If you have a wiggly primary, try a wiggle worm singing time jar! Use it for transition time, to break up an activity or for when you have extra time in singing time! You primary will love being told to wiggle!
How to Make a Wiggle Worms
There are TONS of ways to create your own, unique wiggle worms! This is how I made mine:
Use various colored card stock that are cut into strips. Write out the names of various primary songs and their page numbers on the slips of paper. Then laminate. Fold them accordion style.
Then hot glue large pom poms on the end to create a head. Glue on smaller pom poms for a nose. Lastly, glue on some google eyes.
These are how mine turned out:
Wiggle Worm Songs
Each wiggle worm has 2 songs written on them – one song on each side. This way you can choose between two songs.
This is my list of 32 wiggle songs found throughout the Children’s Songbook. Most of the songs can easily be sung by using actions or with a simple singing time prop )see the links for more details).
- A Happy Family p. 198
- Book of Mormon Stories p. 118*
- Come With Me to Primary p. 255 (see how we sing this one HERE)
- Daddy’s Homecoming p. 210*
- Do As I’m Doing p. 276*
- Follow the Prophet p. 110*
- For Health and Strength, p. 21
- Friends Are Fun p. 262 (see how we sing this one HERE)
- Fun To Do p. 253
- “Give,” Said the Little Stream p. 236*
- Go the Second Mile p. 167
- Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes p. 275*
- Healthy Wealthy and Wise p. 280
- Here We Are Together p. 261
- Hello, Friends! p. 254 (see how we sing this one HERE)
- I Hope They Call Me on a Mission p. 169*
- If You’re Happy p. 266*
- Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam p. 60*
- My Hands p. 273
- Nephi’s Courage p. 120 (find some fun props HERE)
- Latter-day Prophets p. 134 (find my actions HERE)
- Once There Was a Snowman p. 249*
- Our Door Is Always Open p. 254
- Popcorn Popping p. 242*
- Saturday p. 196
- Smiles p. 267 (see how we sing this one HERE)
- The Church of Jesus Christ p. 77
- The Wise Man and the Foolish Man p. 281 (see how we sing this one HERE)
- We Welcome You p. 256 (see how we sing this one HERE)
- We Are Different p. 263 (see how we sing this one HERE)
- We’re All Together Again p. 259 (see how we sing this one HERE)
- When We’re Helping p. 198 (see how we sing this one HERE)
Download this list at my my Resource Library to give list to your pianist. Instructions for accessing my Resource Library are found at the bottom of this post.
*The songs marked above with a (*) have props included in a singing time music bag. Find more details on creating a music bag HERE.
For instance, if the worm for Follow the Prophet is drawn, use the prophet sticks as you sing (either pass them around the room or choose one child to be the leader and the rest of the primary follows).
This list includes what I consider “classic” songs that everyone SHOULD know. However, some of them are not very familiar still. For those really unfamiliar songs, try posting the words like I do HERE.
Make the Jar:
For the jar, simply cover up a plastic container found around you house. Nothing fancy required! I created this label to cover the food packaging:
Access my printables at my Resource Library. Instructions for accessing my Resource Library are found at the bottom of this post.
How to Use a Wiggle Worm Jar
Tell the primary you need the best wigglers to pick your wiggle songs. Then proceed to have them demonstrate their best wiggling!
Pick the wiggliest one (haha, so fun)! Have them choose a wiggle worm from the jar then sing the song.
Sing the song with actions if it applies or a prop found in your singing time music bag.
You may initially feel that this is only appropriate for Jr. primary. But you’ll be surprised to find that Sr. primary enjoys it just as much. My 11 year old boys crack me up wiggling!!
We sing about 3-4 songs from the jar each week. I like it because we get to sing other songs that we otherwise would never, ever get to sing!
It’s also a great tool for a last minute substitute or if your singing time wasn’t long enough and you need to kill a little time.
TIP: keep the jar in your primary closet so it’s always available and one less thing to tote to church!!
More Wiggle Activities
Make sure to check out all of my singing time activities that help get wiggles out! Scroll through them all HERE.
Check out this quick tutorial video for accessing the Resource Library:
These printables are filed on my Resource Library page under Category Title > Wiggle Worm Jar.
16 thoughts on “Wiggle Worm Singing Time Jar”
Great stuff 🙂
This year to help me pick volunteers, I used my mom's Cricut and cut a bunch of goldfish and labeled each one with a child's name, then I have them in an old round fishbowl. I bring this each week to help me "fairly" pick volunteers.
Great idea! And I just looked up your nursery plan and I LOVE it! If the Primary Pres okays it, we are going to start it this week! I can't wait!
Thanks so much for the great ideas!
great idea!
A cute, cute idea, Camille. I have two different cans of wiggle worms, but I like yours too! I don't think you can have enough wiggle worms. Thanks for the idea.
I am so excited to try this. Just finished up my Jar of Wiggle Worms for tomorrow. Thank you so much, I just love all of your ideas.
Seriously adorable! Thanks for the idea!!
I'm trying to figure it out but how did you attach the song to the "worm"? Thanks!
I hope I answer your question correctly…if not, let me know!
I wrote the name of the song on paper just with a pen and hot glued that paper (after I laminated it) to the pom pom (head part).
I love this thank you so much!!!
Thank you so much for your blog and all your ideas! They save me every Sunday!
One of our favorites is Roll Your Hands, p. 274, although we switch the verses so that we're rolling them swiftly, then slowly. This helps transition the kids to be reverence ready.
What about Hinges #277?
Hi Chantae!
Hinges would be another great addtion – our primary LOVES that one as we usually sing it around Halloween using a paper plate skeleton.
~Camille
I made these a few years ago after being inspired by your post! That was when I was a counselor and we were seriously lacking on the music side of things with one of us filling in most weeks. Saved us so many times. Now we are in a new ward and I am the Primary Music Leader (yay!! dream calling!) and I'm about to make a new jar because I left my old one for the other ward. Some of the songs I had that aren't here are "Stand Up" (278), "Fun to do" (253) and "I Wiggle" 271
do you sing the whole song for the wiggle jar songs or only first verse?
Hi Sara,
I usually just sing the first verse but it depends on the song – like for "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man" I always do all the verses.
~Camille