Help children learn Dare to Do Right in singing time using a simple crack-the-code printable and “courageous medals.” At the bottom of this post I’ve also linked a medley that incorporates Dare to Do Right that is also fun to sing!
To introduce this song, I have a code to post on the chalkboard (this is for the 1st verse only):
You can access my code printable at my Resource Library. Instructions for accessing my Resource Library are found at the bottom of this post.
Print on card stock and placed in a sheet protector. The kids will need to figure out what everything means by listening to the song as I play it on CD (or you and the teachers sing it to them, posting the words as necessary). Below are the answers, but see if you can figure it out :).
The Code
To decipher the code, I’ll write on the chalkboard the following:
- Red:
- Yellow:
- Blue:
- White:
- Grey:
- Black lines:
As we listen to the song, I will take answers from the kids going through each color at a time, then repeat listening to the song in order to double check each answer.
- Red: the word “dare” – ask how many times we sing the word “dare” [10 – in the 1st verse & chorus, there’s a total of 12 if you happen to include both verses]
- Yellow: the word “do”
- Blue: ways we can and should be daring [right, true, bravely, kindly, well] . You can tell the following story from the October 1974 Friend (source found HERE):
“Once, when I was about seven years old, I had a pal whom I liked very much. We often walked home from school together…Sometimes we would dare each other to jump across a ditch or to climb a tree just to prove that we were brave. As we came to my home one day we stood out by the road and talked about who was the fastest runner in the school…When I strongly insisted that I could run faster than my friend, he turned to me and said, ‘If you’re so fast, I dare you to run across the road before that car gets here!’ I looked up the road and saw a car a short distance away. Without another word I dashed into the road to prove that I was fast and brave. A moment later the car’s brakes squealed! It’s bumper hit me, and I landed in an unconscious heap.When I opened my eyes, my aching body, a hurt pride, and my mother’s anxious face made me realize that I had been neither fast nor brave, I had only been foolish. I had brought sadness to myself and to others.The lesson I learned…has been valuable to me throughout my life. I learned that the only dare a person should ever accept is [to choose right]” (Friend October 1979, Elder Pinegar).
- White: Angels
- Grey: all the other words
- Black lines: words with 2 syllables
Hopefully the children will have tried to sing along toward the end of repeating the song several times.
Ask the children to raise their hand if they are brave and would be willing to show you their bravery. Sometimes that bravery means standing alone.
Dare Medals
Pick 6 kids (or however many you need so everyone will get a turn) to wear a “DARE” medal. Their daring act will be to stand every time we sing the word “dare” in the song. Their other daring act will be to choose another primary child who is daring to sing very well (even though it may not be their best friend or someone they know well) and pass their medal to them for the next round.
Repeat until each child has had a turn to wear a medal. If the kids not wearing medals need movement, have them pitch lead with their hands as the melody goes up and down.
Download the “DARE” medals at my Resource Library. Print on white card stock, cut out and laminate. I randomly had some play medals lying around my house that my kids had brought home {from somewhere?} that I simply taped the “DARE” tag to. But you can affix the tag on to any sort of string, ribbon, etc. to make a necklace.
I found medals on Amazon that are what I have here (this is an affiliate link below where I make a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase. But know that I only suggest what I love!):
Make sure to check out a fun medley for this song incorporating Stand for the Right, HERE!
All my printables are free and can be downloaded from my Resource Library. Access to my Resource Library is sent to you via email and not linked here. If you need initial access to my Resource Library or need access sent to you again, click on the button below, fill out your information then check your email. Instructions for accessing each printable on my Resource Library are below the button. Check out my email tutorial HERE for more help.
These printables are filed on my Resource Library page under Song Title > Dare To Do Right.
19 thoughts on “Dare to Do Right”
Did you post words to this song while doing this activity or just sing the song?
I pulled the words out after the code was figured out. Then I gradually put them away after we had sung it several times.
~Camille
Thank you so much for sharing your secret code! My senior primary is 2/3 boys and several refuse to sing. Anytime I can bring in a secret code they get really engaged. Today I had several of my boys who prefer to sit in the corner move to the center of the room so they could be the first to break the code.
Hi Kynda!
I'm glad those older boys liked the code – mine do as well! They seem to enjoy anything that needs decifering and is a challenge. I can't help but think my primary boys' their lack of participation is due to boredom – and that's hard to always accommodate :). The word scrambles are also a great item for them (you can search that on my blog for details).
~Camille
This seems like a great lesson for Senior Primary. I'm just wondering if you changed anything for junior. Were the younger kids able to get the code?
Hi Whitney,
When I do the code with the little kids, I help them out a lot. I point to each circle as the words are sung and they usually can pick it out. We just do it together with lots of help from me and repeat it several times – which is actually great! Then the standing with the "DARE" medals actually was better with the little kids. They all wanted a turn and were willing to sing well in order to do so.
~Camille
Hi Camille. I've never posted before but I use your blog as a resource often and I appreciate all the hard work and time you take not only to come up wonderful ideas but also the time you take to post them. I am teaching my primary kids Dare to Do Right this month and was wondering if you taught your kids the 2nd verse. If so how did you teach it?
Hi Amy,
I'm sorry, I don't have a lesson plan for the 2nd verse to this song as I only taught the 1st. My suggestion for you would be to go to the "Children's Songbook Companion" book for ideas:
http://www.camillesprimaryideas.com/2012/01/childrens-songbook-companion.html
I apologize for not being more helpful.
~Camille
Hi Camille,
Thank you for responding to my post and for the info on the "Children's Songbook Companion"book. I really appreciate it.
Did you do this is Jr. and Sr. Primary? Our primary is small and most of the time I have both Jr. and Sr. combined for music time. I am thinking of using this as a review activity but I am wondering if it works with younger children as well.
Hi AmberTy,
This worked great with both Jr. and Sr. primary.
~Camille
Thank you, but I counted 12 times we sing DARE!
Hi Susan!
Yes, you are correct if you are counting for both verses. but my code is only for the first verse where there are 10. Thank you for clarifying that!
~Camille
Camille, Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with the world. I consume your ideas like cookies. I noticed one typo in your reference for
Elder Pinegar’s “Friend” article. It is actually from the October 1974 issue, not the 1979 issue.
Thanks again!
Myron
Hi Myron!
Thank you for catching my mistake – I’m always full of them and grateful when others help keep me straightened out :). I’ll go fix it now.
~Camille
The Rex D. Pinegar story actually came from the 1974 October Friend. 🙂 Just in case anyone wants to find the original source. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Melinda!
Thank you for catching my mistake – I’m always full of them and grateful when others help keep me straightened out :).
~Camille
This is a fantastic idea! I added pink to represent the “DO” ‘s.
For the second verse I used a car sinking into an ice covered lake (other men’s failures), a picture of Jiminy Cricket (conscience), a military medal (honor), a seedling (faith), and dressed a child in armor (a hero & battle ’til death). Thank you for all your time and wonderfully inspired ideas!!!
I am so sorry! I meant to say I used pink for the “Be” ‘s!