Primary Singing Time
One of the most important parts of primary is singing time. If you ask the youth what they remember about primary, they might not be able to tell you the lessons they learned, but they can almost always tell you all of the primary songs they still remember! Here are some ideas for making singing time effective.
Ideas for Introducing New Songs
- Have someone come in to sing a new song to
the children.
- Make word strips with all of the words of a
new song on them. Sing the song several times, gradually
removing the word strips until a few or none are left.
- Bring a picture for each phrase of the song
to help the children learn the words more easily. Let several
children help hold the pictures.
- Bring costumes and let the children act out
what the characters in the songs do. Watching the story in
the song can help children understand the song idea more
quickly.
Ideas for Reviewing
Previously Learned Songs
- Pull the names of the songs out of a bowl
and then sing them.
- Invite several children to name their
favorite song, which then everyone will sing.
- Put the names of the songs on fish shapes.
Put a paper clip on each fish. Make a fishing pole using a
stick, some string, and a magnet. Invite several children to
go fishing for the next song.
- Play "Name that Tune." Divide the
room into 2 groups. Have each group say how many notes they
need to identify the song. The lowest bid has to guess what
the pianist plays (Right hand only) using the number of notes
they bid. If they miss, then the other team gets to try, with
the number of notes that they bid. Alternate teams until the
name of the song is guessed. Then sing it.
Ideas for Encouraging
Participation
- Make small signs on big popsicle sticks
with pictures to stand for loud, soft, girls, boys, people
with brown shoes, people with blue eyes, teachers, children,
etc. Have several children stand in the front with the signs.
When they hold up their sign during the song, the song must
be song by the people or in the way indicated. Have only a
few of these signs available at a time or make sure that the
chorister is the one to tell the children when to put up
their signs or this could get messy.
- Make a sign for each class. When a class'
sign is up, the class must sing.
- Bribe them with stickers. During the song,
have different teachers walk around and put stickers on the
children who are singing.
- Have all the children act out the song or
do hand motions. (E.g.--Have them walk in a big circle for
"Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked and Walked and
Walked and Walked")
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