lds primary songs, lds primary singing time ideas, primary singing index, Joseph Smith's First Prayer, Joseph Smith
Keyword Topics: lds primary songs, lds childrens songbook, lds primary song book, primary music leaders, lds primary singing time ideas, primary chorister, lds chorister, lds primary chorister, lds primary singing time, lds primary, lds primary music, lds singing time ideas, primary songs, lds primary printables, Joseph Smith's First Prayer, lds primary song, lds primary music leader
* Song Visuals * This or That? * Focus Words * Silent Video * Flashlight Activity * Simplified ASL * Flight to the Sacred Grove * Color a Song/Draw a Song * Build a Scene Collage * Heart Match Game * Scarf Movement * Big Words Matching Game * Fix the Phrase Word Game * Paper Plate Movement Activity * Lip Sync Review * Hand bells/Resonator Bells * Egg Shakers * Song Actions * Eraser Game
Here's some ideas to help you teach, review & enjoy this challenging but important LDS hymn!
Hello and welcome to LDS Primary Printables. I'm so excited you are here! LDS Primary Printables provides Come Follow Me, Gospel Topics, Primary Events, and Primary Singing Time Resources for Families, Primary Teachers and Primary Music Leaders.
--------------------------------------------
Join the mailing list for updates, specials & freebies.
GRAB THE SONG VISUALS CIRCLESAND PLAY A VARIETY OF GAMES (from making two copies and playing a matching game, to re-arranging the order, flipchart visuals match with keywords and more!)
Kids decide between two pictures for each song phrase - which is correct?
SONG MEANING VISUALS
Handy visuals help the kids process and understand the big words in the verses, like undaunted, assailing and more. Just display the pictures as singing and provide a great remind of the words and what they mean!
While this song may seem daunting to teach, your kids are absolutely capable of learning the song, sometime in just a few weeks. Whether it takes several Sunday's or just a few to learn, Joseph Smith's First Prayer is an important song for the kids to learn.
Here are 13 activities that will really engage your kids in the song, helping them learn the words more quickly, remember the message more intently, and solidify their memory more deeply.
Vary the ways you teach and review the verses each week. Use the list below for helpful ideas. Here is what Bryn Webb did, for an example:
With junior for the first verse I had pictures to represent the last word of each phrase. We had to put the pictures in order. Then we took two down and they had to sing those words extra loud so the pianist could guess which ones we took down. We did that a few times. Second verse I made up actions. Third verse I had pictures that they had to put in order again. Fourth verse I had them help me make up actions.
With senior, first verse I had the song printed, cut into strips, and in an envelope. One envelope per class. They had to put them in order while I sang. Second verse we did eraser pass (erasing words not in the song). Third verse I had poster pieces with the first letter of each word. They had to figure out the code and then put the strips in order. Fourth verse I had the verse written on the board and we erased words and sang it over and over. And then we've just done different review activities.
1. SILENT VIDEO
WHAT YOU NEED:
Video of the first vision
Play the video with the sound muted as you sing the song and have the kids listen. (Or if you aren't comfortable singing, let the kids listen to the music with the words play as the video of the first vision plays).
[Follow this activity up with the " Imaginary Flight to the Sacred Grove" (see in list #3).
My Suggested Modifications: Tell the kids that you will be looking for kids who are really paying attention and trying to learn the words really well and singing back the words really good, and that after each phrase, you will choose someone to hold the flashlight(s) and use them to fit the song verses (cover light up for "when the powers of sin assailing...", shine light from top down on "...glorious pillar" then around in circle for "around him shown...", etc.
Sing a phrase and have the kids sing that phrase back. Then choose a student (or students), depending on how many flashlights you have, to hold the flashlight as everyone repeats that phrase again. Repeat the phrase a third time, choosing more kids to hold the flashlights. Continue this pattern for each phrase of the verse you are teaching until you've gone through the entire verse. Tell the kids once they know the verse you will add in more flashlights (or finger lights) for them to use as they sing the verse (or eventually the whole song).
(I would use this activity following the SILENT VIDEO activity and pair it with call-response singing throughout. Make it into a story and fit the words of the song in with the story you tell).
WHAT YOU NEED:
A Picture of the First Vision
An instrumental track (no words) for the kids to listen to (have an instrumental version of the song playing softly in the background as you do this activity).
