If you are looking to expand your instrument choices for Primary (or at home), consider some Pipe Chimes. You can find them here: Musical Pipes



This page will send you to an Etsy shop where you can build your own set to fit your own budget and needs.

I purchased my own set last year after spending an arm and a leg on 2 sets of hand bells. I decided that I love the Pipe Chimes more than my hand bells. Here are some reasons why I think Pipe Chimes are better:

1) Price. Pipe Chimes cost way less than a set of handbells. You can also build your own set. A basic set includes 23 chimes for $30.00. Add $5 for 14 metal strikers. A 13-note hand bell set goes for $67.00 on Amazon.

2) Durability. These chimes are basically indestructible. I always worried about the kids touching the ringer or pulling the spring on the hand bells. I don't worry about them destroying the chimes. They are nice and sturdy.

3) Easy to play. Pipe Chimes are easy to play. Hand bells are tricky. You have to ring them "just right". Pipe Chimes are easy for little hands and it doesn't take a lot of coordination to make them sound good. Even the little kids in nursery can play them. (I don't organize a song for them to play, but they just love banging them.)

4) Range of notes. The Pipe Chime set includes 23 notes. It allows for a lot more participation and a better selection of songs to play. Hand bells are tricky if you don't have the right bells or enough bells or the song isn't written in a certain key.

5) Songbooks. The Pipe Chime website offers songbooks for $10 each if you prefer a printed copy, or for $3 for a digital copy. I find the digital copy very helpful in Primary for displaying through a projector. This allows for the children to see well and follow along easily. The songbooks are your own little "bell charts" without the work to create one. They are already done for you.



6) Made for LDS use! There are different songbooks available for purchase including LDS Primary Songs, LDS Hymns, and Christmas songs. There are also 2 other books available of other songs. There are also a few "other" songs available for download on their website for free like, "I Know That My Savior Loves Me".

7) One-Man-Band option. If you would like only one person to play multiple chimes, Pipe Chimes offers the option of purchasing "holders" for the chimes that allows you to lay the whole set out on a table. I love this option for a descant in songs like "Christmas Bells Are Ringing".

8) Easy to transport. Throw them in a bag and off you go. Hand bells need to be stored carefully in a bulky box to keep them from getting ruined. Pipe Chimes don't take up a lot of space and kids can help put them away.

9) Not just for Primary. My family has started a new tradition the past 2 Thanksgivings. After Thanksgiving dinner, we sit together, pass out Pipe Chimes, and sing and play Christmas songs out of the Christmas songbook. We have so much fun together. My mom has purchased 2 sets to accommodate our large crowds of family (close to 50 people). This has been my favorite part of Thanksgiving the past 2 years.

I hope this helps and I hope you check them out. They would be a great addition to any Primary and/or home.

We will pretend it's all our birthdays in Primary. We will take turns singing birthday songs to a group of kids for each song we review or each time we run through the song as if it is their "birthday". We will make sure everyone has a chance to get sung to.

Here are the songs that I'd like to review:


If you don't already follow LDS Primary Choristers Facebook page, join! So many great ideas out there. Since I've been planning this "unbirthday party" I have found some really great ideas to make these birthday songs more fun.

One chorister posted an idea for "Your Happy Birthday" (CS #283) that I love!! For "zip-a-dee-ay" and "heigh-dee-ho" she substitutes nonsensical funny words. She has a cute jar with 2 sets of different words- one set to substitute "zip-a-dee-ay" and the other set to substitute "heigh-dee-ho". She has come up with some pretty awesome words. Click HERE to see her original post. She was so kind to write up all her fun words for others to print and use. Click HERE to access her post with the document of fun words. This will be a hit for sure!

For "You've Had a Birthday" the same talented chorister posted another idea. Click HERE to see her post. She created different "personalities" for singing the song. When the song says, "You've had a birthday, shout hooray" she substitutes "hooray" for a word that one of the "personalities" might say. For example, if the personality is a cowboy, he shouts "yee-haw!" I just love this idea! The children will have so much fun choosing the different personalities.

For "Happy, Happy Birthday" all the primary kids that are singing to the children in the front will act as "birthday candle flames" where they sway and move. At the end of the song, the children being sung to get to blow out the "candles" and all the "candles" fall into their seats.

