Fishing

I think every chorister has this in their arsenal, but if not--you should! I like to pull it out during the summer months when a lot of the kids are on vacation so our numbers are smaller. But it's also an easy one to grab if you haven't had time to plan something else.

Supplies needed:

• wooden dowel rod
• magnet
• string/yarn
• hot glue
• paper clips
• scissors
• heavy colored paper
• marker/pen
• list of songs you want to sing

Set up:

1. Glue the magnet to the end of the string, then measure out how much string you want and glue the other end to the dowel rod. Now you have a fishing rod!
2. Draw some fish (I also threw in some sharks, dolphins, squid and seaweed--since that's all I ever manage to catch) on the colored paper. Cut the fish out and attach a paperclip to each mouth.
3. On the back of each fish, write a number. This will correspond to the songs on your list.
4. Before playing, scatter the fish on the floor and have the rod and list of songs ready.

Game play:

1. Very simple--have a child come up and use the fishing pole to 'catch' one of the fish. Then sing the song # on its back. Repeat until all the fish are gone.

Mother's Day

(please excuse the foot--my son refused to move)

This game is one of the kids' very favorites--Mother's Day Who Am I? I used to try to do it for Junior and Senior, but Junior didn't understand the clues enough to know when their mom was being described, nor did they usually know the songs the moms picked. So I save this for Senior!

This takes quite a bit of research, so be prepared. Also be sensitive to the fact that some children may not have a mother in their home for whatever reason. I've used grandmas or aunts as substitutes--I try to ask the family who they think would be appropriate.

Supplies needed:

• Mother's Day Survey! You can either try to get one from every mother, or just pick a few. I really try to do every single mother to make sure every kid gets to be excited. The questions I use are listed below.
• Mom patterns (one for each mother). I just drew six different stick figure women on a piece of paper and made copies. I'll try to find one to scan. 
• lots of pins

Mother's Day Survey Questions:

1. Where did you grow up?
2. What was/is your nickname?
3. What did you want to be when you were little?
4. What is your job and/or favorite hobby now? 
5. If you served a mission, where did you serve?
6. What is your favorite Primary song?

Mom Patterns:

(coming soon--hopefully!)

Set up:

1. Usually about a month before Mother's Day, I send out an email with the survey questions listed above to all the Senior Primary moms. Then I pester them until I get the responses back.
2. Compile the results from the surveys onto a list, with each mom numbered.
3. Print out, cut out, and decorate one mom figure for each mom (I tried to make it look like the mom, but you don't have to). Number them so that each figure corresponds to one of the moms on the list (Figure #1 will be the first mom on your list, Figure #2 will be the second mom, etc.)
4. Before Primary starts, pin all the figures up on the board. (When the kids arrive, I keep tabs on who's absent and remove their mothers' figures. No fun in guessing moms of kids who aren't there!)

Game play:

1. Explain that you emailed each of their moms and asked them some questions. Now you're going to read the clues and see if they can guess which one is their mom.
2. You pick the first figure off the board and read the clues. Once the child(ren) knows it's their mom, have them raise their hands. Have them come up front and help you lead while you sing their mom's favorite song.
3. Have them pick another figure before they sit down, read the clues and repeat.

***Depending on the size of your Primary, this can take up more than one (or two) Sundays. You can either call it good after one week, or continue until all of the moms have been revealed.

***This is a great way to introduce the children to songs they may not sing very often. Just be prepared with posters if you think they'll need them.

***Save the surveys from year to year. That way you don't have to pester the moms every year!

Father's Day

This game is one of my very favorites--so much fun for Father's Day. I used to try to do it for Junior and Senior, but Junior didn't understand the clues enough to know when their dad was being described, nor did they usually know the songs the dads picked. So I save this for Senior!

This takes quite a bit of research, so be prepared. Also be sensitive to the fact that some children may not have a father in their home for whatever reason. I've used uncles or grandpa's as substitutes--I try to ask the mother who they think would be appropriate.

