ABC Song Choices

1. Bring alphabet magnets.
2. Invite a child to choose one.
3. Have the Primary help them think of a song that goes with that letter. I made a poster to help them out and so we're all on the same page [below].
4. Repeat

*Optional;

--Theme it as "back to school".
--Or, call it a Primary Song Quiz

--Or, put the letters in a pan and call it "alphabet soup". Then use kitchen stirring spoons to "stir" in the air as you sing.

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UPDATE:
I did this without really thinking it through and it failed. First we had all of the kids ages 3-18 in the room (5th Sunday lesson where all the Adults leave). So there wasn't a lot of discipline happening around the room. Second, I didn't have a lot of time. Third, the kids picked hard letters right off the bat! Fourth, it was loud in the room and I could get the room's attention, nor hear the suggestions the Pianist was tinkering out. Disaster? Yeah, sort of....

BUT, I'm giving it another chance! I feel that it's important for the kids to see that something can fail and can be done again as a success. Although.... I don't really think they thought that, from their vantage point they just wanted to endure and get outta there - they don't really care... BUT I DO, so I'm giving it a better go this week. I have given it much more thought and anticipate it will go better!  IT WILL!

Back to School Backpack

Fill a backpack with back to school items

that tell the kids how to sing.

• BINDER PAPER CLIP - sing with lips clamped shut
• CRAYONS - only those wearing the color I hold up sing
• ERASER - "erase" words and leave them out as you sing
• GLUE STICK - glue legs and arms together and sing all stuck together (stick a different way for each verse)
• HAND SANITIZER- use hands to sign the song (choose a song we know sign to, of course!)
• HIGHLIGHTER - stand up tall and sing "brightly"!
• RUBBER BANDS - sing with rubber band stretchy lips and face
• RULER - use as a volume meter and measure up inches as well as they are singing
• SCISSORS - cut off the song, then resume, and so forth
• SHARPENER - sing "sharply" (staccato)

*This idea can be found all over the place.  This is my minuscule addition to the already existing idea.

Back to School Bookworms

bookworms with graduation caps

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SIMPLE LESSON (easier for JR):

INTRO (paraphrase):
It’s back to school time! Did you know that sometimes someone who likes to read a lot is called a bookworm? Well, today I brought all of these books and I’m going to need super singers to help me find bookworms! The bookworms will tell us what song to sing.

1. Have paper worms sticking out of a stack of books 
2. Child chooses a book worm 
3. The worm tells us what and how to sing. 

-- Oh yeah! Did I forget to tell you?! These are WIGGLY BOOKWORMS! We are going to sing the song and do actions, too! --

• SING 
• REPEAT 

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CROSSWORD ACTIVITY (more challenging element added for Senior Primary):

*Beforehand I used the Discovery crossword maker to make a crossword puzzle with our 2013 program songs. I transposed the crossword onto the board so everyone could see it (this was harder to do than I thought it would be, but it's doable for sure).

1. Call a class up, they pick a wiggly bookworm out of the stack of books
2. The bookworm has a clue number on it (that corresponds to the crossword on the board). Class reads the clue.
3. Kids answer the clue and write it on the board. (fyi, having the children help me spell the word letter by letter helped keep them engaged in the activity)
4. Sing that song wiggly the way written on that bookworm
5. REPEAT

crossword for SR Primary

click this picture to see the crossword and clues I used

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songs+wiggly worm movement examples:
Teach Me to Walk in the Light -  walk to the beat
I Am Like a Star - star fingers
My Heavenly Father Loves Me - song actions we learned
I Pray in Faith - lap, clap, snap
Holding Hands Around the World - march to the beat
When I Am Baptized - paint brushes
If The Savior Stood Beside Me - clap rhythm
Families Can Be Together Forever - clap beat
I Am a Child of God (4 verses) - 1face front, 2turn to side, 3face back, 4other side

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PREPARE:

• Cut out worms
• Gather books
• crossword prep
• Song list & the wiggly ways to sing the songs

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NOTES:

• This activity went well, WOULD do it again.
• SR appreciated the extra activity and extra "challenge". Although not required. Could just do the simpler activity for both JR and SR.
• Was good as a review of all 11 program songs. Extended time is required if doing it for that many songs.
• I thought the worms might rip. And they did. Keep tape handy just in case.
• Thought JR was going to lose interest, but there was enough movement to keep them engaged.
• SR can get a little crazy when doing a wiggly/movement activity (at least that how it is in my SR). Relax discipline a little bit accordingly when planning a wiggly activity.

Make Your Own Crosswords and Word Searches

Discovery Crossword Maker:

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/CrissCrossSetupForm.asp

Discovery Word Search Maker:

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp