Idea: "Reverence Tag" - You
start out at the front of the room with your arms folded and standing
reverent. Then as the children come in for opening exercise and
Sharing Time you find the most reverent person and "tag" them then they look
for someone reverent sometimes you have to prompt the sunbeams to pick
someone, and try to make sure everyone reverent gets a chance to be tagged.
I've also added a "dove" to the tree we look for the most reverent child
each Sunday and then the Presidency talks about it and at the end of Sharing
Time we make a "big deal" about this child being the most reverent and they
get their name on a dove as the "Reverence Child". We recently added
to our game of "tag" by playing a CD of the years CSMP songs VERY softly and
talking in a very very low voice asking the children if they can hear us
raise their hands, this sometimes will calm them down. I also talked with
the Valiant Class one Sunday when they came in first for Share time and did
a mini lesson with them we talked about Jesus as an example and our
covenants we make at baptism and I asked them to help me be an example to
the younger kids. It's a long slow process, but the major key to it seems to
be the softer you as adults talk the softer and more reverent the children
become.
Idea: We too had a big reverence problem, so
we introduced "reverence pennies". I have a big bag of "gold coins" that we
write the kids names on anytime we see them being reverent. Then we have at
the front of the room a big jar titled "The Reverent Bank" We put the pennies
in the bank each week. Then for each quarterly Activity Day, we will have a
Primary General Store where they can use their pennies to buy fun items.
It has been working pretty well. I use the pennies as reminders to be
reverent, telling them I am looking for reverent people to give pennies
too. Or if they are all being good, I will give them all pennies (and then if
they turn bad, I tell them, they will get pennies taken away). It usually
does the trick to straighten them up again. You can tell the kids start
behaving a bit better when they see me writing names on the pennies (hoping
they are getting them). We also have a reverent example stand at the
front of the room at the opening of each sharing time and we tell them to look
for one person that is being reverent and then they both get pennies.
Idea: Divide the group into 3 groups. Have one group count 1-10 as
fast as they can when you raise your hand. Have the second group make the
sound of doves coo-ing while they pat their laps with their hands. The third
group is to make the sounds of sheep and cattle. Then read the scripture
about when Christ entered the temple and cast out the money changers etc.
Raise your hand and have all 3 groups make their assigned sounds. Stop the
group and ask them how Jesus must have felt when he saw this and explain
that he cast them out. Then ask the group what sounds they think they would
hear in our temples today. Have group 1 to show you how to sit when you
pray. Group 2 to show quiet foot steps, group 3 hum a hymn quietly. Explain
that the church is also a house of God and we need to be reverent.
(Credit: Notes from a training meting in Rapid City by Sister Matsumori of
the Primary General Board.)
Idea: When I became Primary President we had a reverence problem with 100+
kids. We have a combined closing exercise in the chapel the last 15 minutes of
Primary. I decided that instead of calling out the classes to dismiss them after
Sharing time and after closing exercises - I made up signs from the computer
with pictures of our prophets, the name of the teacher and the name of the
class. Then when the music plays
reverently the classes sit quietly and wait and watch for their sign to be held.
The difference is amazing. I have had numerous parents and teachers comment on
the difference. It has really increased the presence of the Spirit.
Idea: I had a problem
settling down my primary class which consisted of the older primary children.
They were also always reluctant to open and close with prayer. I decided to
choose a class president, changing the person each month who made the prayer
assignments. The children were much more responsive and willing to say
prayers. They are also much more reverent during my lessons.
Idea: We were having the same problem. The kids were off the
wall. So last week we decided that no matter how long it took we were going to
do all of sharing time and closing exercises. We will sit and wait until
everyone is quiet then go on. We had to stop constantly last week and we were 10
minutes late getting out, but it made the kids realize that it was their time
they were wasting. We also took the opportunity to let them know that when you
are quiet you can hear what is going on and can feel of the spirit. This week we
only had to stop 2 or 3 times. They learned very quickly that they needed to
have respect for their leaders and the building they were in. I am sure some
Sunday's will be better than others, but I was amazed at how quickly it worked.