Tell the kids to close their eyes. Take a couple minutes to talk/walk them through the scene.... "Imagine you are in the woods. Look around. There are tall trees everywhere and grass under your feet. Reach down. Can you feel the grass? There is sunlight sparkling all around you. Can you hear the bees humming? Can you hear the bird singing? Can you hear and feel the wind?
Then ask the kids to open their eyes and show them a picture of the first vision. Sing a phrase and have the kids repeat. Continue this "immersive" type of song story/story song for the rest of the song.
5. COLOR A SONG / DRAW A SONG
[Coloring Pages thanks to Elaine Tsang]
WHAT YOU NEED:
Coloring Pages that Go Along with the Song - get 12 coloring pages in the free printables library (register at the bottom of the page below)
*Pictures that go along with each phrase of the song
Variation: Have each class draw different part of the song and use those pictures
for learning the song.
Variation 3*: Have the kids put the pictures in order.
6. BUILD A SCENE COLLAGE
WHAT YOU NEED:
Large Forest Collage
Pictures or paint posters/box like forest
Scene Figures to fit the song (bees, birds, Joseph, darkness, Heavenly Father & Jesus)
Large Box or poster borders
OR MAKE YOUR OWN:
Make a large diagrams in a box about 2x2 or use large poster boards. Paint the sides like a forest and let the kids added figures, bees, birds, etc when mentioned in the song. Use a large bright light to shine on Heavenly Father and the Savior when the light descended. This activity helps the children learned the meaning so it isn't just words to them; it becomes a real story.
Put the puzzle pieces all around the room in different places. Touch kids who are singing well on the shoulder and have them go and fin one puzzle piece then come back to their seat after they find one. Everyone keeps singing until all the puzzle pieces are found. (Or you can just arrange the pieces on the board and have kids match. OR you can put them on the board face down and have kids flip over two at a time to see if the match).
Repeat the song, going phrase by phrase and as you sing each phrase, have the students that have the matching pieces to that song phrase come up, put their heart pieces together, read the simplified story lines on each heart, then everyone sings that song phrase again. Tape up on the board. Continue until all the hearts have been put together then sing the entire song through as you point to each heart.
NOTE - Only display (or pass out) one verse's words at a time.
NOTE 2 - Some of the white word definition strips are not exact (like "tied up" for assailing but, I've made the definition word strip as simple as possible while still being true to the context for young kids to understand. Joseph did feel "bound" (i.e. "tied up") when the darkness came upon him. BRIEFLY explain the words and context within the story and song as needed).
Option 1: Display the Yellow Song Words at the top of the board and the rest of th synonyms on the board below. Let students match the words by putting the correct words under each yellow word box.
Option 2: Hand out all the word strips except the yellow ones (display those on the top of the board). Let kids come up and place their word strip under the correct yellow word.
Word strips contain keywords for the song (see picture below), along with 2 additional word strips per keyword.
HOW TO PLAY:
Display the word strips on the board, in groups of 3, as shown below in the picture.
Tell the kids to listen close and as you sing, see if they can figure out which word is the correct words used in the song. Sing one phrase then say, "Pause" and stop and ask the kids which two words (notice the word strips colors match for each song phrase), are correct. (Ex: First phrase - "lovely" and "morning." Sing the phrase again and have the kids echo back. Take off the other word strips that weren't right then sing the next phrase. Repeat this process till only the correct song words are left.
One option for pictures is to use the coloring pages - in the GOLD LIBRARY
HOW TO PLAY:
Display the pictures around the primary room. Have the kids sing the phrase and try and find the picture that goes along with that phrase. Keep repeating that phrase until everyone is facing the picture that goes along with that phrase. (Sometimes that means you may sing a phase 2-3 times or more!)
First let the kids keep the beat with the egg shaker as singing. Start by shaking up and down to the beat then for each phrase, move to a different place on the body to tap the beat:
*Shoulder / Other shoulder
*Lap
*Switch hands
*head
and so on.
Then, teach the kids a pattern and let them do the pattern as singing.
Note: Sing the pickup notes -first notes of each phrase- before starting the pattern
For Jr. Primary you may want or need to simplify the pattern and just repeat a portion of that for longer periods or just take out the behind the back change.
EXTENSION: Instead of changing behind back, change with a partner. :)
