Latter-day Prophets is the PERFECT song to teach using actions! While you’re learning the order of the prophets, you are also learning a little bit about the lives of each of them!
If your songbook is outdated (like mine!), make sure to print off the current version HERE from the church’s website (the PDF downloadable version is updated when you download it even though the view page is not).
Or I also have it available to download using the access button at the bottom of this post. Then I simply teach some fun actions:
- Joseph Smith: make a Book of Mormon with your hands
- Brigham Young: drive your wagon team by shaking reins
- John Taylor: point to your chest – his life was spared because of a bullet hit his pocket watch
- Wilford Woodruff: play a trumpet (he played the trumpet)
- Lorenzo Snow: make it rain (his “windows of heaven” story about paying tithing and the rain would come)
- Joseph F. Smith: do the hula dance (he served a mission in Hawaii)
- Heber J. Grant: pretend to hit a baseball (he was determined to play baseball and through hard work he made the team)
- George Albert Smith: pretend to shake a lot of hands (he made a promise “not to be an enemy to any living soul)
- David O. McKay: The “O” is partly for his name, but he loved to play marbles so make a big marble. There’s a story with more details about that HERE.
- Joseph Fielding Smith: blow a kiss after you say his name (he loved children)
- Harold B. Lee: pretend to play the piano (he loved playing the piano and was good)
- Spencer W. Kimball: milk a cow (worked hard on a farm)
- Ezra Taft Benson: make the scout sign (he loved scouts and was a great scout leader)
- Howard W. Hunter: draw a big pretend heart with your hands (he was sweet and wanted everyone to treat each other better)
- Gordon B. Hinckley: arms out for an airplane (he flew all over the world to meet with members and build temples)
- Thomas s. Monson: have your hands up and out like holding a large tray being a server (he is always talking about service)
- Russell M. Nelson: pretend to ski by holding your poles and jumping from slightly to the right then to the left. At age 94, he still skis every week with his grandkids!
Latter-day Prophets actions
Check out my demonstration video that demonstrates the actions for teaching Latter-day Prophets in singing time:
With the exception of the first page, the rest of the book looks like this with none of the extra words:
Check out all of my my General Conference singing time lesson plans HERE.
I also have a coloring book/flip chart for this song. You can find more details HERE. At the end of the coloring book is a write-up on most of the prophets (except the most current ones)
These printables are filed on my Resource Library page under Song Title > Latter-day Prophets.
15 thoughts on “Latter-day Prophets”
Another option is to sing just the names of the 12 apostles, first name and last name, to the same tune of Books of the Book of Mormon, it takes two times through the tune to fit them all in
Boyd k packer, L Tom perry, Russell m Nelson, dallin h oaks, M Russell Ballard, Richard g Scott of the 12 apostles (then start back over at the beginning of the tune)
Robert D Hales, Jeffery R Holland, David A Bednar, Qunitin L Cook, D Todd Christofferson, Neal L Anderson are the 12 apostles.
This way the kids become familiar with the whole name of each of the apostles. I have done this song with my own children for the past four years and play games of matching the names to the pictures and it relly does make a difference in helping them feel like they know the apostles, rather than that they are just boring old guys that speak to us.
Lds.org has a general conference page with links to each of the apostles with history and information about each of them and we have been reading through those in effort to get to know them even more.
Thanks for your great posts.
Oo I like this idea. I'm going to do it i spanish!!
This was a link from the February 26, 2016 post. However, the "Living Prophets Song" isn't the updated one. Do I just take out the three Apostles that passed away and add the new Apostles? Or is there an updated version out already? Where can I find that one, please?
Thanks!
Hi Amber!
This is as current as I know, so I'm sorry I'm not more help. I'm going to try to get this updated as much as I can find. If you are needing to use this soon, I'd just try to omit the apostles who have passed away and insert the new ones as best as you suggested.
~Camille
Thank you!
Thank you! I had been thinking along the same lines, and this helped me finalize my plans! About pictures of the 3 new apostles, I just found their pics on LDS.org, (under living prophets biographies), clicked on them to save the file and had them printed at a copy place. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jen! I'll definitely check that out!
~Camille
I found the current apostles in a song on youtube. We sing it to the "happy family" song in the primary book. The lyrics are:
Apostle’s song 2016
Thomas S Monson is the prophet we know. Henry B Eyring is the next below, Deiter F Uchtdorf is number three, And that makes the First Presidency.
Russell M Nelson operated on folks, The Supreme Court Justice was
Dallin H Oaks,
M Russell Ballard sold cars, you bet!
And Robert D Hales flew a Flying Thunder Jet.
Jeffrey R Holland is an oft quoted guy, “Don’t you quit!”
David A Bednar changed Ricks to the Y, Quentin L Cook was a high school quarterback, D Todd Christopherson wears suits that are black.
Neil L Anderson grew up in Idaho, Ronald A Rasband testifies that he knows, Gary E Stevenson made treadmill parts, And Dale G Renlund replaced peoples hearts.
There is a pause in the music while you say "Don't you quit!"
The kids love it, we do actions, we've drawn pictures on the board under their names to remind us of the actions, etc.
Also, you can now order just the new three apostles from the distribution center, mine arrived the day after conference. 😀 I'd printed some off for the song, which we sung for a couple of weeks before conference, to get them familiar to the faces.
I asked them to come back with one thing that the prophet, or an apostle told them to do, we are gong to sing songs that correspond with what they learned this week.
Thanks for all your help.
You don't by chance have the little fun fact cards about the 3 new apostles do you?? P.S. You're Amazing! Your gifts and brain save me every week!
You don't by chance have the little fun fact cards about the 3 new apostles do you?? P.S. You're Amazing! Your gifts and brain save me every week!
Hi MegHAN,
I've added a link at the very top of this post which links to my most current post. That post has all the current apostles. I hope that helps!
~Camille
Do you have any more pictures of your binder for this song? I’d love to see more if you have any. Do you have the words to the song printed on the other half along with prophets picture? Thanks for your help in this calling!
I've added another image that hopefully helps you. The rest book looks like the 2nd photo without any added words. But you could definitely add them if it would help your primary.
~Camille
I LOVE this! Taught it to the ward primary kids a few years ago. Will use it today to talk to my own little guys about prophets (Amos). Thanks for updating to include President Nelson. We’ll have fun skiing!
Thanks for sharing your talents with people like me. 🙂
Hi Melissa!
Thanks for taking the time to comment letting me know! I always love to hear!!
~Camille