(Credit Unknown)
Idea: I have a CTR-aged
child who is a distraction to everyone else in class. He would go in and out of
the class at will. I figured the best way to keep him quiet was to assign him a
task that made him feel very important. I asked to put his chair right by the
door and make sure that nobody went out. He does it perfectly every Sunday and
everybody sits quietly in class. -- Millicent Haizel, Accra - Ghana
Lartebiokoshie Stake, West Africa
Idea: I believe there is a
direct correlation between the reverence of the leaders at the beginning of
Primary and the reverence of the children. The leaders set the tone.
Idea: I grew up in the
Western U.S. There, the primary presidency always sat up front with the
children giving the talks and scriptures and with the music leader. When I
moved out East, I realized not everyone does this. We started doing it in our
Primary this year. It has improved the reverence, but I think the most marked
difference is that the children sing better during opening exercises because
they have their leaders in front of them setting an example.
Idea: I was a teacher for a rowdy group of Valiant boys. I also had a child with
ADHD. I tried to get them to settle down but nothing worked. They informed me
they were just biding their time until they got into priesthood. I cleared with
my presidency and Bishop that they each have a calling of something they were
assigned to do each week. This did WONDERS for these boys. They felt responsible
and enjoyed coming, plus they helped each other quiet down. -- P. Munton -
Laguna Niguel 4th Ward
Idea: I saw a great reverence "trick" while visiting another ward yesterday. The
teacher had a "CTR Reverence Handkerchief" (a handkerchief with a CTR ring
tied on the corner). She asked for reverence and said she would know it was
reverent when we could hear the handkerchief hit the ground. She dropped it
once and the children immediately became quiet then she did it again and sure
enough, they could hear it hit. -Shauna on Primary Yahoo Group
Idea: Our Primary does the "Thinking Five"
to help remind the children what they should do. I've mentioned this before a
long time ago - I am sure no one will mind a repeater. I hold up my hand
and say, 'Please think five.' The children then respond to let me know they
are ready by holding up their hand with five fingers.
I usually have to remind the Jr. what those five
reminders are as we are thinking five.
I then move my hand to my heart and say that Heavenly
Father loves it when we are quiet and respectful in his house. It
works great. We have been doing it for about four years now. The
Senior Primary respond well without the verbal reminders - they know what to
do. I even noticed that a Primary that shares our building has a big
poster up with a hand on it. Each finger has the written reminders on them.
-Yolanda from Primary Yahoo Group
Idea: We've been trying to come up with something to help the
kids a) maintain reverence and b) refocus or redirect their attention.
Two weeks ago, the Primary President asked if I would teach the children "The
Chapel Doors" and combine it with a reverence message she was giving. As
I thought about how to do this, I had what I hope was a burst of
inspiration! At any rate, it is working for us, so I thought I would pass
along the idea.
I used the idea from
www.christysclipart.com to teach "The Chapel
Doors". We also took the picture of the chapel from the cut outs that are
available from the Dist. center and laminated it and put it on a popsicle
stick. The PP talked to the children about reverence, and then I taught the
song. First thing, I taught them that whenever I held up the chapel that was
their cue to say the .following words with actions: SHH...finger on lips and a
very quiet "shhh"; BE: right hand held in front with palm facing forward as
in "stop"; STILL: Arms folded reverently. We practiced that first,
then added it into the song. It went really well and the kids loved it. Then
I told them that whenever someone held up the chapel picture, not just for the
song, but
anytime~ they should quietly say "Shhhh, be still" and do the actions. This has
helped so much! We keep the chapel picture up front all the time, so if any
of us need help with crowd control we just hold it up and the children
respond! It's awesome how something so simple can really make such a huge
difference! ~Valerie, Gilbert, AZ approx 60 Primary children
