"Crocodile Dentist" Review

This poor little guy has a toothache! He will be joining us for singing time tomorrow in hopes of finding some relief!! My sweet presidency has given me full time this past two weeks to run though all the songs. The program is quickly approaching and I don't know about all of you but until you take the time to actually sit and go through each song, one by one, you don't actually know how well everything is coming together. I was pleased with my sweet kiddo's last week. They did an AWESOME job and everything is coming together beautifully. Therefore, I have decided that tomorrow we will have a little fun with this cute review game. It is basically the same thing as I posted before for Shark week but we will be using this cute little guy. I found him while walking through the game section at Target today for $9.99

This will be a really simple week so, for those who LOVE simple, here ya go!!

To Play: Break your kiddo's into two teams. Start with song #1 for the program and work your way through each song. Our focus will be on PP Program Perfect. We will work on sitting, standing, volume and getting all of the words. Team one will go first! If they do a PP job, then team 2 has to come push down a tooth in "CRANKS" mouth, trying not to get bit. Play then passes and its Team 2's turn to sing the same song and aim for PP status. If they do well then Team 1 will then have to take their turn and push down a tooth.

BEWARE: If you touch CRANK'S sore tooth, he WILL bite! Object of the game, be the first team NOT to get bit 3 times. The winning team gets to pick out of the prize basket first. 

There you have it, Simple and FUN!!! Happy Singing to Everyone this week and good luck to those having their programs! 

Play Doh Review

Happy Thursday Everyone! It sure feels like it has been awhile since I have been on here. I apologize for those checking in. Now that we are on the homestretch and putting the finishing touches on all of our music, it is just coming up with the review games to keep everyone on their toes and learning the words and messages that they need to be learning. School has started and kiddo's are in Cheer and football so things are busy in this neck of the woods. It seems I don't get much down time these days and you all know as well as I do that you have to have some quiet time to think up new ideas.

This week I am going to do my "Capture the Flag" review game I shared in a previous post. I am trying to stay a little ahead of myself so that my weeks are planned out and I'm not waiting until Saturday to throw things together. That's just too much right now with Football games and activities going on all of the time.

For next week I am going to do this simple Play Doh review game. Come on, what kid doesn't LOVE this stuff? Just walking into the primary room and seeing the bright colorful doh will stir some excitement, now to add in some singing time review and wha-lah, PERFECT! (this could just be wishful thinking, but we shall see.)

This activity will be short and sweet. The prep is simple and that is music to my ears these days! All you will need to do is grab yourself some of this:

The Plan: To start out you will get your volunteer to come to the front. You will introduce which song the children are going to sing. You will whisper to your volunteer the item that they are going to make with the doh while the children are singing the song. The item will be something to do with the song or something from the song. When the song is over, the children will try and guess what item the volunteer built and what it has to do with the song. This isn't only FUN, but they have to actively think of the words and what the item has to do with it!

I will pick easier items for Jr than Sr and they will go as follows:

I Know that my Savior Loves me 
Jr: Heart (love)
Sr: Flowers  (beautiful place)

He Sent his Son
Jr: World
Sr: Baby (newborn babe)

Follow the Prophet
Jr and Sr: Whale

The 4th Article of Faith
Jr: Hand (laying on of hands)
Sr: Baptism

 The Church of Jesus Christ
Jr: CTR (Do what is right)
Sr. Light bulb (follow his light)  

Come, Follow Me
Jr/Sr Footprint
  
The Miracle
Jr: gift (the greatest gift the world has ever known)
Sr: Bread (fed a thousand people with a loaf or two of bread)

To finish off I will send one of these puppies home with each child and challenge them to go through the songs this week and see what other fun creations they can make from each song.

That's the plan and I'm sticking with it!! Have an AWESOME weekend everyone and Happy Singing!

" I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ" Race Review and Repeat!

Well, here we are again! Its  Friday and my wheels are spinning around and around. Sometimes it feels like I'm on some crazy ride and it never stops. My mind has no free time unless I am asleep. No wonder I LOVE bedtime:)
 I will be making my door board and starting "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ" on Sunday. I have kept my eyes and ears open to how things went with other Choristers last week when they started teaching this to their kiddo's. What I am hearing is that it is fairly easy and that the kids are catching on pretty quickly. I have contemplated this and have come up with another game I will use to help reinforce the words once we have them down. I know 20 mins goes quickly but my presidency usually allows me to go over a bit so I usually need to prepare for a little more time.

I will be playing a race game. Its really simple and can be played a couple of different ways. For those who started this song last week, this game would make for a GREAT review and lots of repetition as well!