Supplies needed:

• Father's Day Survey! You can either try to get one from every father, or just pick a few. I really try to do every single father to make sure every kid gets to be excited. The questions I use are listed below.
• Tie patterns (one for each father). The ones I use are posted below.
• lots of pins

Father's Day Survey Questions:

1. Where did you grow up?
2. What was/is your nickname?
3. What did you want to be when you were little?
4. What is your job now?
5. If you served a mission, where did you serve?
6. What is your favorite Primary song?

Tie Patterns:

(I made this myself because I couldn't find a good tie picture to use.)

Set up:

1. Usually about a month before Father's Day, I send out an email with the survey questions listed above to all the Senior Primary dads. (Actually, I've usually found that I get a better response when I email their wives, but it's up to you). Believe it or not, you'll have a few men that will take the entire month to get back to you.
2. Compile the results from the surveys onto a list, with each dad numbered.
3. Print out, cut out, and decorate one tie for each dad. Number them so that each tie corresponds to one of the dads on the list (Tie #1 will be the first dad on your list, Tie #2 will be the second dad, etc.)
4. Before Primary starts, pin all the ties up on the board. (When the kids arrive, I keep tabs on who's absent and remove their fathers' ties. No fun in guessing dads of kids who aren't there!)

Game play:

1. Explain that you emailed each of their dads and asked them some questions. Now you're going to read the clues and see if they can guess which one is their dad.
2. You pick the first tie off the board and read the clues. Once the child(ren) knows it's their dad, have them raise their hands. Have them come up front and help you lead while you sing their dad's favorite song.
3. Have them pick another tie before they sit down, read the clues and repeat.

***Depending on the size of your Primary, this can take up more than one (or two) Sundays. You can either call it good after one week, or continue until all of the dads have been revealed.

***This is a great way to introduce the children to songs they may not sing very often. Just be prepared with posters if you think they'll need them.

***Save the surveys from year to year. That way you don't have to pester the dads every year!

Missing Pieces

 This is a simple game I do for Junior Primary when I have something too complicated planned for Senior (like Mad Gab or the Synonym Game). You can use whatever pictures you'd like that correspond with the songs you'd like to sing.


Supplies needed:

• 8-10 pictures that correspond to songs you'd like to sing. For example, the smiley face above could go with "Smiles" and the light bulb could go with "Teach Me to Walk in the Light." The ones I used are listed below.
• List of 8-10 songs that correspond to your pictures, with some "missing pieces" to the songs (parts where the child will fill-in-the-blank). The list I used is below.
• Push pins and/or tape

Ten Matching Pictures & Corresponding Songs:

1.      (arrow pointing right) Choose the Right (hymn 239)

a.       “______  ____   _______  when a choice is placed before you”

2.      (light bulb) As a Child of God (sheet music)

a.       “As a child of God I receive _________   _______”

3.      (person standing) Stand for the Right (159)

a.       “Our prophet has some words for you, and these are the words: ___ _____”

4.      (church building) I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ (77)

a.       “I belong to ___  ________ __ ______   ______”

5.      (smiley face) If You’re Happy (266)

a.       “If you’re ______  ____  ____  _____ ___ clap your hands”

6.      (scriptures) Scripture Power (sheet music)

a.       “___________   ______  keeps me safe from sin”

7.      (stream) Give, Little Stream (236)

a.       “Singing, singing all the day, ____  _____  __  _____  ____”

8.      (question mark) your choice

a.       “My favorite Primary song is___________________”

Set up:

1. Cut all the pictures in half (use some crazy cutting to make it more interesting).
2. Put one half of each picture on the board and place all the other halves somewhere in the Primary room.

Game play:

1. Call a child up. Have them look around the room and find a missing piece of one of the pictures on the board. Once they find one, have them bring it up and pin it next to its match.
2. Now tell the child they get to help fill in the missing pieces of the song. Read them the first part of the clue and see if they can fill in the next part of the lyrics. Obviously they can ask for help if needed.
3. Sing the song, then repeat until all the matches have been made.

Your Turn to Lead!

