Heading back to school is a big and significant event in your Primary kiddos lives! What a fun way to show them you’re paying attention to their big moments than with these back to school singing time ideas!
There’s a lot of fun variety of activities with some that will work for any songs, review a mix of songs, or incorporate an everyday lesson while tying it into a seasonal theme!
12 Back to School Singing Time Ideas
1. Build a Pencil Song Scramble
Use this Build a Pencil Song Scramble game with adorable pencil graphics to write in your song title by letter or word and let the kids pick an envelope, unscramble the song, and even match a fun way to sing if you’d like! It’s a great themed way to review all your songs as you get closer to the Primary Program!
2. What’s in my Backpack?
Pull out a variety of school supplies and then match the song with a fun themed way to sing that goes along with each object. There’s a total of 18 different fun school supply cards in this What’s in my Backpack Review game!
3. Pencil Rhythm Sticks
Teach whatever song you’re already working on with a fun rhythm stick pattern – but substitute out pencils, markers, colored pencils, red pens, etc! This will add a fun theme, but help you stay focused on continuing teaching the songs you’ve picked for the year.
Here are some of our Rhythm Stick Lesson Plans to make it even easier:
- Tell Me the Stories of Jesus Rhythm Sticks
- Gethsemane Rhythm Sticks
- When I Am Baptized Rhythm Sticks
I’ve also created these super easy to use Rhythm Stick Music Cards that make it a cinch to easily come up with fun and unique rhythm stick patterns for any song! Head over to find the cards in my digital shop or over on my Etsy shop.
4. Lead with School Supplies
Prepare a variety of school supplies to have up front that the children can use to help lead the music. You might include some of the following:
- Pencil
- Marker
- Glue Stick
- Ruler
- Scissors (the blunt kid style)
- Pencil box
- Tissues
- Eraser
5. The Shortest Pencil
Have 3-5 pencils of varying lengths, but all of the same color. Mix them up together and then hold them so that you disguise the length of each pencil. Have helpers come up front and stand in front of a song title (or number) on the whiteboard.
They’ll each then draw a pencil. Whichever helper drew the shortest pencil is the song everyone sings! You can also let that child stay up front to help you lead the song.
This is a fun play off of the story of Nephi and his brothers drawing lots that you can tie into the theme, if you want to. It can be a great tie into how the Lord can help us as we do hard things – like starting school for the first time or making new friends.
6. Alphabet Bingo
Play a fun classic game of Bingo using the Alphabet! When a letter card is drawn, use the guide to follow the letter action while you sing your choice of song or a mix of songs for a fun review game!
7. Pick a Pencil Ways to Sing
Bring in an assortment of colorful and fun pencils and attach one of these singing time actions on to each. You’ll have a super fun singing time game you can use anytime of the year that’s also perfectly themed for the back to school season. Head over to see the Pick a Pencil lesson plan here.
8. Back to School Schoolyard Games
Play some fun classic recess games for something unique and different to do with your Primary kiddos! This would be really fun as an after-program more relaxed Sunday activity, too! Head over to this post to see all of the Back to School Schoolyard Games ideas!
9. Back to School Cootie Catcher
This adorable cootie catcher covers different school subjects and themed questions to go with it! This Back to School Cootie Catcher would be the perfect activity to better get to know your Primary as a new music leader or use it paired with various themed singing time actions for your songs to review!
10. Back to School I Spy Game
Hide a variety of different school-themed images around the room and play a fun classic game of I Spy! There’s several different ways to play and this is a game your Junior Primary especially are going to love! Head over to see the I Spy Back to School game here.
11. Back to School Primary Pals Pennant
Get to know your Primary children if you’re a newly called music leader or use these cards to pick a helper as you create a cute Primary Pals Pennant Banner to decorate your Primary room!
Back to School Singing Time Ideas by School Subject!
1. Plan a Geography Lesson for Singing Time!
Use this fun singing time activity for I Hope They Call Me on a Mission that will take the kids all around the world! Add a map (or bring in a globe) and add little pins or stars to the locations and have the kids try to spot the different places around the world.
2. Bring in a Little Math Practice!
The kids will love this fun The Holy Ghost Number Problems singing time idea. They’ll have to decode which numbers represent which matching words in a fun activity that adds a challenge while getting in lots of singing repetition. You can easily tie in a fun themed activity like this with the back to school theme!
3. Art Class Singing Time
I love the idea of picking a few favorite subjects and diving in with a different activity for each. Bring in one of our fun and easy art-themed singing time ideas that match a song you’re working on. Here’s a few favorites, but you can see even more ideas linked in our Visual Intrigue Singing Time Ideas post.
- I Know My Father Lives Color Puzzle
- I Love to See the Temple Playdoh Creations
- Keep the Commandments – Color the Commandments
- Gethsemane – Jesus Loves Me Drawings
- Love One Another – Magic Crayon
4. Choose the “WRITE”
Have fun with the hymn Choose the Right by simply mixing up the keyword! Here’s a few ways to add in the back to school theme:
- Add a fun action for every time you sing right, such as stomp or point to the right!
- Hold up a pencil or pretend to write with a pencil every time you sing “right”
- Create a fill-in-the-blank and have the kids write in the missing keywords
- Pass the dry erase marker! Kids get to write the word they just heard sung up on the board, then pass off the dry erase marker. Can they get all the words up there and in the correct order?
We have 12 more fun Choose the Right Singing Time ideas that you could mix and match to add to your Back to School singing time plans over in this post!
More Singing Time Ideas for Back to School
1. Hidden Calculator Song Number
I adore this cute idea by I Heart Primary Music. You’ll simply type in a song number and then hide the calculator somewhere in the room. Make sure you test out your calculator first to ensure it will stay on long enough and write down the song numbers, just in case they hit a button. She has some more cute ideas in the post, visit her post for additional ideas!
2. School & Bus Song Mixer
Little LDS Ideas has adorable printable school house and school bus printable cards. You’ll just write a song title and a way to sing on the back of each, then let the kids pick one bus and one school house and sing following the matching sequence!
Continue on next to find different fun themes and activities to help you get ready for General Conference singing time activities! There’s a great assortment of fun ideas and activities for the weeks before or after conference.
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What other fun ideas do you have for a fun Back to School Singing Time?
