Can you believe we're on our last song for the year? Let's make it a good one.
Just one thing before I get to it, I had hoped to teach the children this song incorporating sign language with it, but I realized that now is not the time to complicate life for me or the kids. I believe we would need several weeks to memorize and get it right for the program, and I have to do some much for the other songs it just isn't possible this year. So, just a word of advice to those of you who feel overwhelmed....simplify, simplify, simplify.
Prep:
1 ziplock bag with a picture of the temple taped to the bag
5 Fisherprice little people (representing a dad, mom, and three children)...if you don't have Fisherprice little people (which, by the way, I am sure someone around you does or your nursery room has them)...you could use just about anything you wish.
1 picture of the temple
1 picture of Jesus Christ
1 picture of the council in heaven
picture prompts
Presentation:
Ask your pianist to gently and quietly play Families can be together forever. Ask 5 reverent children to come to the front. Show the children the little people dolls. Talk about how two of them are a Mom and a Dad. Give two of the children the dolls to hold up. Show the other dolls and explain that these are their children. Tell the primary that they are a family. Have the other children hold these dolls up. Ask the children to put the family in the bag. Seal the bag. Talk about how through temple marriage, we are sealed together forever. Turn the bag upside down and show how the family all stays together. Then put them in the bag again without it being sealed. Turn the bag over and let the dolls fall on the ground. Talk about how those who aren't sealed may have a good marriage and a good family; they may be happy for now, but without the sealing there is no promise. In temples, sealing work is done for those who died without having this take place in their lives. We can help our families here on earth to have those promises and blessings as well as our ancestors. Explain that Jesus Christ made it possible for us to be together forever as families. Show the picture of the temple. Explain that in the temple we make covenants that bind us together for eternity if we choose to live righteously in this life. Show the picture of the council in heaven. Remind the children that in the song "I lived in Heaven"..we learned that we all lived together with people we loved. We want that for our future lives in eternity and we can take steps today and for the rest of our lives to make that happen.
Show them the first picture prompt. Say the words, explain anything they don't understand. Have them sing it with you a few times. Continue with this process until the song is completed.
Have a great week--and don't forget to take a breath now and then.
*original concept-the idea door
**Adapted by the crazy chorister
I LOVE this!!
ReplyDeleteTHANKS!
I am so grateful to have found your blog. I was just called to be the Primary Chorister and I do not have an ounce of creativity in me. I hope that with your help, I will be able to become a good Chorister and start to come up with creative ideas on my own. Thanks!
ReplyDeletevery cute idea. Hey I was wondering if you or anyone has any advice on older kids not singing. My boys and girls 11yr olds cross their arms and just don't sing. I need them and my senior primary stinks because of their example. any ideas?? it frustrates me and makes me want to quit :(
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Great Idea.
ReplyDeleteTo the chorister with troubled senior kids...I used to have two 11yr old boys who absolutely would not sing. So, I decided to tease them, and told them how much I would love to come and sit by them and hold hands if they weren't singing. They didn't believe I would follow through, but sure enough, I did. The whole room thought it was hilareous, and I haven't had any problems since. I once had to remind the ten year old boys, but believe me, they sat right up and started singing!! Just stay positive, put on your happiest face and they'll come around. I also randomly hand out awards to super singers!! It's amazing what a treat can do! Good luck! :-)
Galbraiths-
ReplyDeleteThat is so difficult and frustrating. I have a few suggestions...
First, Pray. I know He will help you know the best way to do this. He will direct you, you have been set apart for this calling.
Before trying the following idea, please obtain permission from your primary president.
Now, I don't know if this will work for you, but you might want to ask their primary teacher if you could talk to them for a few min in class. Bring some plain old cookies. Offer the boys one of the cookies. Talk about how even though these cookies are good they could even be better if they had some chocolate chips in them. Hand them each a giant chocolate cookie. Explain to them that they are the "chocolate" to the primary and that you need them to be an example to the younger kids. You need their voices to make the primary program songs "as rich as chocolate". After the point is made, ask them if they are willing to try an experiment with you. Tell them that for the next four weeks you will watch them to see if they are really doing their best in singing time (reverent, singing out, paying attention)...and you'll see if that makes a big difference in the primary overall. For every week they do their best you will put a smile on the board. If they can get four or more smile faces you will bring them each a batch of their favorite cookies.
