One of my callings in my church is to the Nursery. When I first got called it was a hot mess, but at the start of the year we descided to do an total overhaul. I made this music time bag that has proven to be highly success with my once roudy kids. I have a bag filled with fun items that stand for different songs and each child takes turns picking an item out of the bag. It took them just 2 weeks to get the hang of our new music time. Now they are so excited to do music time. Best of all it's a great tool to keep them revrent and to sing nice and loud. They know if they do that they get to pick next and they love to pick a item out of the bag. Here are the different items I've have chosen. Wheels on the Bus: I have a flip book, the kids love flipping the pages and doing all the hand jestures. Itsy Bitsy Spider: I have this Itsy Bitsy Spider book. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed: I made this monkey glove. The kids love putting it on as we sing. Monkeys Swinging in a Tree: I have a monkey and crocodile. Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam: I made these sunbeam sticks out of felt and popsical sticks. I hand them out when we sing and the loves waving them in the air as we sing. Once There Was a Snowman: I found this cute little snowman. Soon I hope I get to replace him when the snow finally stops. I Love to See the Temple: I made these fun "Magic Wands" that I hand out while we sing. The kids love waving the ribbons in the air. Like I said this bag has worked some miracles in my nursery. My kids sing more, take turns and stay reverent during singing time.

Nursery Singing Time can be so much fun! Using a few simple props makes singing time a blast with the littlest members of the ward. It will take a few weeks to help the kids learn the expectations (handing back the props) but they catch on so quickly.

LDS Nursery free printable at Latter Day Lane

I'm still loving Nursery! (My daughter is a little troublemaker sometimes but I still enjoy watching these toddlers learn that Jesus loves them.) I feel the kids get enough silly songs from TV, preschool, etc. so we're going to try and focus on "church-approved" songs to get them ready for Primary. I also thought it would be nice to have a back-up plan in case our music teacher doesn't show up. Life happens and it's always nice to be prepared, right? Nursery Singing Time Ideas Set out Foam Squares (everyone gets the same color so they don’t fight over a color to sit on) Sing “Here We Are Together” (261) to start and help kids learn each other’s names. If it’s someone’s birthday that week sing the “Happy, Happy Birthday” (284a) song. Next is a seasonal song: “Rain is Falling All Around” (271b). Can change it depending on the season - sun is shining, wind is blowing, leaves are falling, snow is falling. “I Love to See the Temple” (95). Hold pictures of temples and/or use hand actions. “Give Said the Little Stream” (236) and have them twirl blue ribbon taped to jumbo craft sticks. “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam” (60) and hold Sunbeam paper plates to their faces. “Popcorn Popping” (242) and use hand actions. “If you’re happy (266). With bells – you can change it to clap your hands, spin around, blink your eyes. “Do as I’m doing” (276) with bells bicycle your hands, sway back and forth, tap the floor & clap “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” (275a) using hand actions “Jesus Said Love Everyone” (61) hold fleece hearts and sing softly “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission” (169) Clip missionary name tags to their clothes with clothespins I made a 4x6 file in photoshop (there are 2 tags on each print) then I printed them at Costco & used packing tape to laminate them. “Follow the Prophet” (110) sing just the chorus and march around the room with Monson’s picture “I Am like a Star” (163) hold star-on-a-stick “I Wiggle” (271) using hand actions “I Am a Child of God” (301) Have them hold a picture of Jesus with the Children Have them turn in their colored floor squares and then blow bubbles till the parents come get them. Here are 4 flashcards you can copy to Word. Be sure to use narrow margins. Then print and cut. That's 16 songs to choose from. :)

Here is a little visual especially for my new little Sunbeams for 'If You're Happy and You Know It'. This would also be great to have in the Nursery box. Click HERE to download the file.

create a wiggle worm singing time jar for singing time, help children get their wiggles out for singing time by using a wiggle worm jar

*This article was previously published on Latterdaysaintwoman.com Two hours is a long time to entertain toddlers. The schedule suggested in the lesson manual is valuable for making the time move along without allowing children to become bored or fussy. However, it can be challenging to think of games to play with children so young. Little […]

articles of faith, lds, mormon, coloring pages, primary, lds children

Our primary has been fixated on spinning every time they sing "Do As I'm Doing" Our poor chorister is so dizzy, I think she's ready to pull her hair out. So, I took it upon myself to make these little cards with other options on them. I think I may laminate them and attach a craft stick to the back so the kids can pick one and hold it up while singing if they want.....then again, they probably can't hold them up if they are doing the actions can they? CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

The loud voices. The constant squirming. The screaming. And the crying. Oh, the crying. Every. Week.

