How am I just realizing there is a primary song about the 10 commandments? Tell me I’m not the only one! This handy song teaches all the commandments given to Moses + the 2 most important ones: love God and love your neighbor!
If you want to broaden the your primary’s repertoire, try teaching The Commandments instead of Keep the Commandments. You can also find my lesson plan for teaching Keep the Commandments HERE.
Attention Getter
This comes from The Children’s Songbook Companion HERE. Play “Who Am I” with your primary by asking:
I was a prophet of God called to free the Israelites who had been slaves to the Egyptians for four hundred years. I led them out of Egypt into the wilderness. The people soon became wicked because they had no laws or commandments to live by. I went up to Mt. Sinai to ask the Lord for help, and the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. Who am I?
Once Moses is guessed, reveal a picture of him:
Download this image HERE from the church’s website or find it in the Gospel Art Book image 14.
The Commandments Activity
I created these tablets here that contain the words to the commandments found in the song to pass out:
Access my printables at my Resource Library. Instructions for accessing my Resource Library are found at the bottom of this post.
Divide the primary into small groups and assign them 1 (or several) tablets. You and the teachers sing the song (or play it on your phone+speaker) as you pass out tablets to the groups.
Give each group a few minutes to learn about their commandment and the associated actions:
Or simply teach all the actions in order and place the tablets on the board as each one is learned.
Finger Actions
These are the actions from the video for the 10 commandments:
- No Gods but me: 1 pointer finger for “no”
- Before no idols bow: Make a golden calf using 2 fingers
- Take not the name of God in vain: 3 fingers cover mouth
- Do not the sabbath day profane: make church steeples using 4 fingers
- Honor thy parents: asl sign for mom and dad, 5 fingers with thumb touching chin then forehead
- Take not life in wanton ways: hold out hand using 5 fingers, use the pointer finger on the other hand stab the other hand
- Faithful in the marriage trust: cut the “family” of 5 fingers using 2 fingers of the other hand
- Never steal or be unjust: create prison bars with 4 fingers from each hand and place over face
- Tell the truth: hold up 4 fingers to represent people and create a mouth using other 5 fingers and talk behind the people’s back
- Do not covet: Use 10 fingers to create ASL sign for want, clutch fingers to chest, palm up
Then for the other 2 (love god and neighbor) create a heart shape using 2 hands and then extend hands outward to represent “all.”
Call each group up in order and have them talk about their commandment(s), what it means and have them teach the associated action. Sing the song, gradually adding on as each group comes forward.
Point out that the last 2 commandments were not part of the Ten Commandments given to Moses.
Bear Testimony
The Ten Commandments were not given to make our life harder, but to help guide our lives to make us happier. Keeping the commandments help us stay safe and live in peace.
Check out this quick tutorial video for accessing the Resource Library:
These printables are filed on my Resource Library page under Song Title > The Commandments.