I like this game gives the kids a  chance to lead the music, as well as teaching them how to follow a chorister. Don't pull this one out until your kids are familiar with tempo (allegro-andante-adagio) and dynamics (forte--mezzo-forte-piano). 

This is also one of the few games that can be used as is for Junior and Senior Primary!

Supplies needed:

• 3 pictures representing the three tempos (allegro, andante, adagio). You can see mine above.
• 3 pictures of the dynamic marks (forte, mezzo-forte, piano). I found mine using Google.
• 6 pieces of heavy paper, 3 of one color, 3 of another (make them identical sizes and big enough to glue the pictures listed above on).
• glue stick
• List of songs you want the Primary to sing (you can have one list, or separate lists for Junior and Senior)

Set up:

1. Glue the 3 tempo pictures onto 3 pieces of heavy paper (same color).
2. Glue the 3 dynamic pictures onto the other 3 pieces of heavy paper.

Game play:

1. Show the Primary each of the cards and review what they mean (allegro means fast, etc.)
2. Explain that the way you know the tempo of a song is by how fast the chorister waves his/her arm
1. Show them how you'd lead an allegro song, an andante song, and an adagio song.
3. Explain that you can figure out the dynamics of a song by how BIG the chorister makes his/her leading.
1. Show how you would lead a forte song (big waving), mezzo-forte song (regular), and piano song (very small motions).
4. Explain that now some of THEM are going to get to lead the music! Choose one child to come lead the music.
1. Take the 6 tempo/dynamic cards to the pianist. Put them face down and have the child pick one of each color (so one tempo card, one dynamic card). Don't let the Primary see!
1. Whisper in the child's ear to make sure they understand how to lead that combination (forte+adagio=big, slow movements, piano+allegro=tiny, fast movements).
2. Explain to the Primary that the child is going to lead the music, but they (the audience) have to figure out the tempo and dynamics by watching how the music is lead.
3. Sing the first song on your list with the child leading (you can help lead if you'd like).
4. When the song is over, have the Primary try to guess which dynamic/tempo the child drew. See if they're right!
5. Repeat with another child, sing song #2, etc.

12 Apostles Song

An amazing woman in my ward suggested coming up with a song to help the kids learn the Twelve Apostles in order. Here's what my husband and I came up with.

(to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat")

Pack-er, Perr-y, Nel-son, Oaks,

Ba-llard, Scott and Hales,

Hol-land, Bed-nar, Cook, Chris-toff-er-son,

An-der-sen makes twelve.

Here are the words set to music:

I like to teach them this song just before General Conference so they recognize the names they'll be listening to. Then I pull  it out randomly through the year just to review. We also have pictures of the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles hanging in our Primary room so the kids can recognize their faces. If you don't, it might be a good idea to get some. 

Allegro, Andante, Adagio Animals

(Just realized the elephant is pictured here under 'allegro animals'. Not sure how that happened!)

I use this as my very first lesson in tempo. My Primary President suggested that I incorporate some music theory into my singing time lessons and this was one of the games I came up with. It really helps the kids visualize the tempos and what they mean.

I do this activity slightly differently for Junior and Senior Primary. Instructions for both versions are below.

Supplies needed:

• Tempo sign with tempo names & speeds (Allegro=fast, Andante=medium, Adagio=slow). Mine is at the top of the picture above.
• 3 strips of paper--one that says "Allegro", one "Andante", one "Adagio."
• 12 different pictures of animals--4 that are fast/allegro animals, 4 that are walking speed/andante animals, and 4 that are slow/adagio animals. The animals I used are listed below.
• 12 envelopes labeled 1-12
• pins
• FOR SENIOR: Find the Latin name for each of the 12 animals you picked (the Latin names for the ones I picked are listed below). Print off the list of names and cut into individual strips.

List of Animals (according to tempo):

Allegro Animals--cheetah, lion, horse, deer
Andante Animals--man walking, elephant, pig, bear
Adagio Animals--snail, tortoise, starfish, sloth

List of Latin Names for Animals:
(I am in no way an expert on the nomenclature for animals. This was all done using Google and Wikipedia, so I'm not 100% positive that this is the 'correct' nomenclature. But the kids don't care).

