Saturday, September 23, 2017

Download a General Conference Primary Activity Packet!

** Update: I had this activity packet on two different downloads and combined them into one today.

Hi Friends,

I like to make a General Conference packet for the Primary kids every year. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers amazing activity packets if you've never used them before but since I use them every year, this is my way of trying to add variety to the packet. I like to include the church's "Bingo" pages with my packet (they don't actually call it Bingo). Also, following a long tradition in my ward, we also attach a packet of Skittles or some other candy they can use as game pieces for some of the activities in the packet.

I also always make a point of having at least one page focus on the Primary songs that the children have been learning that year.

You can download my 2017 General Conference Activity Packet here or from the widget below.

Here is a preview of some of the pages:











 I'd love to know what you think. Or if you have any suggestions for pages that I should include in the packet next time! 




Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Nativity ABCs by Esther Yu Sumner

My Nativity ABCs

by Esther Yu Sumner

Giveaway ends October 10, 2017.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Win a free book!

My publisher, Cedar Fort, is giving away ten free copies of my new children's book through Goodreads. Enter to win! The drawing runs through October 10, 2017.


Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Nativity ABCs by Esther Yu Sumner

My Nativity ABCs

by Esther Yu Sumner

Giveaway ends October 10, 2017.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Visit "My Nativity ABCs" on Goodreads to enter now!

And, if you're in Salt Lake City this weekend, you can visit the artist for this book, Alex Worthen, at his booth in Artist Alley.


Friday, September 15, 2017

The Primary Program - Where Should You Stand? Tips for getting the kids to sing with volume.

Where to Stand
When our primary was large, and we had to squeeze folding chairs into every empty space in the choir area, we found that it worked to choose a spot a few pews back in the chapel, and stand on a stool. We set the easel for the music in the pew area directly in front of that spot, which meant that I reserved a spot on a bench and then the spot on the bench directly in front of me. This was my favorite place to stand with a large choir.

Another year, the primary had shrunk enough that we tried having me direct so that I was up on the stands too, and the microphone was directly behind me when I was facing the children. The children responded better to requests for more volume, with me so close to them. It felt less intimidating. This was my favorite place to stand for a medium size choir.

For Mother's Day and other programs, when the children just come up from where they are sitting with their families, instead of being in the choir seats, I stood in front of the very front-most pew or sometimes even stayed seated. This was a great spot because I was right there in front of the kids, and proximity made them more comfortable.

I have seen choir directors stand in the center of one of the aisles, and that's not a bad spot, but I like to be centered in front of the kids.

Also, make sure that wherever you stand, both the pianist and if you need an organ, the organist can see you, too.

Sing out Loud
I realized pretty quickly as a primary chorister that the louder I sang, the louder the kids sang. They really do follow us so if we sing the wrong words, they sing the wrong words with us. If we sing forte, they sing forte with us.

I have been involved with the Primary Program and all times that the children sing in sacrament for eight years now, either as a chorister or primary president. It's noticeable that every time the chorister isn't comfortable singing loudly, the primary kids are a lot more quiet.

In addition, if the primary kids feel isolated from each other, they also have a tendency to sing more quietly. So, if you have a primary that is so small that they don't fill the primary seats, consider having them stand just behind the microphone and have them squish in close together. All of this stuff makes a big difference in volume and confidence!

Lastly, simple movements, like cupping my hand behind my ear helped.

What I don't recommend is having someone else hold up volume cards. The kids should be looking at you, not someone else.



Goodreads Book Giveaway

My Nativity ABCs by Esther Yu Sumner

My Nativity ABCs

by Esther Yu Sumner

Giveaway ends October 10, 2017.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Saturday, September 9, 2017

10 Song Review Ideas to Get Ready for the Primary Program


It's that time of the year when Primary choristers and leaders are preparing for the Primary Program.

Here's a round-up of my favorite song review activities that I've personally seen be very effective for the kids - not just singing every song over and over again, but finding ways to identify problem areas and strengthen them in a way that is fun and effective.

These activities are highly engaging so everyone is paying attention, plus someone gets the honor of coming to the front of the room so there's high participation all the way around.

I've added a "prep work" level so you know if you can prepare this the morning of church or if you need to do some work in advance.

1. For Senior Primary: Helmet Hero. For Junior Primary: Singing Elephant.
Prep work: Moderate for Senior, High for Junior
What: Children get to come up to the front of the room and fill in the blank to finish the missing lines to a song. This is difficult for Junior Primary because they can't read so I have them play Singing Elephant instead.


2. Red Light, Green Light
Prep work: Moderate
What: The entire class is forced to think about lines of the song when they stop singing and then start singing again in random spots depending on what color thread is pulled out of a canister. Let the kids pull the thread out!