I’m trying to figure out how to pick and teach reverent songs and wiggle songs. I found a wiggle song list on SugarDoodle but I couldn’t find a reverent song list so I made one to matc…

Ready to go lesson plans and activities for teaching your children about how they can be a missionary! Inspire them with the story of Alma & Amulek in the city of Ammonihah and remind them that we can all play a part in sharing the gospel! Great for Come Follow Me home study, family home evening or teaching your primary class. Materials adapted to meet your children’s varying needs. Includes an additional lesson plan that’s great for your toddlers or nursery class! Little Disciple Sowing is all about creating fun and easy activities to help your children find joy in learning the gospel and providing simple testimony building experiences. 🎁💌 Get free coloring pages instantly (First Presidency & the Apostles) plus bonus activities, tips, and tricks each week when you subscribe to our newsletter! https://bit.ly/LDScoloring INSTANT DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ***INCLUDES:*** - 1 “Be a Missionary” Lesson plan - 1 Adapted Lesson Plan for Younger Children - “I can be a Missionary Now” Opening Activity Worksheet - Missionary Puzzle Sticks for Littles - Scripture Puppets: Alma & Amulek in Ammonihah - Be a Misisonary Board Game - Missionary Words Activity for Littles - Coloring Pages - Little Reminders Handouts (Missionary Name tags) ***FORMAT*** This download includes 1 PDF file in US letter size (Total of 21 pages) ***TERMS OF USE*** This printable is for personal/church use only. You can print it for yourself, for your class, or as a gift but it cannot be printed in large quantities or used for any business related purpose. It may not be used as freebies, giveaways, distributed digitally in any way, or resold. If you have any questions please feel free to message me through Etsy. Thank you for visiting Little Disciple Sowing! RETURNS: There are no returns or exchanges on downloadable items. If you have questions, please ask BEFORE purchasing. SOCIAL MEDIA: Don’t forget to follow us on social media and stay updated on our weekly packets and products! Facebook @littledisciplesowing Instagram @littledisciplesowing_ Pinterest @littledisciplesowing

I’m trying to figure out how to pick and teach reverent songs and wiggle songs. I found a wiggle song list on SugarDoodle but I couldn’t find a reverent song list so I made one to matc…

Camille's Primary Ideas: Singing Cards Review give your singers lots of various ways to sing that keeps them interested as you review

When kids first move from nursery to sunbeams the transition can be quite challenging for some. Sitting still for long periods of time, especially after sitting through an hour of sacrament, can be re

Being the primary chorister was my husband’s favorite assignment in our church. That means that every Sunday he got to spend time singing songs with the kids who are 11 years old and younger. He

How to teach the verses to the Primary song We'll Bring the World His Truth in singing time with picture puzzles, Army of Helaman

Gumball machine singing time review activity, review any songs using a gumball machine and gumballs

Singing time yoga also known as position cards, singing time review activity providing tons of movement as you sing Primary songs.

I'm still loving Nursery! (My daughter is a little troublemaker sometimes but I still enjoy watching these toddlers learn that Jesus loves ...

