Part 1: How it works
I am moving on Friday and will no longer be a music leader, so I am posting this now while its still fresh in my mind!******************************************************************************
"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” (D&C 64:33.)
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Doing music in nursery is challenging!
THINGS THAT HELP
1. Use a blanket/mats/carpet squares... anything that helps the kids come and sit.
2. Give the children as many chances to succeed as possible. Reward often and quickly. This helps especially with children who seem to seek attention by being defiant. Give this type of child enough experiences getting positive attention and they might surprise you! Are you sitting nicely? You get to choose the next song! Do you want a maraca? You know what to do. That's right! Good choice! Here's a maraca! Child-who-is-about-to-start-kicking-someone, I bet you know the answer to this easy question! You do! Can you come be my helper?
3. Pay attention and be flexible with developmental needs. Ie; If a child can't stay cross legged on the floor, maybe they need a chair or a person's lap to sit on (nursery leaders should be helping you.. if they aren't, it's ok to tell them!). Maybe devote a little time to focusing the group if your kids are having a hard time directing their attention to you. If you are going to be using specific gestures in a song, for example, say you're going to practice it first (my toddlers love practicing suuuuuuunnnnn...... Beam! And popping up at just the right time. They love practicing shaking the maraca up high! down low! and THEN singing do as I'm doing...They love the anticipation... It grabs their attention and gets them excited to sing).
4. Keep stretching the material. How can I introduce/reiterate new words? How can I teach them about working together? How can I make the most of each moment? How can I invite the spirit?
NOTE: I have used song cards (letting kids come and pick a song) in some nursery rooms and NOT in others. I find that it really depends on the group. If the kids are too little, they may spend all nursery trying to grab the cards you have, but maybe not!
I use a binder with a baseball card collecting pocket inside (I think I got some on amazon?) and keep my song cards in there.
Some are kept out of the front pocket and reserved to rotate in as we please;
The children know that when a song is over, we sit down and choose another child to pick a song. Every song has either visuals, actions, or manipulatives (I use maracas, scarves, and stars). We dance, march, jump, and stretch.
THINGS THAT HELP
1. Use a blanket/mats/carpet squares... anything that helps the kids come and sit.
2. Give the children as many chances to succeed as possible. Reward often and quickly. This helps especially with children who seem to seek attention by being defiant. Give this type of child enough experiences getting positive attention and they might surprise you! Are you sitting nicely? You get to choose the next song! Do you want a maraca? You know what to do. That's right! Good choice! Here's a maraca! Child-who-is-about-to-start-kicking-someone, I bet you know the answer to this easy question! You do! Can you come be my helper?
3. Pay attention and be flexible with developmental needs. Ie; If a child can't stay cross legged on the floor, maybe they need a chair or a person's lap to sit on (nursery leaders should be helping you.. if they aren't, it's ok to tell them!). Maybe devote a little time to focusing the group if your kids are having a hard time directing their attention to you. If you are going to be using specific gestures in a song, for example, say you're going to practice it first (my toddlers love practicing suuuuuuunnnnn...... Beam! And popping up at just the right time. They love practicing shaking the maraca up high! down low! and THEN singing do as I'm doing...They love the anticipation... It grabs their attention and gets them excited to sing).
4. Keep stretching the material. How can I introduce/reiterate new words? How can I teach them about working together? How can I make the most of each moment? How can I invite the spirit?
NOTE: I have used song cards (letting kids come and pick a song) in some nursery rooms and NOT in others. I find that it really depends on the group. If the kids are too little, they may spend all nursery trying to grab the cards you have, but maybe not!
I use a binder with a baseball card collecting pocket inside (I think I got some on amazon?) and keep my song cards in there.
Some are kept out of the front pocket and reserved to rotate in as we please;The children know that when a song is over, we sit down and choose another child to pick a song. Every song has either visuals, actions, or manipulatives (I use maracas, scarves, and stars). We dance, march, jump, and stretch.
Here are the song cards you can print yourself. Note; the "scarf song" is either Nephi's Courage (and we march, wave our scarves, and say "stop!" at random times) or, I used to use it with My Heavenly Father Loves Me or I am a Child of God and let the children sway the scarves in the air lyrically.
My box
GIVE SAID THE LITTLE STREAM
We used about 3 yards of a heavy blue fabric to make our stream. The leaders held the two ends, while each child took some fabric in hand. We shook the fabric (like the way children shake a play parachute) while singing the song. Then we would say "1,2,3 wee!" While parachuting the fabric up and down over the children (we taught them to say wee instead of screaming).
THE HANDCART SONG
This is an easy circle dance that the kids love. Have the children hold hands in a circle like in Ring Around the Rosie. The dance goes like this;
Verse: (when pioneers moved to the west...) March around either to the left or right (it doesn't matter as long as the adults know where to start)
Chorus: (for some must push and some must pull...) Still holding hands, we march into the center and then back out again.
