Easter Hosanna – “Match the Meaning” for Older Children

Preparation:

Print out the following words, one phrase per half page or 8 x 11 page. (The size depends on the size of your Primary. You need to make sure all of the children can read the words.)

• prophecies
• fulfilled
• Himself revealed
• white-robed
• glorified
• the people of the promised land
• Hosanna
• Most High God

On a different colored paper, print out the following words, one phrase per 8 x 11 page. I call these “Meaning Phrases.”

• God’s words to prophets about the future
• the prophecy happened
• visited them after His resurrection and they saw Him
• dressed in white
• revealing the splendor, goodness, and light of God
• people living in America just after Christ’s resurrection
• express adoration, praise, and joy
• most powerful, most intelligent, most compassionate, most loving being of all

Post the 1st set of words at the front of the room out of order. Put the 2nd set of words taped around the room.

Tell the children you are going to sing the song four times. As you sing, you will tap one of the children on the shoulder to put one of the phrases in order as it comes in the song.

Sing the song, tapping the children on the shoulder as you sing. (I emphasize the word I want them to put in order as I sing and tap them. For instance, I time my tap for the word “prophecies” to be right when I sing the word in the song. I make it a little louder than the other words.)

Sing the song over and over again until the children have put the words from the first set in order.

Ask the children to sing only the words at the front of the room. Tell them you will sing all the rest of the words. Sing the song with the children singing the ordered words at the front of the room, and you singing all the rest of the words.

2nd Part of the Activity

Now ask the children to look around the room at the other set of words. Tell the children that you are going to sing the song again, tapping other children on the shoulder to find and “match the meaning” to the words already at the front of the room. Give an example (prophecies might mean “God’s words to prophets about the future,” but it probably doesn’t mean “dressed in white”)

Sing the song and tap different children on the shoulder to match the meaning phrases with the word. Sing until all of the meaning phrases are matched. Hint: You can actually have the children tape (or use magnets) to put the meaning word right on top of the other words. Then when you sing the song all together at the end, they are having to remember the actual word from the song as they see only the meaning phrase.

Sing the song all together one more time.

This activity helps the children bring order to the words in their minds, plus helps them understand the context of the bigger words without you ever having to explain anything.