Nursery Singing Time Ideas & Cards

Nursery Singing Time can be so much fun! Using a few simple props makes singing time a blast with the littlest members of the ward.

It will take a few weeks to help the kids learn the expectations (handing back the props) but they catch on so quickly. Once they get a hang of it, the props can be a really helpful tool to engage the kids in singing time and help them learn the songs.

Nursery singing time is my favorite! The little ones always run up and give me hugs before I leave and it helps them be eager, and excited, when they move up as a Sunbeam!

If you’re lucky enough to be called as a Nursery leader and get to work with the nursery kids or are a Primary Music Leader that has enough time to sneak in and share these awesome Primary songs with your soon-to-be Primary children, you won’t regret teaching the kiddos these action songs with the easy ways shared below.

**This post was first published on my parenting blog, A Mom’s Take, here. It has been EXTENSIVELY updated with new song lists and new printable singing time cards and republished here for ease of access!

Affiliate links are included in this post.

Nursery Singing Time Ideas

Be sure to read to the bottom, as I’ll be sharing how I organize all my props and activities and how I split up the songs – including a free printable Nursery singing time agenda that is so helpful for when you have a sub.

But first, I want to show you all the fun songs I have incorporated into Nursery singing time in my ward! Plus, you can pop over to see my Primary Singing Time binder & organization, too!

When I first got started, I began with only 10 songs that were split across two different rotations for singing time. After a few months, we were flying through the songs and so I added more – bringing my total to 16 songs. Don’t be afraid to start with just a few songs, and work your way up as you gather resources and props!

Nursery Singing Time Cards

How to Play:

Assemble the singing cards you’d like to use by printing on cardstock, laminating, and cutting into circles. I love to include a variety of wiggle songs and familiar songs the kids might already know, but don’t be afraid to introduce new songs to teach to the children.

Prepare a Nursery singing time basket with your song helps and supplies and a print out of your song list for reference. All of these song titles come from the Children’s Songbook and are a great way to start teaching some of the Primary song book songs from a young age.

Bring in your basket (or leave it in the Nursery or Primary room closet). Call the children to gather around. I like to just sing on the floor with a blanket to define a space. It let’s me get closer to the children and better connect with them. Plus, we’ll be up and down and passing out items to use.

Sing through each of your songs in the order you’ve prepared. I like to always start with Hello, Friends and end with I Am a Child of God. Young children crave consistency, so I use a 1-month rotation with 2 songs lists to let me teach more songs but still have a repeating song list the children come to know and expect.

After our welcome song and faith song for the month, I’ll hold out a couple of the song cards and let a child pick which play nursery music we’ll sing next. They love being “helpers” and getting to choose the song.

I then pass out the props, if applicable for the song, then the kids are really good about handing them back in to me. I use a variety of ways to interact with the music with the different songs so that we have fun and meaningful experiences! After we make it through all (or most of the songs if we’re short on time) we’ll close with I Am a Child of God.

BONUS: Use these cards to randomly pick a song in Singing Time, too! You can use it when the Primary kids need to wiggle or if you need a random song selection. There’s some slightly advanced songs that would work for older nursery children. I love these as a no-prep singing time idea when you need a filler activity.

Nursery Singing Cards Song List:

• I Love to See the Temple
• Hello, Friends
• Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam
• “Give” Said the Little Stream
• Book of Mormon Stories
• Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
• The Wise Man and the Foolish Man
• Do as I’m Doing
• I Am a Child of God
• If You’re Happy
• Follow the Prophet
• Popcorn, Popping
• Nephi’s Courage
• I Hope They Call Me on a Mission
• The Church of Jesus Christ
• Once There Was a Snowman
• When I Am Baptized
• Daddy’s Homecoming
• A Happy Family
• Oh, How We Love to Stand
• My Heavenly Father Loves Me
• Away in a Manger
• We’ll Bring the World His Truth
• Mother I Love You
• Baptism
• A Child’s Prayer
• Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

Nursery Singing Time Songs List (Month 1):

Hello, Friends — The nursery kiddos gather around in a circle. We all hold hands and gently sway while singing this welcome song (being sure to sing “here with you in NURSERY” not Primary). This is our welcome song every week.

Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam — Hand out egg shakers and shake as you sing. Consider letting the children give the egg shaker a small toss (and catch) when they sing the word “sunbeam.”

