Picture a Christmas

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 50
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/picture-a-christmas?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 6

Required Bells:

Sample:

Files:

Picture a Christmas

Once within a Lowly Stable

Music Source: Children's Songbook - 41
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/once-within-a-lowly-stable?lang=eng&_r=1


Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 6

Required Bells:

Sample:

File:

Once within a Lowly Stable PDF

The Ninth Article of Faith

The Ninth Article of Faith

Versions (Scroll down for all versions):

Chart in F Major Major (Children's Songbook)

Chart in C Major (No Sharps)

Magic Cookie Program Review

Have you ever had magic cookie bars, hello dolly bars or seven layer bars?  They're all the same thing generally consisting of a graham cracker crust, chocolate chips (and sometimes other baking chips as well), shredded coconut and chopped nuts all drizzled with sweetened condensed milk and baked until they stick together in a bar cookie.

Last year I wanted to do a cookie review activity where the kids earned ingredients for cookies for every program song they passed off.  Originally I was thinking they would earn ingredients like flour, sugar, butter,... then I though that it would be even more fun if they could choose ingredients to make their own custom cookie.  Enter the magic cookies!  Okay, I grew up calling these cookies hello dolly bars, but I figured magic cookies would be more fun for primary.

A Child's Prayer

A Child's Prayer

Versions (Scroll down for all versions):

Chart in B-flat Major (Children's Songbook)

Chart in C Major (No Sharps)

Color-coded music for accompaniment

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 12

https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/a-childs-prayer?lang=eng&_r=1

Families Can Be Together Forever

Song Title: Families Can Be Together Forever

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 188
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/families-can-be-together-forever?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 8

Required Bells:

Sample:

Files:

Families Can Be Together Forever PDF - Recommended
Families Can Be Together Forever PUB - Requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit


Simple Teaching Activity: Four Corners

This is a fast and easy way to teach a song that requires very little prep.  I use this when I need to teach a song fast.  The kids pick up the song quickly this way, and they enjoy it.

Print the phrases of the song on separate pieces of paper in large font.  You can put pictures on the paper too, but it's optional.  Place each paper on the wall in a different corner of the room.  Using Families Can Be Together Forever as an example:

• Corner 1 has a paper with the words "I have a family here on earth" printed on it.
• Corner 2 has "They are so good to me"
• Corner 3 has "I want to share my life with them"
• Corner 4 has "Through all eternity"

Have a teacher stand in each corner with the papers.

Tell the kids that you are going to count to 5 and you want them to run to one of the corners.  Everyone needs to be in a corner by 5.

Have the teachers in the corners teach their groups their phrase.  Sing the song with each group singing their phrase in turn.  Sing the song once or twice then have the kids find a new corner and do the process again.  Repeat until the kids have been to all the corners and know the whole song.

Repeat with other verses and the chorus.

Want more handbell tips as well as simple activities for teaching and review?  Look for them at the bottom of each post, or check out the complete list here.

Other ideas for teaching Families Can Be Together Forever
Camille's Primary Ideas
OCD Primary Chorister
OCD Primary Chorister 2
OCD Primary Chorister 3
Singing Magic
Sunbeam Singing

I also have a freezer meals blog! After my third child was born I felt like I spent all my time either cooking or cleaning the kitchen, so I started doing Once a Month Cooking.  I cook a lot of food every 1 to 3 months.  Then we eat the meals I made from the freezer in between.   It has made my life a lot easier, and I blog about it at A Very Large Bowl.  Check it out!

The Eighth Article of Faith

I never had a chance to try the Article of Faith handbell charts with my primary before being released, but I think they would be a great way to review.  The songs are short, so you could probably play several during one singing time.

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 127
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-eighth-article-of-faith?lang=eng&_r=1

The Seventh Article of Faith

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 126
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-seventh-article-of-faith?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 3

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

The Seventh Article of Faith PDF - recommended
The Seventh Article of Faith PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

Joseph Smith's First Prayer

Music Source: LDS Hymnbook - 26

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 9

Required Bells:

Sample:

Files:

Joseph Smith's First Prayer PDF - recommended
Joseph Smith's First Prayer PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

The Sixth Article of Faith

Music Source: LDS Children''s Songbook - 126
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-sixth-article-of-faith?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 3

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

The Sixth Article of Faith PDF - recommended
The Sixth Article of Faith PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

An Angel Came to Joseph Smith

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 86
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/an-angel-came-to-joseph-smith?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 5

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

An Angel Came to Joseph Smith PDF - recommended
An Angel Came to Joseph Smith PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

Where Love Is

I had my kids sing Where Love Is with my senior primary playing the handbells as well for Mothers' Day last year.  It was beautiful.  The simple,slow melody makes this a great song to play handbells with kids and the bells accentuate without being distracting.  I loved it, and the members of my ward did as well.  I highly recommend it for a Mothers' Day musical number.

Music Source:  LDS Children's Songbook - 138
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/where-love-is?lang=eng&_r=1

I Often Go Walking

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 202
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/i-often-go-walking?lang=eng&_r=1

Pages: 8

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

I Often Go Walking PDF - recommended
I Often Go Walking PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

The Fifth Article of Faith

Music Source: LDS Children''s Songbook - 125
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-fifth-article-of-faith?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 3

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

The Fifth Article of Faith PDF - recommended

The Fifth Article of Faith PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

The Fourth Article of Faith

Music Source: LDS Children''s Songbook - 124
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-fourth-article-of-faith?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 6

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

The Fourth Article of Faith PDF - recommended
The Fourth Article of Faith PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

Handbell Rules

Rules are very important to having a fun time playing bells as a primary.  Every time I use the bells with my primary I post the above image on the board and go over the rules with the kids in detail before I ever hand out a bell.  Without rules and the enforcement of those rules, playing bells can quickly descend into noisy chaos and frustration.  You can print your own rules to post here:

PDF of Rules

Frequently Asked Questions

How exactly do you use them? Do you just go through the music and pull out the notes that are in those chords?

