Synonyms

Another Senior only game--they need to have a good grasp on language in order to make this one work! I usually pair this one with Missing Halves for Junior. 

Supplies needed:

• list of 8-10 songs you want to sing
• synonym "titles" for each of the songs on your list, written/printed on small slips of paper. Here are some I've used in the past:
• When I Am Immersed (I Enjoy Searching For Color Spectrums) = When I Am Baptized (I like to look for rainbows) p. 103
• Cherish Your Fellow Men = Love One Another (p. 136)
• A Little One's Supplication = A Child's Prayer (p. 12)
• I Am a Member of the Congregation of Jehovah = I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ (p. 77)
• I Am the Offspring of Deity = I Am a Child of God (p. 2)
• The Sage Constructed His Dwelling Upon The Stone = The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock (p. 281)
• Obey the Seer = Follow the Prophet (p. 110)
• The Troops of Alma's Son = Army of Helaman (p. 172)
• The Tome of Nephite Tales = Book of Mormon Stories (p. 118)
• Word of God Strength = Scripture Power (sheet music)
• He Commissioned His Son = He Sent His Son (p. 34)
• Hope For Things Which Are Not Seen, But Which Are True = Faith (p. 96)
• If You Are Exhilarated and Aware of It = If You're Happy And You Know It (p. 266)
• small bag/container to put the slips in

Set up:

1. Put your slips in your bag/container. That's it!

Game play:

1. Explain to the children how to play. 
• This is usually best done through an example, so use one of the examples above that you DON'T have in your plans that day.
2. Have a child draw a slip and read it to the Primary.
• Usually after they read it once, I read it again for clarity. 
• If necessary, use some definitions as hints ("What is a seer? Oh, like a PROPHET?") 
3. Once they've guessed correctly, sing the song, then play again!

Mad Gab

I love the game Mad Gab and had seen some versions others had made for their singing times. I borrowed a few titles from them and then had a great time with my husband coming up with some of our own!

This is definitely a Senior only game! 

Supplies needed:

• list of 8-10 songs you want to sing
• small slips of paper with the Mad Gab titles for each song written/printed on them. Here are ones we've used over the years:
• Poppy Core Paw Pink = Popcorn Popping (p. 242)
• Low Of His Poke In Ear = Love is Spoken Here (p. 190)
• Gigs Add They'll It Ills Trim = "Give," Said the Little Stream (p. 236)
• Bug Have More Men Store Rice = Book of Mormon Stories (p. 118)
• Knee Vice Core Rage = Nephi's Courage (p. 120)
• Won Stare Us As Gnome An = Once There Was a Snowman (p. 249)
• Rev In Tall Leak White Alley = Reverently, Quietly (p. 26)
• Lad Heard Yea Prop Hits = Latter-day Prophets (p. 134)
• Fall Loathe Heap Raw Fit = Follow the Prophet (p. 110)
• Key Up Duck Amen Mints = Keep the Commandments (p. 146)
• Dews Aimed Owing = Do As I'm Doing (p. 276)
• I'll Hike Duel Hook Foreign Boas = I like to look for rainbows (When I Am Baptized, p. 103--they don't usually know the title of this one so I use the first line)
• small bag/container to put the slips in

Set up:

1. Put your slips in your bag/container--easy, easy!

Game play:

1. Explain to the children how to play Mad Gab. 
• This is usually best done through an example, so use one of the examples above that you DON'T have in your plans that day.
• read them the Mad Gab title and see if they can guess what it really says. Repeat it several times, accenting different parts of the sentence. 
• Usually you'll have a child or two catch on pretty quickly. If not, repeat the sentence with almost the correct pronunciation/accent until they can "hear" what you're really saying
2. Have a child draw a slip and read it to the Primary.
• Usually after they read it once, I read it again for clarity. 
• I'll also repeat it several times with different parts accented until someone "gets" it.
3. Sing the song, then do it again!

Dispersed Titles

A fun one I found while searching for ideas! This one is a Senior only game (unless you happen to have a very advanced Junior Primary where all the kids are able to read). 

Supplies needed:

• list of 7-9 songs you want to sing
• blank white notecards (and lots of them)
• markers

Set up:

1. Using your list of songs, write each word of each title on a separate notecard. For example, if you were singing "Called to Serve", you would end up with three notecards: called, to, serve. 
1. I like to use all different colors to mix things up, but you could color coordinate titles if you wanted to give the kids a bit of a hint.
2. Another fun hint--try to pick at least one song that has a single word title, like "Faith" or "Baptism". Makes it more of a challenge. 

Game play:

1. At the beginning of singing time, disperse your notecards through the Primary. 
1. Try to make sure each child has at least one card, if possible. 
2. Tell the Primary that each of them have a single word from a title of a Primary song they know. Have them raise their hands if they think they know what song their notecard belongs to.
3. Pick a child and have them announce their guess. If they are correct, that child and all the others who have notecards that match that title come to the front and put themselves in the correct order. For example: if the child with "temple" guesses "I Love to See the Temple" correctly, the children with "I", "love", "to", "see", and "the" should join him up front. 
1. You're likely to get multiple "the"s, "to"s, "and"s, etc. Just pick the first one and send the others down until the next title. 
4. Sing the song, then collect all the cards and start again.

