Okay, kids these days are just BEGGING to have a phone. My poor boys are so deprived, because even at ages 15, 13, 11 (and 7) they don’t have phones yet. I’m totally okay with them being uncool!
But, we can have a little bit of fun with some text message fun, as the kids will LOVE helping you decode these fun acronyms with emojis presented in a way that’s so relatable to kids — even if they DON’T have a phone yet!
In this fun Text Emojis Acronyms review primary songs game, we’ll have fun using our logic skills and working together as Primary to figure out the clues, crack the code, and then get to hear our new songs for the upcoming year (or for review)!
Text Emoji Acronyms
Review Primary Songs Game
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How to Play Emojis
Primary Songs Review Game
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Start by picking out your song list for the year. If you’re still working out your song picks, you might start here with our Come, Follow Me Primary Songs Rotation printable! It makes it super easy to see which songs you might want to pick at a glance — across all 4 years!
Once you have your songs, you can refer to our list of emoji text below. You may have to brainstorm if you have additional songs not included in this song list. Plan to use just the first letter of each word in the title, and an emoji where best applicable!
Print and cut out whatever song text messages you’d like to include. You can also cut out and prep some of the fun optional texts as well.
You can add to the fun by drawing a cell phone up on the whiteboard. Just use a thick black outer and inner line closely placed together and a big round button at the bottom – easy peasy!
Tell the children you got these really strange text messages last night on your phone, and you need their help to decode the messages! Can you help decode these texts?
Post the first text message up at the top of your “phone” if you’re using one. Let the kids take turns guessing and trying to piece together what it might mean. If the kids need help – have your pianist start to softly play the music in the background.
Example: How to Give Hints & Clues
If it’s a song they may never have heard of before, help them piece together the words with some clues. Like for OTT???? (Our Time to Shine) they might guess Shine after a few tries.
Then, you can start enthusiastically telling the children, oh! I remember a song with that word. Hm, let me see if I can remember anything about it.
Start sharing clues like I think it’s singing about us, what could that first letter be? Oh, you know what – it talked about time, too! Do you think one of those T’s could be for time? Which one?
When the kids have guessed the song title correctly, praise them and let them know just how smart they are! That will keep them participating and engaging throughout your lesson. Then, sing through the song together. You may be doing a solo, or grab our Primary Song Flip Charts to help!
Junior Primary Adaptations:
- In Junior Primary – start by singing the song FIRST! Then, show the message! Especially if they’ve never heard the song before.
- Or, at least play the musical track and hum along as soon as you start taking guess.
- Focus on getting the emoji right, and you can either spoil the rest or prompt them with clues!
Alternate Ideas & Extension Activities:
- Sing all of the words EXCEPT the ones that match the text message.
- Sing ONLY the words from the text message.
- Clap or patsch the song title words!
- Speed sing through the songs! When you’re texting, you’re always in a hurry, right!
- Ask for a soloist (consider a prize for volunteers, like in the Candy for Courage Review Game!)
- Play a music video to coordinate with the texts. You can really play this up like oh look, they sent me a link to the music video!
Primary Song Text Messages Ideas
Here I’ve included a list of most of the 2022 Old Testament Primary Songs to help you use this fun activity for introducing your song picks this year!
These are all included, and already prepped into cute little text message bubbles, in our printable below. But here’s an explanation / key to what the acronyms mean and some ideas to get you thinking for your own Come Follow Me Primary Songs.
- I ???? (Brain) MFL = I Know My Father Lives
- IAA ???? (Smiley face) OG = I Am a Child of God
- WH ⬇ (Down arrow) A = When He Comes Again
- ⏩ (Fast Forward arrows) TP = Follow the Prophet
- H ✉ (Envelope) HS = He Sent His Son
- CT ➡ (Right arrow) = Choose the Right
- KT ???? (Book) = Keep the Commandments
- IW ???? (Footprint) WJ = I Will Walk With Jesus
- S ???? (Thought Bubble) P = Search, Ponder and Pray
- ILT ???? (Eyes) TT = I Love to See the Temple
- AC ???? (Pray hands) = A Child’s Prayer
- ???? (Double Hearts) OA = Love One Another
- I???? (Muscles) TBLJ = I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus
- TH ???? (Ghost) = The Holy Ghost
- IFMS ❤ (Heart) = I Feel My Savior’s Love
- IHT ???? (Phone) MOAM = I Hope They Call Me on a Mission
- FCBT ♾ (Infinity) = Families Can Be Together Forever
- ???? (Magnifying glass) TLE = Seek the Lord Early
- ???? (Hammer) AA = Build an Ark
- HM ???? (Deer) F = Help Me, Dear Father
- IW ???? (Bee) V = I Will Be Valiant
- TMTWIT ???? (Light) = Teach Me to Walk in the Light
- OTT???? (Flashlight) = Our Time to Shine
- I???? (Speech Bubble) = Isaiah Says
Just for fun, I’ve also included a couple of back and forth texts like you’re having a conversation! You can include some of these at the beginning or end of your lesson plan, if you’d like! Or create your own replies.
Optional Texts from the Music Leader:
- ⌚(Watch) 2 ????(Microphone) = Time to Sing
- ICYMI = In case you missed it
- BTW = By the way
- CFM22???? (Music note) = Come, Follow Me 2022 Songs
- ????(Thumbs Up) ????(Thumbs Down) = Did you like the songs?
- LMK = Let me know
Printable Emoji Text Acronyms
Review Primary Songs Game
This free printable lesson plan includes all 24 songs listed above, plus some bonus texts from the music leader, and a few blanks to let you create your own!
The texts come in two sizes – with 2 text messages per page for a half sheet text or with 6 text message bubbles per page for a smaller chat thread for those that may need to preserve ink.
I always use Instant Ink to print all my files, I absolutely love it and find it’s a HUGE money saver for me! So, printing files even in full color only costs pennies and I’m never scrambling for ink. I highly recommend it, if you haven’t tried it yet you’ll get your 1st month of ink free!
The Emojis Text Acronyms Review Game Printable file is a total of 24 pages including a printable lesson plan so you can store everything together in one spot for easy storage (and not forget what those texts mean or how to use them!)
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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Did I miss one of your 2022 Come Follow Me song choices? I’d love to hear what songs you’re doing and any acronyms + emoji’s you came up with!