People have different preferences for this.  Some like chords and some like a single line of notes.  I prefer a single line of notes.  This is mainly because having full chords seems like it would either make for very large charts or I would have to make the individual circles too small to see at the back of the primary room.

When I first started making charts I did a single line of notes from the harmony because that is what I saw other people doing online.  Eventually I switched to doing a single line of melody notes because the kids get really excited when they start to hear the song in their bells.  I sometimes still do harmony notes due to the melody being too complex for the kids on the bells or a desire to just do something different.

I lead the bell charts by pointing to each note with a telescoping pointer as it should be played.  I tell the kids to play their bells when I point to their circles.

I can picture Senior Primary doing really well with it, but how does it work with Junior?

I was initially very reluctant to try bells with Junior primary and saved them for Senior primary only.  After a while I relaxed and decided to try it with Junior too.  They did great with following the rules and really enjoyed them.  Of course they didn't hit every note and that's okay. (More on that in the next question)

What about the kids who don't have a bell? Do you switch quickly to let everyone get a turn? I feel like no one would get very good at it, but maybe that is just how it goes?

When we are just having fun in primary I give a bell to every other child.  We will generally sing through a verse twice (or sing two verses) and then switch so that kids who didn't have bells have one. Everyone gets a turn and enjoys it.  We don't get the bells down perfectly, but that's not why we are doing the bells.  We are doing the bells to have fun while we sing.  Bells are a great way to review because the kids love them and will happily sing the same song over and over again if they get a turn to play the bells.  Plus this way everyone gets to try different bells, which is fun too.  Even if it's not perfect it's still really fun and sounds cool.

When we are practicing to perform in sacrament meeting or elsewhere I make sure I have a bell available for everyone to use.*  I assign each child a bell before we ever start practicing and for a couple weeks everyone gets the same bell every time to practice.  This way they have a chance to learn their bells better.  

*I was fortunate to have a presidency member already own a set of bells inaddition to my own, so we had enough bells for everyone in senior to have on at once.  If you don't have that many you may want to rotate through smaller groups for performing.

Do you use them in the primary program?

I did not use them during my first program.  It was enough just getting ready for the program without having to figure out how to do the bells in a performance setting too. We did use the bells plenty during primary in the months leading up to the program as a fun way to review.  After the first program, when we had more time, we did learn a few Christmas songs and played the bells in sacrament a couple time in December and at the ward Christmas party.  After the program and before the new year is a great, low pressure time for the chorister and the kids to figure out how to play the bells in a performance setting.

For my second primary program we had a lot more experience with bells and had played them in sacrament several times.  We used them in our program as well.  Only Senior gets to perform with them.  I intend to write another blog post specifically about performing.   I'll include more info there.

What set did you buy? Where did you get them? 

A Guide to Buying Handbells

How many songs do you use them for?

I used the handbells to perform 2 to 4 songs a year, but their real value lies in review.  I would say 50 to 75% of the songs we worked on got reviewed using handbells at some point.

How loud are the handbells? Are they distracting to others in the building?

I regularly remind the kids to use a light touch when playing their bells as the sound is a lot nicer this way.  When played this way they are not particularly loud.  I never heard of the bells being disruptive to others in the building although I imagine the way the building is setup could affect this.

Go here to read more about the rules I use when doing handbells in primary.

The Third Article of Faith

Music Source: LDS Children''s Songbook - 123
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-third-article-of-faith?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 3

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

The Third Article of Faith PDF - recommended
The Third Article of Faith PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

If the Savior Stood Beside Me

Music Source: https://www.lds.org/bc/content/ldsorg/magazine/Friend/play-it/IftheSaviorStoodBesideMe.pdf

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Special Instructions: This song has one ending for verses 1&2 and a second ending for verse 3.  The yellow star towards the end of the song indicates the end of the first ending and you should jump to the yellow star at the beginning of the song.  The first purple star indicates when you should jump to the second purple star for the second ending.

Pages: 10

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

If the Savior Stood Beside Me PDF - recommended
If the Savior Stood Beside Me PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

The Second Article of Faith

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 122
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-second-article-of-faith?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 3

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

The Second Article of Faith PDF - recommended
The Second Article of Faith PUB - requires Publisher to open but allows you to edit

The First Article of Faith

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 122
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-first-article-of-faith?lang=eng&_r=1


Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.

Pages: 3

Required Notes:

Sample:

Files:

The First Article of Faith PDF - recommended
The First Article of Faith PUB - requires Publisher to open, but allows you to edit

My Heavenly Father Loves Me

Versions (Scroll down for all versions)
CSB version - Key of E flat
Key of C

Music Source: LDS Children's Songbook - 228
https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/my-heavenly-father-loves-me?lang=eng&_r=1

Disclaimer: I haven't had a chance to play this one with my primary yet.  I do proof each chart after I finish it, but sometimes errors do slip through.  There may be words or notes that are incorrect.  If you find an error, please let me know.