This year, I had the most challenging time deciding which song to have the children sing in the Christmas sacrament meeting program. There are so many great ones! We have a small primary, so I needed something simple enough that various ages could sing, but that would be impactful.
Our primary kid LOVES all the newer songs released by different artists over the past few years, so I really wanted to choose one of those. I had my kiddos listen to a couple of different ones, and in the end, we settled on “I’d Sing You a Song” by Shawna Edwards. It’s such a sweet song!
Much to my surprise, I couldn’t find ANY posts online with ideas on how to teach this. So, I should share what I did for the first week. This works well for a variety of ages and is engaging. You could split this up over two weeks (do the music video and then do the pictures the next week), but we just did it in the same week!
You can buy the sheet music and a recording of this song on Shawna Edwards website. The Church has not published this song, so you will need permission from your Bishop to sing it 🙂
Are you looking for some low-prep primary singing time ideas? Click here for a list of tried-and-true activities!
Preparation:
- Open this Canva Template link and download the PDF of the pictures and text used above. You can edit the template if you’d like. I added some additional images that I didn’t use originally (such as ones for Love and Light). Use as many or few as you want.
- Cut out the word strips and each individual image. Keep each image set together.
- Put the word strips on the board with blanks for the images.
- Optional: Hide the image sets around the room. I did this last minute, and it added some additional movement to the activity!
Step 1: Setting the Stage with the Music Video
Start by playing the official music video for “I’d Sing You a Song.” Before pressing play, give the children a few directed questions to ponder:
- Who is this song about?
- What emotions do you feel while listening?
- Why do you think someone would sing this song to Jesus?
Encourage the children to reflect as they watch and listen quietly. After the video, please take a moment to discuss their impressions. This helps them connect emotionally to the song and its message.
Step 2: Teaching the Chorus with Simple Hand Gestures
Now that the children have experienced the song, introduce the chorus. Use simple hand gestures to help them remember the words and meanings. Here is what I did:
Sleep, sleep (put hands together and rest head on them)
Baby Divine (act like you’re rocking a baby)
Let me watch (act like you’re looking out of binocular)
o’er your cradle tonight (point to the sky)
Sleep, sleep (put hands together and rest head on them)
til the breaking of light (do a starburst with your hands)
Oh sleep, sleep, sleep. (put hands together and rest head on them)
Go over the chorus a few times, singing it together with the gestures. The repetition combined with movement helps the kids internalize the words quickly.
Step 3: Fill-in-the-Blanks with Pictures
Turn your focus to the first two verses. Below each blank, place two pictures—one that represents the correct word and one that doesn’t. Alternatively, you can hide the image sets around the room and have the kids find them. Here’s an example:
“I’d sing you a song ______________ Jesus”
- Picture options: A baby and an adult
Let a child choose the picture they think fits best. Once they’ve made their choice, sing the line together to confirm it makes sense. Excitedly celebrate correct guesses and gently guide them if they need help.
For younger children that couldn’t read, I would read each line and put in the name of the image and ask if it made sense. For example, when there was a sleepy emoji and the emoji with the star eyes, I went through and said things like, “If I were a SLEEPY in Bethlehem town…hmmm, does that sound right?” and then it would help them find the right answer.
Continue this process through the first two verses, filling in the blanks line by line. We would sing each line as we put it up.
Step 4: Bringing It All Together
With the blanks filled in and the words on the board, sing the entire song together. Start slowly to ensure everyone feels confident, and then sing it again at a normal tempo. You might consider inviting some children to come up and lead a verse or the chorus with gestures for an added touch of fun!
Next Week: Word Scramble
Next week, I plan to scramble up the words and pictures and have the kids put them back in order. After that, I will slowly take down the words, leaving just the pictures at the end.
Wrap-Up and Bear Testimony
End your Singing Time by sharing a short testimony. Encourage the children to remember this song and sing it during quiet moments at home or with their families.
I hope that this is helpful for anyone teaching this song. It’s really such a sweet one. If you’ve taught it any other way, I would love to hear about it!
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