With lots of new Sunbeams in primary this year, I’ve been trying to find more ways to incorporate movement into singing time. This He Sent His Son Sway and Freeze activity is a ZERO cost, ZERO prep activity I think your primary will love!
** See 30 He Sent His Son Singing Time Ideas here! **
Sometimes, we all just want to get up and DANCE! However, I strive to always invite the Spirit into singing time. After thinking about a way to incorporate movement in primary while still welcoming the Spirit, I think this activity is a perfect way to do both those things!
I love incorporating movement into primary because it allows kids to practice the song while having some fun. He Sent His Son can be a tricky song to learn, so repetition is key! Adding some movement allows you to sing the song lots of times while keeping the kids engaged!
Teaching He Sent His Son Sway and Freeze
*Downloads are available at the bottom of the post when signed in!*
The idea for this activity is pretty simple. It is similar to a favorite activity, “Freeze Dance,” but with a little twist. For this activity, children will be invited to sway back and forth. At certain points in the song, they will “freeze” and stop moving.
Before starting this activity, I would sing through He Sent His Son (Flip Chart) once or twice, then invite the children to stand. It’s helpful to remind them to stay in their spot while they move back and forth. Sometimes it helps to pretend there’s a little piece of glue underneath your shoes. Kids will love this!
Sway and Freeze Demo Video
Sometimes it helps to have a visual! I created a simple video to help you get started on this activity. This video includes a little explanation for the activity, as well as a demo for “sway and freeze.” Use this video to prep for primary or to demo during the lesson. Hope you enjoy!
You can also watch this video on my Singing Time Ideas YouTube playlist!
How to Play Sway and Freeze:
- Begin by singing through He Sent His Son (lyrics here!) to review the words.
- After singing through the song once, invite all children to stand up. Demonstrate the “Sway” motion by rocking back and forth on your feet. Remind children to stay in their spot (glue on the floor!)
- Explain that you they will “freeze” when you put up your hands or hold up a card that says “FREEZE” (included in the printable below)
- Practice swaying and freezing once, then begin singing the song.
- Have children sway for first lines of the song, then freeze for the second half. Since most of the lines are phrased as questions, they will typically freeze at the end of the question.
Once you’ve practiced the song a few times, add in some more moves! You might choose to do “stomp and freeze” or “snap and freeze” to keep it interesting! You could also ask the primary kids what actions they’d like to add!
To make this activity even more fun, I made a “FREEZE” card that I’ve included in the free printable at the end of this post. After printing out the “FREEZE” card, I laminated it so I could keep it forever! After laminating, I taped the card to a popsicle stick to make for easier handling. Use this card to signal to the primary when to freeze.
Adaptation: “Follow the Leader”
For another fun way to use this activity, invite one child to be the leader! Have them stand at the front of the room and hold the “FREEZE” card. They get to decide when the primary has to freeze throughout one verse of the song. After leading for one verse, let the child choose the next leader of the group!
For another fun twist, you could have two “FREEZE” cards and let two kids be the leader! Each child would be the leader over one side of the room. That way, some kids would be frozen while others are still swaying. Tricky but oh, so fun! You’ll get so many laughs out of this.
Extension Activities:
- Choose another action to use instead of swaying. Ex. Rolling arms, jumping jacks, twirling around. Children have great imaginations for this!
- Instead of singing while you freeze, hum or whistle the melody! Each time sing the verse, pick a new way!
- Have the children walk in a circle around the room. When the music stops, children must freeze. Randomly pick a child to say or sing the next few words of the song!
For another fun movement to include in your singing time planning, head over to see how we use Directional Marching with We’ll Bring the World His Truth.
He Sent His Son Sway and Freeze Printable Lesson Plan
I’ve created this simple He Sent His Son Sway and Freeze Printable to help you prep for this activity. It includes a fun “FREEZE” card in the printable to add some fun to the activity. Simply print & laminate this card and tape it to a popsicle stick or hold it up to signal freezing.
You can score a bonus EXCLUSIVE colorful sign with sway on one side and freeze on the other in the INSTANT Primary Singing membership! It’s included when He Sent His Son is the featured song of the month!
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Head over next for our He Sent His Son Crack the Code singing time idea!