"Feliz Cumpleanos" needs some real teaching. The pronunciation of the foreign words deters the Primary from really learning it, I think. So we will practice the pronunciation really well so they will feel comfortable with it.

This would be a great Singing Time to hold in August when the first Primary was held on August 25, 1878. Then it would be a real Primary birthday party.

I hope this goes well because I really want to do a "Visitors Day" too where we practice welcome songs.

• Don’t ignore the problem if it is reoccurring. It will let others know that it’s okay to join in.
• Don’t use sarcasm or humor to embarrass the child or control the child. (Ex. “Laman and Lemuel murmured a lot, just like Johnny does to me.”)
• Don’t compare the child to another. (Ex. “Charlie isn’t being reverent.” Or “Amanda is sitting so nicely, unlike Susie.”) 

• Talk to the child privately (after church, on another day). Talk to the parents. This will let the child know that you respect them and won’t call them out in front of their peers. It will also let them know that you notice their behavior. Be kind. Talk with a soft voice and look at the child with soft eyes.
• Praise the child when they behave well. Point out talents and strengths the child has. (“I see Daisy sitting so nicely with her arms folded and ready for our activity. Thank you, Daisy.” Or, “I love this painting of the Savior. Do you know who else is a really good artist in our Primary? That’s right! It’s Johnny.”)
• Be inclusive or generalize when giving instructions. (Ex. Are we ready to begin? It looks like there’s still a bit of chatter. Let’s see if we can all get in our ‘reverent position’. There are a few that still aren’t quite ready. Let’s review the reverent position. Arms folded, feet together, sitting up, eyes on me, and mouth is closed. Good. Looks like we’re all ready.”)
• Look inward. Is MY lesson boring? Is MY lesson too roudy? Am I talking too much? (see below “Change your plans”)
• Get help from others. Ask the Primary Presidency or teachers to help you. You’re in the middle of Singing Time and you can’t pull Susie out to the hallway for a heart-to-heart. Ask the other leaders to help you. (Ex. Sister Markham, could Charlie get a heart-to-heart with you for a minute?)

• Move closer to the child. (This will be easier if you have the room set up where you can reach the children better. I have noticed that long rows are hard to walk around. If you have an aisle down the middle, it makes it a little easier but I know it’s not always possible.)
• Use a gentle touch on the shoulder. You don’t have to say anything, just keep going with what you’re saying/singing but a touch will let the child know that you notice him/her.
• Invite the child to participate. Ask him/her to help you hold something. Ask him/her to act something out for you. Role play. Ask him/her to draw names for the activity.
• Ask him/her to help you clean up afterward. (“Rosie, could be my helper and erase the board for me? I know you would do a really good job.”) Kids love to feel important and love responsibility.
• Get out your “magic quiet bubbles” or “silent spray”. Bring in an empty bubbles bottle or spray bottle. Label it “Quiet Bubbles” or “Silent Spray” or whatever you want. When it gets too noisy and “the one” won’t stop, use a little humor and blow “bubbles” or spray your “spray” on the child. It’s not the kind of humor that is meant to hurt or make fun of a child. It’s humor that is done with love. (Ex. I hear some chatter. I think I need to get my magic Silent Spray out. Let’s see if that works. (spray, spray) I think that does it. Oh, I hear something in this corner. (spray, spray) Awesome. We’re ready to begin.”)
• Listen. Most times, the child wants to be heard and validated. If the comment or question that the child asks is off-topic, try something like “That’s an interesting thought but that might take us away from our lesson today.” Or “Hmm…I haven’t thought about that. If you’d like to talk more about it, let’s talk after Primary.”
• Change your plans. Think on your toes and switch up your activity to provide a different type of engagement.
• Serve the child. True story: One week “Jason” was just grumpy and was talking out of turn and got in trouble during Sharing Time. He was not happy and it made me sad that he was going to sit through Singing Time upset and quiet. He looked like he wanted to cry. I noticed his shoe was untied. I bent down and quietly said, “Hey Jason. I’m so glad you’re here today. I noticed your shoe was untied. Let me tie that for you. I want you to know that you’re a great kid.” He was a little shocked but didn’t say anything. He didn’t sing but next week he was happy and wanted to help ME! I was so happy. We’re pretty good buds now.  Write an encouraging note to the child. Drop off a treat. Tell the child that you love him/her.
• Gold Coins. I have a bag of plastic gold coins that say “Token of Appreciation” and “You were caught being good”. There are others available from Oriental Trading that say “You really shine”. I love these. My kids love these. I use these for those that make an extra effort in Singing Time or those who help me clean up after Primary. I have 2 girls that help me every week. The boy in the story above received a gold coin one Sunday and it made his day! This is a simple gesture to encourage the children and let them know that I notice them and the good things they do. I hand them out at the end of Primary when I can tell them one-on-one how much they are appreciated. Sometimes I have to send the coin in a note if I can’t pull them aside.

