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.

Numbers Game

This was a fun way to help the kids understand the numbers involved in the Church (specifically the leap from ward to stake to members). And a great way to bring up missionary work since the numbers continue to increase every year!

This one is for Senior only since Junior Primary doesn't really have a good number sense yet. I usually pair this one with Build a Snowman for Junior. 

(Yes, we really did have 146 Primary kids that year. I am not kidding about our large Primary). 

Supplies needed:

• 8 pieces of paper with the following labels:
• Primary Kids in Our Ward
• Members of Our Ward
• Wards in the Church
• Stakes in the Church
• Members of the Church
• Missionaries Serving
• Operating Temples
• Presidents of the Church
• 8 pieces of paper with the numbers that correspond to the categories above
• Good contacts for ward numbers: Primary President, ward membership clerk, Bishop
• Search lds.org for the most up-to-date numbers for the other categories. They're always announced in the April session of General Conference (although they're a year old by that point).
• list of songs you want to sing (one song per category)
• I like to try to match my songs with the categories: missionary songs for missionaries, I Love To See the Temple for temples, etc. 
• tape/pins to hang the papers

Set up:

1. On your board, pin or tape up each category label, making sure to leave enough room for the children to place the numbers next to/underneath it.
2. Have the numbers either face up (easier) or face down (more of a challenge) on a table.

Game play:

1. Explain that the object of the game is to correctly match the numbers with the categories on your board. Also a good time to explain the relationship between wards and stakes.
2. Have a child pick a number and choose which category it belongs to. 
1. You have some discretion here: you can either guide the child to make the correct choice, or you can let them put the number wherever they want, with the understanding that the next child(ren) have the option to move numbers around if they feel it's justified.
1. If you do decide to let them choose for themselves, make sure the songs on your list are linked to the NUMBER, not the CATEGORY. Otherwise it gets confusing about which song you should sing. You'll always sing the song attached to the number the child picked up at the beginning. (This can be a good hint--if they place their number under "Missionaries Serving" and the song is "I Love to See the Temple", most of the Primary will catch on pretty quickly and will make the correct change the next turn). 
3. Make sure to end with your testimony of missionary work and how even Primary children can help make these numbers grow bigger every year. 

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.

Noah's Ark Matching

A fairly standard matching game centered around the idea of Noah bringing the animals two by two into the ark.

Supplies needed:

• 8-10 pairs of animal pictures (I did one female, one male of each)
• corresponding number of squares of thick paper (to cover each of the pictures)
• marker to label each paper square (1-20 or however many you have--makes it easier for the kids to pick which two they want to try to match)
• list of songs you want to sing (one song per pair)
• tape/pins to hang the pictures and covers

Set up:

1. Pin/tape your animals onto the board in nice, even columns and rows. Make sure to mix them up to make matches harder to find!
2. Cover each animal with a square of paper, making sure the squares are in numerical order.

Game play:

1. Very simple--invite children to pick two squares, continuing to call on new children until a match is made. Once a match is made, sing the song and continue.
1. I always give the child the option to "ask the Primary" if there is a known match on the board and the child is unsure of where it is. 

Missionaries From Our Ward

 This activity involves quite a bit of prep work, but was a lot of fun for the entire ward! I had a lot of people stop by the Primary room after church to see these posters.

Supplies needed:

• 1 map of the world (I also had a US map since we had a lot of missionaries who served in the US)
• information about current & former missionaries serving from your ward
• depending on your ward you could choose to limit this to only those somehow involved in Primary (parents, teachers, etc.) or you could try to find out everyone possible.
• small icons for each elder/sister (I drew my own, but you could probably find one somewhere)
• envelopes (if you have more than 7-8 missionaries), marker to label envelopes
• tape
• list of songs you want to sing (one song per envelope/missionary)

Set up:

1. Label each icon with the name and mission of that missionary (for example: "Sister Smith, Baltimore Maryland").
2. Depending on your numbers, place groups of missionaries in envelopes together. If you only have 7-8 missionaries, skip this step and just pick a song for each missionary.
1. Try to get your missionaries into 7-8 groups so you can have a song for each group. 
1. Depending on your numbers you may end up with some missionaries in groups and some not in groups. Whatever it takes to get 7-8 groups/missionaries.
1. We had a lot of missionaries and ended up grouping by continent, as well as splitting the US and having a separate group for Central America. 
2. Label each envelope with a number so you know which song it corresponds to.
3. Have tape pieces rolled and ready to stick the missionaries to the maps. 
4. If you only have a few missionaries, hang them around the room where the children can find them.
1. If you have a bunch of envelopes, put them on a table so the children can pick from them
1. If you have some combination of missionaries/envelopes, do whatever you think would work best for your Primary!

Game play:

1. Have a child choose an envelope or missionary. 
2. BEFORE they put the missionary on the map, have them read the missionary's name(s) and the name(s) of their mission(s). Also announce the song.
3. Have the Primary begin singing while the child puts the missionar(ies) on the map.
1. If you have an envelope with a lot of missionaries, have two children come up and help each other put them on the map.
2. For Junior Primary I had their teacher come up and help them.
4. If you feel inclined, you can turn it into a race (try to get the missionaries on the map before the Primary finishes singing the song). 
5. Make sure to end with your testimony about missionary work and how you hope you'll one day be able to add their names to the map!

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).