The Golden Plates

This week is also a good time to sing "The Golden Plates."  I haven't had a chance to teach this to my primary yet, and was surprised that they didn't already know it.  I put together a little coloring book to use in teaching this song.

You can find the coloring book here:  The Golden Plates

 

(To create the coloring book, print the page and fold the page in half lengthwise, then fold in half and half again to form the book.  This diagram shows as if looking down on the lengthwise fold.  Unfold and cut where the dashed line would be - the middle two pages. Then hold the ends and press them toward the center popping the middle two pages out.  Fold the middle two pages flat, then fold the book as shown.)

On a Golden Springtime

The last week of this year, sharing time is about Joseph Smith and the first vision.  The song "On a Golden Springtime" is perfect for this lesson, as well as for Easter.

You can find my flipchart here:  On a Golden Springtime

I Want to Be a Missionary Now

I have found that most primary children are familiar with the song "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission."  But not many have learned "I Want to Be a Missionary Now" which is a great song! It teaches children they can start being missionaries right now while they are young.

You can find my flipchart here:  I Want to Be a Missionary Now

Have a Very Merry Christmas

Another fun Christmas song I taught the primary children last year from the Children's Songbook is "Have a Very Merry Christmas."  It's upbeat and easy to learn.  It was the song the kids sang at our Ward Christmas Party.  I gave several of the children props or pictures to hold up during the song. 

You can find my flipchart here:  Have a Very Merry Christmas

The Nativity (song from The Friend Magazine, Dec. 2014)

A sweet Christmas song for children was shared in The Friend Magazine in December of 2014 (Words by Toni Thomas, Music by Brett Stewart) called The Nativity.  The Church also put out a sing along video (find it here).  I was looking for a new song to teach in Primary this year and decided on this one.

My flipchart can be found here: The Nativity

Could I Hold the Baby

A couple of years ago I heard about the sweet Christmas song, "Could I Hold the Baby" by Rachel M Goates and totally fell in love with it!  It is listed as submitted music for children on lds.org.  It was my first Christmas as Primary Chorister and it felt late in the year for me.  I previously had been the Ward Music Director and was used to preparing for Christmas in August!  But here it was almost November, so I was frantically looking for a flipchart and ideas on how to teach this song.  None of the flipcharts I found were quite to my taste, but as I looked for pictures to go with the words, I found exactly what my heart was looking for in the pictures of the Children's Songbook.  I found digital versions of those pictures on lds.org as well and the whole thing just fell into place.

My first version was without words (I prefer to teach without words especially for the little ones who can't read anyway), but I realized that I needed the words on the pictures for those kids who just come to church at Christmas time, visitors, and also for future use as it would be months before we would use it again.

The flipchart can be found here:  Could I Hold the Baby (with words)

Before I Take the Sacrament

A great song to teach children about the sacrament is "Before I Take the Sacrament."  Because this is not for the Primary Program, I have put all the words with the pictures.  This will make it easy to pull out for opening or closing song, to go with a lesson, or occasional use like this week's Sharing Time.

The flipchart can be found here:  Before I Take the Sacrament flipchart with words.

Did Jesus Really Live Again?

For Easter this year, I chose to teach "Did Jesus Really Live Again?"  I hoped to instill in the children an understanding and testimony that YES, Jesus really did and does live again and so shall they. This is one of the most comforting gospel principles - that we will be resurrected after we die.

This chart has almost all the words along with pictures. I decided that we usually only sing Easter songs once a year, so to make singing less frustrating for the kids, I wanted the words to be there. The flipchart can be found here:  Did Jesus Really Live Again? flipchart.

As a Child of God

Here's another flipchart without words to teach "As a Child of God" to the primary children.  Okay, it has a few words, but is mostly pictures.  It has just one page per verse and one for the chorus.

The chart works well for both junior and senior primary.  The children remember the words better than I do!

The file can be found here:  As a Child of God flipchart without words.