My Mother Dear - Creating a Flipchart with the help of the Primary Children

With Mother's Day just around the corner, I'm getting a head start on learning our two songs for sacrament meeting:  My Mother Dear and Grandmother.  This lesson is just for My Mother Dear, since I will be doing actions for Grandmother (which if you look at the lyrics to Grandmother the actions are pretty self explanatory.)

With this lesson, the children will get to choose a word that's missing.  Have fun and maybe sing the wrong word on purpose :-) After each word, they will sing a song that gets the wiggles out. At the end, you will have a Flipchart to continue learning and reviewing the song for Mother's Day. For Senior Primary, there is a Relay Game using the words of this song. 

Click here to Print FLIPCHART PDF
Click here to Print Senior Primary Relay Game

Images were found on Google Images

Introduction:  "Who knows what a poem is??! That's right.  It's a different way to tell a story or feelings.  Sometimes it rhymes or has a unique rhythm.  Did you know that a lot of songs are poems?! In fact, the song we will be learning today is a poem.  Now, I learned about poems in school, so let's pretend we are in Singing School today!  When I say go, you guys can come sit in front of me on the floor and I'll be the teacher.  You guys are going to help me write this poem for our song.  Sing reverently as you come and find a spot on the floor.  Go."  Start singing I am a Child of God as the children find their spot.

Have the Flipchart papers displayed on the board with 

only the first line showing and the rest turned over.  

Read the 1st line with the missing word, "Like blank in the morning that wakens day from night. Hmmm...what would waken day from night?  Sunshine or Raindrops?  Raise your hand if you think Sunshine.  Raise your hand if you think Raindrops."  Whichever one they pick, sing the line with that word until they pick the right one.  "Yes, I agree.  I think Sunshine fits best for this poem!  Let's sing a song about Sunshine."  Stand up and sing Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.

Flip over the next two papers.

Read the 2nd line with the missing word, "Like blank in the springtime so colorful and bright.  Hmm...what is so colorful and bright?  Flowers or squirrels?  Raise your hand if you think flowers.  Raise your hand if you think squirrels."  Whichever one they pick, sing the line with that word until they pick the right one.  "Yes, I agree.  Flowers fit best for this line of the poem.  Let's sing about flowers."  Stand up and sing Popcorn Popping. "Did you know Popcorn popping is about flowers?!"

Flip over the next two papers. 

Read the 3rd line with the missing word, "Like blank of bluebirds that fill the air with cheer.  Hmm...fill the air with cheer?  We have either happy songs or scaly feet.  Raise your hand if you think happy songs.  Raise your hand if you think scaly feet."  Whichever one they pick, sing the line with that word until they pick the right one.  "Yes, I agree.  Happy songs fits best and scaly feet is just silly.  Let's sing a happy song."  Stand and sing If You're Happy.  

Flip over the last two papers.

Read the last line with the missing word, "A blank bright and lovely is my mother dear....Hmm...what is your mother?  A person or a starfish.  Haha I think we all know.  But let's vote to make sure.  Raise your hand if your mother is a person.  Raise your hand if your mother is a starfish.  Oh good!  No one has a starfish mom :-)  Let's sing about being a person."  Stand up and sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.  

"Hurray we finished our poem!  We will be singing this one quite a bit so we can sing it to your mother's on Mother's Day!  Thanks for helping me with it!"

Bear your testimony. 

Senior Primary Relay Game (Printable PDF at the top of the page).  I put magnets on the back of the words, but you could use sticky tack or tape.

Write before Singing Time or have them sing a song while you write it on the board.

1.  Sing through the song one time using the Flipchart above.  Before singing, remind the children to listen carefully and try to remember the words.

2.  Split the children into two teams.  Have them line up facing the board.  Explain the rules of the game, which are:

                   The person at the beginning of the line will come to the board.

He or she will choose a word and place it in one of the blanks where they think it should go.

Then they race back and touch the hand of the next person in line.

That person will go to the board.

They can choose to place a new word, or move a word that has already been placed to a different blank.  

When all the blanks are filled on any team the race is over and everyone must STOP.

3.  Sing the song as written on the board; even with words in the wrong spaces. Keep playing until all the words are correct. 

*If they know the song, remove more words.

*Switch out words and do different rounds.