Do you plan to teach The Books in the Old Testament (archives) to your Primary children this year? It’s such a fun and upbeat song and SO great to help the children better navigate and understand the Bible! One fun way to teach this song during Singing Time is with this The Books in the Old Testament Melody Map lesson plan!
You’ll love this visual map of the movement of the notes and the colorful representation of each book of the scriptures! It’s a great interactive way to get your logical thinkers engaged in learning the song along with adding some optional movement or a puzzle!
The Books in the Old Testament Melody Map
Sing through The Books in the Old Testament (flip chart here) once, before introducing this melody map activity. I always sing the song once before activities as it helps the children transition and focus on the words before adding in a new element to focus on.
Post the melody map up on the board and ask the children, what do you notice? You might hear responses such as:
- There are letters around the page
- There are different color squiggly lines
- There are a bunch of horizontal black lines
Let’s sing through the song and see if you can notice any patterns as we sing.
After singing through the song, ask the children what they noticed. Take one of their answers and test out their theory! For example, they might say each color is a different word, let’s sing and find out! Sing through the song to the end or until the theory “breaks” and doesn’t fit the pattern.
If the kids need help, you can ask leading questions such as:
- What might the letters represent?
- Why are there all these different colors?
- Why are those lines going all over the place?
Continue to sing through the song as you talk through different observations.
Extension Activities:
- Practice leading the melody together by pointing one finger towards the board. Draw the movement of the melody following the chart. For a fun challenge, switch fingers with each color from your right hand to your left hand. This is an especially great challenge for Senior Primary children as they use hand-eye coordination and crossing the midline as they draw the lines for each book of the Old Testament.
- Alternate singing! Divide your Primary room into 2, 3, or 6 groups! Assign each group a set of colors of words to sing!
For another fun similar activity, head over to see this I Lived in Heaven Zig Zag Melody Map singing time activity!
The Books in the Old Testament Melody Map Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes a quarter page melody map of the Books in the Old Testament!
This activity has extended printables available including a full 12-page melody map. It also includes a black and white printable version. You’ll find these bonus printables included in the INSTANT Primary Singing 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!
Have questions or need more help, see this FAQ page here.
For anther fun way to teach this song this year, head over to this The Books in the Old Testament Body Rhythm! The kids will love adding these fun movements as you learn the books!
What other fun ways will you use this melody map singing time activity in your Primary room?
