayer, the Lord's prayer, etc.

Let a child choose a candy corn.  Sing the song or answer the question.

If you would like to draw a large bowl on the board and tape the corn on the board to fill the bowl.  Try to get all 20 pieces in the bowl.

I'm Glad to Pay a Tithing

There are two great songs in the Primary Songbook that teach about tithing.  We talk about tithing in primary but rarely sing about it.  The lesson and melody are simple yet both songs are great learning tools.

I'm Glad to Pay a Tithing, p. 150, talks about all the things God has given to us.

First verse: Pictures are easy - sun, rain and meadowlark (a bird).

• First line - sing it twice, then have the children sing it a few times.
• Second line - Use the pictures and sing it twice, then have the children sing it a few times.
• Sing the entire first verse

Second verse: Show a tithing envelope and receipt, draw 10 pennies or tape real ones to a poster and circle the tenth one.

• First line - Show the receipt and envelope and the poster of pennies.  Sing the first phrase twice. (The children will recognize the melody.) Have the children sing it a few times.
• Second line - Sing the last line then have the children sing it a few times.
• Sing the second verse
• Sing the whole song.  
• Review this song next week so the children remember it.

Finish singing time (if time remains) with a "movement" song such as Do as I'm Doing.  Conclude with singing the tithing song one more time.

 

Birthday Song

Many a still preparing for their Sacrament Meeting Program.  There are many review ideas in earlier posts that you can check out.

After you have spent weeks and months on preparing for this program, learning a fun song will be fun for everyone.  There are 6 birthday songs in the Primary Songbook.  Most primaries sing one, possibly 2, when a child has a birthday. Choose one you don't know.

Make a "paper" birthday cake:

• use a white piece of paper and round off the two top corners to look like a cake. (It doesn't matter whether the paper is portrait or landscape - tall cake or wide cake)
• color frosting on the top half to make it look like the frosting is dripping down the side of the cake - any color will do - chocolate is always a favorite
• cut out 8 candles from different colored paper - flame is optional 

Teaching the song:

• Sing one phrase at a time and have the children repeat it with you several times. 
• Add a candle to the cake.
• Sing the next phrase and repeat the process until the song is learned.
• To reinforce the learning, put the names of the months on pieces of paper.
• Ask a child to draw a paper and read the month.  
• All the children who have a birthday in that month can stand while you sing the new birthday song to them.  
• Continue, as time permits, to choose a month and then sing to the children who have a birthday in that month. 

Note:  I Like My Birthday, p.104, is a song for those turning 8.  It is a great song to sing to those on their eighth birthday.

Name that Tune

One of my favorite review activities is "Name that Tune."  Once the children know any song well, it's fun to see if they can guess what a song is by playing the first 3 notes on the piano.

• Ask for two volunteers
• Have them sit on a chair
• Play three notes
• The first one to stand up can guess.
• If they shout out the song title, they are disqualified (this helps with reverence)
• If they can't guess the song, play 4 notes, then 5 notes, etc. until one of them guesses it.
• Sing the song, then choose two more children and repeat the process with a different song.

Another variation is to clap the rhythm of the song - no music.  If you do this, list on the board the songs to choose from - this makes it a little easier.

General Conference Preparation

We teach the Sacrament Meeting program songs most of the year.  Do we ever review the songs from previous years?

Help the children prepare for General Conference by singing and/or reviewing songs that relate to Conference.

• Use a chart from the building library or one of you own of the current Church Presidency and the Twelve Apostles.  
• A chart of the Latter-Day Prophets
• Pictures of all the prophets in the song, Follow the Prophet 
• Picture of the Book of Mormon

Explain to the children that we have prophets ever since the Earth was organized. Show a few pictures from Follow the Prophet, p. 110.  Can they guess the song? Sing it. 

Ask the children if they can name 10 (or any number) prophets from the Book of Mormon. Sing Book of Mormon Stories, p.118.

When the church was restored, a prophet was once again called to lead Christ's people.  Who was that man?  (Joseph Smith)  How many prophets have we had since? (Help the children count them using the pictures.)  Sing Latter-Day Prophets, p. 134

You may choose to sing the songs twice - the first time will be a review.

If time permits, the following songs will help the children prepare for General Conference:

Keep the Commandments  p. 146

Seek the Lord Early  p. 108

Stand for the Right  p. 159

Guess What Song

Choose a phrase from each song and write it on a piece of paper.  You can write a phrase from each verse if the song has two or more verses.

OR

Write a hint for each song on a piece of paper.  example: I love the beauty of these buildings.  (I Love to See the Temple)  He restored something special on earth.  (Praise to the Man)

• Put each phrase in an envelope.
• tape each envelope onto the board or put them in a basket
• Ask a child to pick one and read the hint.
• Let the children help guess the song.
• Sing the song.

Sailboat Race

Choose 2 songs for the Sacrament Meeting Program that need extra work.

Using the pattern below, cut out two sail boats - one for each song.

• color or use colored paper to make them different
• Print the title or part of the title on each boat.
• Draw wavy lines on the board to look like water. 

Place the boats on one side of the board as the starting place. Tell the children that the boats need to get across the waters.  Their singing will be like the wind and blow them.

• Sing one of the songs.  
• Depending on how well they sing/know the song, the boat will move ahead 
• Move the boat a short distance.  
• Sing the next song
• Move the boat ahead - further if they know it better, shorter if it needs more work

Continue singing one song them the other and moving the boats according to their proficiency and knowing the songs.

*Be sure to take time if one particular section is difficult and sing it a few times.  You can always nudge the boat a little forward as you work on a small section.