Obviously the first thing a Primary Chorister needs to do is to teach the children Primary songs. No duh.
But how do you do that, exactly? Below are 10 games and activities that can help kids learn, practice, or memorize a Primary song.
This is Part 2 in this blog series: Singing Time Activities for LDS Primary Choristers. See the other articles in this series by clicking these links below:
Part 1: Best Tips for Primary Choristers
Part 3: Activities to Review Lots of Songs
Part 4: Holiday-Themed Activities
Happy singing and good luck out there, Primary Choristers!
Handheld Flip Signs
Make two-sided flip signs: cut two circles out of colored cardstock and glue them together with a popsicle-stick handle sticking out of the bottom. Write two opposite ways of singing a song on either side of your sign. Flip sign options include:
- Boys Only/Girls Only
- Sing/Hum
- Clap/Stomp
- Sing Loud/Sing Softly
Choose a child to come pick a flip sign. He/she gets to hold it while everyone else sings and can flip it around at any point, directing the rest of the children how to sing. Continue with different children using different signs.
Special Key Words
Write down common and/or significant words from the song you are learning. You can write these words on objects to be hidden around the room, on index cards put face-down on the board, or on the slots of your prize wheel, etc.
Have a child pick a special key word. Sing the song while doing one of the following on that special word:
- Don’t sing the special word; be silent or hum it
- Clap when you sing the special word
- Stand up when you sing the special word
- Make an action that goes along with that word. These can be pre-planned ASL signs or let the child be creative and invent an action for that word
Keep adding more and more special key words into the song every time you sing it.
For example, I used this game to teach “Nephi’s Courage” and I let the kids make up an action for each special word. So every time we said “Nephi” we clapped, every time we said “commanded” we stood up, every time we said “courageous” we flexed our strong arms, and so on. Some kids chose very practical signs like flat, open hands for the word “plates” while others wanted silly signs and we spun around every time we said “Laman” (I told you that every Primary has a least a few attention hogs and class clowns). After singing the song five or six times and adding a new sign every time, kids really learn the words well and have to focus to do the right sign at the right time.
Hold & Cold Game
Choose two children as helpers, one Hider and one Finder. Send the Finder out of the room (accompanied by a teacher or other adult if necessary) while the Hider hides a small object somewhere in the room.
Objects for this game can be anything: Book of Mormon characters, pocket-sized Jesus pictures, holiday trinkets, anything!
Invite the Finder back into the room and begin singing the song as a group while the Finder begins searching for that object. Sing softer as the Finger gets farther away from the hiding place and sing louder as they get closer.
This is a hugely popular Primary game and super easy to do. If in doubt, it’s an easy fallback if you need something quick and easy.
Missionary on a Stick
Use masking tape to tape a missionary toy figurine to the end of a dowel. I chose the missionary whose arm is upwards in a big gesture.
Take your missionary stick to Primary and introduce him as Elder Sing-Song (or whatever silly name you want).
Magnet/tape your flipchart or poster to the board. Pick a child to hold the missionary stick and point to the correct words/pictures on the chart while everyone sings. Repeat and switch children to practice the song.
This is a great introduction for new songs, and it’s super easy.
Phrase or Word Unscramble
This activity is best suited for older Senior Primary kids who can read reasonably well. You can try some variations using pictures instead of words for Junior Primary.
Write out key words or phrases from the song on separate strips of paper or index cards. Have children take turns choosing a phrase and arranging it on the front board in the correct order.
There are so many variations of how to do this:
- Play this as an object finding game–attach your phrases to objects to be hidden or placed around the room.
- Jumble the phrases on one side of the board with numbers on the other. Kids must put the phrases in the correct numbered sequence.
- Write most of the song on the board or a poster board with blank spaces. Then kids must place their words into the correct blank spaces to complete the song.
- Turn this activity into a race. Divide the room into two teams and give both teams a set of scrambled phrases; the first to correctly unscramble the song wins the race!
Listening Game (A Phrase Unscramble Variation)
This is great for introducing a totally new song.
Before Primary begins, tape key words/pictures from the song under random chairs. When Singing Time starts, have everyone look under their chairs for a special word.
You, the Chorister, will sing the new song. Tell the children to listen carefully and when they hear you sing their special word to raise their hand. Stop the song, bring their word to the front and put it on the board. Continue singing until all the words have been placed in the correct order, and then sing the entire song together.
Roll the Dice
Make a numbered list of 6 silly ways to sing a song and post this list on the board for everyone to see. Choose a child to come to the front and roll a dice. Whichever number is rolled will correlate with the silly way to sing listed on the board.
Note: this activity can easily be adapted into a Review activity as well. Make a second numbered list of 6 songs to review and roll the dice twice: first to determine what song to sing, and second to determine how you will sing it.
Singing Hot Potato
My Primary kids LOVED this game and we played it regularly. Not only is it really fun, but it really makes the kids focus on and correctly learn the words; they don’t want to get stuck with the Hot Potato and not know the answer!
Choose a small object to be your Hot Potato and tell the kids that your pianist is totally in charge of this game. Be sure to explain the game to your pianist beforehand and make sure they’re comfortable enough on the piano to do this.
Begin singing your chosen song normally. While you sing, have the kids pass the Hot Potato object up and down the rows.
Note: be sure to not just tell the kids to “pass the Hot Potato,” but actually walk it through the group to demonstrate where and how it should be passed so everyone knows which direction to pass it and whether it goes across an aisle or back to the next row.
The pianist will stop playing whenever he/she chooses. When the song stops, whoever is holding the Hot Potato must say the next word or phrase of the song (this is a good way to memorize the words to a song). Be sure to include the teachers; kids will think it’s hysterical. Continue singing where you left off (or go back just to beginning of that phrase), stopping throughout the song, until you sing the whole thing.
Be sure to choose an object that isn’t fragile or dangerous in any way, shape, or form. Before you begin, emphasize to the children that they must pass the object respectfully, not throw it (or kick it, fling it, slap it, whatever; you’d be amazed at the rambunctious creativity of kids sometimes). Still, expect some mild violence during this game when kids inevitably do throw your object at their neighbor, but they love it anyway. And we can all handle some mild violence sometimes.
Word Removal Dice Game
Write out the words of a song on the whiteboard for everyone to see (you can tape pictures on the board to use for smaller children, but this game really is best with written words). Sing through the entire song pointing to the words as you go (this is a great activity to break out your Missionary On a Stick to help you point).
Pick a child to come to the front and roll a dice. Whatever number it lands on, that child is allowed to erase that number of words from the song. Sing the song again, still pointing to the remaining words but skipping the blank spaces as you come to them. Repeat, erasing more and more words every time.
This is a great dice game because it makes things move a little faster; sometimes you can erase six words at once instead of just one, which makes it all that much more exciting and challenging.
Yarn Pull; Red Light, Green Light
Get both red and green yarn and cut them to varying lengths. Tie these bits together alternating between red and green. Roll up the yarn and put it into a non-see-through container with a hole in the top to pull the yarn out of.
Choose a helper child to come to the front and be the yarn-puller. You may choose to let this child stand on a stool so he/she can be seen more easily. As everyone sings, the child will pull the yarn (as quickly or slowly as he/she wants). When the green yarn is visible, sing the words out loud. When the red yarn is visible, stop singing and come in again when the yarn turns green again. Repeat with different helpers.
Check Out Other Singing Time Ideas
This is Part 2 in this blog series: Singing Time Activities for LDS Primary Choristers. See the other articles in this series by clicking these links below:
Part 1: Best Tips for Primary Choristers