I will print and use the same pics that I use to teach the song. You will need 2 copies of each pic because you are making 2 sets of cards. If you want to use the same pics as I am using you can get them Here

Now that you have your cards, LET THE RACES BEGIN! I have come up with a few different games you could do with your cards for review.

1.) You could pick a child to be it. The child that is it hides their eyes while another child spreads the cards out on a table. On go, the kids start singing the song and the child that is it has to try and beat them by putting the cards in the right order before the end of the song. This way, you are getting your repetition in and the children are trying to remember and focus on the words so they can get them in the right order.

2.) You have two children come up to the front and race to see who can get the words in order the fastest. The children are singing the song as the two are racing against the music.

3.) You set a timer. The child has to get the cards in order before the timer runs out! If they beat the timer they get to pick the song we sing, if they don't beat the timer then we sing the song for review.

There are many games and ideas you could use these cards for. What other things can you think of?

 Thank you for stopping by today. I hope this is of some help to others who might be feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Happy Friday and Happy Singing Everyone!!

March Madness "Grudgeball Review"

Happy Wednesday!!  I am a little ahead of myself here but since March Madness is this month I thought I would share a review game that I will be doing with my kiddo's in singing time.  I will be finishing off my last two verses of "Follow the Prophet" this week and then we will play this game to review the 3 songs we have learned up to this point.
This is a game that teachers have used in the classroom and I have re arranged it a bit to use as a singing time review.

To play you will need: A ball and basket, tape to make a line on the floor, cards with questions, ways to sing the songs, fill in the blank, etc. chalk and eraser.

To start out: Break your kiddo's into two teams. Write the team names on the board and put 10 x's on each teams side of the board.  Do a sing off or guess the number to see which team will start first. 

Team 1 will then come up and pick a card out of the pile. If they can do whatever is on the card, (answer a question, fill in the blank or sing the song or verse of one of the 3 songs for review) then they have earned the right to erase one of the other teams x's, they also get the chance to shoot and make a basket. If they make it, then they get to erase 2 x's from the other teams side. If they miss the basket then they still get to erase the 1 x that they earned and play passes to the next team.

If a team can not do what is on the card when it is their turn then the other team gets a chance to "steal." In order to do this, they will have to make a basket first, if they make it and can do what the card instructs, then they get to take an x from the other team. If they miss the basket, then play goes back to normal and no one gets to erase from the other team.

Object: Be the team with the most x's left on your side of the board at the end of singing time!!

If a team looses all of their x's before the end of singing time, then they can earn 5 back by making a basket and doing what is on the next card in the pile. With only 20 mins. I don't think we will have to worry about this happening, but you never know. Sometimes I am given more time.

I hope this makes sense to everyone! I will be gone for two Sundays this month due to Spring Break. I will be trying to post a few more review ideas before I go. Thank you all so much for stopping by! Happy Singing and HAPPY SPRING!!!

Marble Racing Review

 PREP RATING: 4
MARBLE RACES


Happy Friday! It seems like it has been forever since my last post. Things have been a bit "Nutty" lately and since I still have a few activities on here that I haven't even done with my own kiddo's I thought I would take a little break and sort things out!!
I have been informed that some changes are coming, probably this week, and I have a feeling I am now loosing my co-chorister right before our program on the 12th of October. Needless to say, I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment. The kids are doing well, but there are still details to work out and a couple of songs with memorization concerns. I know things will go well, they always do, but I am not a fan of last minute change. I am usually pretty organized and like things that way so when things shift on me I get a little "anxious!" I know all will be well in the end. It always turns out beautifully. Its really what I do to myself in my head that makes things CRAZY!!! Anyhow, enough babbling and on to the FUN!

I have another simple review idea to add tonight. This is one I know the kiddo's will love due to the fact that I have done a similar activity with the "Singing Pinewood Derby" and it was a HUGE hit! I will make the track using this idea posted Here. It takes a couple of pool noodles, duct tape and marbles. That is it!!! I will set my track up on some chairs and off to the races we GO!!! I will have page numbers written on my marbles. Whoever's marble wins will be the song we sing!!! If they don't sing, we don't play! Fun, short, and sweet!!

Treat Idea: A Gumball, or if you don't want to do candy, maybe a marble or two for each child!!