This blog post came as a request by a sweet Primary chorister who wanted some ideas of how to end Singing Time each week. The chorister before her would do a cheer but she wanted to do something different. I loved her idea of doing something special/routine to end Singing Time. Here are a few ideas that I gathered from other teachers. I hope you find something useful here.

• Puppets: Create a "Singing Time" puppet that opens and closes Singing Time. Ask it questions and let it whisper in your ear. Relay the responses and messages to the Primary. 

• Questions: Ask the children questions at the end. They can be anything from "How does this song make you feel?" to "What did you learn from this song today?"

• 60 Seconds: Ask a question that requires a one-word answer. Receive as many one-word answers from the children as fast as you can in 1 minute. You can make this as fun or spiritual or serious as you want. For example, "What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" or "How do you feel right now?" This would be a great way to get to know your primary kids real quickly too. 

• Call and Response: This is slightly different from the call-and-response for getting a noisy class under control again. Same idea but with a more positive vibe. For example, you can ask, "Do you know how much I love you?" and they can respond "THIS MUCH!" with arms stretched out as wide as they can. Or blow them a kiss and have them "catch it". Let them know they are loved. This is why we do what we do, right?

• Goodbye song: create your own or maybe sing the "Hello Song" but instead of "hello" sing "goodbye". Here's an example:

           Goodbye, goodbye,

It's not very often that Singing Time gets out of control but when it gets to loud or crazy, how do you bring the children back to a reverent mode? Here are a few ideas that might help get their attention and get them back on track:

1) Prepare yourself. Plan your activities so that they run smoothly. Pray and know your songs. Think like a primary child. Is the activity engaging? Is the activity too complicated? It the activity simple to follow? Is there a lot of talking and not much singing?

2) Prepare the children. Get some wiggles out if necessary. Sing a couple of wiggle songs BEFORE you begin explaining the Singing Time activity. Then you can explain the activity and remind them to be reverent. For example, "We can still have fun but we must remember that we are at church, in Heavenly Father's house. We need to be respectful. Remember that there are also others around us who are also trying to learn and focus. If it gets out of control and too noisy, we will have to stop the activity." Follow through!

A couple of days ago I posted my birthday gift idea for my Primary kids who will be turning eight. You can make an "all white" necklace or adapt any way you'd like.


Here is a quick tutorial on how to make these cute necklaces.



Here's the list of supplies you will need to gather:

• 24- 1" Gumballs (I ordered these on Amazon.)
• 6 feet of 2" Poly tubing (You can order this on Amazon as well and you will NEVER run out. The roll is gigantic. I split the roll with my sister and it will last me forever. You can purchase it HERE.)
• Ribbon, colored elastics, or loom bands

NOTE: I have used curling ribbon, colored mini hair tie elastics and loom bands. My favorite is loom bands, which I have used in the picture above. The hair elastics are too little and hurt my fingers. The curling ribbon takes more time than I wanted. The loom bands are awesome because they are stretchy and don't hurt my fingers. I also LOVE the look of them.

I hope this was helpful. These are cute for graduations and other celebrations as well.

Valentine's Day is one of my very favorite holidays. Last year I posted this activity to another blog (and ended up shutting it down due to traffic control).  So, I'm posting it here again for this year.

Feel free to download and print the PDF for all images HERE.

