Invisible Points

Here's a fun game that worked really well with teaching The Fourth Article of Faith, but could apply to almost any song.

I divided the room into four groups and I explained that everyone would sing the first phrase of the song: (We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are). Then I assigned each group one of the phrases of the song.

• I told the first group to sing: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And, I told this group if they would ALL hold up one finger the whole time they sang thier phrase, I would give each of them 10 points. (Remember these are invisible points and don't mean a thing, LOL.) We practiced it once or twice, and then I invited everyone to sing from the beginning, with only the first group singing their part, and ending the song there. Naturally they earned the 10 points!
• Next I told the second group to sing: second, repentance and practiced it a couple of times. I told them that it was time to add them to the song and instructed that everyone would sing the first phrase, group one would sing their part, and then group two would add their part, and end the song there. If group two would all sing holding up two fingers the entire time, AND if they could sing better than group one (which encouraged group one to continue to sing their best) I would give them 20 points! (And from group one I heard..."Awwww! 20 points!")
• Next I told group three to sing third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and practiced it a couple of times. I told them that it was time to add them to the song and instructed that everyone would sing the first phrase, group one would sing their part, group two would sing their part, and then  group three would add their part, and we would end the song there. If group three would all sing holding up three fingers the entire time, AND if they could sing better than group one and two,  I would give them 25 points! 
• I did the same as above for group four, only increasing the points to an unheard amount of 45 points!

Seriously, they were wild about this.

Next, we did it all again, except I shifted the parts, so group two now sang the first part and held up one finger, group three the second holding up two fingers, etc. We sang until each group had done each part.

Somewhere about the middle of the game I began whispering the point value to each group, so the other groups would not hear. After they sang, I announced to the entire group how many points that particular (beaming!) group had just earned. This made the the children absolutely giddy!

At the very end, the last group to sing phrase four was group one. I had just given the group before them 100 points for a job well done. One of the girls from group one whispered, "Could you give us infinity points if we do it just right?" and I whispered back, "Okay, but only if it is your very, very best!"

And it was.

We finished by having everyone sing the entire song together, and I promised infinity points for everyone (just to even up the score, haha) if they would all hold up their fingers and sing their very best!

I wonder what they have done with all those points this week!

Have fun!

The Fourth Article of Faith: Week One

Click here to view and download my flip chart for The Fourth Article of Faith.

To introduce this song I am going to show the second page in my flip chart, the picture of Joseph Smith:

Then I'll begin a discussion that will go something like this:

The Articles of Faith were written by Joseph Smith, after he was asked by a man named John Wentworth, an editor of a newspaper called the Chicago Democrat,  to tell about ‘the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-Day Saints'. (Articles of Faith, L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, General Conference, April 1998)  Now the Articles of Faith are part of our scriptures in the Pearl of Great Price. When we want to share the Gospel with others, we can always rely on the Articles of Faith to clearly relate our beliefs. The Fourth Article of Faith teaches us about the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel.

Show the first two pages of the flip chart and sing the first phrase to the children: "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are"

Tell the children you want to play "I Sing, You Sing". When you point to yourself, only you sing. When you point to the children, they echo what you just sang. They have to sing it exactly the pitch, tempo, and style that you did. 

You (normal voice): We believe

Children: We believe 

You (loudly): We believe 

Children: We believe

You (softly): We believe that the first

Children: We believe that the first

You (slowly): We believe that the first

Children: We believe that the first

You (normal): principles and ordinances 

Children: principles and ordinances

You (western): principles and ordinances 

Children: principles and ordinances

You (one octave higher): principles and ordinances of the Gospel

Children: principles and ordinances of the Gospel

You: (normal): We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

Children: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

You: (very fast): We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

Children: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

You: (normal): We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

Children: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are

Wonderful! Now you know the first part of the song! But what does it mean?

(Point to the word principle on the flip chart.) What is a principle? Is it the person in charge at school? Well, yes and no. That would be 'principal'. It sounds exactly the same, but it means something different. A principle is a truth that serves as the foundation of the Gospel. A foundation is the bottom or the base of something. Without a foundation, your house would fall down! The Gospel has to have a foundation too, or it would fall apart. 

What is an ordinance? It is a sacred formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood. Some ordinances are required to live with our Heavenly Father in the Celestial Kingdom. They are called saving ordinances. They include baptism, confirmation, temple endowments, and temple marriage. With each of these ordinances we make covenants with the Lord. (Reference at lds.org)

So, in The Fourth Article of Faith, there are two principles, and two ordinances that are the foundation of the Gospel:

Listen as I sing about the two pricnciples, and you tell me what they are:

(Point to the correlating pages in the flip chart)

You sing: First Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, Repentance.

Who can tell me the first two principles? 

Does a testimony begin with faith in Jesus Christ?

I want you to notice that there is a difference between "faith" and "faith in Jesus Christ". It doesn't say, "First faith" and then stop. It says "First Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Does a testimony increase through repentance?

Now listen for the two ordinances: 

You sing: Third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. Fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Who can tell me what the two ordinances are?

What comes first: Baptism? Or laying on of hands?

What is another word we use for "Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost? (Confirmed)

Play "You Sing, I Sing" to reinforce the phrases of the song, then sing the entire song through once or twice before ending.

Have fun!

The Fourth Article of Faith

Our primary has chosen to do The Fourth Article of Faith for June's song, which goes along with the theme perfectly. 

Here's my flip chart for The Fourth Article of Faith:

The Fourth Article of Faith.pdf

Title Page:

 Two page spreads:

Flip Chart Instructions:

The Fourth Article of Faith.pdf
 Open the pdf and print it on 6 pieces of white card stock, printing on both sides of the card stock. Laminate* each page, put the pages in order, then bind the flip chart on the left side.

*With the permission of the primary presidency, I take my flip charts to a local print and copy store to have the lamination and binding done. My ward has an account set up there so I charge it to my ward, (otherwise I would submit a receipt to the ward clerk for reimbursement) and turn the receipt over to the primary counselor over music the following Sunday.