Lesson helps and handouts for LDS Primary 3 Lesson 32: Remembering Jesus Christ When We Take the Sacrament

Singing Time is our nursery kids favorite part of the day (aside from snack time). I like to be silly with them and use a lot of props. They love it and get so in to it. These are the songs I have on my singing list. Opening: Here We Are Together Hello, Hello Play: Do As I'm Doing Old McDonald Ring Around The Rosie Hokey Pokey Itsy Bitsy Spider Twinkle Little Star Mary Had a Little Lamb If You're Happy And You Know It Wheels On The Bus Give Said The Little Stream Head Shoulders Knees and Toes Five Little Monkeys - Crocodile Church Play: Popcorn Popping Follow The Prophet Book of Mormon Stories We Are a Happy [Nursery] (instead of "Family") If You Chance to Meet a Frown The Chapel Doors Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam Once There Was a Snowman Wise Man/Foolish Man When Daddy Comes Home Reverent: I Am A Child Of God I Love to See The Temple I Know My Father Lives Teach Me To Walk in The Light Jesus Said Love Everyone I Am Like a Star I think the most important thing about doing singing time is providing a lot of props and activities to keep the kids interested in what you're doing. This is Buddy. The kids named him themselves and he is my most favored prop that I use. When I pull him out the kids come running and are so excited to start singing time. Inside his mouth I have slips of paper with song titles on them. The kids who are being reverent and singing along with us get to be the ones to pick the next song from Buddy's mouth. I think this is probably the best idea I've done in nursery. It's a huge success with my kids. This is our instrument tub. All of my instruments fit inside the tin. It's just an empty food storage container that I'm sure any of you probably have a few of laying around. These are my instruments. The tin that I keep the instruments in turns into a drum when it's empty and you hit it with a spatula. I have bells wrapped around pipe cleaners, and shakers made from Crystal Light containers. These are the props I use for the song If You Chance To Meet A Frown. I just made them out of paper plates. I use the big one and give each of the kids the little ones. This is my Itsy Bitsy Spider. It's not very itsy bitsy, but the kids get a kick out of it. I use this one when singing the song. And I made these ones for the kids. These ribbons on sticks, I feel, were a great idea. I use them when we sing a reverent song. The kids just sit or stand quietly and wave their wands in the air. It's perfect! Also for reverent songs I use stickers. These stickers are for the song Love One Another. These ones could be used for Book Of Mormon Stories. You can find stickers like these at the Distribution Center or Seagull Book. Another favorite of the kids is the Magic Juice. I have one of my leader helpers spray a little juice in the the kids mouths when they are singing and participating. It's such a great motivation to the other kids when they see their friends getting the juice. I use Crystal Lite so it's not packed full of sugar (because heaven knows toddlers don't need any help getting more energy). The spray bottle makes it easy to squirt in the kids mouths without spreading germs. Also in my bag of tricks, is a birthday hat. I bring it out only on the Sunday's when we are celebrating a child's birthday. Of course, the birthday boy or girl gets to wear it while we sing to them. On our birthday hat we have bells attached to it and we always have the kids jump up and down to make them jingle. They love it! Most of these ideas have come from sugardoodle.net. I have other plans for other props, but just haven't finished making them yet. I'll post them as we get more. Any other ideas, please share!!

I’ve been pondering on how I can teach all nine verses of “Follow the Prophet” song from the LDS Children Song Book which is the theme song for March 2015 in the current 2015 Shar…

More printables for Primary 2 - Lesson 37: I Can Keep the Sabbath Day Holy. CLICK HERE to open this file as an image. CLICK HERE to o...

This activity is a continuation of my Road Trip Review that I posted HERE. At this point, all the vehicles should be on the road right before getting to “Word City.” To pass through Word City, the focus will be on memorization, articulation and anything dealing with knowing the words of the songs. To stay […]

