For a super simple no-prep singing time activity, you’ll love this To Be a Pioneer Pass a Pioneer idea! I have included 6 different fun and no stress games that the kids will love as you pass around a darling pioneer card around the room!
You’ll love teaching To Be a Pioneer (archives) as one of the songs this year as we will spend so much time talking about the life of the pioneers and their journey. This is a recommended song to teach for the 2025 Doctrine & Covenants Primary Songs list for November, but you can really include as soon as the saints start heading west!
**See all To Be a Pioneer Singing Time Ideas!**
To Be a Pioneer Pass a Pioneer
Sing through To Be a Pioneer (lyrics here) once, before moving on to this activity.
Now, show them your darling pass the pioneer card. This is a fun way to get everyone involved! I have a few different fun ways to use your pioneer pal!
Most of these ideas will have you passing around your pioneer pal. You may want to spend a few seconds explaining the best way to pass the pioneer!
I like to start on one end and have it go all the way down one row, then back, then return down the 2nd row until it reaches then end and then start again in a loop. In a small Primary, you can have the kids sit in a circle. In a large Primary, you can have it snake all the way through and then either return back the opposite direction or have one child be your runner that carries it back to the first person to begin again.
Remind the children that they need to keep the pioneer moving, he has a long trek ahead of him to get to Salt Lake!
6 Pass a Pioneer Card Ideas
1. Singing Bee: Sing through To Be a Pioneer and pass the pioneer card down the row from child to child as you sing. Randomly pause the music. When the music stops – whoever is holding the pioneer will sing or say the next word in the song. Great job! Add a point tally to the board. This doesn’t have any point, but the kids LOVE trying to earn points!
2. Pioneer Quiz: Sing through the song passing the pioneer as you sing. At the end of the song, ask the child who is holding the pioneer card a fun trivia question about the pioneers. This is just for fun and they can ask their class for help, as needed.
3. Ways to Sing: At the end of each song, invite the child holding the pioneer card to pick one of your ways to sing cards! I have a whole collection of ways to sing you can use!
4. Hot Potato: Have everyone stand up. Tell the children you will play hot potato and eliminate whoever ends with the hot potato at the end of each line of the song. Write those 4 keywords on the board – Histo-ry, me, histo-ry, tree. When you sing the last word of the song, pause the music. Whoever is holding the card sits down. Keep going until you have just one person left – who earns a prize or gets to help lead!
5. Like a Pioneer: Randomly pause the music. When the music pauses, invite the child holding the card to pick a different action everyone can do to be like a pioneer! Think of a “do as I’m doing” type of action.
6. Pioneer Hide and Seek: Invite a child to step out of the room. Then, hide the pioneer card somewhere. Bring the child back in and let them hunt for the pioneer card while you sing. You can optionally choose to sing louder the closer they get!
For another fun similar activity, head over to see this The Iron Rod Pass an Iron Rod singing time activity!
To Be a Pioneer Pass a Pioneer Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes a cute pass a pioneer card!
Join INSTANT Primary Singing for extended printables including trivia questions, ways to sing cards, and do as I’m doing cards, plus additional pass a pioneer card formats! You’ll find these bonus files included when To Be a Pioneer is the featured song of the month.
Get more out of singing time with the INSTANT Primary Singing membership that includes printable lesson plans, tons of extended printables and an ad-free experience for each featured song of the month, or get immediate access to the entire song list for the year!
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Continue over to see this To Be a Pioneer Ways to Be a Pioneer lesson plan next to incorporate a wonderful quote from an apostle on how to be a pioneer today!
What other fun ways will you use this pass a pioneer singing time activity in your Primary room?
