Teaching "Love is Spoken Here" for Father's Day

I am going to start teaching one of the Father's Day songs this Sunday, before returning to the regularly scheduled program songs since I'm more stressed about a program in June than one in October! Fortunately, the June song will be quick and easy to teach since it is an easy song, and more importantly, the primary children learned this song (When I Am Baptized) last year ... and the year before ... for the program .

I am excited to have the children sing one of my personal favorites, "Love is Spoken Here," for Father's Day.

This song is beloved by many, but often avoided because it is trickier than it seems: it has voices come in a beat before the notes in at least one spot, and it's hard to lead when the boys and girls are singing different lines at the same time. I will just make sure the children know the lyrics though, then I plan to have someone in the ward lead the boys part of this song while I lead the girls part. Problem solved! I specifically want the other person leading the boy's part to be a man in the ward because I think it will be fun for the boys to look to a man they admire to lead them in their part.

I debated about how I wanted to teach this song since it is such a beloved song that many of the children know it, just from their parents. I found this lesson plan on LDS.org and LOVE it!

You will need:

1. Heart drawings to supplement the lesson. I drew the heart pics below that you are welcome to use! Just right-click to save to your desktop and then print. Or, send me your email address if you want me to email these images directly to you.
2. Chalk to draw a house on the board.

P.S. Although these visuals were specifically meant to supplement the below lesson, I also intentionally drew them to match a poster I made for this song previously, which I guess I never shared. I can't find a post about it. So, I"ll post those pics later, but they were the "real" art from which these doodles are made. Therefore if the drawing looks vaguely familiar to you, there's a reason for that ...

From the February 2004 Friend:

5. Song Presentation: Draw a simple outline of a house on the board (large enough to fit the six pictures—from the GAK or the Church magazines—used in the second part of the presentation below). Pass out some paper hearts to the children. Tell the children that love can be spoken in their homes. As the pianist plays the melody to the first verse of “Love Is Spoken Here” (p. 190–91), have the children pass the hearts around and be thinking of some kind words they say in their homes. When the music stops, have those who are holding hearts share their responses. Write their responses on the board inside the house. Fill the house with “spoken words” until both verses of the song have been played through once.

Tell the children there are other ways that love is spoken in our homes. Place the pictures on the board around the outside of the house in random order. 

Pictures: 

Verse 1—family prayer, paper with word “whispers,” heart paper, and the Savior. 

Verse 2—father blessing a sick child, parents teaching in family home evening, heart paper, and Jesus Christ (all heart papers should be the size of the pictures, with a red heart in the center of each).

Verse 1: 

Have the children listen as you sing the first line of the verse. Ask them to repeat it for you. 

As you sing the second line, have them listen for something that tells them there is love in our home (mother praying). Ask for a response, and then have them repeat that line. 

Sing the two lines together. 

Have the children listen for which word you sing on the highest note as you sing the last two lines of the verse.  Ask for a response (“plea”). Tell them that a plea is a prayer. Have the children repeat those two lines for you. 

Have the children listen to how you sing the last line of the song (softly and gently). Ask them to repeat and sing the same way.

Verse 2: 

As you sing the first two lines, have the children listen for what my home is blessed with (priesthood power). Ask for responses. Have them repeat that line.

As you finish the verse, have them listen for what is crystal clear (the things our parents teach). Ask for responses and have them repeat the line. 

Sing the last line, and have them repeat it, singing softly. 

Review the second verse.

Remind the children that you have just sung about other ways that we can know that love is spoken in our homes. Choose someone who thinks he or she will be able to put the pictures in order inside our home while you sing the whole song. 

You may need to sing it a second time, having the girls sing the first verse and the boys sing the second, to give the child an opportunity to put the pictures in order. 

Bear testimony that we can feel our Savior near when love is spoken and expressed in our homes.