I am the music leader for the primary (children's group) at our church. That means every Sunday you will find me doing all kinds of crazy things to help the children learn the gospel through music. A few months ago, my primary president asked if I could also go into the nursery (children 18 mos to 3 years) and teach them as well. I was more than willing as my daughter is in that class and I know how much she loves music. I will admit that I was apprehensive because is seemed a bit overwhelming to add that to my already busy schedule. So of course I turned to the internet for help. I took most of my ideas from here and here then modified them for my situation. Here's what I do.... I decided that the best way for the children to lean the music and to keep the work load down for myself would be to sing the same songs every week. Children this age really thrive on routine. In addition, it takes several repetitions of the same song before they will even begin to join in. So I made up a schedule and I stick to it every week. The hardest part was gathering all the supplies, but once I had them all together everything became easy peasy. (note: cs = Children's Songbook) First, I keep all my supplies in a tote in the primary room so they are ready to go when it's time When I enter the nursery room the children are always so excited to see me. They are so cute! No one else greets me as enthusiastically as they do. In order to encourage the children to stay in place near me, I spread a blanket on the floor for them to sit on. They love to help me spread it out. 1. Hello Friends, cs 254a (actions) We always start with this song. We sit in a circle (I kneel on the floor as well), hold hands and shake hands as we sing. 2. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, cs 275a (actions) 3. I Love To See the Temple, cs 95 (pictures) I cut pictures from the Temples magazine and glued them onto card stock for stability and to hide the other side. Then I slipped them into plastic page protectors. I give each child a picture to hold and look at while we (I) sing the first verse of the song. I had to tape the tops closed or the children would take the pictures out of the protectors. :) 4. Smiles, cs 267a (actions, pictures) I cut out and laminated these faces then taped them on opposite sides of a large craft stick. I show the face that matches the words and encourage the children to smile and frown along. You can find the faces in the Primary 3 visual aids or here. 5. If You're Happy, cs 266 (actions, bells) I made these bell bracelets with craft supplies I had on hand: some stretchy silver cord and small jingle bells. You could also use ribbon, string, or pipe cleaners or glue the bells onto craft sticks. No substitute for the bells (at least not that I can think of!) We sing one verse clapping our hands then another verse waving bye-bye with both hands to really hear the bells. They love it! 6. Once There Was a Snowman, cs 249 (pompom, actions) OR Popcorn Popping, cs 242 (actions) OR Rain is Falling All Around, cs 241b (actions) We only do one of these songs, depending on the season or the weather; Snowman in winter, Popcorn in spring, and Rain all the other times substituting the current weather for rain. For Snowman I have small white pompom "snowballs" for them to hold. I usually ask them questions about the weather to introduce Rain is Falling. Example: Me: "Is it snowing outside?" Them: Nooo. Me: "Is it sunny outside?" Them: Nooo. Me: "Is it raining outside?" Them: Yes! Then we do actions suggested by the lyrics. I think once the leaves start falling, we'll use 'leaves' in place of 'rain'. 7. Primary Song of the Month (flipchart) This is actually something new I'm thinking about adding. The plan is to bring in my flipcharts I use in primary and sing them part of the song the rest of the primary is learning that month. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know how it will go, but it think it would help them to be at least a little familiar with the songs (as much as they can tolerate). 8. Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, cs 60 (streamers) The children each get two streamers to wave while we sing. Of course, we have to throw our arms in the air on "sun-BEAM". Here's the tutorial on making the streamers that I posted to another blog. 9. The Wise Man and the Foolish Man, cs 281 (actions) 10. Do As I'm Doing, cs 276 (shakers) Each child gets two eggs to shake while we sing. This is their favorite prop; they look forward to it the whole singing time. They're just Easter eggs that I filled with a half tablespoon of rice (the least amount I could and still have them sound good) then glued shut with a hot glue gun. BTW, the open egg is one that one of the children broke open last Sunday. That's why I put in the smallest amount of rice I could. Hopefully the rest of the children won't follow his example this Sunday. I'd hate to not be able to use these anymore! 11. I Am a Child of God, cs 2 (mirror) I like to end on a reverent note and this is my favorite primary song of all time. I used puff paints to decorate the mirror. The children fold their arms while I hold the mirror and move it around so they each get a chance to look in it. Here's a closer look at the mirror: The kids are so funny: they love to make faces at themselves: After we're done singing I give each child a sticker, then they help me shake out and fold up the blanket. Finally, they all yell 'bye-bye' as I leave. They're the best. :) There you have it. I hope you can use some of my ideas in your nursery. And please share your ideas as well! Happy Singing

how to teach the primary song I Want to Be a Missionary Now in singing time, I Want to Be a Missionary Now singing time lesson plan ideas