Bradypus tridactylus (sloth)

Homo sapien (man)

Helix aspersa (snail)

Elephas maximus (elephant)

Sus scrofa domesticus (pig)

Asterias rubens (starfish)

Ursus maritimus (bear)

Panthera leo (lion)

Acinonyx jubatus (cheetah)

Odocoileus virginianus (deer)

Geochelone gigantean (tortoise)

Equus caballus (horse)

Set up:

1. Select 12 songs that you would like the Primary to sing. You can have one list for both Junior or Senior, or two separate lists.

1. JUNIOR:
1. Pin the Tempo sign at the top of the board, with the Allegro, Andante, and Adagio signs below (see the set up in the picture at top).
2. Put one animal inside each of the 12 envelopes.

1. SENIOR:
1. Pin the Tempo sign at the top of the board, with the Allegro, Andante, and Adagio signs below (see the set up in the picture at top).
2. Pin the 12 animals up underneath the tempo group they belong to.
3. Put one Latin name inside each of the 12 envelopes.
1. ***(If your Senior singing time is after Junior, the set-up is really easy--just leave the Tempo sign and Allegro, Andante, Adagio signs where they were, along with any of the animals that Junior placed in the correct tempo group).

Game play:

1. BOTH (before playing)
1. Explain what "tempo" means (how fast we sing/play a song). 
1. Give them an example of a piece of a song played fast, medium, and slow.
2. Teach them the proper names for fast (allegro), medium (andante), and slow (adagio)
1. Have them repeat the names with you.

1. JUNIOR:
1. Choose a child to come up and open one of the envelopes. Have them show the animal to the Primary, then decide if it's an allegro animal, andante animal, or adagio animal (note that their definition might be different than yours--is a pig 'andante' or 'adagio'? You can either correct them or just go with what they say).
2. Pin the animal under the selected tempo, then sing the first song on your list AT THAT TEMPO
3. Repeat, but with animal #2 sing song #2, etc.

1. SENIOR:
1. Choose a child to come up and open one of the envelopes. Have them read the Latin name (if they can!) to the Primary, then try to decide which animal it is. They can ask for help if they need it.
2. Pin the Latin name under the correct animal, then sing the first song on your list AT THE TEMPO that animal is placed underneath.
3. Repeat, but with animal #2 sing song #2, etc.

***Just a brief note--I warn the kids up front that I can never make it through an entire song at adagio tempo. I tell them to watch me carefully because at some point I will speed it back up to normal. This keeps them on their toes (and keeps you from singing the entire song at a snail's pace).

Primary Top Ten

This is my favorite activity to do on the very last Sunday of the year!

What are your Primary's top ten FAVORITE songs? The kids LOVE this activity, but it does take some pretty decent preparation in order to pull it off (basically, this is not one you can whip out at the last minute). But the kids and teachers have a great time trying to guess what the most popular songs in Primary are!

I have VERY different versions of this activity for Junior and for Senior--the game for Senior is really involved. You can use the Junior version for both if you're not up for all the craziness. The instructions for each are listed below.

Supplies needed:

• FOR JUNIOR: Top Ten survey lists (one for each class in your Primary, both Junior AND Senior--I find it works best if you label the lists before you hand them out. That way you know who to pester in order to get them back!). I have the list I use pasted below.
• 10 medium-large balloons 
• sharpie marker
• lots and lots of pins
• a copy of the list of your Top Ten Primary songs, cut out into individual songs. 

