If I Listen With My Heart

I'm so excited to start 2011's new music!!!  I'm still recovering from Christmas so my flipchart is a bit ghetto but it's the spirit that teaches not me right?!!  Here's the plan.  I want to start out by inviting one of the more talkative children to come up and then tell them that I want them to tell me their favorite scripture story.  I will make them promise that no matter what happens they need to make sure that I really "hear" it (emphasize the word "hear").  As they begin to tell the story I will do several disruptive things, i.e. talk to one of the teachers, do a silly cheer, and then ask them to repeat it and just start turning in circles or looking all around.  After a minute I will stop this and talk about what happened, noting that I may have heard parts of what they said but I really didn't listen.  Then I will start again only this time I will sit down and face the child and really concentrate on what he/she is saying.  I will talk about how this is "listening" and then tie it into the chorus of the song . . "if I listen with my heart, I hear the Savior's voice."  Just go with it.  At this point I will introduce just the chorus of the song and use some basic sign language to teach them the chorus.  I chose the following words to do actions to (if, listen, with, heart, hear, Savior's, voice).  I also chose to do the sign for "Jesus" instead of "Savior" because they already know that sign.  Anyway, I will then sing/talk them line by line through the first verse.  We'll sing it several times each time doing something different like only boys, or row by row, or teachers only. . .I just wing it and if it seems like we need a wiggle song I throw them in or I have them do something like "everyone that can hear me stand up, touch your toes, spin twice, and then sit down with your arms folded" this gets wiggles out without even changing the song.

If I had been a little child

when Jesus lived on earth

I would have liked to walk with Him and

listen to His words.

But as I search the scriptures

I can hear His words of peace

And if I listen with my heart

I hear the Savior's voice.