Well folks, I know it's been a while since I posted. I started this blog back in 2007, and by far the most popular post I ever did was in 2011, when I introduced my Primary Singing Wheel. This was a game I made for my church calling as the Primary Ward Chorister. Photoshop made it possible for me to create this fun way of picking songs to sing and way to sing them, and in the last seven years, it's been downloaded literally THOUSANDS of times. Ironically, I only had that calling for about four months, when my twin pregnancy made it too difficult to stand and teach. Well, what goes around comes around. My twins are now 6, and with three kids in Primary, it was time, I suppose, to let me finish what I started! I got the calling again, and I'm more than happy to do it! I have three girls in there now and it makes it so much fun! Since I started, I have done some pretty fun things, but this--THIS GAME is the BEST. I swear I was like a criminal mastermind while I was working on it! And I could never have done it without Photoshop! YAY PHOTOSHOP! (Where would I be without you???) So, here it is. The Primaryland game. I have made all the files available for it on my TPT site to make it easier to download, but of course all files are free. The file comes with: 12 Sheets to be printed in color, if possible, on white card stock, then sliced into cards Full step by step directions and a guide to help understand what the games are on each card. The pattern for the box that holds the cards (totally optional but also awesome) The pattern for three types of dice. Also optional, but you DO need at least one regular 1-6 dice for some of the games. In order to create this game, you will also need to make the poster as shown. Pretty simple--just poster board, five different colors of construction paper and some glue and you're good. If you can laminate it, even better. You can download all the files here: DOWNLOAD PRIMARYLAND! I wanted this game to be versatile--I knew it would be a lot of work to create it, so I wanted to be able to play it multiple times. For this reason, I made the board and the cards separate so that the cards can be changed. I also made more cards than needed so that once an activity is done, you can replace it with another one. I wouldn't be surprised if more ideas come to me and I make expansions to this game over time! The basic game is a bit like Candyland. Divide the class into two groups, making sure that ages are pretty evenly distributed. On their turn, a child rolls the dice (there are three dice to choose from, or you can use a regular dice) and moves their marker (usually a magnet of some kind). There are five different color spaces that do different things: Red - Get a trivia question Blue - Do an activity Green - Movement (go back, start over, go forward, etc) Orange - Sing a song in an unusual way of some kind Yellow - Prizes. If a team picks one of these up, they can count for points, a prize, or movement. The first team to get to the end wins! Or, the team that gets the most points from yellow cards, trivia questions, or challenges. It's up to you!