• FOR SENIOR: You'll use the survey lists you used for Junior.
• a copy of the list of your Top Ten Primary songs, cut out into individual songs. (You CAN use the same papers from Junior, but they'll be pretty mangled. If you're doing both activities, just make two copies of the list and cut them out). 
• 2 balloons 
• 10 pieces of heavy paper labeled 1-10, long/large enough to entirely cover the song strips listed above (you can see mine in one of the pictures below).
• Two scorecards, labelled however you'd like (I did "BOYS" and "GIRLS").
• pen to keep score
• list with the total number of votes for each song
• lots and lots of pins

Top Ten Survey List
(Best if each list is labeled by class name to ensure you get them all back)

Set up:

1. ONE OR TWO WEEKS before you want to do this activity, prepare the Top Ten Survey Lists and hand them out to EACH Primary class. (I usually like to do this two weeks in advance just in case I don't get a list or two back that first Sunday). 
2. Once you've gotten all the lists back, tally the results based on how many children/teachers picked that song.
3. Rank the songs from 1-10 based on the number of votes received (for Senior: keep track of the total number of votes PLUS the votes each song received). ***Often, you'll end up with songs that are tied  (for example, both "Sunbeam" and "Popcorn" end up with 6 votes). In that case, I go by alphabetical order to establish rank (so "Popcorn" would ahead of "Sunbeam" on the list.***

1. FOR JUNIOR (see picture with balloons below): 
2. Tightly roll each song strip and shove into the mouth of an uninflated balloon. ***Do this ONE AT A TIME--you need to keep track of which song is in which balloon.***
3. Using a Sharpie marker, label the balloons with the ranking of the song inside. For example, if "I Am a Child of God" was your top song, label the balloon with that song inside as "#1".
4. Carefully pin each balloon to a board. Have an extra pin ready for popping, as well as some pins to pin up the songs on the board once they are popped out of the balloons.

1. FOR SENIOR (see pictures below):
2. Pin the songs in the center of the board in order (#1 on top, #10 on bottom).
3. Cover with the 10 pieces of heavy paper (obviously #1 should cover song #1, etc.). 
4. Pin the two scorecards on either side of the songs.
5. Pin one balloon underneath each scorecard. Have two pins ready for popping.
6. Have your list with the number of votes each song received ready

Set up for Junior:

(notice my balloons aren't labeled? I messed up and put in all the songs before I realized I needed to label the balloons according to what was inside. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!)

Partial set-up for Senior:

(sorry for the awkward angle--this was taken during Primary. I was hiding behind the board trying to be discreet...)

Post-game set-up for Senior:

(the balloons were underneath the "GIRLS" and "BOYS" signs)

Game play:

1. JUNIOR:
2. Choose a child to come up and pop the #10 balloon.
3. Have him locate the paper inside and read the song title.
4. Pin the song on the board (put #10 near the bottom so there's room for the others on top), then sing the song.
5. Repeat with #9, and so on up to #1.

1. SENIOR:
2. This is basically a variation on the game Family Feud, so if you're familiar with that game this will make more sense. Also, you'll want to explain the rules and gameplay to the Primary before you start.
3. Call up one boy and one girl (or however you've divided the Primary into two teams). Give each a push-pin and tell them to start thinking about what the most popular song in Primary is.
4. Send them to opposite sides of the room, backs against the wall. Make sure they are both an equal distance from the board with the balloons and that they have a clear path to the board (nothing to trip over).
5. When you give the signal, both kids will race to the board in an attempt to pop their balloon first. 
1. Whoever pops first must give you an answer immediately. If not, it goes to the second team.
2. If the first kid has picked a song that appears somewhere on the list, then reveal that song and give Team #1 the points (points correspond to the number of votes that song received). Then Team #1 gets to keep guessing until they choose TWO songs that are not on the list.
1. If the first kid picks a song that does NOT appear on the list, the second kid gets to answer. If kid #2 gives you an answer that is on the list, give Team #2 the points for that song. Now Team #2 gets to keep guessing until they guess TWO songs that are not on the list.
1. If kid #2 picks a song not on the list, it goes back to kid #1. Back & forth until someone finally picks a song on the list. Whoever picks correctly wins the opportunity for his/her team to guess first.
6. **As soon as a song on the list is guessed,  reveal the song on the board, tally the points awarded, and sing then song. Then continue with the game.***
7. The team that wins the opportunity to guess first gets to continue guessing until they make two mistakes.
1. You can either elect a team representative, or call on a kid at random.
1. Give them only a few seconds to guess. No deliberating!
2. Once they make two mistakes, the guessing passes to the other team. 
8. The team who guesses second gets to continue guessing until they they make THREE mistakes.
1. You can either elect a team representative, or call on a kid at random.
1. Give them only a few seconds to guess. No deliberating!
2. Once they make three mistakes, the guessing passes back to the other team. This continues until all the songs are revealed or until you run out of time.