Happy Singing Friends, 

Pass the Parcel Singing Time

PREP RATING: 3
ACTIVITY: PASS THE PARCEL

 Hi Ya'll!! Happy Friday! I am prepping for a 50 minute Singing time this week. I will be doing my S'more Singing activity that is on my blog, however, I am going to change it up a bit and add in a Pass the Parcel game. You all know the one, right? A treat or small prize is wrapped in multiple layers of wrap. When the music stops whoever has the parcel removes a layer of wrap and play continues until all layers have been removed.

For Singing time, I will be placing a small treat, Starbursts, taffy, nerds, etc, inside a paper bag, I will then place multiple layers of bags over the treat bag. On each bag I will write a fun way to sing the song/songs to be reviewed. You can find my list of action ideas below.  As we are singing I will have the pianist stop the music in different spots through out the song. Whoever has the parcel when the music stops will take off the top layer. They then have to stand in the middle of the circle and do the action on the bag while we continue singing.  The pianist will continue to stop in random spots. Whatever child removes a layer will then join the other child/children in the middle of the circle and do their action as well until the end of the song and the final layer has been removed.

This game is GREAT because it can be used for one song or multiple songs. What other ways can you think of to do this game for singing time?

ACTION IDEAS: 
1.) Hold your tongue while singing the song
2.) Make a goofy face while singing (make someone laugh and trade places)
3.) Do jumping jacks through the song
4.) Spin around 10 times with your fingers in your ears and sing
5.) Pinch your nose while singing
6.) Waddle and quack the song like a duck
7.) Close your eyes and hop on one foot while singing




 WHAT OTHER ACTIONS CAN YOU THINK OF?


This is my plan for the week. Thank you all for stopping by!

HAPPY SINGING EVERYONE!

Around the World Review

PREP RATING: 0
AROUND THE WORLD


 Here's another oldie but goodie used in the schools that can be adapted for singing time. It is used for math fact review. I even played this one back in the day! A looooong time ago:(
 It is a GREAT one to go over the words for individual songs.

TO PLAY: Have your kiddo's stand in a circle. You write the song they will be reviewing on the board. At go, the first child has to say the first word of the song, the next child says the 2nd word and so forth. If a child misses then they are out and have to take a seat. Play then continues from where they left off. You continue play until you have one player left or until they get to the end of the song. You then sing the song and play starts over with a new song.

Simple, Simple, Simple!!!!

You could add a twist so that the kiddo's that missed and are seated can get back in the round. If another child misses, and a seated child can say the word that the child missed then they can stand back up!!! It's always fun to put a little "twist" on things!!

Thank you all for stopping by! Have an AWESOME weekend and Happy Singing!

Primary "Shark Week" Motivator

I totally love "Shark Week" and was thinking I could do this game as a review/motivator for singing time. This game is called "Shark Dentist" and can be purchased on Amazon for around $6-$9.

When playing the game the players stick their fingers in the sharks open mouth and push down a tooth. The player that pushes on his sore tooth gets a little "bite"  when his mouth snaps shut on them. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt but can be a little shocking.

To use this for singing time: Have the kiddo's pick a song off of the board. If they do a really good job singing then I have to push a tooth down in the "sharks" mouth, if they don't do so good then they have to push a tooth down.

Whoever gets bit 3 times first before the end of singing time has been SHARK ATTACKED!! If I am attacked, meaning, they sang really well and I was bit 3 times,  then the kiddo's win these:

If the kiddo's get bit 3 times before me then I get to keep these for another week when they try harder!!! Ok, I probably won't do that and they will get them anyway but not without a lecture on how they need to TRY harder!!!


 What other games do your little ones have lying around that you can think to use for singing time? I have a couple and I will post those ideas another day!!

Thank you all for stopping by!! Happy Shark Week!! (I know its over but Primary Shark Week can be anytime we want it to)

Bean Boozled!

Hello! Happy Wednesday to everyone! I have a really fun review game to present to all of you today! My kiddo's have been begging me to get them this game and I found it for a GREAT price on amazon. It is $14.99 for 4 sets on their site opposed to a ridiculous $64 on the actual Jelly Belly site. *(update: You can find this in a candy store at the mall for $9.99 for just one set. That is all you need for this game.) When I saw this my wheels started spinning and spinning and spinning. I had a really long night I must say.  I can totally use this as a review tool for singing time and I am SO going to do it!!!

With flavors like, Stinky Socks, Rotten egg, Barf and Booger, what group of children do you know that wouldn't want to play this!! I must say, I am quite excited myself!!!!!!