This year I want to give my Primary kids a birthday gift from me. I just love these kids and want them to know that I am thinking about them. I came up with this bubble gum necklace for my eight year-olds. The song lyrics printable for "When I Am Baptized" came from Larcie Bird's blog. It is just darling! Visit her blog for a free printable.
I love these bubble gum necklaces. I will post a tutorial on how to put them together in the the next couple of days, if you're interested in making them at home.

Children learn different ways. Some children can learn a new song by just reading words. Others need some pictures or perform actions to really learn a song. And, still for others, these ideas may not be very effective. So, we are going to explore the different ways people learn. You may even find out the best way YOU learn.

Here are a couple of other printables that I really liked:

The spring session of General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be held April 6-7 2013. We are already excited and looking forward to hearing from our beloved prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and other leaders of the Church.

In preparation for this year's General Conference I've been putting together some activity bags for my daughters. They are pretty young still but they can do activities and listen while we try to listen too. My inspiration is not original. I saw the idea of activity bags on Sugardoodle and just tweaked some of the activities to meet the needs/ages of my daughters.

Here's what I have gathered and prepared so far:

On Sundays I go to church. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I get to hang out with all the children that are 18 months to 3 years old for two hours while their parents attend other classes. I love being in the nursery with all the kids. 

Sometimes those two hours can feel very long so I came up with some ideas to keep the time flying and to have fun with the best group of kids there are! These are also good preschool or babysitting activities.