This seems kind of crazy at first, but it makes a lot of sense after a round or two. This is kind of a complicated game, so feel free to comment with any questions you might have.

***Just a brief note--Make it clear from the beginning that there is no "booing" or groaning allowed if someone guesses incorrectly. We almost had tears when one little boy got the final strike for his team and heard a lot of complaining.

***Another note--if you've been at this for a while and have the lists of Top Ten songs from previous years, bring those to display at the end. The kids love seeing how things have/haven't changed. 

Christmas Matching

This is a good activity for early in the Christmas season. It's a simple matching game using Christmas pictures/trivia.

I have two variations on this activity--one for Junior (using just pictures), and one for Senior (using Christmas trivia). The instructions for each are below.

Supplies needed:

• 20 pieces of thick paper labeled 1-20. I used red, green & white to be festive. 
• FOR JUNIOR: 2 copies of 10 different Christmas images (so 20 images total). The images I used are listed below (I think I found them all on Microsoft's clip art, but you can always Google images, too).
• FOR SENIOR: 10 Christmas trivia questions and the 10 corresponding answers (the Q&A's I used are listed below). I hand wrote each question and answer on blank 3x5 cards. You would need 20 cards total. 
• 40 pins (or tape) to pin the pieces to a board (I've found that thumbtacks work great for matching games. If you try to use push pins the papers on top don't lay flat and the kids on the front row can see what's underneath).

Ten Matching Pictures & Corresponding Songs:

1.      SANTA—Nephi’s Courage (120)

2.      SHEPHERDS-- Away in a Manger (42)

3.      STOCKING—If You’re Happy (266)

4.      REINDEER—Do As I’m Doing (276)

5.      GIFT—Once there was a Snowman (249)

6.      BELLS—Christmas Bells (54)

7.      STAR—I Am Like a Star (163)

8.      NATIVITY—Picture a Christmas (50)

9.      KINGS—Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus (36)

10.  TREE—Silent Night (hymn 204)

Ten Trivia Q&A with Corresponding Songs:
(This is what I use for Senior Primary. Note that the songs are different--I often sing different songs in Junior than I do in Senior.)

1.      What is the real date of Christ’s birth? (Away in a Manger—42)
a.       April 6^th
2.      Author of A Christmas Carol (Hark the Herald Angels—209)
a.       Charles Dickens
3.      O Come, All Ye Faithful (O Come, All Ye Faithful—hymn 202)
a.       Adeste Fideles
4.      Sint Nikolaas (Joy to the World—201)
a.       Santa Claus in Holland
5.      Total number of gifts in The 12 Days of Christmas (Angels We Have Heard on High—203)
a.       364
6.      Kriss Kringle/Christkindl (Shepherd’s Carol—40)
a.       Santa Claus in Germany
7.      X in Xmas stands for? (Silent Night—hymn 204)
a.       Christ (Greek abbreviation)
8.      First Christmas gifts? (Picture a Christmas—50)
a.       gold, frankincense, myrrh
9.      City of David (Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus—36)
a.       Bethlehem
10.  Noel (The First Noel—hymn 213)
a.       “the good news” in French

Set up:

1. JUNIOR: Pin all the pictures up in random spots on the board, then cover with the numbered pieces of thick paper.
2. SENIOR: Pin all the questions and answers up in random spots on the board, then cover with the numbered pieces of thick paper.  (Make sure you're 100% sure of the correct matches--if not, bring a key).