To Play: I will have small balloons at the front of the room with the song choices inside. A child will be asked to come "pop" a balloon so that we know what song we are singing for the round (another singing time favorite.)  I will then choose a child to come to the front and spin the spinner determining which color of Jelly Belly they will have to eat if the children sing the song at PP, (performance perfection.) Once done singing and if done well, the child has to eat a Jelly Belly of the coordinating color on the spinner. They won't know what flavor they are getting! Some are YUMMY and some are YUCKY!! I don't know about you, but with flavors like CANNED DOG FOOD and MOLDY CHEESE, this is going to be a BLAST and I can't wait!!!!

Thank you for stopping in to have a peek! Happy Singing!!!

Scripture Picture Match Up

 PREP RATING: 2
SCRIPTURE/PIC MATCH REVIEW



Happy Friday Everyone!! I am so glad it is here. This first week of school and getting back into a routine has about killed me off! I can't believe the homework they send home in Elementary school these days. I look forward to the weekend and the break from all the work. Our poor kids and all the pressure on their little shoulders. You can just feel the changes in the air. So much anxiety and pressure!!
I have a basic Scripture/Pic review game for you today. You just do your basic matching game using scriptures and pictures and then sing the song once they pick the match.!

You can click, save and print mine below:

He Sent his Son

 John 3:16: FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERYLASTING LIFE

I will Follow Gods Plan

MOSES 6:62 AND NOW, BEHOLD, I SAY UNTO YOU; THIS IS THE PLAN OF SALVATION UNTO ALL MEN, THROUGH THE BLOOD OF MINE ONLY BEGOTTEN, WHO SHALL COME IN THE MERIDIAN OF TIME

 

I Stand all Amazed

ROMANS 5:8 BUT GOD COMMANDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US

The Family is of God

 “Successful … families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”). 

I Heard the Prophet

D&C 21: 4-5 WHEREFORE, MEANING THE CHURCH, THOU SHALT GIVE HEED UNTO ALL HIS WORDS AND COMMANDMENTS, WHICH HE SHALL GIVE UNTO YOU AS HE RECEIVETH THEM, WALKING IN ALL HOLINESS BEFORE ME. 
5: FOR HIS WORD YOU SHALL RECEIVE, AS IF FROM MINE OWN MOUTH, IN ALL PATIENCE AND FAITH

Love is Spoken Here

MOSIAH 4:15 BUT YE WILL TEACH THEM TO WALK IN THE WAYS OF TRUTH AND SOBERNESS, YE WILL TEACH THEM TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER, AND TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER

Baptism

MATTHEW 3: 13-17 THEN COMETH JESUS FROM GALILEE TO JORDON UNTO JOHN, TO BE BAPTIZED OF HIM
14: BUT JOHN FORBADE HIM SAYING, I HAVE NEED TO BE BAPTIZED OF THEE, AND COMEST THOU TO ME?

15: AND JESUS ANSWERING SAID UNTO HIM, SUFFER IT TO BE SO NOW, FOR THUS IT BECOMETH US TO FULFIL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS, THEN HE SUFFERED HIM.

16: AND JESUS, WHEN HE WAS BAPTIZED WENT UP STRAIGHTWAY OUT OF THE WATER, AND LO, THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED UNTO HIM, AND HE SAW THE SPIRIT OF GOD DESCENDING LIKE A DOVE AND LIGHTING UPON HIM.

17: AND LO A VOICE FROM HEAVEN SAYING, THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

Seek the Lord Early

PROVERBS 8:17 I LOVE THEM THAT LOVE ME, AND THOSE THAT SEEK ME EARLY SHALL FIND ME






To play: The kiddo's will match up the scripture with the song and sing once they have made the match! This is a great way to use the scriptures and reinforce the true meaning behind each song. Happy Singing Sunday!!

Heads up 7 up Review

PREP RATING: 0
HEADS UP 7 UP


Do I have a FUN and easy one for you today! This one comes to me courtesy of my children's elementary school and their AWESOME teachers! Both of  my kiddo's have talked about this particular game this week and how much fun it was playing it in class. I can't help myself, when I see and hear the excitement in my hard to please 9 year old sons voice, my wheels start turning. I think of the dred on the boys faces in primary when they hear those words, "it's singing time!" You know the one:

So, if there's a game that can bring this much excitement to my son then it can bring this excitement to my boys in primary and make "singing time" that much more enjoyable for them.

Most of you have probably played this one yourselves or have at least heard of it through your own children. It is called, Heads up 7 up. For this game 7 children are it and stand at the front of the classroom. The children at their desks put their heads down. On go, the 7 children that are it will walk around and each tag one person. If you are tagged you then put your thumb up like in the pic above. When the 7 are all done tagging someone they will go back to the front of the room and the kids at their desks will then put their heads up. The 7 who were tagged and have thumbs up will then try and guess who tagged them. If they guess right then they get to come to the front and be one of the next 7 and the person who tagged or touched them is out, if they aren't right then the person who tagged them gets to stay up front and be one of the 7 again.