1. Toys. Every nursery is pretty well stocked with toys. Sometimes the children get sick of the same old thing. Try to be creative. Have the children sort the toys, count the toys, or have them clean them. (Give the children baby wipes to clean the toys or a clean sponge with a little soapy water. Have other children dry them.)
2. Sing action songs that get the wiggles out.
• Do As I'm Doing
• Popcorn Popping
• Once There Was a Snowman
• Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam
• Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
• Eensy Weensy Spider
• The Wheels on the Bus
3. Do puzzles. If you don't have puzzles, make some by cutting up some big pictures that have been mounted on card stock. 
4. Look at pictures around the room (or in the Gospel Art book/kit, or in the nursery teaching manual). Ask questions or tell stories that relate to the pictures.
5. Coloring. Color the handout from the lesson, coloring books, or plain paper.
6. Trace hands and/or feet of the kids. They love to see their hands on paper.
7. Read books. One of our very favorite books is Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. The children LOVE this book. We also love to read HUG by Jez Alborough.
8. Play "Ring-Around-The-Rosie."
9. Play "Duck, Duck, Goose."
10. Play "Motorboat." Have the children hold hands in a circle like you would for Ring-Around-The-Rosie. Say "Motorboat, motorboat, go so slow" while you walk slowly in a circle. Continue saying "Motorboat, motorboat, go so fast" while you walk quicker. Then say, "Motorboat, motorboat, step on the gas!" Everyone falls down.
11. Play "Follow the Leader."
12. Play "Freeze." Have the kids move around and have them stop when you say, "freeze!" They must freeze like statues. You can do it with or without music.
13. Play "What Did I Change About Me?" One leader leaves the room for a second, or have the kids close their eyes. The leader changes something about him/her- takes off shoe, changes hair style, etc.) Leader returns to room (or children open their eyes) and try to guess what is different. We decided to have a bag of props outside the door. Inside the bag I included socks, glasses, gloves, a scarf, different shoes, lipstick, hair bow, and a belt. The children like this game too. 
14. Play "Red Light, Green Light." You can substitute the words "Stop" and "Go" to make it easier for the younger children.
15. Play "Snake in the Grass." Lie a jumprope down on the floor. Take one end of a jumprope and move it back and forth to imitate a moving snake. Have the kids jump over the snake without touching it.
16. Floor shapes. Use masking tape to create large shapes on the floor. Children must walk/balance on the tape shapes.
17. Play-doh. Use a disposable plastic mat (like the ones you put under a high chair). Make sure the play-doh stays on/over the mat.
18. String cereal onto yarn. We use Froot Loops because the holes are bigger and they taste good. Tape one side of the yarn with a little piece of masking tape (kind of like the end of a shoelace) to make it easier to thread the cereal. This is a good activity for your older children.
19. Flashlight stomp. Turn off the lights. Hold a flashlight so it makes a light on the floor. Have the children try to stomp on the light.
20. Flashlight shadows. Turn off the lights and hold a flashlight up to the wall. Show the children how to make shadows on the wall.
21. Sing "Old Mac Donald" with puppets or pictures of different animals. Have the children choose a puppet or picture before you start. They will be excited when you sing "their" verse.
22. Singing with rhythm sticks. Sings songs while the children click their sticks together like "Follow the Prophet" or "Book of Mormon Stories." If you don't have rhythm sticks, you can use wooden dowels (found at any craft store) or PVC pipes, cut to about 10"-12". 
23. Rhythm sticks beat. Pick a beat for the children to follow or drum with the sticks on the floor.
24. Camping with rhythm sticks. Pretend you are camping. Use the sticks to build a "fire." Reserve a few sticks for the children to hold to "roast" pretend marshmallows or hotdogs. Sing a couple of songs around the "campfire."
25. Play "Peek-a-Boo" with scarves. Have the children put the scarves over their heads. Say, "Where's (name)?" The children love to pull it off their heads and reveal their cute little faces.
26. Scarf play. Have the children pretend that the scarves are a hat, apron, cape, and a scarf. You can sing "My hat has 4 corners" or just play. See scarf song at end of post.
27. Butterfly Wings. Have the children pretend they are butterflies. Give each child two scarfs to use as "wings." See butterfly rhyme at end of post.
28. Stickers. Have the children decorate plain paper with stickers. 
29. Bubbles. Blow bubbles for the children. The children will want to blow bubbles themselves. It is a good idea to hold the bubble wand for them so it doesn't drip everywhere. See bubble song at end of post.
30. Bean bag toss. Bring several bean bags and big plastic bowls or sand buckets. Have the children toss the bags into the bowls or buckets.
31. Hot Lava. Set out several carpet squares, pieces of fabric or beach towels on the floor. Pretend the floor is "hot lava." Have the children jump from one square/fabric piece/towel to the next without touching the floor.
32. Cars, Sleds and Magic Carpets. With your carpet squares or towels, have the children pretend they are riding in a car, sled or on a magic carpet. "Ride" to different places (church, school, Grandma's house, grocery store, etc.)
33. Music! Sing songs with the children. Bring some kid-friendly instruments or have them clap along. You can make your own instruments with recycled containers and cardboard tubes. Make a drum with a big yogurt container or oatmeal can. Make a shaker by taking a toilet paper tube and fill it 1/3 full with dried beans. Staple or duct tape the ends shut. Make rhythm sticks with PVC pipe or wooden dowels.
34. Blanket (or parachute) Toss. Bring a blanket (or a child's play parachute, if you've got one). Have the children hold onto a corner/side of the blanket. Put a soft ball or stuffed animal in the middle and lift the blanket together. See how high you can toss the ball/stuffed animal.
35. Play a big game of memory. Prepare memory cards and place them on the floor. Let the kids take turns flipping the cards over to get a match. If you want to get fancy, take pictures of the kids and create memory cards with the pictures. Remember to print 2 sets of pictures. Mount the pictures onto some cute card stock and laminate the pictures. The kids love to see themselves.
36. Dress up. Clean out your closet or bring in some old costumes. Let the kids dress up. Make sure the clothes are modest, and clean. No masks.
37. Play "Choo Choo Train." Have the children form a line and hold onto the person in front of them, either on their shoulders or waist. Pretend you are a train. Stop at various "stations." 
38. Punch balloons/balls. Bring in some punch balloons/balls. Let the children play. These are nice because they don't pop very easily.
39. Balloons or beach balls. Blow up a balloon or beach ball and let the children pop them up.
40. Pop! Have the children hold hands in a circle. Bring the children in very close together so the circle is very small. Have the children blow at the same time like they are blowing up an imaginary balloon. Every time they blow, take a step backward to make the circle bigger and bigger. When the circle is at it's biggest without letting go of hands, say "Pop!" Everyone falls to the floor.
41. Musical Carpet Squares. Arrange carpet squares into a circle. Designate a special square as the "winning square." We have one bright red carpet square that we designate as the winning square. Have the children walk in a circle on the square while music is playing. When the music stops, the children stop. The child who lands on the "winning square" wins that round. Carpet squares are NOT removed after each round and no child "loses." 
42. Do a Trick. Older children like to show off what they can do. Have the older children sit in a circle and take turns showing everyone what they can do.
43. Do some rhymes with actions. See ideas at end of post.
44. Play with ribbon dancers. Order a few online or create your own. Click HERE to see how to make your own.
45. Shadow. Create movements with your body and have the children follow what you do. (Stand on one foot, touch the floor, stand up, turn around, clasp hands together and touch the sky, etc.)
46. Play "I Spy." This is a good game with the older children. Sit the children down on the floor or at the table. Pick an obvious object in the room without saying what it is and say, "I spy something (color)." Name the color of the object. The children must guess what the object is that you are thinking of. Have the children take turns "spying" something. You might need to help them a little until they get the hang of it.
47. Do an Age-Appropriate Craft. (paper bag puppets, spoon puppets, handprint/thumbprint art, etc.)
48. Easy Hand Sewing. Click HERE for instructions.
49. Have an Indoor Snowball Fight. Click HERE for instructions.
50. Senses Activities. Create guessing games using the senses.
• For smells, use extracts, perfumes or spices. Soak up some extract or perfume with a cotton ball and place each one in a separate, clean baby food jar. Or, bring in some different spice bottles and let the children smell the jars/bottles. See if they like what they smell or not. Can they guess some of the smells?
• For touch, place different objects in a bag. Make sure the bag isn't see-through. Have them pick out an object that is rough, smooth, sticky, scratchy, soft, hard, etc. Or, place one item in the bag at a time without the children seeing it. Have them take turns putting their hand in the bag. See if they can describe how it feels or guess the item.
• For listening, fill 3-6 similar containers with different objects. Make sure they cannot see inside the container. You can use empty Play-doh jars, or plastic Easter eggs, etc. You can do this two ways:
•  Fill 3 containers, each with a different object inside. Display a duplicate of the objects on the floor or table. Have the children shake the container and listen. Have them guess which object is in which container according to the choices given on the floor/table.
• Fill 3 containers with different objects (rice, beans, pennies, cereal, nuts and bolts, golf tees, paper clips, marbles, etc.) Fill 3 more with the same objects as the first 3 so there are 3 pairs of containers. For example, fill 2 containers with rice, 2 containers with golf tees, and two containers with pennies. Have the children shake the containers and try to match the sounds. Try to make it trickier by using similar materials.
• For sight, have the children sort different objects by color, shape, size, etc.

