You will love clapping along as you sing I Love to See the Temple in singing time this month! This fun I Love to See the Temple Hand Claps activity is a great way to practice rhythms and add some movement into primary!
I love using rhythm activities in Primary! Keeping the rhythm of a song can help keep a child engaged as well as support learning a new song. We have several fun ways to incorporate rhythm into singing time, from rhythm sticks to clapping and stomping the beat.
More I Love to See the Temple Singing Time Ideas here!
I Love to See the Temple Hand Claps
This fun hand clap activity is a bit of a mix between rhythm clapping and hand actions. In this activity, we’ll be alternating between quick claps and slapping hands with a partner. We’ll also mix in a few hand actions to keep the kids on their toes!
For this activity, I broke the song down into a few basic patterns. Then, I added a few extra steps for specific words or phrases. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be a pro in no time!
To help you as you learn this pattern, I’ve also included printable pattern sheets later in this post that include patterns for the verse and chorus of I Love to See the Temple.
Here is a list of the 5 main hand clap patterns in the song, as well as an explanation for the extra moves in this pattern.
Hand Clap Patterns:
Clap: The first beat of each phrase in the verse is always a big clap. This helps keep the kids on track with the beat
Slap-Slap: For this action, we’ll incorporate some partnerships. Children will slap hands (clap) twice with the person standing next to them. This action typically falls on a faster rhythm, so they’ll have to be quick!
CLAP CLAP CLAP: You will see a succession of three claps a few times in the song. This clap is just like the first, but you’ll follow the rhythm of the words in the song. Each word will be receive on clap (EX. “and to pray)
PAT PAT: This action is done by patting the knees twice. Again, follow the rhythm of the words in the song for this one. Each word should get one pat.
TAP – TAP – TAP: This action only appears once in the song, mainly to take a break from claps. This action is also done by patting the knees, but this time, pat them three times!
Extra Actions:
As I mentioned before, there are a few extra actions that you’ll see in the pattern for the song. Most of these extra actions are indicated by symbols that are pretty simple.
As you sing the first line of the song, cover your eyes when you sing “see the” and then create a triangle shape with your hands to mirror the image of a house. These actions are marked with a pair of sunglasses and a triangle in the pattern.
Two times during the song, each child will give a quick hug to the person standing next to them. They can also choose to hug a teacher. This action falls when we talk about feeling the Holy Spirit and seeing the love and beauty of the temple.
The last fun “Extra” is a “switch with your partner” action. On this beat, have children quickly switch spots with someone standing close to them. This action falls on the words “a place of” in the chorus.
Activity Instructions:
- Begin by reviewing the first verse of I Love to See the Temple (lyrics here!)
- When the children are comfortable with the words, introduce the activity by taping the hand clap patterns on the board.
- Demonstrate one of the hand clap patterns and invite the children to follow along with you before adding music.
- Once the children are confident with the pattern, try it out with the first verse.
- Continue clapping along with the hand clap patterns as you sing I Love to See the Temple!
Extension Ideas:
- Play follow the leader! Invite one child to stand at the front of the room and lead the class in the clapping patterns! After each verse, choose a new leader!
- Have the children come up with their own clapping patterns! Split the room into small groups and assign each group either the first or second verse. Have group members work together to create a unique clapping pattern and perform it for the class!
- Have a silent run-through of the song! Have the pianist play the song and see if the children can follow along with the hand claps without singing the words.
- Exchange claps for stomps, snaps, or pats! Try out different actions and swap actions throughout the song!
For another fun rhythm activity, check out this I Will Be Valiant Clap Instead activity!
I Love to See the Temple Hand Claps Video Demo
Try this hand claps pattern along with me in this hand claps demo video! In this video, I’ll outline all the actions in this pattern and sing the first verse of the song using the actions. Check out the video below as you prep for this activity!
–> I Love to See the Temple Hand Claps Video Demo <–
I Love to See the Temple Hand Claps Printables
To help you prep for this fun activity, you’ll find a free 2-page printable actions guide for teaching the 1st verse of I Love to See the Temple.
You’ll find a lesson plan, larger pattern poster and symbols pattern poster included in your INSTANT Primary Singing membership when I Love to See the Temple 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!
For more information on why I use a content lock or how to create your account, you can see the FAQ page here.
For another fun and easy way to teach this song in Primary, try out this this FUN I Love to See the Temple Emoji Game!