So, how can I use this for singing time, you ask?  Here's my idea!  I would have 3 kids be your taggers instead of 7. I think that is too many and might get to be a little crazy. The idea of play would basically be the same. You could use this for repetition on one song or just go down the line and use all the songs. A new song each round.
 The children would put their heads down and cover their eyes with their hands. They would sing the chosen song as the 3 taggers walk around and tag their 3 victims. The 3 taggers do not sing while walking around. When the song is over the taggers should be standing back in the front of the room. The 3 children that have their thumbs up would then try and guess which tagger touched them. If they are right, they come to the front for the next round, if they don't get it right then the child that tagged them gets to stay in the front and keep tagging for the next round until someone guesses right.

Something so simple, great way to work and do repetition on a song or all the songs for the program!! Have an AWESOME weekend and HAPPY SINGING EVERYONE!

Fun with CUPS!

PREP RATING: 1
CUP REVIEW

Good Morning Everyone! I wanted to get a couple of fun, quick review games on here before my day gets away from me.
First, I would like to share or "vent" with all of you. Maybe you can share your feelings with me and I won't feel as frustrated or as discouraged!  I was reading somewhere online last night how you shouldn't use games to teach the music in primary. That you should let the spirit guide you. Its funny to me when I see this because when I pray about my calling and lay in bed at night, the inspiration that I get most always leads to a fun game or idea that I can use to teach the music. There are times where a game is not appropriate, for example, I was led in a different direction while preparing to teach "I Stand all Amazed."  I LOVE my calling, I LOVE the MUSIC and I LOVE teaching. I DO pray for inspiration and I DO feel inspired when I put these ideas together. I don't think we can judge how others are inspired to do their callings. If we feel that church is not the place for a game then we don't have to do a game but if others do, and that is the direction they feel inspired then that may just be where their "talents" lie. (Matthew 5: 16)  I'm sorry to start out this way. I promised myself I was just going to do my "blog" and share my ideas and not read certain sites because I usually end up feeling bad or having doubts about the way I am approaching my calling. Thank goodness in the end there is only one judge. He knows our hearts and he knows our minds. I am grateful for my HF and I am so thankful I don't have to stand in his place here or in the end as judge of all!! Just sayin'

Ok, now that I have that off of my shoulders, I would like to share a couple quick review ideas with all of you:) I feel better now, thank you for letting me "vent" and for supporting me anyway! You are great friends and I appreciate all of you and your kind, sweet words that you share with me each week as we serve these beautiful children of our HF.

Have I mentioned before how much I just LOVE pintrest? I have found a couple of CUP games that I think would work well for review ideas with the music. I know that games can get a little rowdy in primary and that this may be the reason some feel that games are not appropriate, however, I always have a plan in place and if the kiddo's know the plan and don't behave then I will and do stop the game. You always have to make the rules clear and stick to them. This will help keep some reverence and the kids can have a good time learning/reviewing the songs.

This first game I found on Here. You could use this one as a review for one song or you could use it and review all of the songs. To play, I would choose a child to come to the front. If using for review on all of the songs, they would pick a song out of a bucket. (For longer songs, I would put those in the bucket one verse at a time. Example: 1st Verse "I Stand all Amazed.)  The object of the game would be to see how high they can stack the cups before the end of the song. The goal is to use every cup. If they fall while the song is still going, then they would start where they left off. When the song is over, their turn is over! You could do this to work on repetition on one song as well. This way they will be singing the same song over and over, but having a good time while doing it!!

This next one I found would be good for one song repetition and great to work on memorization. So, if you have one that the kiddo's are struggling with, this would be a GREAT one! I found it on this site Here.
 For this one you can buy styrofoam cups with the rim at walmart for $.98 a dozen. You have to write each word to the song on each cup so you have to have enough for 2 sets. (not a good one for Seek the Lord Early, since there are 68 words:) Or, for longer songs you could write a few words on each cup. To play: I would have 2 kids come up at a time. While the primary kids are singing the song, your 2 "stackers" have to race and see who can put the words in order the fastest. When the song is over, we see who made it the furthest and the winner gets to stay up and compete against the next chosen "stacker." You could also play it where on go, your two "stackers" race to stack the words in order. Once someone gets them in order, they are the winner. The other child gets to lead the primary in singing the song and they pick the next competitor.

