“What songs are our children learning in Primary?” Ensign, Apr. 1982, 31
Can you help us discover which songs our children are learning in Primary so we can use these songs in family home evening?
Ruth Gardner, chairman of the music committee of the Primary General Board. I’m glad you’ve discovered that the best songs to sing as a family are those the children enjoy singing. I recently received a letter from a father who commented that his young children most enjoyed singing the songs they had been practicing in Primary. Even the older children would join in on some of the songs.
To find out which songs your children are currently learning or have learned in Primary, ask them to choose some to sing during family home evening. Or have one of the older children of Primary age teach the song to the entire family. In addition to helping the family learn the song, this will spark greater interest in your child as he or she learns other songs in Primary with the desire to share them with the rest of the family. You might find it enjoyable to spend time during several home evenings learning the simple beat patterns so that every family member will be able to conduct the songs you sing. These patterns with simple chants like “down-over-over-up” for 4/4 time can provide an opportunity for adults and children to work together in a fun, memorable way.
Another way to discover songs your children will enjoy is to check new manuals for songs taught in Primary classes and to ask your ward Primary music personnel what Primary songs are being taught in your ward. Request their help in recommending songs for you to use at family home evening. Excellent sources for a home library include Sing with Me, More Songs for Children, Activity Songs and Verses, and the cassette tape “Accompaniments for Songs Selected from Sing with Me.”
The following are songs taught in Primary during 1981 and 1982.
• “Fathers,” More Songs for Children, p. 58
• “Families Can Be Together Forever,” Families Can Be Together Forever (1981 Children’s Sacrament Meeting Presentation), p. 10
• “Family Prayer,” Sing with Me, D–6
• “A Happy Family,” Sing with Me, D–1
• “Home,” More Songs for Children, p. 57
• “I Love to See the Temple,” Families Can Be Together Forever, p. 9
• “Kindness Begins with Me,” Sing with Me, B–49
• “Love One Another,” Families Can Be Together Forever, p. 8
• “Our Easter Song,” More Songs for Children, p. 62
• “Quickly I’ll Obey,” Sing with Me, B–36
• “There Is Beauty All Around,” Hymns, No. 169
• “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet,” Hymns, No. 196
• “Have I Done Any Good?” Hymns, No. 58
• “A Happy Helper,” Sing with Me, D–1
• “Where Love Is,” More Songs for Children, p. 50
• “A Special Gift,” Sing with Me, B–1
• “Go the Second Mile,” By Love Serve One Another (1982 Children’s Sacrament Meeting Presentation), p. 9
• “Jesus Said Love Every One,” Sing with Me, B–51
• “I Feel My Savior’s Love,” By Love Serve One Another, p. 10
• “For the Beauty of the Earth,” Sing with Me, B–38