Collection of Review Ideas

It's almost time for Primary programs! It's my favorite Sunday of the year, whether my current calling is in Primary or not. :)  Sometimes it's hard to keep the songs fresh in the children's minds without having everyone feel bored. Here are a few ideas I've gathered to help you out. This is just a jumping off point, though. Please comment and share with everyone what other ideas you've found helpful! I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus: Rhythm Stick Roll for Older Children -from Sharla at TeachingPrimaryMusic.com       If your Primary kiddos are anything like mine, they've got the first verse down pat, but they always get the words mixed up on the second verse. This is a fantastic activity for senior Primary that has them so focused on their movements that they won't notice you're repeating the song a dozen times.  Back-To-School Review -from Camille at CamillesPrimaryIdeas.com      This activity covers a whole singing time, reviewing different songs with different styles. A Final Program Review--With Puppets! -from this blog      This activity covers a whole singing time, with emphasis on practicing the final skills your children will need to feel comfortable on program day.  3 Ways to Practice Solos in Primary (Without Boring Everyone Else) -from this blog      These are some methods I've used to utilize Primary time to give the program soloists more time to feel comfortable singing alone. 4 Lessons Our Primary Presidencies Want Us To Learn -from this blog      Can I share something that's really helped me? Don't stress too much about the program. Look through these ideas, yes, and help the children get ready, yes, but please read through this blog post again to remind yourself of what's really the most important.  Happy singing!

I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus--Unscramble the "I" phrases

Unscramble the "I" phrases The song for August (see the Church's Sharing Time Outline here) is "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus."  To teach it, I decided to adapt an earlier idea I got from Sharla Dance. (Check out her amazing music blog here!) This activity would only be appropriate for senior Primary, as it focuses on written words. To start, think about how many "I" phrases are in this song. I went through and counted. There are 6 in just the first verse! This song really helps the children think about themselves and what they can do to be like the Savior, and I want to focus on that. Preparation I made word strips of the first couple words of each "I" phrase in the first verse and mounted them on construction paper. You could easily extend this activity to include the second verse, as well. Presentation Start with the phrases scrambled. At the beginning of the activity, place the word strips on one side of the board in random order. (Or, for more fun, have the word strips around the room in various places.) Tell the children that while you sing, you'd like them to unscramble the phrases from the song by putting the word strips in the correct order on the other side of the board. If they know which phrase comes next, they can silently raise their hand, and then you will come around and tap them on the shoulder for a turn. As you continue to sing the song over and over, they can retrieve their word strips and put them into place. After the word strips are all in order, ask the children what they similarity they notice about the phrases on red paper. They all are about trying. Ask the children to sing the song one last time while they think about why the word "try" is important in the song. After you take their answers, it would be a beautiful time to share your feelings about how our Father in Heaven feels about us when we try our best. The children's thoughtful singing is a wonderful preparation for them to hear your testimony.

Happy singing!

Looking for more?   The first time I used this idea from Sharla is here. Most of these music activities can be used with multiple songs, thankfully! ;)