Sticker Dot Singers and Programmable Dice

I found a fun idea on the LDS Choristers Facebook page and tweaked it a bit for this Sunday. I wish I knew who to thank for the original idea-but THANK YOU whomever you are!

I bought a package of dot stickers with 4 different colors on a sheet. I will give a sheet to each teacher. As we practice our Father's Day songs, the teachers will give stickers to 'good singer'. Then we need to review our program songs from the previous months. So I made cards with the songs on them. 

For Jr. a child will pick a card so we know which song to sing. Then the child will roll the color die. I made a programmable die with the colors of the sticker dots. I had two spaces left so I assigned them as 'everyone sings' and 'teachers sing'. If the child rolls red, all the children with a red dot stands up and sings the song.  

For Sr. the dots will also have a number on them from 1-6. A child will roll the color die and the number die. Say he rolls blue and 5. Everyone will a blue sticker or a 5 will stand and sing.

A very easy, low prep, way to mix things up and still practice a lot of songs. Plus the JR. kiddos LOVE getting sticker.

Here are the programmable dice I found on Amazon.com. It comes with 3 dice. I use them in many different ways. I have ways to sing, classes, songs, just to name a few.

Click HERE to download the color die file.

Click HERE to download the Ways to Sing die file.

Happy Singing!

Conducting Music

I had the privilege of going to an Activity Day last week with 18 of the cutest 8-11 year old girls in my ward. The leaders had asked me to come and spend an hour with them teaching them how to conduct music.

 This would help them fulfill one of the requirements in their 'Faith in God'.

(It is under 'Developing Talents' page 10- "Learn to play, sing, or lead a song from the Children's Songbook.")

I put together a slideshow to help with my presentation. It ended up being 28 slides long with everything from downbeat, time signature, preparatory beat, fermata, pick-up beat, to conducting patterns.

Here is an example of some of the slides:

I had my Primary President come with me. She played the piano for us as we sang our way through the slides and learned to lead. 

I made each girl her own conducting baton. I got the idea from Pinterest. I found wooden balls with a hole drilled in the center at Michael's. Then at Zurcher's, I found plastic balloon holders. They are like a very thin plastic straw.

They were 24 inches long so I simply cut them in half. Then I used a little hot glue to make sure they stayed in the wooden hole. It was very simple and very inexpensive.

I gave each girl a handout of the conducting patterns with Primary song suggestions to take home for practice.

At the end, we played a fun little matching game to review what they had learned.

Needless to say, I had a BLAST and I think they did too.

I'm HAPPY to SHARE!

I hope someone else will be able to use what I've created to help their Primary Activity Day Girls. This could even work for FHE or Young Women's. 

Here are the files:

Click HERE to download the slideshow.

Click HERE to download the conducting pattern handout.

Click HERE to download the match game.

Happy CONDUCTING!!

The Priesthood Is Restored

We are singing 'The Priesthood Is Restored' Sunday to go along with the sharing time lesson. I don't think my kiddos know it. So I made a flip chart to help them and the teachers remember.

Click HERE to download the flip chart file.

Happy Singing!

Rhythm Sticks

Several months ago I discovered Sharla Dance. She has an AMAZING website about teaching Primary Music. You can check it out by clicking HERE. I'd love to some day go to one of her workshops. Sharla has made several YouTube videos showing her lessons. Just search 'Sharla Dance' on YouTube to find them. Here's one using the rhythm sticks.

She is very knowledgeable on brain research and uses what she knows to teach the Primary songs. She likes to keep the kiddos busy with movement or thinking activities while she sings the songs over and over. The concept is- the children learn the songs through the backdoor. They are busy with the activity but still hear the song and it becomes ingrained in their brain

She does lots of activities like: paper plates, sway and freeze, melody maps, matching, puzzles, wind wands, egg shakers, cup pop, bells, scarves, and rhythm sticks just to name a few.

I haven't tried all her ideas yet but the ones I have tried I LOVE and so do my kids!!

Sunday I'm using egg shakers with my Jr. to review Praise to the Man and rhythm sticks with my Sr. I'm always looking for ways to make this calling easier. So I made some large charts that you can print to make the rhythm pattern charts for the rhythm sticks fast and easy.

The rhythm sticks can be kind-of expensive but there are other things you can use.

Some choristers use pencils. I found some 3/8 inch diameter dowels on Amazon.com that work well for me.

Click on the picture for a link to Amazon.com wooden dowels.

Click HERE to download the rhythm charts.

If you have rhythm sticks I hope these chart can help you when you make your charts.
Happy tapping and singing!

If You Really Love Your Mom...

I saw a cute idea on the LDS Choristers Facebook page to change the words to "If You're Happy and You Know It" to a Mother's Day version. I'm a very visual person so I just had to make pictures to go with it.

This would be great for Nursery as well as Junior. Some Senior kids might think it's fun too.

Click HERE to download the pictures.

I've done a post about this song before with other pictures.

 If you're interested here is the link. Click HERE.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Mother's Day Singing Activities

Next Sunday is Mother's Day here in the USA. Some of you will be lucky or unlucky (however you like to look at it) to have a break to go to Relief Society by having the youth or Priesthood do your calling for you that day. But then again, some of you will still be with the kiddos. That's where I'll be, huffin' and puffin' and getting my workout in for the day.

Here are a couple of ideas I've done before on Mother's Day. Pass them along to the youth or Priesthood, or anyone you know who needs a quick easy plan.

1. Mother's Purse

Find the items on the list, print the tags, if desired and place in a purse or bag. Select a Primary song to go with each item. Have a child pick an item from the purse. Read why the item relates to mom then sing the song doing the action.

Click HERE to download purse idea with tags.

2. Mother's Day Match

Simply print the pictures, select Primary songs for each match, and you're ready to play a matching game. You can talk about each picture and how important our mother's are to us.

Click HERE to download match game with pictures.

3. Pass the Flower

This one is super easy and hardly any prep. Select the Primary songs you want to sing. Find a real, plastic, silk, or paper flower. Start singing. As you sing, pass the flower from child to child, up and down the rows. Have the pianist stop frequently whenever she/he feels like it.. The child holding the flower has to say something they are THANKFUL FOR or LOVE about their mother. Then continue on with the song. If you have a big Primary or want to give several children a turn, pass 2-4 flowers at the same time but start them in different rows. For a small Primary, you could pass the flower around in a circle.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog!

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Singing!