Activity Idea – Mixed Up Pictures

Preparation:

Print off 10-16 pictures on 8.5 x 11 paper that represent words or phrases of the song.

Get magnets or tape rolls to put the pictures up on the board.

Activity:

Tell the kids that you printed off pictures that represent words and phrases in the song, but you somehow get them all mixed up and you need their help to put them in order.

You can have the pictures already up on the board, or put them up one by one but the most important thing is, go through the pictures one by one and ask the kids what the image could mean. Don’t tell them unless they get it super wrong.

This not only helps eliminate confusion, but it helps them think about the song, from their memory if they know it, or primes their memory if they don’t.

Then sing the song through once as you point at the pictures, making confused faces or shrugging to show them the pictures are clearly out of order.

Then ask for someones help how knows where a picture should go. You can call a few kids up at time. Don’t call on more than 3 or 4 at once because that can lead to traffic jams at the board.

Keep singing the song through as the kids help you re-order all the pictures.

Frequently stop and tell everyone, ok do you think they are all in order? The kids might yell yes or no which is fine. Tell them, ‘Let’s sing it through and check!’

Then sing the song through pointing at each picture when you hit that section in the song. When you get to a picture that is not right, make it obvious with body language. After you get through ask ‘Are they all in the right place?’ some hands will shoot up or kids will tell you which to switch.

Continue the activity inviting kids to come to the board and re-order pictures.

If you have a combined primary, the younger kids do surprisingly well, but if they need help, give them hints and or maybe point to a picture that is in the wrong place, and point to where it needs to go.

To add a bit of motivation, when you are close, you can say ‘Ok do you think we can get every single picture in the right place only singing the song once more?’ Then sing the song again but use gentle urgent actions in calling kids up to see if they can finish it. Kids like a challenge.

Once everything is in the right place, you can invite the kids to sing it through with you as you ‘check to make sure we fixed them all’ and then the activity is over.

There are some sets of images available on this site.

Here are images for Redeemer of Israel

Here are images for Follow the Prophet – Moses verse