Singing Time
Starfoxy's series on Primary Singing Time stories and experiences
By: Starfoxy
I'm late sharing this, I know, but a few months ago I was released as the singing time leader. So there will be no more singing time posts. I was a little sad to be released, but I was getting to the point where I was ready for a change. The reason I was released was so that I could be called to teach the senior nursery with my husband.
By: Starfoxy
There are some songs in the Primary songbook that just ooze hand motions. These songs are generally wiggle songs (My hands, I wiggle, etc.), but hand motions are incredibly useful in holding the kids' attention, and helping them remember the songs. Unfortunately for most reverent songs it is incredibly difficult to make up movements. Another wrench in the process is that my ward follows a policy that doesn't allow hand motions when singing in sacrament meeting, with an exception for American Sign Language.
By: Starfoxy
When I was called as the primary chorister it was 3 weeks before the Primary Program. I had been in the ward for two weeks, and had never had a calling in primary before. The previous chorister had moved from the ward the week before we moved in, and substitutes had been doing singing time for the three weeks before I started. After struggling through the program I found myself adrift in my calling. I didn't know the kids. I didn't know how to teach the kids songs. I didn't know what they responded to, games they were familiar with, or even the basic songs they knew. The first few weeks were full of awkward moments with me singing by myself songs that I was certain everyone knew. I found myself wishing over and over again that I had been given a list of songs the kids knew. That way I could have known which songs we could just sing, and which songs I would have to teach them (or else sing solo).
By: Starfoxy
This is a very simple game that allows the kids to select the songs to sing during singing time. It can also be adapted for a very wide range of uses.
By: Starfoxy
For this activity I used two oldish blankets, a blue one and a green one, and some paper flowers. At the beginning of singing time I got out my blue blanket and declared "I have a blanket, and I want to play pretend with it! What should I play?" A few kids shouted out things like sleeping, being a superhero with a cape, and fishing. I mimed a few of those and then said, "I want to pretend that my blanket is a stream!" and laid the blanket on the ground.
By: Starfoxy
One of the more enjoyable games I've used to successfully teach a song is as follows. I write all of the words to the song up on the chalkboard. We recite the words together without music once or twice, then sing the song through. At this point I pick someone to select a word (or two) from the song, and I erase every instance of that word from the board.