Old Reliable! (Games for THOSE weeks)

Today I am going to bring to you some of those good "ole" go to games that we can always rely on when we have THOSE kind of weeks. Yep, look at the pic. We all have them and its totally okay! These games can be pulled out last minute at anytime. They are great to have on hand for subs or the presidency in case of an emergency. You know the ones. You wake up in the middle of the night Saturday and look and feel like this:

or GREAT for times like these:

Yay, vacation!! My favorite!!!

 Below is a list of games you can always rely on last minute. I have taken some from off of the internet and tried to compile them in one place for you. I hope this is helpful for anyone needing some last minute ideas. Thanks for taking a peek. Happy Singing to everyone!!!

Hide the Note

1.)The first one I have for you has been around for quite sometime. You all know the one, Hide the Note/Hot and Cold. To play you will print yourself out a copy of a music note. You can easily cut one out of black card stock or construction paper. Whatever is easiest and something you already have on hand. Once you have your note you are ready to play! Choose your song. This is a great one to use for repetition because the kiddo's will sing the same song over and over and have a good time while doing it!

 To start you choose a child to be your seeker. They will step out into the hallway while another child helper comes up front and hides the music note somewhere in the room. Once the note is hidden you will have the seeker step back into the room. The kiddo's will sing quietly until the seeker gets closer to where the note is hidden. They will sing louder the closer the seeker gets to the hidden note until it is found. They will then finish the verse and the seeker will then hide it from the next child that is chosen.

Name that Tune

2.) Number two is another oldie but goodie that has been around for years. It is Name that Tune.  This one is pretty simple to figure out. You will need some songs written out on some slips of paper and a dice so that it can be rolled to determine the amount of notes that the children get. You can break into teams or just play with the whole group. Whatever suits your primary the best.

 To play: A child will roll the dice to determine the amount of notes for the pianist to play. You could use two dice if you feel you need more than 6 notes for play. The Child will then pick a piece of paper out of a basket, or container and you will hand it to your pianist. She/he will play the amount of notes determined by the roll of the dice. The kids have to try and guess which song by the amount of notes that are played. Again, you can do teams or just play as a whole. If they get it right then give them a point, if not, then you get the point and they sing the song anyway:) Play then continues.. You can set an amount of points to try and reach before the end of singing time and give a small reward or not. Whatever you prefer....

Stump the Chorister

3.) Comes to us from this blog Here. It is called Stump the Chorister and it is a very cute idea. For this one you will have a bag or box full of dress up items. A chosen child will come to the front and pick a question about a song you have been working on. If they can answer the question then they get to pick an item out of your dress up bag/box for you to put on. If they can't answer the question then you get to pick an item and they have to put it on. There are different ways this could be played. I would only make them wear the item while we sing the song the question was regarding. If I have to wear the item then I would have to keep it on throughout singing time unless they don't all participate. Then I can remove the item after they sing the song. This would add in a little motivation as well.

Pop the Balloon

4.) Another simple one that the kiddo's love and can do over and over is POP the balloon. For this one you just put your songs to be practiced in some balloons and the kiddo's get to pop the balloon and sing the song inside. You can change this up however you would like. I saw an idea posted stating that you can call this POP QUIZ and just put a line from a specific song and see if they kids can figure out what song it is. Once they guess the song you sing it..

Skittles Challenge

5.) For this one you need a bag of skittles. Simple, Simple, Simple! To play you have a child come to the front. They pick a skittle with their eyes closed. They then eat the skittle and try and determine the color of the skittle they have eaten. If they guess right then they get to choose their favorite song, if they miss then we sing a program song.

Who's Missing

6.) This game is great for repetition. To start you will have your song picked out beforehand. You will then have a child step out into the hallway. While the seeker is in the hallway you will then pick another child to hide behind the piano. Once they are hidden the kiddo's will start singing the song. The seeker will come into the primary room and try and decide who is missing. They can not walk around and look. They have to stand at the front of the room while the song is being sung and try and determine from there. Once the song is over they can guess who is missing? If they are right then they can pick the next seeker, if the hider tricked them then they get to be the next seeker.

Somthing's Different, Sister ________

7.) This next one sounds really cute. I found it on this blog Here. It is called Something's Different, Sister ______! It is a great one for review of your program songs.
To play, you bring a few items to change your appearance but only slightly. Items could be; Earrings, lipstick, a hair clip, shoes, stickers, a jacket, etc. You would then tell the kiddo's to take a good look at you. Notice what your wearing, your hair, try to memorize everything about you. You would then step out into the hallway and change something about your appearance. Once you step back into the room the kiddo's will start singing the song for review while you stand in the front and direct. While singing they have to try and determine what is different about your appearance. At the end of the song they guess what is different. Play continues with the next song. You will always be the one to change our appearance. You wouldn't want another child putting in your earrings or wearing your lipstick:)

8.) These last two I have for you tonight are from previous posts on my site. They are called 4 corners and Swat Team. You can find them by clicking Here. I have a few others under the review games label that would be GREAT for last minute prep. They are listed as Silent Singer, Sparkle, Heads up 7 up, & Around the World. These are just a few. Please feel free to take a peek. There are quite a few there that would work GREAT for those CRAZY weeks that we all know..

I hope this is helpful to anyone having one of those days, weeks, months.... Happy Singing Everyone and Happy WEEKEND!!!