Combined Singing/Sharing Time

[jacy]

Our stake has decided that it's time to implement the combined singing/sharing time plan. I feel like my PP is looking to me on ideas or thoughts on how to do this, and I HAVE NO IDEA!!!

Do any of you currently do this? Any thoughts you could share with me would be wonderful

[pach]

I've been in a ward where this was not done successfully. One reason for this is that the music leader was almost never in there and the other reason is that the people who did the combined rarely picked the song that the children were suppose to be teaching that month. Then later near the program the music leader would get mad at the children because they weren't singing the songs loud enough etc. which really irritated me since it wasn't the childrens fault at all that they couldn't learn the song after singing it once. Anyways IF it is done right it can be good. For example I would make sure that they people doing the sharing time know that the children should still be singing half the time and that they need to be singing the songs that the children are suppose to be learning that month. It would also help if the music leader and the person in charge of the sharing/singing time got together and planned it out it's really easy to talk about a subject that has to do with the theme of the month and then what it has to do with the song and then learn part of the song sing etc. With that said I think it is a lot easier to have them seperate but it can work together as long as the people responsible put the effort into it that it would require.

[Chelsi]

We do a combined sing & share on the 5th Sunday's of the month! We have done lessons where it is a spiritual lesson and we sing songs that go with the lesson. And we have done games which some of the tasks are to sing. There are tons of ways, and it actually keeps the kids attention well. Sometimes singing can bring added learning to a topic and brings the Spirit in as well. Usually the member of the presidencey does the lesson and tells me what her theme is and I pick the songs. When I a counseler in the Pres. I would often choose the songs that went with the lesson and give them to her a week early. This also gave her a week off of planning!
Here's my tips to making it work:
1: Be flexible & talk.
2: If you know early enough you can work on the months program song on a different week.
3: Have fun we always have a great time.

[versiculouno]

I have not tried it, but I found this blog that offers some ideas:

primarysingingandsharing.blogspot.com/