Are you looking for an engaging way to teach The Iron Rod in your Primary room? I LOVE this natural tie in of using this The Iron Rod Pipe Chimes chart to teach the song that talks all about holding to an iron rod! The kids will love the connection with these metal pipe chimes being used with the chorus.
The Iron Rod is one of the hymns included in the Book of Mormon Primary Songs list in January. I think it’s a great one to include, if it fits what you’re working on for the year.
See all The Iron Rod Singing Time Ideas here!
The Iron Rod Pipe Chimes
How to Play:
Sing through The Iron Rod (flip chart here) once, before introducing the pipe chimes.
Lay your chimes down on the holders and play the chime chorus with your pianist. There are just 20 notes for select keywords from the chorus.
*Note: Pipe Chime 17 is a D note which is typically colored orange as well as Note 5 as it’s also a D note. For simplification and ease of understanding, I’ve recolored note #17 to red so there’s no confusion.
*Note: Note 9 is F#. The Black outline helps to indicate it is a sharp key.
Do you have a set of pipe chimes? They’re a great instrument to add to your collection and they’re pretty affordable, too. You can get a set of 28 different pipe chimes with Musical Pipes Etsy shop.
Grab the set of Pipe Chimes Music Note Cards to easily and quickly make your own chime charts for ANY song easily! Just use your white board or chalkboard to write the lyrics or keywords and line up your note cards.
You will need 5 kids to help you play the chimes. Or, in a smaller Primary you can use 4 kids and have one of the children play both #5 and #17 which are only played twice each.
As the music leader, you’ll point to the note in sequence of when to play each note. Each child will hold one chime holding by the string at the top and being careful not to touch the chime.
The children will watch for their specific number and strike the chime with one swift tap. The notes follow along with the piano accompaniment.
Everyone sings along with the song and pick new helpers after each time through the song until everyone gets a chance to chime the bells! Since the chimes are only for the chorus you’ll get in lots of singing repetition on the verses while adding in some fun for the chorus!
Extension Activities:
- Add just one chime at a time. I recommend starting with chime #12, but you can let your volunteer pick from the available chimes. Now, add another chime number and have two helpers participate!
- Stand to sing the chorus and give it all the extra emphasis you can!
- Have all the children not playing the chimes clap on the keywords! This will give them a fun way to interact and help them point out when to play the notes.
Bring your Pipe Chimes into your Primary room again with this I Know That My Redeemer Lives pipe chimes chart.
The Iron Rod Pipe Chimes Printable Chart
This printable includes an easy to print and use 1-page printable chimes chart. It covers select keywords from the chorus and uses 5 different chimes!
You’ll find extended printables included in the INSTANT Primary Singing membership when The Iron Rod is the featured song of the month including a black and white pipe chimes chart and larger 4-page chime chart for the chorus.
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 great activity to try in your Primary room, head over to see this Keep the Commandments Paper Plates singing time activity.
What other ways could you extend or incorporate this activity in your Singing Time?