I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE
This is where I use a binder book. Each page has one big picture of a word they're learning in a big plastic sleeve. We say, "is that a Temple?" the kids say, "No! That's a _____!" (a picture of a church..or a missionary, the sacrament, or a boy praying, or a girl being baptized, etc.). The last page is a picture of a temple and the kids say "Yes!". We then sing the song and sometimes I have the kids take turns coming up to the picture and pointing to the angel on the top.
THE CHAPEL DOORS
Toddlers LOVE this song. They love to say "Shhhh!". For this song, I used cardboard to make a set of doors that open onto scenes from church. We sing the song and open the doors every time "shhh!" is said. Sometimes I let the children take turns opening the doors and telling us what they see inside. You could make something like this or use a picture frame or just a page in a binder.
NEPHI's COURAGE
This is the song I use my scarves for (get them on amazon- definitely the cheapest). I keep them in a recycled juice container with a chopped off sock fitted around it. The kids love pulling a scarf out , and then squish, squish, squishing them back through the opening at the end. We sing the song with the children marching, waving their scarves. I say "stop!" around every 10 seconds or so, and the kids freeze in their tracks. After a comedic pause, we continue the song until the next "stop!". I usually just use one or two verses of the song.
Keep it simple, don't get frustrated, and try to make it fun! We are all given patterns to learn by; the greatest of these in Jesus Christ our Savior. Let your faith in him help you see these little ones through his eyes.
Part 2: THE SONGS
At one point while I was teaching nursery music, I was asked to only use songs from the songbook. It turned out to be a lot of fun, coming up with movements and activities to go along with some songs that we don't necessarily associate with nursery.My box
A few fun ideas for the usual nursery time favorites:
Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam; have the kids practice the actions on "Sunbeam" a few times before you start. Go "suuuuuuunnnnn...... BEAM!". The kids love anticipating when you will say beam, and it really draws their focus.
Popcorn Popping; after singing the song, lead the children in pretending that they are making popcorn balls, count "1,2,3," and then throw them up into the air. Pretend popcorn is landing all over the floor, on your head, your nose, etc and that you have to dust it off.
Do as I'm Doing; this is a great song for maracas! Grab their attention by asking them to shake it high, then low, then go into the song.
Rain is Falling; I didn't actually use this idea but I read about it somewhere on Sugardoodle. Bring a spray bottle in your box and make it "rain" on the kids.
I am Like a star. let the kids shake stars as you sing.
Follow the prophet you can sing this song marching in a circle or following the leader
Happy Family you can use pics of moms and dads and sisters and brothers that the kids can hold.
Open, Shut them is in the nursery manual I think... It's very cute if you don't know it you can find it there
Search Ponder and Pray I had the kids take turns holding scriptures
..And of course I can always fall back on head shoulders knees and toes, once there was a snowman, if your'e happy and you know it, and wise man and the foolish man
GIVE SAID THE LITTLE STREAM
We used about 3 yards of a heavy blue fabric to make our stream. The leaders held the two ends, while each child took some fabric in hand. We shook the fabric (like the way children shake a play parachute) while singing the song. Then we would say "1,2,3 wee!" While parachuting the fabric up and down over the children (we taught them to say wee instead of screaming).
THE HANDCART SONG
This is an easy circle dance that the kids love. Have the children hold hands in a circle like in Ring Around the Rosie. The dance goes like this;
Verse: (when pioneers moved to the west...) March around either to the left or right (it doesn't matter as long as the adults know where to start)
Chorus: (for some must push and some must pull...) Still holding hands, we march into the center and then back out again.
I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE
This is where I use a binder book. Each page has one big picture of a word they're learning in a big plastic sleeve. We say, "is that a Temple?" the kids say, "No! That's a _____!" (a picture of a church..or a missionary, the sacrament, or a boy praying, or a girl being baptized, etc.). The last page is a picture of a temple and the kids say "Yes!". We then sing the song and sometimes I have the kids take turns coming up to the picture and pointing to the angel on the top.
THE CHAPEL DOORS
Toddlers LOVE this song. They love to say "Shhhh!". For this song, I used cardboard to make a set of doors that open onto scenes from church. We sing the song and open the doors every time "shhh!" is said. Sometimes I let the children take turns opening the doors and telling us what they see inside. You could make something like this or use a picture frame or just a page in a binder.
NEPHI's COURAGE
This is the song I use my scarves for (get them on amazon- definitely the cheapest). I keep them in a recycled juice container with a chopped off sock fitted around it. The kids love pulling a scarf out , and then squish, squish, squishing them back through the opening at the end. We sing the song with the children marching, waving their scarves. I say "stop!" around every 10 seconds or so, and the kids freeze in their tracks. After a comedic pause, we continue the song until the next "stop!". I usually just use one or two verses of the song.