These are just a couple ideas I thought would be great to use for review. I don't know about all of you but my kiddo's have about had it with the same songs. These games are a GREAT way to repeat, and make it fun at the same time. Remember, "A Child who Sings is a Happy Child"!! Happy Singing!

"Hot Seat"

Happy Wednesday!! I am in the process of putting together my S.E.E.K board for this week. I was actually out of town for one last weekend get away before school starts TOMORROW, and didn't get to that one yet!!
 Oh my, where does the time go!! This is actually the first year I'm not quite ready for this!! Don't get me wrong, I really, really, want the chaos and craziness of 'summer' to just go away, (and the AZ heat) but, it went SUPER fast and my brain is not quite ready to get back on track!!
I will post the pics of my SEEK board as soon as they are finished for those still interested! For those who used the idea on Sunday, I would love to hear back on how it worked out! Please share:)

Now that we are through all of the songs for the program, I will be posting some fun review games and my 123 Blast OFF passport incentive. This will measure our progress on all of the songs. Before the program on October 12th, (ugh) I am hoping to send our songs to the MOON in a fun blast off activity!! Fingers crossed that we make it that far!!

For this week, I will be posting a Fun review game I played with the kiddo's years ago! It is called "Hot Seat."To play you can use this with one song the kids need work on or to go over a few songs at a time. You will need to print out a few "key" words to the song or songs you want to review and put them in an envelope, bucket or something with the song title on the outside. This way if you do multiple songs you know where your words are for which song.

Song Envelopes

 You will then have two kiddos come up at a time and sit back to back in your two chairs. You will let them know which song you are
starting with. You will pick a word out of your envelope, bucket etc for whatever song you are starting with. You then show the secret word to the kids in primary, but not your "hot seat" competitors. You will then have the kids start singing the song. When they come to the secret word they will skip it but keep singing. The kiddo's in the Hot Seat will listen  for the "silent" word. Once they know what it is they will jump up out of the Hot Seat and say the word. If they are right then they get to stay and keep competing for the Hot Seat Champion title!!
I will play using each song several times so that they get good practice in. This is a good one to use on the words you think the kiddo's may be struggling with. I will have the kids sing the song all the way through before we move on to the next song because we will be stopping a lot for the game so it won't make it to the end until I am ready to move on to the next song. If you are using this to review for just one song then you could have the kids sing the song all the way to the end and whoever jumped out of their HOT SEAT first waits until the end of the song to say which word was left out! I actually like that way because you get your repetition in there as well!!

Object: Be the Hot Seat Champion!!

Small Incentive Treat: Fire flavored Jolly Rancher

Silent Singer

Hello everyone! How was your singing time yesterday? I hope all had an AWESOME day! I wanted to share a cute review game that  I tried out with the kiddo's and they absolutely LOVED it! I can not take credit for this. I saw it posted on the Facebook Chorister group and it is a wonderful singing time activity! Thank you "shout out" for whoever posted this idea! It is AWESOME!

You can use this for single song repetition or I used it to review all the songs for the program. To start out you pick a teacher to choose a child to be the 'silent singer." You are the first guesser so you will turn your back to the kids so the teacher can pick who's "it" first. Once someone has been picked you turn around. The children will then start singing the chosen song. The "silent singer" will lip sync the words but not actually sing. After the kids finish singing you have to try and guess who the silent singer was. Play then continues with the last "silent singer" coming up and being the next guesser and the last guesser will tap on someone to be the next "silent singer." I did let the guesser walk around while the children were singing so that they could hear better. I know it sounds so simple, right? It is!! This is perfect for one of those crazy weekends when you need something low prep. Its fun, simple and the kiddo's LOVED it! I just wanted to share!

This week I am hoping to post my S.E.E.K game idea for teaching "I'll Seek  the Lord Early." I'm still working on the idea for that one. I will also be posting my 1,2,3 Blast off Passport idea to use as a measure on our program songs. We're going to send those "puppies" to the moon before the program.  Please check back in on those later this week. Thank you for stopping by and Happy Singing!

"BOOM" Singing Time Review

Wow, this has been a crazy summer and I am so off schedule!! It seems like just yesterday I promised to post this game and now it is 2 weeks later, UGH!!! Where does the time go? I played this one as a 4th of July activity but it can be used anytime for a review. The kiddo's seemed to enjoy it and it mixes things up a bit!