Game play:

1. FOR JUNIOR: Call a child up. Have them tell you which two numbers they want to reveal (or they can point if they don't know their numbers yet). If they are very small children and need guidance, I will let their teacher or an older friend give advice.
2. Show the Primary the two revealed pictures. If they match, sing the corresponding song. If not, call up another child and repeat.
3. FOR SENIOR: Call a child up (or just have them tell you the numbers they'd like from their seat).
4. Show the Primary the revealed Q&A cards. If it's a match, sing the corresponding song. If not, call up another child & repeat.

***This can get tricky with the older kids wanting to shout out lots of "help" when there's a potential match. You can deal with this by requiring raised hands. The child who you called on is welcome to pick one of the raised hands if they need help. 

Christmas Nativity

This is the activity I like to do on Christmas Sunday. I use this Nativity set for this activity--the Fisher Price Nativity, which I love, but which is also ridiculously overpriced (I think). Also, it only comes with one shepherd-looking guy, who I assume is Joseph. Luckily we have the Noah's ark set, too, and Noah makes a great substitute shepherd. You can use whatever Nativity you'd like, or just print out some pictures instead.

I have two variations on this activity--one for Junior (simpler), one for Senior (involving looking up scriptures). The instructions for each are below.

Supplies needed:

• Some form of Nativity including the following eight pieces: a stable with a star, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Wise Men, angel, shepherd, and donkey.
• List of eight corresponding songs (the ones I picked are listed below)
• For Senior: list of eight scriptures that correspond to each Nativity piece

List of Eight Pieces & Corresponding Songs:

  1. stable—I Am Like a Star (p. 163)

2.Mary—Silent Night (hymn 204)

3.Joseph—Shepherd’s Carol (p. 40)

4.Jesus—Away in a Manger (p. 42)

5.Wise Man—Wise Man & The Foolish Man (p. 281)

6.Angel—Child of God (p. 2)

7. Shepherd-- Picture a Christmas (p.50)

8.donkey—Do As I’m Doing (p. 276)

List of Eight Pieces & Corresponding Songs/Scriptures:
(This is what I use for Senior Primary. Note that some of the songs have changed because I often sing different songs with Junior than I do with Senior.)

1.      stable (Luke 2:7)—I Am Like a Star (p. 163)

2.      Mary—(Alma 7:10) Silent Night (hymn 204)

3.      Joseph (Matthew 1:20-21)—Shepherd’s Carol (p. 40)

4.      Jesus—(Isaiah 9:6)  Away in a Manger (p. 42)

5.      Wise Man—(Matthew 2:1-2)  Wise Man (p. 281)

6.      Angel (Luke 2:9-11) —Angels We Have Heard  (hymn 203)

7.       Shepherd (Luke 2:8) -- Picture a Christmas (p.50)

8.      donkey (Helaman 14:1-2—this has nothing to do with a donkey, but there’s no scriptural evidence for the donkey.  So just tell them to find it)—Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus (p. 36)

Set up:

1. Gather the eight Nativity pieces listed above.
2. Come up with a song to correspond to each piece (mine are listed above)
3. FOR SENIOR: Come up with a scripture to correspond to each piece (mine are listed above)

Game play:

1. FOR JUNIOR: Hide the eight Nativity pieces around the Primary room.
2. Call up a child and have them go find a piece of the Nativity (the other kids can help if they can't find one). 
3. When they bring the piece to you, have them tell you what it is and what it has to do with the Nativity. For example, "The stable is where Baby Jesus was born," or "Mary is Jesus's mother."
4. Sing the corresponding song, then repeat.
5. FOR SENIOR: Hide all the Nativity pieces around the Primary room (make it a bit harder this time).
6. On a table or board, have the eight paper with scripture references placed face down.
7. Call up a child and have them pick a scripture reference. Read it to the Primary.
8. Have the Primary look it up--the first one who finds it can read it out loud, then try to guess which Nativity piece it corresponds to (***note--this can be tricky, as the references often mention several things all at once. Make sure they pick the CORRECT Nativity piece).
9. Have the child who picked the reference go find the piece and bring it to you.
10. Sing the corresponding song, then repeat. 

