I know one of the biggest complaints about being a Primary Music Leader (or a teacher of any sort for that matter!) is phones in singing time! I see them throughout sacrament meeting then on to the 2nd hour. Kids, teachers and parents are all on their phones … they’re everywhere!
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It’s seriously one of my BIGGEST pet peeves. So much so that I only bring my phone to church if I’m using it for my lesson plan. It’s definitely a personal preference as my husband takes his (but he is definitely distracted by it!). There are enough distractions, notifications and disruptions at church without me bringing my phone to add to the mix!
I know phones contain scriptures but I’ll gladly lug my book of scripture to church because I know I’m not strong enough to resist the urge to check those dang red notification buttons!
I can’t help but feel sad for kids who are addicted to their phones. In and outside of church. And these kids are EVERYWHERE! They are missing one of the best parts of life – childhood! Childhood shouldn’t be spent in front of a screen!
What I do find ironic, is that it the addiction isn’t a need to call or text the world 24/7 (which is usually the whole purpose to justify the phone, right?). It’s everything else – gaming, internet and social media.
Have you seen this TED Talk by Colin Kartchner? It’s mind blowing! It makes me feel like I still have lots of room for improvement!
One wonderful opportunity the church gives children is teaching them to sing! And amazingly, as they learn to sing, their testimony grows as does their knowledge of the gospel. How sad that kids can’t take advantage of this opportunity for spiritual growth because of a screen blaring in their face non-stop.
Cell Phone Singing Time Rules
I’d like to offer a few suggestions if you are struggling with kids and cell phones in singing time.
- Create a no-phone zone. Hang up a poster explaining the no-phone zone. I created this poster to hang up that helps kids remember to turn their phones off prior to singing time. Thank you Susan Fitch (find her website HERE) for the clip art!!
Access my printables at my Resource Library. Instructions for accessing my Resource Library are found at the bottom of this post.
- State clear rules that if you see phones (hold teachers accountable too!), they will go in a phone basket to be returned after church. This is a clever way to organize phones while not mixing germs:
- Be willing to kindly approach parents if the problem persists.
- Ask the primary presidency for assistance – dealing with cell phones will take a team effort.
Gabb Wireless
As a parent, I, personally, have found the perfect solution for kids and phones! Enter Gabb Wireless. I want to keep tabs on my kids and have my kids check in with me. But that’s about it. Especially while they are so young.
My 14-year old twins recently developed the need for a phone. They mow lawns in our neighborhood and occasionally have a problem needing help from home. Constantly borrowing the neighbor’s phone wasn’t quite working!
We researched options and fell in love with Gabb Wireless! My only wish is that more parents would do the same. If you haven’t heard of Gabb Wireless, you need to check out this video (not to mention that it’s hilarious!):
My family has owned a Gabb phone for a little over a year now and we LOVE ours! It’s become our mobile home phone. My kids are NEVER on it except when they actually need to use a phone. It’s fabulous! No monitoring, no fighting and no problems arising from a smart phone!
I wish I could convince every parent to ditch the smart phone for their kids and get a Gabb phone instead. Only we as parents can fix the cell phone dilemma with our kids.
I feel so strongly about this topic that I’ve decided to join forces with Gabb Wireless and their #livebeyondthescreen campaign. Did you see this cute winner of their latest campaign?
This teenage girl is AMAZING! I love how she’s so proud of her Gabb phone as she pulls it out of her pocket! There’s more information on the contest HERE along with a runner-up that’s beautiful too!
If you’re interested in purchasing a Gabb phone for your kids, use coupon code CPI30 for $30.00 off.
You may also want to recommend one to the parents of your primary kids who struggle with cell phones in singing time ;).
Let’s be honest, cell phones in singing time typically doesn’t promote reverence. What do you do to combat cell phones in singing time and reverence in general?
If you need some other ideas to help with Reverence in singing time, check out my posts HERE.
Check out this quick tutorial video for accessing the Resource Library:
These printables are filed on my Resource Library page under Category Title > Reverence.