This is an easy one to put together. To get started you will need:

2 soup cans with labels removed, 2 different colors of construction paper, Mod Podge & 2 copies of the word BOOM: Just click, save and print mine posted above. You will also need to put together some cards with your review ideas on the back. You can click, save and print the bombs I used here:

To prepare, you will Mod Podge a different color construction paper on each can. I did one blue and one red. These will be your teams. Red and Blue or whatever colors you choose to use.

You will have to let this dry before adding the word Boom to each can. This will take about 30 minutes. As this is drying you can cut out your Bomb cards and start writing what you want the kids to do for review on the back. Sing a song, answer a question about a song, fill in the blank, etc. You will need to add in 4-5 cards that just say BOOM as well.

 Once your cans are dry you will then Mod Podge the word BOOM onto each can.

Once this is dry, you are done and ready to PLAY!!!

  

To play: Split your kiddo's into 2 teams. I had a blue team and a red team. Once your teams are established you will decide which team goes first, ( you can pick a number, have a sing off, etc)  Once this is decided you have a child come up from your starting team. They will pick a card from the pile. Their team will then have to do what the card states on the back to win the card. (sing, answer a question, fill in the blank, etc.) If the team does well then they win the card and it goes in their color can. If the children get too loud then their team can loose cards, so let them know this rule before the game begins. If a team picks a BOOM card, all of the cards they have earned go back into the pile and they have to start over.

The object of the game is to be the team with the most cards at the end of singing time!! To finish this one off with a "BOOM" you can give the kiddo's some "POP ROCKS" that pop like FIREWORKS!!!

HAPPY SINGING EVERYONE!!! Thanks for stopping by!

Please check back in for my Singing Summer Vacation Finale: S'MORE SINGING CAMP!! We will be doing this on Sunday July, 27th.

Pass the Chicken Review Game

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I wanted to post a quick review game idea for the week!! This one may be easier for smaller groups and Sr. primaries!! It will help reinforce the words to the songs you are working on and can help with memorization!!
The one I bring to you this week is "Pass the Chicken." This is another used in classrooms but I have adapted it for singing time!
For this one you will have the children move their seats into a circle! You will choose a child to be "it."  This child starts out holding the chicken. On go, the music starts and the child that is "it" starts passing the Chicken. "It" has to sing/say the first 5 words of the song before the chicken makes it back around the circle to them. If they get to the 5th word before the chicken makes it around, whoever is holding the chicken on the 5th word is now "it."  Play then continues but the new "it" has to sing/say the first 6 words to the song before the chicken makes it back to them. The amount of words increases with each new turn. If a child can't say the amount of words before the chicken makes it back to them then the whole group sings the song or verse while passing the chicken. This way the words are being reviewed constantly throughout the game and all kiddo's are involved!! Once the verse or song is over whoever has the chicken is the new "it" and they then have to try and sing or say the amount of words where the last "it" left off.
So, for review:

*Play starts with 5 words for the First player of the game and increases with each new turn.

*If "it" is able to sing/say the amount of words before the chicken makes it back around the circle
then the child holding the chicken on "it's" last word is now the new "it."  They must now sing/say the next amount of words before the chicken makes it back to them.

*If "it" is unable to sing/say the amount of words before the chicken makes it back to them then everyone sings the song or verse you are working on and passes the chicken. When the song or verse ends, whoever has the chicken is your new "it" and play starts where it left off.

This one may get a little loud, and rowdy. Let the children know before hand that if it gets too crazy then you will have to stop the game. Always remind the children where they are and that you want them to have fun while learning the songs, but they are at church and need to always remember that. If they are too loud, always stop the activity so that they know you are serious about their behavior!

Thank you for stopping by!! Please let me know if you have any questions! Happy Singing this week:)

S.P.A.R.K.L.E

Good Morning Everyone! As I laid in bed exhausted last night, my mind would just not shut down! I have been trying to come up with some Fun games for memorization and repetition. I have been trying to think of games that I know the kids like,  that can somehow be used for singing time review!
The one I bring to you today, that kept spinning around in my mind last night, is one the teachers use for spelling review at my children's school. You may have heard of it from your children as well,  it is called "Sparkle." In this game the children stand in a circle and the teacher gives them a spelling word to spell out. Play starts with one child saying the first letter in the word and goes around each child saying a letter to spell the word, after the last child says the last letter of the word, the next child in line says Sparkle and the child next to them is out and has to sit down. Play then continues with the next child in line and the teacher giving the next word to spell. This goes on until everyone but one player is eliminated and that last child standing is your Sparkle champ for the day!!