Choose to Sing 3-5 of these songs (Depending on time):

• Nephi’s Courage — Use pencils as a rhythm stick to tap along with the beat.
• I Hope They Call Me on a Mission — Each child gets to hold a missionary name tag. If there’s only a couple of kids, I’ll pin the tags on them. Then, we march around the room as we sing the song together. I hot glued bulldog clips onto the backs of printed and laminated missionary name tags.
• The Wise Man and the Foolish Man — Use the traditional hand actions to sing the song.
• If You’re Happy — Jingle bells to wear on their wrist for clapping along. I like to do two rounds – one round we clap and the next we wave hello!
• I also have a printed spiral with other actions and we’ll do a second verse, if we have extra time. You can grab that printable list here —> Printable Happy and You Know it Substitutions!
• Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes — Follow song actions (We’ll often do this song twice with a “faster” version)

I Am a Child of God — Music leader holds the mirror and moves it around the circle lingering to let each of the children look in the mirror at their reflection. I go around the circle usually a few times.

If they get silly, the mirror goes away for the rest of the song. I got my mirror from the dollar store and used a gold puff paint to draw the decorations on the mirror. This is our closing song every week.

Nursery Singing Time Songs (Month 2):

Hello, Friends — The nursery kiddos gather around in a circle. We all hold hands and gently sway while singing this welcome song (being sure to sing “here with you in NURSERY” not Primary). This is our welcome song every week.

I Love to See the Temple — Use free Temple pass along cards (ask the Missionaries or order from the distribution center)

Choose to Sing 3-5 of these songs (Depending on time):

• Give Said the Little Stream — For this song we sway a ribbon sewn around a hair tie like it’s moving water. This was one of the few fun things handed down to me as a new chorister from a leftover old bucket in the Nursery room! The kids love these and they’d be easy enough to make, or use ribbon wands that will carry over into your Primary singing time lessons!
• The Church of Jesus Christ — Stand and march in place, preferably in the same spot.
• Book of Mormon Stories — Use the traditional hand actions to sing the song.
• Do as I’m Doing — Each child gets to hold an egg shaker. Sometimes we’ll make a little pattern (think left to right, or up and down, or even a tap on the knee) for them to follow along with.
• Popcorn, Popping / Once There Was a Snowman — I made this card double-sided and I’ll offer the side depending on the season! We do the hand actions or standing actions for the song.

I Am a Child of God — Music leader holds the mirror and moves it around the circle lingering to let each of the children look in the mirror at their reflection. I go around the circle usually a few times.

If they get silly, the mirror goes away for the rest of the song. I got my mirror from the dollar store and used a gold puff paint to draw the decorations on the mirror. This is our closing song every week.

Organization for Nursery Singing Time

I’ve tried a few different ways to organize all the props for Nursery Singing Time, and most weren’t great. I started with a large ziploc bag, that was always ripping at the side seam by the zipper. It was also difficult to easily grab the props.

Next, I moved to a clear plastic tote. Again, there wasn’t any organizational pockets to keep things separate so it took some time getting to each prop.

I finally found something that I LOVE to use for Nursery Singing Time for holding all my props! I got mine from Thirty-One Gifts, but I’m sure you could scope around to find similar options in stores.

It’s called the “Double Duty Caddy,” the key for me was two large divided main pockets and then side 4 side cubbies on each end.

I use the side pockets for my temple cards and the if you’re happy and you know it alternates. The large divided pockets I use for my instruments and props.

Month 1 Props: , pencils, egg shakers, mirror.

Month 2 Props: Temple cards, ribbon wands, missionary tags, jingle bells, mirror.

I rotate my bucket once a month – singing the same songs throughout the whole month. If you have a place to stash your singing time supplies in the Nursery room, you can easily leave your supplies there and pull them out just for Singing Time! Then, the next month I’ll switch to the other list of songs.

Nursery Singing Time Schedule
& Printable Song Cards

I keep a printed and laminated song list card inside each of my buckets. It has directions on the order for Nursery Singing Time and helps for a sub with what actions / props to use. You can download a copy of my Nursery Song Schedule and Nursery Singing Cards!

I’m including a bonus LARGER size Nursery cards (2 per page without the colored border) in February’s INSTANT Primary Singing. You’ll love having options plus all the other bonus printables available to members!

Use this helpful Primary Substitutes Sign-up sheet to prepare with willing volunteers to sub for nursery, music leader, primary teachers, pianist, or whatever the need might be.

What are your favorite songs to use for Nursery Singing Time?