Jingle Bells AND Egg Shakers! Are your primary kiddos up for the challenge? Have some fun in singing time with this Book of Mormon Stories Jingle & Shake living music activity!
Use this simple jingle & shake pattern to focus on key words in the song and review the lyrics! Be sure to grab our color-coded pattern with 3 simple actions!
See all Book of Mormon Stories Singing Time Ideas here!
Book of Mormon Stories Jingle & Shake
Have you ever tried using two different instruments in singing time? This activity uses two of my favorite primary instruments, jingle bells and egg shakers! These instruments are so easy to use and lots of fun!
You will love this pattern that uses different rhythms throughout the song! If you are looking for a new set of jingle bells or egg shakers for primary, check out this living music post for our best recommendations!
Review the first verse of Book of Mormon Stories (flipchart here!) at the beginning of singing time. Pass out jingle bells and egg shakers to each class. Have each child hold a jingle bell in one hand and an egg shaker in the other.
I have found that giving your kids a minute or two to play with the instruments helps to get their wiggles out so they are ready to listen to directions. Try setting a 1-minute timer and playing a primary song quietly while the kids play their bells and shakers.
How are we going to play jingle bells AND egg shakers at the same time?? Listen carefully so that we can learn how!
Start by posting the jingle & shake key and demonstrating each action. Do a long shake with your jingle bell, then do one hard shake. Then, switch to your egg shaker and try a steady shake.
Post the first page of the pattern for the first two lines of the song. You’ll notice that each word is color-coded with the action.
Speak or say the line as you follow the color-code. As you sing keywords like “Mor/mon” and “Teach/er,” do a long shake with your jingle bells. Steady shake with your egg shakers on all other words on the page.
Sing through the entire first page of the pattern, then move on to the second page! Try the entire pattern as you practice this song!
Jingle & Shake Pattern:
This pattern contains just 3 simple actions! You will love this easy-to-follow pattern with color-coded lyrics to keep you on track! Grab our printable pattern later in this post to use during singing time!
1. Long Bell Shake: For this action, just shake your jingle bell for the duration of the entire word. These words are highlighted in PURPLE.
*Use this action for key words in the first verse like “Mormon,” “Teacher,” “Lamanites,” “History.”
2. Hard Bell Shake: This action is only used 3 times in the song! Do one strong shake with your jingle bells to emphasize the end of the song. These words are highlighted in BLUE.
*Use this action for these words/word fragments at the end of the song: Land, Lived, -ly.
3. Steady Egg Shake: This action will be the most common in this song! Simply shake your egg shaker on each word highlighted in GREEN.
*Use this action for all other words in the song.
Extension Activities:
- Give jingle bells to half the class and egg shakers to the other half of the class! Sing through the song while following the jingle & shake pattern. This is a simple adaptation if playing two instruments is too challenging for your primary kids.
- Have one half of the class do the jingle & shake pattern for the first page and have the other half of the class sing and do the actions for the second page. Then, switch!
- Hum instead of sing on keywords!
- Shake on every word for the entire song. Start with bells, then call out “eggs” and switch instruments! Continue switching instruments throughout the song!
For another fun similar activity, head over to see this Stars Were Gleaming Jingle Bells singing time activity!
Book of Mormon Stories Jingle & Shake Demo Video
Here’s a short demo video to help you prep for this activity! If you want to get a feel for how this pattern fits into the song, try it along with me! In this video, I demonstrate the entire jingle & shake pattern using the first verse as an example!
–> Book of Mormon Stories Jingle & Shake Demo Video <–
Book of Mormon Stories Jingle & Shake Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes a color-code key as well as a 2-page pattern guide with color-coded lyrics to indicate each action!
Join INSTANT Primary Singing for extended printables including additional charts for all the rest of the verses! You’ll find these bonus files included when Book of Mormon Stories is the featured song of the month.
To access the free in-post printables for this post, you’ll just need to create a free account or login with the Grow.me tool. Then, confirm by email and refresh the page and ALL my free printables will automatically unlock in every post!
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Check out this Book of Mormon Stories Action Words idea for another way to review this song!
What other fun ways will you use this jingle & shake singing time activity in your Primary room?
