Transitioning Between Different Parts of Primary

When you switch from opening exercises to Singing time to Sharing time (or however your schedule is organized), you will lose a lot of children's attention in those few seconds when one leader is leaving and another is coming.

To prevent this, we have the pianist start playing an action song [see list below] as SOON as the first leader is done and the next is coming.  That also gives the leaders time to take down or set up their stuff.  The children stand up to do the wiggle song and it helps them get some oxygen into their brains and get their wiggles out.  This is SO SO important to get them alert and engaged so that they are able to learn.

Here is a list of songs that we sing when we transition into Singing time each week. I choose one each week: 

p. 242 Popcorn Popping

p. 60 Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

p. 266 If You’re Happy

p.241 Rain is Falling

p. 240 In the Leafy Treetops

p. 249 Once There Was a Snowman

p. 281 The Wise Man & The Foolish Man

p. 279 Oh, How We Love to Stand

p. 271 I Wiggle
p. 276 Do as I’m Doing

Here is a list of songs that we sing as we transition out of Singing time.  I call these my "freezing songs" because at the end of the song, we all freeze on the last action and they have to stay that way until the Sharing Time person thaws them:

p. 118 Book of Mormon Stories (they are frozen at the end with their arms folded)

p. 273 My Hands (they are frozen at the end with their arms folded)

p. 274 Roll Your Hands (they are frozen at the end with their arms folded)

p. 275 Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes (they are frozen at the end with their fingers on their nose)
p. 277 Hinges (they are frozen at the end with their hands clapped)

We sing 2 wiggle songs each week, one during each transition.  You can easily adapt it to your Primary's schedule.  For example, if your ward does Sharing time before Singing time, the presidency member who taught the lesson can do one of these freezing songs and you can be the one to unfreeze the children.

I don't want the Senior Primary kids to feel like they're being treated like babies, so after the pianist plays the introduction to the action song, I ask them to show me thumbs up or down if they would like to sing this song or not (the majority is always thumbs up so we always have wiggle songs).