Three In A Row

I found this idea while searching for singing time plans and it was a big hit!

Supplies needed:

• list of 8-10 songs you want to sing
• one piece of paper with a group of three words for each of your songs
• small bag/box 

Set up:

1. From each of your songs, pick three words in a row from the lyrics to use as a clue. For example: "I'm going there" from "I Love to See the Temple".
1. Depending on the song/phrase, I'll pick easier ones for Junior and harder for Senior.
2. Write or print out each of your three-word phrases and cut into individual strips.
3. Place strips in a bag/box for the kids to draw from.

Game play:

1. Have a child choose a strip from your bag/box, then see if they can guess the song. Ask the Primary for help if needed.
1. If they are really struggling, add one word at a time to the beginning or end of your three-word phrase. 

Missing Halves

Another one that's just for Junior (to pair with a game that's just for Senior--I usually pair this one with Synonyms for Senior).

Supplies needed:

• 8-10 large pictures (I raid old 'Friend' magazines)
• thick construction paper (to mount the pictures on for added strength)
• scissors
• list of songs you want to sing (one song per picture--I like to try to make the pictures match the songs, like singing 'Nephi's Courage' for the picture on the right above)
• tape/pins to hang pictures on the board and around the room

Set up:

1. Glue/tape each picture to a piece of construction paper.
2. Cut each picture in two (make it fun--some squiggly cuts, some in different directions)
3. Put one half of each picture on the board and hang the other half somewhere in the Primary room.

Game play:

1. Tell the kids you need help finding the other half of your pictures.
2. Have a child find one of the halves in the room and bring it to the board to make a match.
3. Sing the song.

Build a Snowman

A simple activity I only do with Junior Primary on a week when Senior is playing a more complicated game (I usually pair this one with the Numbers Game for Senior). 

Supplies needed:

• snowman pieces pictured above 
• hat
• head with eyes and mouth drawn on
• torso
• bottom
• 2 arms
• 2 buttons
• carrot nose
• scarf
• marker/pen
• list of ten songs you want to sing (one song per piece)
• tape

Set up:

1. Write a number on the back of each piece. This number will correspond to the song number you want to sing from your list.
2. Have some tape ready to put on the back of the pieces.

Game play:

1. Explain to the children that you are trying to build a snowman and need their help.
2. Have a child pick a piece to put up on the board, then sing the song. 
1. You can try to guide/force them to build the body first, but I never do. Our last snowman was a great masterpiece with everything attached to a floating snowman head.

Valentine's Conversation Hearts

This is a nice easy activity that the kids still love!

Supplies needed:

• 8-10 paper hearts of varying sizes
• marker/pen
• list of songs you want to sing (one song per heart)
• tape/pins to hang hearts around the room

Set up:

1. On each heart, write a phrase similar to one you'd find on a piece of conversation heart candy.  I tried to match my phrase to the song, but you could just use generic phrases.  Here are the ones I've used over the years:
1. SMILE--Smiles (p. 267)
2. 4 EVER--Families Can Be Together Forever (p. 188)
3. SHH!--The Chapel Doors (p. 156) or Reverence Is Love (p. 31)
4. Wise Up!--The Wise Man and The Foolish Man (p. 281)
5. BIG KISS--Daddy's Homecoming (p. 210)
6. MY CHILD--I Am a Child of God (p. 2)
7. YOU'RE #1--child's choice
8. I DO--Do As I'm Doing (p. 276)
9. WHO LOVES YOU?--My Heavenly Father Loves Me (p. 228)
10. ?--He Sent His Son (p. 36)
11. SUNSHINE--Faith (p. 96)
12. MY GIFT--I Will Follow God's Plan (p. 164)
13. LOVE YOU--Love One Another (p. 136)
14. LOVE--Love is Spoken Here (p. 190)
15. I CHOOSE U--Choose the Right (hymn 239)
16. BE TRUE--Stand For the Right (p. 159)
2. For an extra challenge for Senior Primary, I make them answer a question before I reveal the song. Here are some of the questions I've asked:
1. What is Heavenly Father's gift to us? (John 3:16)
2. Tell us who St. Valentine was. (This was a lot of fun to research).
3. What would be the perfect Valentine's gift for you?
4. Read John 13:34, then guess the song (corresponds to 'Love One Another')
5. Fill in the blank (use lyrics or song titles)
6. Tell us how to say 'I love you' in another language.
7. Fill in the blank: ________ is the pure love of Christ (Moroni 7:47)
8. Tell us one reason why you love your dad.
9. Tell us one reason why you love your mom.
10. Tell us your favorite Primary song (corresponds to 'child's choice').

Game play:

1. Very simple--Hang the hearts around the Primary room, then have a child pick a heart. Sing the corresponding song (or have them answer a question first if you decide to do that option).

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.

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.