Song Leader's Bag of Tricks
One of my favorite things to do is make and use visual aids and games and such in teaching music to children. I have collected many wonderful ideas over the years that I am happy to share.
| bag_of_tricks.pdf |
Animal Match-Up Game
Kids seem to love having their memories challenged. This game is best used to REVIEW TOWARDS MASTERY previously learned songs, or previously learned verses of songs.
Create the game by printing off the animal pictures (I think I got them from the Friend magazine years ago) and color them with bright eye-catching colors. Be sure to size them big enough for the children on the back row to see. Cut each animal in half at the waistline. Glue each piece onto a paper plate. Punch a hole in the top and bottom of each plate. Create a grid of the plates tied together, as shown in the illustration. They can now be hung from the bulletin board or rolling chalkboard.
This is a Memory Game. Assign a song to each animal. Allow the children to take turns picking two “plates” and turning them over to try to match halves of the animals. When both halves of an animal are successfully matched, sing the assigned song or verse.
Be mindful of the time. This is not a good time to talk a lot. Just briefly say something about the song or verse to be reviewed that will help guide the children’s listening. Always guide them to sing better, remember the words and notes better, or interpret the meaning of the words better. The goal is to finish the game and sing through all of the songs or verses in the time allotted. Gotta keep things moving!!!
Create the game by printing off the animal pictures (I think I got them from the Friend magazine years ago) and color them with bright eye-catching colors. Be sure to size them big enough for the children on the back row to see. Cut each animal in half at the waistline. Glue each piece onto a paper plate. Punch a hole in the top and bottom of each plate. Create a grid of the plates tied together, as shown in the illustration. They can now be hung from the bulletin board or rolling chalkboard.
This is a Memory Game. Assign a song to each animal. Allow the children to take turns picking two “plates” and turning them over to try to match halves of the animals. When both halves of an animal are successfully matched, sing the assigned song or verse.
Be mindful of the time. This is not a good time to talk a lot. Just briefly say something about the song or verse to be reviewed that will help guide the children’s listening. Always guide them to sing better, remember the words and notes better, or interpret the meaning of the words better. The goal is to finish the game and sing through all of the songs or verses in the time allotted. Gotta keep things moving!!!
| animal_match_up_visual_aid_game.pdf |
Family Blessings Cards
Use these picture cards as a “Choose and Review” activity.
Print cards on card stock. Cut the cards out and laminate.
(Color if you choose. Original art came from the Friend magazine.)
Directions:
1. Fan the cards out face down in your hand (or conceal them in a box or sack).
2. Ask a child to come forward and draw a card out of your hand.
3. Ask the child to describe the picture for the group.
4. Ask the child to think of a *song that reminds them of what the picture represents.
(There may be more than one choice. Remember not to talk too much. Only guide their thoughts along and
provide something for the children to do to make their review of the song more productive.)
5. Sing the song. (The children will probably choose only the songs they have been working on most recently. You
may have to guide them deftly to choose the song you intend for them to sing.)
*Be sure to have a list of possible choices with page numbers ready for the pianist or to help the child choose.
Suggestions:
Heart - "As I Have Loved You," "Love One Another," "Jesus Loves the Little Children," "Love Is Spoken Here"
Sacrament - "To Think About Jesus," "The Sacrament," "Jesus Is Risen," "Hosanna to Our King"
Book of Mormon - "Book of Mormon Stories," "Books in the Book of Mormon," "Nephi's Courage"
Tree - "Autumn Day," "I Have a Family Tree," "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," "Birds in a Tree"
Jesus - "Jesus Said Love Everyone," "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus," "He Sent His Son," "Jesus Once Was a Little Child,"
Temple - "I Love to See the Temple," "Families Can Be Together Forever," "How Far Is Heaven?"
Water - "Give Said the Little Stream," "Rain Is Falling," When I am Baptized," "When Jesus Christ Was Baptized"
Prayer - "A Child's Prayer," "I Pray in Faith," "Family Prayer," "Search, Ponder and Pray," "We Bow Our Heads"
Chapel - "The Chapel Doors," "When I Go to Church," "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ,"
Family - "Families Can Be Together Forever," "Family Night," "My Eternal Family," "I am a Child of God"
*Special new songs on my website.
