Songs for the Nursery from the Children’s Songbook

The following songs from the Children’s Songbook are especially appropriate for use in the nursery. Included are some suggestions for ways you may adapt the words. You may have other ideas for ways to adapt these or other songs in the Children’s Songbook so they will be appropriate for the nursery.

Page

• A Happy Family (© 1975 Pioneer Music Press, Inc.)

  198

  Create a verse about your happy nursery or Primary.

  Use as a greeting: “I see Susie; she sees me. …”

• Do As I’m Doing

  276

  Use for giving directions: “Clean up the nursery; follow, follow me …” or “Gather for singing . …”

• For Health and Strength

  21

  Use the name of anything for which the children want to give thanks: “For trees and flowers and rain that falls we praise thy name, O Lord.”

• Fun to Do

  253

• Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

  275

  Sing about basic movements: “Will you come and walk (run, skip, hop) with me … all around the room.”

  Use for giving directions: “Now it’s time to pick up toys … and put them in the box (on the shelf, in the closet).”

• Hello Song

  260

• Here We Are Together

  261

• I Wiggle

  271

• If You’re Happy

  266

• My Hands

  273

• Once There Was a Snowman (© 1981 Pioneer Music Press, Inc.)

  249

  Create verses about other things in nature: “Once there was a green tree … tall, tall, tall. In its shade I rested … small, small, small.” Or “Once there was a mountain … high, high, high. To the top I climbed it … ; clouds rolled by.”

• Rain Is Falling All Around

  241

• Sing a Song

  253

  Replace “sing” with basic movements: “Jump, jump, jump” or “Hop, hop, hop.”

  Sing about clothing, colors, or self: “Shoes, shoes, shoes; I like my shoes. I wear them on my feet; shoes, shoes, shoes!”

• Smiles

  267

• Thanks to Our Father

  20

• We Bow Our Heads

  25

In addition to the songs in the Children’s Songbook, you may use children’s songs from your own culture. Make sure the songs meet the following criteria:

• They are short and simple.

• They use a narrow range of notes (5 to 8 tones).

• The words are repetitive (the same words are used several times) and easy to learn.

• The words describe things the children can see, hear, touch, smell, or feel.

• The words are not contrary to gospel teachings.