3. Echo Chamber
Prep work: None
What: This is a no-prep activity and it really drills the lines into children's heads without them feeling bored about it, as children split into each corner of the room and take turns echoing one line at each other before moving to the next line. You need to give your pianist a little bit of warning though! The other fun way to do this is to have the two sides of the room echo each other, but I like four corners better.

4. How Loud Can You Sing?
Prep work: Low
What: (Same link as previous post so you have to scroll down a bit for this one.) I do this one last because once the kids can show me they are confident that they know the words, we work on their confidence in being able to sing loudly but beautifully while in the big chapel.

5. Singing Olympics
Prep work: High
What: This is if you want to "go big" and if your president will let you have the entire hour for singing time. Prepare fun activities that lead to choosing a song, then the judges review your for how well you know the lyrics, how loudly you sang, if you were watching the chorister, etc. It's a really great way to identify where the children need help singing. Oftentimes, it's the second verse of the song that's a problem. This is also best as a two-week activity. But, it's so fun!



6. Judges Song Review
Prep work: Low
What: If you want to do something similar to #5 but with way less prep work, prepare some simple but themed signs like these ones, put the songs for review in a jar, and ask a few judges to come in at the end of the song, hold up signs for how the children did. You can make it fancier if you want by having a progress bar up on the board that shows how the judges ranked each song.

(If I get at least 10 requests for these guys, which also includes Proud Pumpkin and Say What Werewolf. I will re-draw them and scan them for folks to print out.)

I made a fancy progress bar several years ago for Pioneer Day but you could even just draw bars on the chalkboard and color them in:



7. For Junior: Pop-Up Puppet
Prep work: Low
What: The kids in Junior primary LOVE this puppet that slowly creeps out of a box and looks around if the children are doing a good job with singing. So this is also a good way to test lyrics and volume. I love this because all I did was put wrapping paper around a box and put my arm through, using a puppet I owned. If you don't own one ask your neighbors. My friend that was a chorister before me had a really cool homemade one that was attached to a stick and sat inside what I remember as being an ice cream cone shaped funnel. But I can see using a Pringle canister.



8. Hot Potato
Prep work: Low
What: This is another great no prep activity. Grab a potato, a pom-pom, something easy to pass from one child to the other. They sing the song and when the music stops, whomever is holding the item has to tell everyone the next line of the song. A few caveats: I don't like to make kids too uncomfortable with being put on the spot so they are allowed to ask the neighbor to the left and right of them for help with the words. Also, they are not allowed to throw the item. They have to pass it gently.

9. Pretend It's the Day!
Prep work: Low
What: Pretend it's the day of the program. Have them come in, talk to them in low voices, maybe describe the scene. Ask them if they are at the edge of their seats. Have them slowly rise. Make them sit back down and stand again if they did this poorly. Sing the song, etc. This one isn't going to be as fun if you don't get into all the extra moves and I wouldn't do this until the end. It's more of performance preparation than song review so I saved this one for the end.

10. Follow the Leader
Here's another end-of-the-line prep one but it's also so great to work on dynamics with them. You could even have a child come up to the front and get to try doing the moves and having everyone follow that person.

And finally, on a related note, but not one that will help with song reviews:

I have a little announcement! I have a new children's book coming out that I wrote for my Primary kids. From now until October 10, 2017, you can enter to win one of ten free copies here!



My Nativity ABCs
is available for pre-order now on Amazon and will be in bookstores in mid-October. I'm so excited. Thanks for all the support of my primary chorister blog over the years. After years of putting together creative ideas for the children my mind has been so full of ideas for the children. I'm so excited to share this with the Primary kids. I actually have this book to a tune in my head (it's a rhyming ABC story).








Friday, September 8, 2017

I wrote a children's book and it's coming out next month! "My Nativity ABCs."

I wrote a book for my primary kids and it's available for pre-order on Amazon!

My Nativity ABCs goes into publication on October 10, 2017.



I love the Christmas songs in the Children's Songbook and I always tried to start singing them with the children as soon as it was remotely appropriate (November 1) until it was time to move on (second week of January). This ABC story focusing on the Nativity is written as rhyming text, inspired by my years as a primary chorister. I've put the story to song in my head.

"My Nativity ABCs" focuses on the nativity story from my perspective of what I want to share about it to the children, as a primary president, primary chorister, and primary teacher. This is largely influenced by recent annual primary themes that are established by church leaders for each year, that we actively think about all year as we work to help the children understand how much God loves them.

1. Choose the Right
2. I Know the Scriptures are True
3. I Know my Savior Lives
4. Families are Forever
5. I Am a Child of God

I tied these themes and other inspiring lessons from the scriptures into this book. For instance, F is about family and faith, which focuses on Theme #4 above.

The talented illustrator Alex Worthen did such a fantastic job with the art for this book. I'm excited to see it hit the shelves next month!