These cards could also be printed twice and used as a Match-Up Memory Game. (Choose only 6-8 pairs of the cards to match at a time.) Attach a small flat magnet to the fronts of each card and arrange them on the magnetic chalkboard or white board face side against the board. Ask the children to take turns choosing two cards to try to make a match. Sing the song assigned to the picture cards when a match is made. Keep the pace moving. Say a few things to guide the review of each song sung.
Print cards on card stock. Cut the cards out and laminate.
(Color if you choose. Original art came from the Friend magazine.)
Directions:
1. Fan the cards out face down in your hand (or conceal them in a box or sack).
2. Ask a child to come forward and draw a card out of your hand.
3. Ask the child to describe the picture for the group.
4. Ask the child to think of a *song that reminds them of what the picture represents.
(There may be more than one choice. Remember not to talk too much. Only guide their thoughts along and
provide something for the children to do to make their review of the song more productive.)
5. Sing the song. (The children will probably choose only the songs they have been working on most recently. You
may have to guide them deftly to choose the song you intend for them to sing.)
*Be sure to have a list of possible choices with page numbers ready for the pianist or to help the child choose.
Suggestions:
Heart - "As I Have Loved You," "Love One Another," "Jesus Loves the Little Children," "Love Is Spoken Here"
Sacrament - "To Think About Jesus," "The Sacrament," "Jesus Is Risen," "Hosanna to Our King"
Book of Mormon - "Book of Mormon Stories," "Books in the Book of Mormon," "Nephi's Courage"
Tree - "Autumn Day," "I Have a Family Tree," "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," "Birds in a Tree"
Jesus - "Jesus Said Love Everyone," "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus," "He Sent His Son," "Jesus Once Was a Little Child,"
Temple - "I Love to See the Temple," "Families Can Be Together Forever," "How Far Is Heaven?"
Water - "Give Said the Little Stream," "Rain Is Falling," When I am Baptized," "When Jesus Christ Was Baptized"
Prayer - "A Child's Prayer," "I Pray in Faith," "Family Prayer," "Search, Ponder and Pray," "We Bow Our Heads"
Chapel - "The Chapel Doors," "When I Go to Church," "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ,"
Family - "Families Can Be Together Forever," "Family Night," "My Eternal Family," "I am a Child of God"
*Special new songs on my website.
These cards could also be printed twice and used as a Match-Up Memory Game. (Choose only 6-8 pairs of the cards to match at a time.) Attach a small flat magnet to the fronts of each card and arrange them on the magnetic chalkboard or white board face side against the board. Ask the children to take turns choosing two cards to try to make a match. Sing the song assigned to the picture cards when a match is made. Keep the pace moving. Say a few things to guide the review of each song sung.
| family_blessing_cards.pdf |
| hide_the_note_roll_the_dice_go_fish_games.pdf |
| racing_to_the_finish_game.pdf |
Additional Goodies
Remember that all these ideas are to help the song leader repeat the songs toward mastery of notes, words, and understanding. Never let the game or incentive spin the children out of control. Light-weight Colored Scarves and Egg Shakers are also good to have in your Bag of Tricks. Use the scarves to allow the kinesthetic learners great abandon when experiencing rhythm. Give them ideas of how to twirl and do Figure 8's high and low to conduct loud and soft and fast and slow. Use the Egg Shakers to let them experience steady beat and fun rhythms.
Bean Bags or soft squishy balls, Conductor's Baton (or colored straws), and some kind of "singing" Puppet. When asking questions or doing Fill-in -the -Blank singing activities, try tossing a Bean Bag to next "contestant." Teach conducting by having one child actually be the conductor using a Baton, or having many children learn to conduct by passing out several colored straws as their Batons. Bringing out your special Puppet friend to judge how the children are singing can be delightful as long as the puppet does not frighten or disturb the little ones.
Bean Bags or soft squishy balls, Conductor's Baton (or colored straws), and some kind of "singing" Puppet. When asking questions or doing Fill-in -the -Blank singing activities, try tossing a Bean Bag to next "contestant." Teach conducting by having one child actually be the conductor using a Baton, or having many children learn to conduct by passing out several colored straws as their Batons. Bringing out your special Puppet friend to judge how the children are singing can be delightful as long as the puppet does not frighten or disturb the little ones.