Reverence Is Love: Paper plate pattern and word order

Display the following words at the front of the room.

above, quietly, thinking, Reverence

Display these words at the front of the room, but covered.

feeling, reverent, love, think

(Note: if you have young children who do not read, have the older children or a teacher/parent help them with the words when we come to that point in the activity.)

Show the children this paper plate pattern. Swirl (for 3 counts), tap, tap, tap both plates on your lap. Ask the children, “Can your hands follow my hands?” Begin singing and doing the pattern as you sing. (The children will be pretending to hold paper plates at this point if you are in person. They do not have plates in their hands at this point. If over Zoom, the children will already have their own personal plates that they gathered beforehand.)

Swirl: Rev’rence is

Tap, tap, tap: more than just

Swirl: quietly

Tap, tap, tap: sitting

Swirl: thinking of

Tap, tap, tap: Father

Swirl: above

Move the swirl and tapping to straight in front of you (like clapping) for the next phrase “A feeling I get when I think of his blessings. I’m rev’rent, for re’verence is love.”

Now move the swirl and tapping to the right side for the phrase, “When I’m rev’rent, it shows in my words and my deeds. The pathway to follow is clear.”

For this phrase, move the swirl and tapping to the left side. “And when I am rev’rent, I know in my heart Heav’nly Father and Jesus are near.”

(Note: If you are in person, this is the point in the activity where you ask the teachers to pass out 2 paper plates to each child in their class. The paper plates were in a gallon zip lock under the teacher’s seat. If doing Zoom, the children will have gathered their personal paper plates beforehand.)

Ask the children, “Did you notice what words we sang as we swirled the paper plates? I wrote them down, but they are out of order. Let’s sing again and put them in order.”

Sing the first phrase doing the pattern. Ask the children to help you put the right words in order. Sing again to check their order.

Uncover the next set of words. Ask the children to help you put the next set of words in order after you sing. Put them in order, then sing again to check the order.

Continue this way for the last two phrases.

Extender Activity

If you have enough time (and the children’s interest), ask the children to do the pattern and sing ONLY the words that are at the front of the room, telling them that you will sing all the rest of the words.