Song Review - “Everyone Who”

“Everyone Who” is another way to choose who will sing as you review a song. Write the phrases on slips of paper and put them in a basket or can to draw from. Do the actions while you sing the song, yet one more time. If there are just a few children who stand to sing, have everyone else hum while you help those few sing. If you can think of another example to add to the list, please leave a comment.

• Everyone who has a pet at home stand and pretend you are petting your pet while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to play soccer stand and swing you leg back and forth while we sing.
• Everyone who plays a musical instrument stand and pretend to play it while we sing.
• Everyone who wants to go on a mission stand and “knock” the rhythm on a pretend door.
• Everyone who likes to take a walk stand and walk in place while we sing. Swing your arms.
• Everyone who goes to bed by 8:00 come up and pretend to sleep while we sing the song to you.
• Everyone who likes to swim stand and pretend to swim while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to read a book stand and pretend to read while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to build a snowman (or sand castle) stand up while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to ride a bike stand and pretend you are riding your bike while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to paint stand and pretend to paint the melody of the song while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to draw stand and pretend to draw the melody of the song while we sing.
• Everyone who wants to grow to be tall stand on your tip toes while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to make mud pies stand and sing.
• Everyone who likes to rake leaves stand and pretend to rake while we sing.
• Everyone who has to set the table for dinner stand and sing.
• Everyone who has to pick up their toys at home stand and sing.
• Everyone who has to fold their own laundry stand and pretend while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to cook stand stand and pretend to stir a pot while we sing.
• Everyone who likes to eat pizza stand and pretend to toss pizza dough while we sing.
• Everyone who has a birthday in the summertime (winter, spring or fall) stand and help me lead.

Choose and Review - Picture Puzzle

A picture puzzle makes an easy singing time using a phrase from the theme or an appropriate scripture. A great example is found in the Funstuff feature on page 13 of the March 2009 issue of the Friend.

Choose a short phrase (or a word) that matches the theme. Choose several pictures that correspond to the phrase. If, for instance, the phrase were “Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.” I would need eight pictures that show ways we come unto Christ, such as praying, service, baptism, scriptures, temple worship, testimony, attending church, and singing. Next choose a scripture that matches each picture and write these scriptures on slips of paper. Place them randomly in the scriptures so that the strips can be pulled out. Write each word in the phrase on a small card or paper and attach to the bottom of each picture. Choose an appropriate review song to sing with each picture. You should have as many pictures as you have time to sing songs. If the words in your phrase are more than you have time to sing, just double up on the words that you attach to each picture.

Post the pictures randomly on the chalkboard. Invite a child to choose a scripture slip and read it. Ask all the children to study the pictures to find which one matches the scripture. Place the picture on the chalkboard tray and sing the song. After all the pictures are chosen, invite the children to unscramble the phrase.

As the picture illustrates, to teach the theme on the fourth week in May, I could use the phrase “The power of the priesthood blesses our lives.” I could choose scriptures and pictures that would help the children understand this principle. Healing the sick (James 5:14 -“Faith”), passing the sacrament (3 Ne. 18:7 -“To Think About Jesus”), counseling with the bishop (D&C 107:74 -“Our Bishop”), a father’s blessing (3 Ne. 18:21 -“Fathers”), home teachers (D&C 20:53 -“I Will Be Valiant”) , missionary service (D&C 84:63 -“Called to Serve”), temple sealing (D&C 132:19 -“I Love to See the Temple”), and service projects (D&C 121:45 -“Love One Another”) are examples of pictures and songs that help illustrate the effect of priesthood in our lives.

Choose and Review - "Titles and Tricks"

I’ve gathered several “blossoms of blue” for a Mother’s Day choose and review. Some flowers have titles of review songs with the phrase “Help me lead         ." I'm wanting to review the four songs we've learned so far, plus the first part of "Praise to the Man." Attached to other flowers are tricks such as “make your funniest face!” or “name a prophet.” I’ll scatter the flowers around the primary room and invite the children to gather them into a bouquet. I've tried to include several tricks because the children love to get these. After we sing, "I Often Go Walking," we’ll sing the other songs as directed. If a trick is chosen, the child does the trick and a different child is chosen to gather another flower.

