Many people won't sing along if they become frustrated while learning a song. Imagine that a song leader sings a long song in a foreign language, and then asks the children to repeat it back. They won't be able to do it. Their confidence will diminish and they won't want to sing. For this reason,...

No one enjoys doing anything poorly. Mediocrity has no emotional reward. It breeds more mediocrity, and that breeds discipline and other problems. Make the singers sound great. Make them know they are great. Here are some simple tips: 1. Create a Positive Environment. In Chapter 1 I wrote about...

(From The Nick Page Sing with Us Songbook, based on Sing and Shine On! An Innovative Guide to Leading Multicultural Song) I have been leading songs to all ages for many years. I encounter non-singers, inexperienced singers, singers who haven't learned how to sing in tune (everyone can learn), and...

People often think that the purpose of a children's choir is to perform during worship from time to time. Performance (or celebration) is the goal, the frosting on the cake, but the real heart of a children's choir is in the week-to-week community-building and skill development that occurs....

You may have noticed by now that the possibilities for engaging children with music are endless. They invite creativity from each child and from you, the teacher. We are all creative. Making a shopping list is a creative act. Conversation is a creative act. But when creativity is connected to...

The phenomenon of drumming and drumming circles is still in its infancy. I predict that fifty years from now, world drumming will be standard curriculum in schools and will be a standard form of worship. Why? Because drumming requires raised attentiveness, a level of focus that actually makes...

Allowing children to make up their own movements to recorded music is a great way for them to let off steam and let their creativity flow. Choose a variety of CDs that have fast and slow songs in different musical styles (classical, pop, world, and the like), or program your iPod....

There is actually a new form of yoga that has evolved in India: laughter. Simply initiate laughter among the children and have them keep it going. Laughter changes the chemistry of their brains. It connects them. As with all forms of creative activities, laughter must be practiced in a supportive...

Find any excuse to get children up and moving, particularly with songs. Then bring in the emotions. Have them sing a song like "Simple Gifts" or "Morning Has Broken" while walking around the room showing sadness in their bodies as they sing. The songs will sound sad simply because their...

Adding hand gestures to songs can be a participatory event. For the song "Wade in the Water," for example, simply ask the children what motions would work for the phrase, "Wade in the water." The children will suggest some ideas for movement, and they will all be good. The motions might involve...

With partner songs and rounds, you can do a mix-it-up. A partner song is made up of two or more songs that are sung at the same time. UU song leader Dr. Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock, for example, combines the chorus of "Wade in the Water" with "I Wanna Die Easy When I Die" and some...

The simplest form of group dance is the line dance, in which the dancers follow the leader either in a circle or in free patterns around the room. They can hold hands, place their hands on each other's shoulders, or place them around each other's waist....

Creating a sense of ritual can also have a calming effect and help you manage discipline. We need to honor children's sense of play, but we also need to create basic discipline. Discipline need not mean the old hierarchical model of the oppressive teacher, but discipline does require a supportive...

Music for worship in the classroom setting can take a variety of directions. You can honor the traditional adult way of worshiping, with preludes, hymns, offertories, and postludes, or you can take many new directions. Whatever you do, give worship a sense of ritual. As you light the chalice, for...

© 2009 Within Tapestry of Faith, the role of music is to make our lives and our children’s lives more vibrant and connected to each other and to the universe. We do not need to be trained musicians to make our music come alive. Whether we are experienced singers or shower singers, we can make...

It is my hope as a religious educator that you have found this essay and the activities useful for your religious exploration classes. May you envision many more ways to help our children nurture their spiritual being and to support their work in becoming whole and holy in transforming the world.

Lengths of light fabric such as netting or chiffon, or old scarves, long lengths of ribbon Odds and ends of other fabrics and ties that can be improvised into costumes Percussive instruments such as hand drum with mallet, large cymbal, jingle bells, wooden tone bar, scratcher with stick, finger...

Pass around an ordinary object such as a pencil or pen; have each child imagine it is something else and show us without words what it has become. Have the class stand in a circle. Move across the circle with emotion such as joy or anger, give emotion to another person....