Structuring your 20 minutes each Sunday to maximize effectiveness. Enthusiastic Greeting 1 minute or less You need to get their attention. Their minds will be all over the place. Greet them with enthusiasm, hook their attention so you can sing! Sing! SING! Wiggle Song (or two!) 3 minutes Maybe they just came from class and are feeling wiggly. Maybe they just came from Sacrament meeting and they just can't sit still. Sing a fun song, or two or three and get the wiggles out. Don't be afraid to sing it in a silly style to make it even more fun! Practice Song 9 minutes Review Songs 5 minutes This is the time to sing one or two practice songs for the program, or throw in more favorites so the kids continue to pay attention. Everyone needs a break from singing the same verse of the practice song over and over again! Practice Song 1 minute After a short break of review/fun songs sing this weeks practice song one more time. It lets you know how well they learned what you taught earlier and the parts of the song where the kids are struggling. This way you know what to focus on next week. Reverent Song 1 minute Whether the kids are about to go into sharing time, class or home always end with a reverent song. The reverent song lets the kids know it's time to settle down and be prepared to pay attention to what is next. A well organized singing time will have time for 8 to ten songs, even if you are spending ten minutes teaching a song. Reviewing songs is very important! It helps reinforce gospel principles, it's fun and it's what singing time is all about! SINGING! What if sharing time goes long and I don't have the full 20 minutes? Not a problem! You can know exactly what to do by looking at your kids. Are they super wiggly? Wiggle Songs 4 minutes Practice Song 4 minutes Review Songs 2 minutes (probably one song or two short ones) Reverent Song 1 minute Are they being reverent? Practice song 5 minutes Review/fun songs 5 minutes Reverent song 2 minutes What if it's important to explain a gospel principle so that teaching the song is more effective? Where is the time for that? Sharing time! If the song of the month (or any song) needs extra time to be explained get with the person doing sharing time that week. Have sharing time be first. Talk about the song. Explain the gospel principles and have the children participate while learning. Then when it's time to sing, you have time to sing and there was plenty of time to learn about the song as well. I don't see time for games or activities in your schedule. Keep the games simple. If they take too much time, you lose valuable practice and singing time. Don't let the game be so involved that you don't sing any songs! When we have a singing time where I will be calling on the children to pick what we sing I usually ask right at the beginning for them to each think of a song, that way they already have a song they want to sing if they are called on. You don't have to spend all 9 minutes working on the practice song. Sometimes you only need 5. Sometimes the kids just need to review the practice songs, and you don't need that time for learning a new song. That's a great time to throw in a fun game that needs a little extra time. Well begun is half done! This is definitely the Mary Poppins in me! Be organized. Know what songs you plan to sing for opening song, closing, wiggle songs, birthday songs, and review songs. It's very helpful to give that list to the pianist so that they can get to the next song quickly. Take the extra step and write down the page number for them! You don't want the kids to get restless and stop paying attention because they are waiting for the pianist find the page. Make everything go smoother by being prepared! Know the songs! Practice all week, or for several weeks so you know the song you are teaching. As soon as you pick up your phone to look at the words you've lost the kids and it's really hard to get their attention back. Watch the kids! Pay Attention! Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just lose them. It's sad. It's heartbreaking. But you have to continue on. It's time to abandon the schedule and get them back on track before you can continue with the regularly scheduled activities. What to do when you have lost control and the primary kids aren't paying attention: Action songs - kids can't help but join in. They love to move around. Sing it silly - The kids need singing time to be fun. Pick a wiggle or action song and sing it like a pirate. You will have their full attention. Do something drastic. Have an emergency visual aid handy. I have reverent glasses. When I put them on the kids are magically reverent. Have something that lights up! Change your location. Move to the back of the room! Use your pianist!!! Fall asleep if they sing too quiet and have the pianist wake you up. Have the pianist play a fanfare if they do a great job, or play some minor chords when they don't sing well. Send me an email! I would love to answer any questions you have and help in any way I can. All primaries are different! [email protected]

Lesson helps for Behold Your Little Ones Lesson 24- Follow the Prophet!

This simple I Am a Child of God finger actions activity can help the kids keep the different verses straight and be a meaningful representation for them of

What is Reverence? Friend October 2017 “For Parents of Little Ones” Teaching little ones what reverence means. Why Should I Be Reverent? So I Am Ready to Learn Friend January 2016 When Should I Be …

church house CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

So, you were recently called as a new Primary Music Leader? Congratulations on your new calling! It may seem incredibly overwhelming right now, but you'll

Needed some picture cues for a nursery class for when we sing Families Can Be Together Forever so I through together this quick assortment of pictures. Just print them on card-stock laminate, and add a popsicle stick for easy holding plus the kids love to help. You could also enlarge them to use for singing time. Get the printable here:Families Can Be Together Forever

The bible study is 1 Corinthians 8-13 and there is so much to talk about in this reading! Be sure to study ahead of time so you can really know how to best teach your family. The materials this week are so perfect for kids to learn these principles!

There are more than 1,200 published blog posts on Primary Singing!! That means, there is a TON of valuable resources, ideas, lesson plans, getting started as

Happy Clean Living is also a fun filled blog with life stories, recipes, cleaning and more! The time to be happy is now, the place to be happy is here. Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. Come what may and LOVE it! Side note: I am an Ex member of a cult and will no longer support the lying to children or any other person that will cause harm to their life. I strongly encourage all individuals to use their critical thinking to prevent brain washing.