Flapping your wings, as you go.

Flapping your wings, up high, then low.

Butterflies, butterflies, flapping around.

Visiting flowers, not making a sound.

                                                 

*Pin two scarves to the middle of each child’s back.

Have them hold onto an outer corner to create wings.

Recite the poem, as your children fly around the room.

BUBBLES (to the tune of "Where Is Thumbkin")

Hello bubbles, hello bubbles,

Come and land, come and land

Right in the middle, right in the middle

Of my hand, of my hand.

Good-bye bubbles, good-bye bubbles

Time to go, time to go,

I will help you, I will help you,

With a blow, with a blow.

I’M TOAST IN THE TOASTER

I’m toast in the toaster (squat down)

I’m getting very hot

Tick tock, tick tock (sway side to side)

Up I pop! (jump up)

MY FUZZY CATERPILLAR 

My fuzzy caterpillar, 

(wiggle finger along opposite arm)

Made his cocoon one day.

(cup hands together)

He turned into a butterfly,

(link thumbs together)

And quickly flew away! 

(wave fingers and move hands upward as though flying away)

TOMMY THUMBS

Tommy Thumbs up!

(bounce thumbs up)

And Tommy Thumbs down!

(bounce thumbs down)

Tommy Thumbs dancing

(bounce thumbs back and forth)

All around the town!

Dance them on your shoulders!

(bounce thumbs on shoulders)

Dance them on your head!

(bounce thumbs on head)

Dance them on your knees!

(bounce thumbs on knees)

Then tuck them into bed!

(tuck thumbs under arms)

Please share your nursery ideas!