Easter Hosanna – Windwands for Younger Children

Preparation: Put 10 windwands each under the teacher’s chairs.

Ask the children to hold a pretend windwand in their hand and follow your actions. (The children are NOT holding their windwands at this point, only pretending to and following your actions.) Start to sing the song and do the following pattern with your windwand. Note: It is important to freeze as you are singing the song (stopping the singing for a few seconds), in order to help the children control the movements of their windwands and adjust if they get behind in their actions.

Right side Circle 7 times and freeze. “…prophecies of long ago were now at last fulfilled.” Switch to the left side.

Left side Circle 7 times and freeze. “…Jesus, risen from the dead, to man Himself revealed.” Switch to the right side.

Right side Circle 7 times and freeze. “…he came down from heav’n above, white-robed and glorified.” Switch to the left side.

Left side Circle 7 times and freeze. “…people of the promised land received their Lord and cried:” Move the windwand to the front for the chorus.

Hint: As you switch from right to left side and back during the “Freeze!” portion of the pattern, take a moment to look at the children while you are stopped and say “Switch sides!”

Chorus:

Circle 4 times overhead on “Hosanna” and move immediately into the next part of the song

Swish back and forth 7 times in front and Freeze. “Blessed be the name of the Most High God!”

Repeat.

After you have sung and done the pattern for the whole song, ask the teachers to pass out the windwands to each child.

Ask the children to move to a place in the room where their ribbons won’t touch another person. (Hint: If you don’t have enough windwands, ask some children to be use pretend windwands and assure them that you will switch so that they have the real windwands the next time through.) Now ask them to follow your actions as you sing the song. Sing the song, doing the patterns of circles and freezes with the windwands as you sing.

Note: The children need to hear the melody and rhythm of the song over and over again so that they have a place to hook the words in as they learn them. Don’t worry if the children are not singing. Because they are actively involved in moving to the phrasing and beat of the song, the words are slipping in the backdoor of their brain.