Now, at this point you may be wondering how this can be used for singing time review. Here is my idea! To start out you will need a singing time treasure wrapped in thick wrapping paper. You can find cute treasures and paper both at your local Dollar Tree, so,  this is a simple and inexpensive one as well!!
To start play you have the children stand in a circle. You hand the wrapped treasure to one of the children. You then start singing your song for review. As the children are singing they must pass the treasure. When they finish the song or verse whoever has the treasure in their hands must say "Sparkle" and the child next to them has to go back to their seat.
Now, two spins I added to this that make it so the kids stay involved is this:

1. The children that are out have a chance to get back in so you tell them they still have to sing to have this opportunity.

2. If the music stops and the children are finished singing and the child that has the treasure forgets to say "Sparkle" They are out instead of the child next to them. 

Play then continues with REPETITION of the song you are working on. You continue to sing and repeat the song all the way down until there are about 3 players left. Then this is where the kids sitting have a chance to get back in. Before singing time started you will have placed 3 star stickers on the bottom of 3 random chairs. At this point in the game you will have the children check under their chairs for the star stickers. If their chair has a sticker then they are automatically back in the game. Play then finishes off all the way down to one player. When there is one child left, they are your "Sparkle" champ for the day and they get to open and keep the treasure. Make sure and give everyone a little treat, (maybe something like a starburst for participating.) This way, everyone gets a little something for their hard work!!!

I can't wait to try this with my Kiddo's!!! I know it will be a new singing time FAVORITE!! Please send me a message if you have any questions. I know if may be a little confusing. This is one of those instances where my mind is way ahead of the rest of me and so I'm not sure if the explanation will make sense to anyone else:)

Happy Singing Sunday!! Check back next week for a couple more fun review ideas!!

Swat Team and 4 Corners review games!!

Happy Friday Everyone!! What a week this has been! I spent today on a field trip and at the dentist getting a root canal! This is how I wrapped it up!!! All I can say is T.G.I.F!!! I wanted to get my review games on here for the week and I just haven't had the opportunity to sit down and type it out!! I thought I better get it on here while I have 5 minutes or it's just not going to happen!! 

To start out, I believe these are both games others out there have played quite a bit. I am going to Dr. up the first one (swat team)  and make it work as a review and 4 corners is one I have seen on some of my favorite teaching sites and I have also seen it used by other choristers out there to fit in as a repetition game for singing time!!

 With Mothers Day just around the corner I am going to review our two songs this week.  Mother Dear and We'll Bring the World his Truth (4 verse for mothers) are the two songs we will be presenting in Sacrament meeting! After going over the words this week, we will be playing another fun review game next week (keep an eye out for this favorite) and then hopefully I can get back on track with the songs for the program!! Ugh, I am getting so far behind!! 

Game #1 this week will be SWAT TEAM!! For this simple game I will print out the words for all 3 verses of Mother Dear! I will break the kids into two teams, RED and BLUE! I will have a RED swatter for the red team and a BLUE swatter for the blue team! I will start out posting the individual words for all three verses on the board. These will be in order, verse 1, verse 2, etc.  I will then have a child from each team come to the front and take their teams swatter. I will have another set of words from each verse cut into cards and in their verse pile. I will then pick a child to come up and pick a word card from a verse pile. Example: VERSE 1 the child comes up and picks a word card from the verse 1 pile, say the word is "Happy."  The child will then show the secret card to the all the children but the swatters! On GO the music will start and the children will sing, when they get to the secret word "Happy"  the children will be silent and the two swatters will race to swat the next word in the song, or the "secret" word, which is "Happy." Whoever swats the right word first earns a point for their team and we start over. This is a great one for repetition!

Game #2  will be 4 corners and we will be using this one with We'll Bring the World his Truth (verse 4) written for mothers! 
For this one, you will pick a child to be "it"  They will come to the front and put on a blindfold. The rest of the primary will split up and go to the four corners of the room. When everyone is in their place, the music will start and the children will sing the 4th verse of Army of Helaman! After the children have finished singing verse 4 the child that is "it" will point to the corner where they heard the least amount of singing voices. That corner of children will then be out and take their seats. I am going to switch this up a bit and then pick a new child to be it from the group that is out. After the new "it" gets on the blindfold, I will then have the children that are still in rotate to a new corner and play starts again. This continues until you are down to one player!! This is a GREAT game that the kiddo's love and are easily tricked into repetition of the song for review!!! 

I hope this helps those in need of some fun, simple review strategies! Thank you for stopping by! Please check back in this week for some more review and memorization games that are PERFECT for some AWESOME singing time FuN!! Happy Singing!