Dr. Diagnosis
This
idea is courtesy of my creative friend who is also a chorister. Have a man in your ward dress up like a
doctor…we were fortunate to have an actual doctor in our ward who was willing
to participate. He brought his own
bag and instruments. However, a
toy doctor kit would also work.
Outfit the doctor with a white lab coat and a clipboard.
Print
out a form for each song beforehand with instructions on how the song needs to
be improved…this is for the chorister’s and doctor’s eyes-only! Introduce “Dr. Diagnosis” to the
children and explain that he heard some of their program songs were “sick” and
needed a doctor’s special attention.
Present the doctor with a patient (song) to be diagnosed (give him the
form for the chosen song). As you
sing each of the songs, have Dr. Diagnosis wander around the room…he can listen
to the children’s hearts with his stethoscope, shine is light in their mouths,
feel their foreheads for fever, check their ears, pretend to give shots,
etc. After each song, have him
give his diagnosis.
Songs
may need the following:
Shot:
" shot of enthusiasm"
Alcohol:
"to clean it up...a little sloppy"
Blood
Pressure Cuff: "pump it up"
Pills:
"relieve the pain" (doesn't sound like you are enjoying it)
Tongue
Depressor: "lazy tongue...say words clearly"
Stethoscope:
"work on breathing"
Ointment:
"rub on face to smile more"
Thermometer:
"too hot...too loud...calm down a little" etc.
An
incentive poster can also be made.
Title the poster “Primary Song Hospital”. Write 3 categories across the top of the poster: Intensive Care Unit, Recovery, and
Discharge. Make slips of paper
with song titles and tape them down the side of the poster. All songs start out in the Intensive
Care Unit. As improvements are
made, songs can move to a higher ward in the Primary Song Hospital. Once all songs have been “discharged”,
the children get a reward…a sucker, bouncy ball, or other prize given at a
doctor’s office would be cute.
The Greatest Show On Earth
Introduce
the activity by saying, “Tickets please, tickets. Step right up for the greatest show on earth…The (Your
Ward’s Name) Primary Program!”
Place
the names of your circus acts and/or games on a spinner. Have a child spin to see which activity
he or she gets to do. If you don’t
have a spinner, adhere names of acts to the sides of a large die or put them on
strips of paper in a sack/container.
After the child completes the activity, sing a song.
Possible
Circus Acts & Games include:
Tight
Rope – Lay a rope out on the ground.
Have a child pick a paper strip describing how to perform tricks on the
rope (while the group sings a song). Tricks can include: normal,
sideways, backwards, one arm in air, toe to heel, eyes closed, etc.
Lion
Tamer - Tape paper flames around a hula-hoop. Pick 2 children…one to hold the hula-hoop while the other
throws a stuffed lion through it. Give 3 chances…if all 3 go through the hoop,
the child chooses how to sing the song.
Clown
Alley - Have a child dress up like a clown & lead the song.
Pin
the nose on the clown (Hot-n-Cold) – Place a large picture of a clown on the
chalkboard. Blindfold a child and
give him or her a red nose to pin on the clown. Tell the other children
to sing loud when the child is near where the nose should go and soft when he
or she is far away.
Ring
Toss – I found an inexpensive ring toss game at Toys-r-Us. However, 2-liter bottles and a diving
ring could also be used. Have a
child try to toss the rings on the stakes/bottles. Determine how many rings the child has to get on to win…if
he or she succeeds, have him or her pick how to sing the song. If not, sing normal.
Juggler
– Have a child try to juggle while the rest of the children sing a song.
Guess
Your Weight – Bring a scale from home.
Pick two children…one to step on the scale and the other to guess how
much the child weighs. If the
child guesses within 5 pounds of the actual weight, he or she gets to choose
which program song to sing.
Milk
Bottle Game – Place a stack of cans or bottles on a table…I used plastic
bowling pins. Have a child throw a
ball and try to knock them all over.
If he or she succeeds, have him or her pick which program song to sing.
An
incentive poster for passing off songs can also be used. Title the poster “The Greatest Show on
Earth”. List songs down the side
of the poster. The object is for
all songs to earn 3 tickets each.
Each one starts out with zero tickets. As improvements are made, tape tickets beside the song
titles. Once they’ve all received
3 tickets, the children earn a “circus treat”…for example, a pixie stick, candy
circus peanuts, or tootsie rolls.
Primary Singing Olympics
Choose
who gets to come up by passing a torch around the room while the pianist plays
(hot potato style). I fashioned my torch out of a flashlight and colored
cellophane. This was fun because you could actually turn it on and it
looked like flames. Another idea is to make one out of a toilet paper
roll and tissue or construction paper.
Place
each of the game titles in a sack or on a spinner. Have each child who receives
the torch draw or spin to see which game he or she will be participating
in. Once a game has been chosen,
remove it from the sack or spinner (if using the spinner, add another game after
one has been removed).
The
following activities serve as your "games":
Basketball
- I used my Little Tikes basketball hoop but an over-the-door hoop would also
work. Have the child try to make a
basket. If it’s made, he or she gets to choose the song. If not,
you choose it.
Long
Jump - Place three papers spaced evenly in a row on the floor that read
"Chorister's Pick", "Teacher's Pick", and “Your
Pick". Have a child see how far he or she can jump. Whatever
paper the child lands on or closest to determines the song.
Swimming
- Have the child lead the group in "Do as I am Doing" swimming
(swimmer's arms). This would also work for running, rowing, Equestrian,
Taekwando etc.
Archery
- Wal-Mart & Target sell inexpensive bow and arrow sets. Make a
target and place it on the bulletin board. Have a child try his or her
skills...if the target is hit, he or she picks the song. If not, you pick
the song. You could also make a target that has different ways to sing
the song on it. Whichever one hit
is how you sing. For example: hum,
stop/go, fast/slow, quiet/loud, etc. I have visuals I've made that say
each of these...the child gets to raise and lower them while everyone else
follows. This would also work for
shooting using a Nerf gun.
Volleyball -
Have the children pass a beach ball around the room while singing. A balloon
would also work.
Diving -
Have the child stand on a chair and try to drop a Polly Pocket into a mason jar
or other container with a smaller opening. Another idea is to use a
clothespin. If the object goes in
the jar, the child gets to choose the song. If not, you do.
Gymnastics
- Sing "Hinges". Gymnasts definitely have to have hinges!!!
Javelin
- Have the child throw a swim noodle. Again, you can place distances on
the floor using tape or papers to determine how to sing the song or which song
to sing.
Discus
- This is the same thing as the javelin but with a paper plate
"discus".
Karate
- Have the child karate chop a plastic Easter egg or other object that breaks
open easily. Have the name of the song to sing inside.
High
Jump - Put song titles on small squares of paper and stack them high on the
wall. Have a child jump as high as he or she can to grab a song.
Shot
Putt - Put numbers representing songs in the bottom of a muffin tin.
Have a child stand at a line on the floor and see if he or she can toss a
cotton ball into one. Sing the
corresponding song.
Give
each child a "gold medal" at the end. Gold candy coins or Rolos work well.
