Program Review Game #1: Outta This World

Are you ready for the weeks ahead to review the program songs? This can be challenging to help kids avoid boredom, but still accomplish the task of polishing up these beautiful songs. It is also a great time to review the messages these songs were intended to give and have the spirit witness again of the love the Savior has for each one of them.

It's been a while since I've posted an idea that has some real before-hand prep. I've tried to keep the ideas simple for the summer, but this idea will take some prep so don't put it off until Sunday morning if you choose to use it. Or, you can always just draw these on the chalk board if you want to make it slightly easier in the prep department.

Prep:

8 circles cut in various sizes and in different colors to represent planets (Put the title of one of the program songs on each of the planets)

1 cut out of a rocket ship. I'm going to put "Primary Rocket Express" on mine and make it really bright and colorful.

8 small flags that can be placed on the planets that say, "Claimed"

8 pieces of paper with one line from each song written on it (you can write a phrase for Jr. primary to make it easier for them if you wish)

Chalk

Before Primary, hang the planets around the primary room where they are easily visible. Place the slips of paper in a container. Have the flags on one side of the chalk board at the front of the room. On the other side, draw a Fuel Meter with the levels: Full, Half Full, Almost Empty, Empty..keep a piece of chalk and an eraser near by.


Presentation:

Tell the children that we are going on an exploration trip out into the universe. Tell them our goal is to "claim" as many planets as possible for our primary program. Have a child come a choose a slip of paper out of the container. Read or have them read the line of the song. Have the primary guess what planet (song) that line goes with. When they have guessed correctly, give the rocket ship and a flag to a child and have them stand beside you. Explain that we are going to sing that program song, and if they sing the song really well using our fuel meter as a guide we will be able to make it and claim that song/planet.

Tell them that the way the fuel meter works is as they sing:

Never Louder than Lovely

Smiling

Watching the Chorister for start and stops

Reverently folding arms and paying attention

and they know the words

They gain more fuel so they can make it to the planet. I'm not one of those people who just say, "good job you made it"...if they really didn't. If they have problems and don't make it to the planet...I'll stop and correct the mistake and try again. If they continue to have issues with that song...I'll simply tell them we didn't make that planet today, so we'll try hard to learn it in future weeks, and then I'll move on. If they do sing really well, I'll have the child who is holding the rocket and the flag move slowly towards the correct planet. When we finish, I'll have them place that flag on the planet and fly the rocket ship back home to begin the next song.

If you need to simplify that idea do so, and remember to have fun with it and make it work for your primary. It might make sense to only do half the songs one week and do the same activity the following week just to give more time to work on the songs that are troublesome.

Anyhow, I hope that gets the creative juices for program review flowing....

Have a Great Week!

*thecrazychorister