Christmas Gifts

I like to be able to start doing Christmas activities/songs as soon as Thanksgiving is over, so I have quite a few! There are only a few Sundays during December--you have to get in as much Christmas singing as you can!

This is a very simple activity as well as more of a spiritual one--it helps the children see some of the gifts our Heavenly Father has given to us.

I split this into two separate activities--for Junior Primary I just have them open the gift, look at the picture and tell me what gift the picture represents. So, for example, if they pull out a picture of President Monson, they would say, "Heavenly Father gave us prophets." If you really want to expand on this, have them tell you WHY Heavenly Father gave us prophets.

For Senior Primary I hung all the pictures up on the board and placed a scripture inside each gift box/bag. They had to look up the scripture, then decide which picture it corresponded to. Once again, if you really want to expand, have them tell you WHY Heavenly Father gave us that particular gift.

Supplies needed:

• 10 gift boxes or bags (I got mine at the dollar store)
• 10 pictures of gifts from our Heavenly Father (I cut mine out from old Friend magazines--the ones I picked are listed below, but you can do whatever you'd like)
• 10 scriptures that correspond with each gift (mine are listed below)

List of Ten Gifts and Corresponding Songs:

1.      CHURCH—The Church of Jesus Christ (p. 77)

2.      FAMILY—Families Can Be Together Forever (p. 188)

3.      PRAYER—Love is Spoken Here p. 190

4.      PROPHET—Follow the Prophet p. 110

5.      WORLD—Popcorn Popping (p. 242)

6.      FRIENDS—Here We Are Together (p. 261)

7.      TEMPLE—I Love to See the Temple (p. 95)

8.      SCRIPTURES—Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus (p. 36)

9.      SAVIOR—Picture a Christmas (p. 50)

List of Ten Scriptures and Corresponding Songs:
(Note that the gifts are the same as above, but the songs are different. I sing different songs with Junior than with Senior, but you can do whatever you'd like. Either way, the pictures and scriptures match up)

          1.      CHURCH (D&C 115:4)—O Come, all Ye Faithful (hymn 202)

2.      FAMILY (Colossians 3:20) —Shepherd’s Carol (40)

3.      PRAYER (Luke 18:1)—Silent Night (hymn 204)

4.      PROPHET (Amos 3:7)—Joy to the World (hymn 201)

5.      WORLD  (D&C 49:19)—Hark! The Herald Angels (hymn 209)

6.      FRIENDS (Proverbs 18:24)—Here We Are Together (p. 261)

7.      TEMPLE—(D&C 88:119) O Little Town of Bethlehem (hymn 208)

8.      SCRIPTURES (Articles of Faith #8)— Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus (p. 36)

9.      SAVIOR (Isaiah 9:6)—Picture a Christmas (p. 50)

Set up:

1. Select 10 gifts from Heavenly Father and find pictures to represent those gifts. Like I said, I cut all of mine out of old Friend magazines. You can also use clip art found online (some good LDS specific images are found here).
2. Place each picture inside a gift bag/box.
3. Make a list of 10 scriptures that correspond to your 10 gifts. Print, then cut them out. Put them in a bag to use for Senior Primary.

Game play:

1. Choose a child to come up and open one of the gifts. Have them show the Primary, then tell you what gift Heavenly Father gave to us (and why, if you'd like).
2. Pin the picture up on the board and remove the empty gift box/bag.
3. Sing the corresponding song.
4. FOR SENIOR PRIMARY: Pin all the pictures up on the board and place a scripture inside each gift box/bag.
5. Choose a child to come up and open one of the gifts. Have them read the reference to the Primary and tell them to look it up.
6. As soon as a child finds the scripture, have them read it to the Primary.  Then have them tell you what gift Heavenly Father gave to us (and why, if you'd like). 
7. Pin the paper with the scripture underneath the corresponding picture on the board, and sing the song.

***Just a brief note--I originally picked small pictures to fit inside the small gift bags, but they were so small that the kids in the back had no idea what they were. Bigger is probably better, even if it means some folding to get it inside the gift box/bag.