Empty Chair Game
by Luana Willis / ga05252005
 

Try some things where EVERYONE has to pay attention.  Without their even knowing they will participate.  One really good way is to have an empty chair at the end of every row.  Then when you sing a song you look for a word that is repeated a few times and everyone in the room bumps over one chair when you sing it, then when you sing it again you bump back the other way.  If you aren't listening and participating you will end up with someone in your lap!  It is fun.

The funny hat idea works well there too.  You get any kind of hat and write words from the song on cards that stick to the front of the hat, then when you get to that word you skip it in the song.  The child  wearing the hat is the only one in the room who doesn't know what the word is, and after you sing they have to tell you what word you skipped.  If he doesn't know, you just sing it again!

Every year we get a new batch of boys who are the oldest in primary, and every year they are too old, or "cool" for primary.  We just love them and endure them, and make them do the baby stuff anyway!