Are you ready to tackle The Books in the Old Testament (archives) with your primary children? This song is such a fun way to introduce Come Follow Me Old Testament at the beginning of the year!
As you teach this song in primary, consider using this Books in the Old Testament Body Rhythm activity! Follow along with simple hand actions to represent each book as you memorize all the Books in the Old Testament together!
The Books in the Old Testament Body Rhythm
This body rhythm activity is a wonderful memory aid for teaching The Books in the Old Testament! This body rhythm pattern is a blend of hand actions that represent specific books, as well as simple actions that follow the natural rhythm of the song.
This activity works really well as an introduction activity! If you have already begun teaching this song in primary, I definitely recommend keeping a copy of the flip chart close by to be sure you don’t forget the names!
This is a lot to remember! We are going to learn some actions to help us learn all the books in the Old Testament. Let’s start with Genesis. In Genesis, we learn about God’s creation of the earth. Make a big star with your hands.
The word, “Exodus” means to leave. Wave ‘goodbye!’ For Leviticus, we’re going to fold our arms like we are praying. Then, count on your fingers for the book, “Numbers.”
Now, close each hand into a fist and tap one on top of the other for “Deuteronomy.” The next action will be for a few books. Clap once for each book, “Joshua, Judges, Ruth.”
Demonstrate the pattern a little bit at a time. I always like to teach in chunks, meaning that I teach a line or two, then go back and review to help solidify what we learned.
Follow along with the visual aids to teach all the actions in this fun body rhythm pattern! Can you remember ALL the actions? Let’s try it from the beginning! Sing through the song very slowly while following the pattern. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect! Check out our extension ideas for ways to simplify the pattern if needed.
Body Rhythm Pattern:
Please do not let this chart intimate you! There is lots of repetition. The goal is not to complicate the song further, but rather to add a kinesthetic component to the learning!
| Hands Up High – Genesis Wave “Goodbye” – Exodus Prayer Hands – Leviticus Count “1,2,3” – Numbers Pound fists – Deuteronomy Clap 3x – Joshua, Judges, Ruth Stomp 2x – Samuel, Samuel Crown/Tap Head – Kings, Kings Book – Chronicles, Chronicles Clap 3x – Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther Pat Knees (Every Syllable) – Job, Psalms, and Pro-verbs and Ec-cle-si-as-tes | Heart Hands – Song of Solomon Binocular Eyes – Isaiah Megaphone – Jeremiah Sad Face – Lamentations Stomp 2x – Ezekiel, Daniel Clap 4x – Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah Pat Knees (Every syllable) – Jo-nah and Mi-cah and Na-hum, Ha-bak-kuk Megaphone – Zephaniah Temple Hands – Haggai, Zechariah Binocular Eyes – Malachi Spin – “Books in the Old Testament” |
Extension Activities:
- Start by clapping or stomping along with the rhythm. Then, add in a few specific actions at a time.
- Clap once for each book name. Each time you sing, have a child call out one of the names. Listen carefully for this name and stand or jump when you hear it!
- If you have a lot of younger children in your primary, it may be helpful to give each class just one page of the rhythm pattern to learn. Hopefully, this will make it less overwhelming!
- Use this activity as an opportunity to share a short summary of each book. Dive into the scriptures together as you demonstrate each action.
The Books in the Old Testament Body Rhythm Demo Video!
You won’t want to skip this demonstration video! In this video, I’ll walk you through the entire body rhythm pattern for this song. Print out a copy of the rhythm pattern later in this post and try it along with me a few times before teaching it in singing time! You’ve got this!
–> The Books in the Old Testament Body Rhythm Demo Video <–
For another fun similar activity, head over to see this I Pray in Faith Body Rhythms singing time activity!
The Books in the Old Testament Body Rhythm Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes a 4-page rhythm pattern with helpful visuals as you teach all the Books in the Old Testament in singing time.
This activity has has extended printables available including a 6 page body rhythm pattern with the books labeled and a black and white printable version. You’ll find these bonus printables in the INSTANT Primary Singing membership when The Books in the Old Testament is the featured song of the month.
Get more out of singing time with the INSTANT Primary Singing membership that includes printable lesson plans, tons of extended printables and an ad-free experience for each featured song of the month, or get immediate access to the entire song list for the year!
Learn more about INSTANT Primary Singing membership options here!
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Follow along with this The Books in the Old Testament Melody Map to teach this song with ease!
What other fun ways will you use this body rhythm singing time activity in your Primary room?
