Some Primary Chorister Ideas

So, I don't remember if I mentioned this, but I got released as secretary for primary and instead am now the CHORISTER! I've only done it two weeks, but I have to say, it's probably already my favorite calling ever.  Less planning than when we were teachers, more interacting with the kids than activity days or secretary, less stress than any sort of leadership position, and yet I still get to be in primary, singing and moving with children as they learn the songs and hymns that will likely be the only thing they really remember from primary, anyway!  And with me loving kids, music, and creating fun things (or finding fun things that OTHERS have created), it's kinda perfect for me right now.

I of course had a few things to do to get ready, though.  First of all, I think it's really important to have the year planned out ASAP.  Yes, the YEAR.  There is so much to learn in so little time, and between conferences and holidays there are lots of "breaks" or extra songs to learn on top of it all...so it's important to me to have long-range plans and a vision of where you want to go.  Also, it just seems fair to the pianist and secretary.  :)  So I came up with the year-at-a-glance...since I didn't get called until mid-May, the document is only two pages long (it would likely be three or four otherwise)...which fits perfectly into my planner.  Organization is the key to success in everything!  I'm linking below two links--one is just the generic binder cover (which is really just black and white but it has cute musical fonts to make it fun), and one is my yearly planner.  If it'll help anyone to have it out there, here it is.  :)

BINDER COVER (.pdf)
YEARLY PLANNER (.docx)

Then it was time to move on to wiggle songs.  I hate wasting time waiting on kids to decide what our next action should be, so I found a really cute link via Pinterest to Susan Fitch's site, which has some REALLY CUTE activity cards for "Do As I'm Doing."  It inspired me.  So I made up some other (very much LESS cute, but still fun and quite usable) cards for "Fun to Do" and "If You're Happy and You Know It."  Links below each picture...they each print out as a 4" x 6", to be cut either in half or fourths...'cause that's how I roll.  :)

FUN TO DO:

FUN TO DO 1

FUN TO DO 2

FUN TO DO 3

FUN TO DO 4

FUN TO DO 5

FUN TO DO 6

IF YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT:

HAPPY 1

HAPPY 2

HAPPY 3

HAPPY 4

As I started thinking back to some of MY favorite primary choristers and the fun activities they planned, some of the goals (behavior, musical, spiritual) that I had for my primary kiddos, and all the many ideas that abound online, here are some of the ones that are easier to share.  :)  I know I will have lots more as the year rolls on, but these were some of the ideas I wanted to use right away.

"EYES ON ME"

This is a basket of dollar-store glasses that I (and eventually the kiddos, once I teach them how to conduct) can use just as a simple reminder to keep their "eyes on me" as we practice.  Pretty goofy and fun.

"SILLY HATS"
The simple genius of having silly hats in primary cannot be understated!  In 20 minutes, our primary was TRANSFORMED into a choir of angels using just these hats as a motivator!  (I had a big sombrero, too...but I guess I don't have a picture of it.)  I had some "helpers" from primary leadership come up and help me...as I conducted the children in singing, they judged each class, and whoever's class was singing the best (EVERYONE singing loudly [but never louder than lovely], smiling, sitting up straight, etc.) earned the hat for their teacher for the next round.  Those juniors especially tried SO HARD to get those hats back when their teachers lost them!  :)  No real prep work and yet they LOVED it.

"HIDE THE NOTES"/"HOT AND COLD" (and a few other odds and ends :)
Of course, I think everyone played some version of the "hot and cold" in primary.  :)  So the music notes, which I will laminate, are to hide.  But instead of everyone watching the kids who are hunting down the notes, I'm going to have them learn to watch ME and follow my dynamics using chorister motions.  The ears and mouth are for if I can't hear kids or to remind them to smile (it'll come in handy more when we're practicing for the program, I think).

A COUPLE OF POSTERS:

This one is something akin to what my chorister did for us when we were kids.  It's just a simple thermometer that moves up and down (it's thick string, looped) so you can kind of gauge kids on how well they are doing...I think I'm going to have my "judges" use this more as we get closer to the program, as well.

 
This one, what I so cleverly call the "circle game," :) is just a bunch of different ways to sing the song--clapping the beat, holding your tongue, boys vs. girls, staccato, opera, etc.  The idea is to have a magnet for each song or verse you're working on, blindfold a kid, and have them "pin the tail on the donkey," so to speak.  I've used some version of this before as a sub and it worked out well enough to incorporate it once a month or on 5th Sundays when we're reviewing everything!

CRAZY CONDUCTORS:
The last little bit of prep work so far involved what I call my "crazy conductors."  One simple goal I have for our kids, musically speaking, is for everyone to be able to feel the beat of church songs enough to conduct them correctly.  So I'm going to give them lots of practice helping me conduct as they learn the songs well.  Those children who seem to be trying their best to learn the songs and sing them reverently will be my "helpers"--they'll pick a crazy conductor (and some glasses) and lead their friends in the music (following me, still).  Hopefully by the end of the month everyone will have had a turn!

Maestro, my baby elephant, is just a sock hot glued onto a painted  canvas (I cut the hole out with a steak knife!).  She's awfully cute, even if I'm not the world's best artist, huh?  :)  

The rest of my "crazy conductors" fit into a vase--pom poms, clappers, fairy wands, teacher pointers, a loofa/back scrubber, salad tongs, and even a light saber!

I think that's about it for now.  In a few weeks I'll have more, I'm sure.  :)  Hope this helps someone, somewhere, somehow.  :)