For a fun and engaging logical singing time activity (learn about that teaching style!) you’ll love this Our Time to Shine First Letters. Have the children learn the song line by line with the first letter clues to help them remember what words come next!
There’s several ways to use this lesson plan to help your Primary Children learn Our Time to Shine (archives) and help it fit with your Primary’s needs!
Our Time to Shine First Letters
Sing through Our Time to Shine with a flip chart once, before introducing this singing time idea.
Put the first of the first letter puzzles up on the board and ask the children to try to figure out what these letters mean. Sing through the first line of the song “Like Esther of old I’ll stand.” Hm, do you have any ideas? You’re right – they stand for the first letter of each word. Sing the first line of the song together.
Continue to post one line of first letter puzzles as you sing through the line, then sing through the line together, then build the song by singing up to the point that you have taught. Building up the song line by line like this is a great way to teach a song for the very first time as you build up repetition and learn just one phrase or line at a time.
Continue to work your way through the song through the first verse. Then sing through the song with the entire first letter puzzle in order.
Now, take down all the first letter strips and scramble them up. Invite 1-2 helpers to come up front and try to get them back on the board in the correct order while everyone else sings through the song. Can they get them all in order?
Extension Activities:
- Use the colorful first letter puzzles instead. Add the challenge of trying to figure out what the colors, underlines, and italic words might represent. Use this key to help you guide the children’s answers. When they come up with an idea of what one of the colors might mean – test out their theory as you sing through the song. Does that match the lyrics?
- Hide the first letter strips under the chairs before the kids come into the Primary room. Invite the children to look under their chairs. If they have a first letters strip, have those children come up front and try to put themselves in the correct order. You’ll want to stick with 1 verse (up to 8 children) or it may be too confusing for them to get in order.
- Scramble the first letter strips around the board. See if they can figure out which one comes next. What patterns do they see? How did they know that one came next?
- Cut up and pass out the small first letter puzzles in an envelope to small groups or to a class. Have them put the letter puzzle in order. Then, they can flip over 1-2 first letter phrases and skip singing that line of the song!
For another fun similar activity, head over to see this The Books in the Old Testament First Letters singing time activity!
Our Time to Shine First Letters Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes the first letters puzzle for the 1st verse.
This activity has extended printables available including a 1-page 1st letter envelopes challenge, larger first letter cards, and a colorful keyword challenge. You’ll find these bonus files included in the Our Time to Shine teaching packet in my shop.
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Learn the song line by line or use this review challenge with this Our Time to Shine Erase the Words singing time lesson plan!
What other fun ways will you use this singing time activity in your Primary room?