This activity is on my master list, under "Titles and Tricks." The activity is similar to and actually adapted from “Follow the Directions” which reviews just one song. You could put the titles and tricks on any seasonal die-cut shape and post them on the board. You could put together a mixed bouquet of flowers for springtime and choose them out of a vase. You could gather up items to pack a missionary’s suitcase. You could tie the instructions to firecrackers or flags for the Fourth of July, snowflakes for the winter season, blue ribbons from the county fair, or put them in a plastic pumpkin and do “trick or treat” at Halloween.

These are the tricks I'm using this week:

• "swim" back to your seat
• rub your belly and pat your head
• say an article of faith
• mime one of your chores at home
• name a prophet
• make your scariest face
• tell us your favorite food
• sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" while we sing "When We're Helping."

Choose and Review or Song Review - “Every Other” Word Guessing Game

Choose eight to ten words that are related to the monthly theme. Write the words on large cards. On the reverse of the card, write the word again, omitting every other letter, starting with the first letter. For example, the word “reverent” would be written “   e   e   e   t.”

On a word strip, write a corresponding clue or catchy definition for each word. For example, the strip for “reverent might be written “   e   e   e   t --to show worshipful respect.” Assign an appropriate review song to each large word card and post these on the chalkboard. Put the clues into a basket or can to draw from. Invite a child to draw a clue and match it to a word card. Sing the song.

Obviously, this game is fun only for those children who can read and spell. However, if your group is separated, you could post the complete words for the younger children (some of them may be readers). Read the clues and challenge all the younger ones to listen closely to the song and stand up (or do some other action) when they hear the word in the song that matches the definition that was drawn from the can. The youngest ones probably cannot follow even this adaptation, so I would give them rhythm sticks or shakers to keep the beat as we sing.

This game can also work to help define and discuss some of the important keywords in one song. To use the game as a song review, choose several of the keywords in the song and write definitions for these. Post the incomplete words on the chalkboard. As you sing the song, challenge the children to see if they can identify words in the song that match these incomplete words. You can draw more than one definition at a time and let the children identify the words, then remove these cards from the board. This way, you wouldn’t have to sing the song for each word, but you would still be able to go through the review song several times. Again, for the younger children, post the complete words, draw the definitions and challenge them to listen for and stand up when they hear a word in the song that matches this definition.

I could use this activity with older children to help discuss and define all those difficult keywords in “Praise to the Man.” If I had a separate group, I would probably just use a different game altogether to help the younger ones focus on these difficult words. Because my group is combined, I will post the incomplete word cards as I’ve described and challenge the non-readers to listen for a word that matches that definition. I’ll give the youngest children rhythm instruments to use while we sing the song.

Choose and Review - “Who’s Who”

"Who's Who" is a simple matching game for Choose and Review weeks. Choose several people from the scriptures or church history. Find a picture for each of these or make a small poster with their name. Assign a song to each picture or poster. Write a statement describing who the person was or is or what they are known for. For example, a statement describing Oliver Cowdery would read “He was a schoolteacher who felt inspired to investigate the claims of Joseph Smith. After gaining a testimony of the gospel message, he stayed to help Joseph as a scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon.”

Assign an action or way to sing for each statement, (whisper sing, boys/girls sing, sing with actions, stand to sing, etc.) if you wish. Put these statements in a bag or basket to choose from. When it is time to sing, invite a child to draw a statement from the bag and challenge them to match it to a person. Then sing the song.

A ready example of this game is found on page 26 of the August 2005 issue of the Friend magazine. This example uses individuals from Church history and would match the upcoming theme for May. A second example is on page 26 of the May 2008 issue of the Friend. This example uses women who were mothers in the scriptures. This one might be fun to do near Mother’s Day.

Choose and Review - "Answers From the Songs" Board Game

Make a list of songs you want to review. Draw a simple board game that has a space for each of the songs. It is easiest to quickly draw a simple track on the chalkboard and then just use a large seasonal magnet for a game piece. But, you can also make a reusable game board on a poster. Write questions that can be answered with specific words from the review songs. For example, you could ask the children “Why have we been saved for these latter days?” and someone would need to answer, “To build the kingdom in righteous ways.” (We’ll Bring the World His Truth, verse 2, CS-172).

Place the marker at the start. You can read the questions from a list or put them on word strips for the children to choose from a can or a basket. Give the pianist a list of the questions so she can find the page as quickly as possible. As each question is answered correctly, move the marker ahead one space and then sing the song.

