I Am Like A Star!

Visual aid to be used with the song "I Am Like A Star" #163.

Choose a child to come up and put their face through the circle in the center while everyone sings.  Our chorister really likes using this particularly because many children (and adults) often mistakenly sing "shining for the whole world to see" instead of "smiling for the whole world to see".  The smiling mouth helps them remember what the correct words are. :D

Update: I noticed another bonus today when we were singing this song.  Because each of the children want a turn being the star then we sing it many times and they're learning it quickly. :D

Nursery Singing Time Ideas

I ran across this blog this morning.  It has lots of different ideas for multiple subjects with children but I wanted to share her singing time page because it had a lot of cute ideas and everyone always likes more cute ideas right?

http://fortifythechildren.blogspot.com/2011/01/singing-time.html

If You're Happy And You Know It . . .

This singing aid is used for the song "If You're Happy" #266 in the Children's Songbook.

A child takes a turn chooses a colored strip and just like it suggests as options for this song, we insert the words into the song instead of "clap your hands" and we do an action with it. For example if they chose "toot your horn", we would sing:

If you're happy and you know it, toot your horn (toot, toot)
If you're happy and you know it, toot your horn (toot, toot)
If you're happy and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're happy and you know it, toot your horn (toot, toot).

 

While I have often used this song and done substitutes before, the simplicity of this key ring for letting the children choose a substitute and the bright fun colors really appealed to me (and the children).  We have a small enough nursery that we let every single child pick one before we move on to the next song.  Bonus: for the children that can talk and are learning colors, it's a fun reinforcement of their color recognition.

Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam

The next one is one that she uses for the song "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam".  The Nursery kids absolutely love this one!  They just put the sun-on-a-stick up in the air on the word "sunbeam".  I like how she chose different faces for the suns instead of making them all the same because each of the children like a different one.  Children aren't all alike, why should the suns be. :)  We have one little boy that chooses one of the sun glasses ones every time. :)

The Chapel Doors

While I am no longer the Primary Chorister, being in Nursery I get to see many of the fun ideas that my successor finds or comes up with.  She graciously allowed me to take pictures of several of them that were so great that I just had to share. :)

The first one is a singing aid for the song "The Chapel Doors".  You begin the song with the doors shut. . . . .

 . . .and then as you sing, you open the chapel doors.

 

The kids love the anticipation of opening the doors to see what's inside!