I know it sounds like bribery, but I think it is more of an awareness for these boys. They might not know how needed they are. And, they are preparing for greater things in Yound Mens and obtaining the priesthood.
I hope that helps. Let me know if I can help more.
-Melanie
I love the idea, but we have alot of part-member families. How do I keep them from getting the idea that they're doomed because they're not already sealed?
ReplyDeleteI also don't want to leave out our 2 Sunbeams, the only kids under the age of 8 in our primary.
Wild Banks'--
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you mean about leaving out the sunbeams...I always include the little children in the activities. They most likely would lvoe to hold the little people.
As far as the "doomed" part...I see your point. I think you just put it in an eternal perspective on the joy of eternal families and the sealing power on the earth. It is apart of God's plan to have families sealed together. You don't need to make it harsh on those that don't have those blessings yet, just help them to see that they can streghten their families now and in the future if they set their sites on the temple and temple covenants.
Hope that helps
great idea. I have been thinking about the part member families we have and I feel like (after much prayaer) that I need to help them understand the blessings of the temple for both the living and the dead. I'll share a personal example of having temple work done for those I love who didn't have a chance while on the earth... hopefully that can help bridge that gap so they know there is always hope.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion, Melissa. That had come to my mind as well, and I had just corrected my post to include that when you posted your comment. I appreciate your insite.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!
ReplyDeleteI did teach Seek the Lord Early with sign language and was shocked at how quickly they learned it. There are so many repetitive phrases, so it made it quick. I of course didn't sign every word, but it really helped them learn it. So, if you have extra time and still want to sign a song, I think this is a great one!
HALLELUJAH! I'm so relieved I found you. I just got called last Sunday and I've been spending several hours every night since prepping for this Sunday (prepping=FREAKING OUT!!!) I love you like crazy already :)
ReplyDeleteI must say I love you ideas! Do you have any tips on visual aids for the younger children in teaching this song?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, I have this afternoon to search out some toys to be the family- but that's what I get for procrastinating. My brain just won't let me think about primary until Saturday. Hopefully this week they'll give me more than 5 minutes with the Jr. primary (grrr.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your suggestions! I always find them helpful.
Thanks so much for your willingness to share these beautiful ideas. (-:
ReplyDeleteThanks for your ideas--I think this is going to work great tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the galbraiths--something that I do that seems to really help "knit" the senior primary to me and to singing is to talk to them during the prelude. I always try to be one of the first in the room and I talk to the kids and ask them how they are, etc. Almost immediately the younger kids started hugging me as they came in the room and the senior kids would look at me, smile, respond, etc. I know there are some of the boys that still seem to think singing is silly but I think that if they love me and their teachers, and they see that we love singing, they too will learn to love singing. I firmly believe singing is the most important part of primary (and church too! :) and I hope the kids recognize that. Good luck--that can't be easy for you!
Thank you thank you thank you! That was awesome! I am excited to give this a go today. I was getting kind of tired of holding up pictures every time to try to help them remember the words (they seem to need that a lot of the time). I like to try to get away from it as much as possible. I love analogies and this is a very good one. Thanks again! So glad you're willing to make the time to share your awesome ideas!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea, my primary kids loved the little family falling out of the bag before they were sealed!
ReplyDeleteI decided to teach the children the sign language for this song, children can pick up the signs so quick if you explain some of the meaning behinds the signs. I also watched the church's on-line video of a sister signing this song about 100 times! I couldn't find any glosses so I went through the song and wrote descriptions of each sign and tried to indicate which words were being signed. check it out at google docs
ReplyDeleteFamilies Can be together ASL
I am still working on it but this should help anyone who has a basic understanding of ASL.
My plan is to give each family a copy so that the children can teach it to their families in FHE. Sometimes the best way to learn is to teach.
Kristine