“Children learn best through movement.”
Pat Graham, former Primary General Board member
Younger Children need to move again and again to the same song, but the brain craves variety! Here is another idea to move to the steady beat of the song.
Egg Shaker Pattern
You can either buy commercial egg shakers, make egg shakers with rice, plastic Easter Eggs, and duct tape, use maracas, or anything that will make a soft sound like a shaker when you shake it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65aD_r9x5OU
Shake, shake (with one hand), Hold (putting shaker on the palm of the other hand as if to stop the sound).
You will be “holding” on these words:
gift
plan
purpose
-gan
come
earth
light
birth
Shake the shaker fast and furiously on the words “I will follow God’s” then tap the shaker on the other hand 4 x.
Shake the shaker fast and furiously on the words “Holding fast to His” then tap the shaker on the other hand 4 x.
Shake, shake (with one hand), Hold (putting shaker on the palm of the other hand)
You will be “holding” on these words:
work
pray
always
Shake the shaker fast and furiously on the words “walk in His way.”
Shake, shake (with one hand), Hold (putting shaker on the palm of the other hand)
You will be “holding” on these words:
happy
earth (however, this word receives the two shakes AND the hold all on the same word)
home a-
Shake the shaker fast and furiously on the word “-bove.” Have the children end the note with you by stopping the sound of the shaker in the other hand.
Shanda Evans
I love this! Thank you! 🙂
Erica
thank you for this. I am doing it today. it’s lots of fun to do movement, instruments and music all together – for me and the kids!
Amber
Dear Sharla,
I am a new Music Leader and am loving the movement and meaning the activities you post bring to our primary! I am unable to find the post about tile envelope game for “I Will Follow God’s Plan for Me”. Help! I ordered your book and it can’t get here fast enough! Thank you so much!
Sharla Dance
Dear Amber, On the post you click on the words that say I Will follow tile envelope game. It is inked to a pdf of the words. The board is linked to a pdf when you click the words Tile word puzzle board.
Here’s what it looks like (though this one is not linked).
Here is the puzzle board: Tile word puzzle board
And here are the puzzle words: I Will follow tile envelope game
Let me know if this works. Take care, Sharla
Erin
Thank you for another great activity! My younger ones still remember this song from two years ago thanks to the paper plates! They will love this one as well!
Jen Bayles
YES!!!! Paper plates to this song was a total highlight for us then too!
I Will Follow God’s Plan for Me: Monthly Plan – Teaching Primary Music
[…] Shaker patterns for Younger Children […]
Salem
Used this in nursery today….they didn’t follow so well, but still loved it! Thank you for everything!
Marisa
Did this a week ago. It worked so well, we had combined singing time and even the Seniors loved it, so good to see everyone participating…even my very young sunbeams had it down! I love your ideas.
Rachel
Do you do the same pattern for Jr. and Senior primary? Just wondering if I should make it harder for the older kids.. 😀
Sharla Dance
If you have both Older and Younger children together, I would keep to the Younger pattern. If you are doing this with older children in a separate singing time, I would make it a little more complex. If it doesn’t challenge adults a little, it won’t be challenging to a 10 or 11 year old. Thanks for asking!