If the children have trouble remembering the words from the song, especially in the beginning, as they learn how to play the game, it may help for you to sing the phrase that comes just before the answer as a kind of hint. Or, have the pianist play the phrase that includes the answer. Once the children know how to play this game, I insist that they give the exact words from the song. This helps me know whether the children know the words precisely or just “sort of.”

If you run out of time on the last couple of songs, sing just the phrases that include the answer, so that the marker can reach the finish. If you can see that you will be short of time before you even begin, you can say something like, “move ahead two spaces” on two or three of the songs and then sing fewer songs altogether.

Here is a list of questions for some random review songs.

• What did Jesus do a long time ago in a beautiful place to the children who were gathered round him? (I Know That My Savior Loves Me)
• I know something that the Spirit whispers to me and tells me it is true. What do I know? (I Know My Father Lives, CS-5)
• Who can name the whole list of things that we will bring thanks to our Father for? (Thanks to Our Father, CS-20)
• Where did the loving mother lay her baby? (Once Within a Lowly Stable, CS-41)
• Because Jesus is our loving friend, what will he do for us? (Jesus is Our Loving Friend, CS-58)
• Because saying “I’m sorry” is not easy, what will I try to do? (Repentance, CS-98)
• What do I like to do whenever there is rain? (When I Am Baptized, CS-103)
• If I listen to that still small voice, what will I do each time I make a choice? (The Holy Ghost, CS-105)

The simple board game shown in the picture could easily go with our theme this month. The following questions could be used with review songs about Jesus.

• How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death? (He Sent His Son, CS-34)
• When the boat was tossed in a tempest on Galilee, what the Master do? (Tell Me The Stories of Jesus, CS-57)
• What marks are in the hands and side of the resurrected body of Jesus? (Did Jesus Really Live Again? verse 3, CS-64)
• It shouldn’t be hard to sit very still and think which two things about Jesus? (To Think About Jesus, CS-71)
• I feel my Savior’s love. What does he know I will do? (I Feel My Savior’s Love, CS-74)
• Because I’m trying to be like Jesus, what will I do at times I am tempted? (I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus, CS-78)
• What is the one thing I’m sure Jesus will do when He comes again? (When He Comes, CS-82)
• Where was Jesus baptized, long ago? (Baptism, CS-100)
• When Christ was on the earth, what did He promise to send? (The Holy Ghost, CS-105)
• If I listen with my heart, what will I hear? (If I Listen With My Heart)
• The Lord needs certain people to do something in the latter days. Who does he need to do what? (I Will Be Valiant, CS-162)
• When we all lived in heaven and the Father said He needed someone, what did Jesus say? (I Lived in Heaven, CS-4)

I could use this game for Easter by using plastic eggs as a way to deliver the questions. This game can be as generic or as theme-oriented as you might wish.

Choose and Review - Memory Game

The Memory Game is another classic game for singing time. You've probably seen it and perhaps even played it when you were in primary years ago. This game has been around a loooong time. It is based on a very old TV game show called Concentration. One advantage to the Memory Game is that the children have to pay attention the whole time in order to remember where the pictures are.

Prepare a set of 16 pictures, with sets of two pictures that make a match. Write a number on the back side of each picture. Choose a review song for each set of matching pictures. Post the pictures, number side out, on the chalkboard.You can place the pictures into a neatly squared grid, or you can just post them randomly on the chalkboard. Invite the children to call out two numbers at a time and turn the pictures over. If the pictures match, remove them from the board and sing the song. If the pictures don’t match, turn them face in again and call on another child. As the game progresses, with more pictures being removed from the board, it becomes easier to remember where the pictures are.

To make the game even easier for the younger children, I write a number on one picture and a letter on the matching picture. On a turn, the children would call out a number and a letter. This helps them to make matches a little quicker and speeds the game so that we can get to all of the songs.

For this month, I’ve prepared eight pictures which illustrate actions that Jesus did that he wishes us to do also. These pictures are matched to eight pictures of children today who are following the example that Jesus set. I’m planning to use the poem “I Will Follow Jesus Christ,” by Elizabeth Giles (the Friend, May 1999, pg. 24) as an attention getter for this singing time activity.