Activity: SINGO

This week, I have singing time and sharing time all to myself, so I'm going back to one of the Primary Chorister review staples:  SINGO!

The printables are available in MS Word for both American and European paper sizes and in 4x4 and 5x5 formats.  Those links are at the bottom of this post.  Tips and ideas for using them are below.  

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1.  The documents include both the 4x4 and 5x5 formats.  Decide which you want to use and delete the other set first.  Then choose the 16 or 25 pictures you want to use and delete the others.  I'll be doing mostly program review, with a few wiggle songs thrown in.  

2.  The songs associated with each picture can be found here.  Or feel free to make up your own.  I've also added Joseph Smith praying, missionaries, and Christ's hands, which you can use for songs with those subjects.  There is also a blank square where you can write in the name of a song that I haven't drawn yet.

3.  Once you have the pictures narrowed down, you can create the cards in one of two ways

• Copy and paste the entire document once for each child you have in primary.  I expect 25 or fewer children this week, so I copied and pasted 25 times.  Then drag and drop the pictures on each page into different configurations.  This creates 25 pages of unique SINGO cards, which I can just print and use.
• or, Delete the word "SINGO," then print a page of just the pictures for each child.  Have the children cut out each picture and paste it onto a blank piece of paper to create their own unique SINGO card.  

4.  Have the children color and/or assemble their SINGO cards.  Don't waste this time!  My primary hasn't learned the August song yet, so I will play it on a loop while they are coloring.  By the time they are done, they'll almost know the song.

5.  Color and cut out one extra set of pictures for yourself.  Write the name and page number of the song you wish to sing on the back of each one.  During play, you will draw these from a bowl.  Use them to show the children which picture they are supposed to cover and quickly tell the pianist which page to turn to. 

6.  If you have a large primary, or if you don't have much time, you can have each class create a SINGO card.  Or, you can create one card for the entire primary and play together! 

7.  Be careful when playing competitive games.  Remember that we are counseled not to encourage excessive competition.  If you sense that the children are getting too competitive, discontinue play and transition into another activity.  If at all possible, I like to end the game on a tie.  With this game, for example, you might tell the children that they haven't won until the entire board is covered.  (They'll all finish at the same time).  Be sure to congratulate all children on their knowledge, singing ability, teamwork, etc. and stress that THIS is what is important. 

8.  For some reason, my downloadable documents aren't always complete in the previews.  If the card is missing pictures or the pictures are missing the borders, try downloading the document.  This seems to fix the problem.  If you're a tech guru and know what I'm doing wrong, please let me know.

For the American (8.5" x 11"),

For the European (A4),