Looking to add a fresh and fun twist to your music time? Try adding castanets to your singing time musical collection! Castanets help children feel the beat, stay engaged, and enjoy learning Primary songs!
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I LOVE using musical instruments to help teach Primary songs! From handbells to kazoos to egg shakers! I recently brought castanets into singing time and they were a HIT with my Primary and know they’ll be with yours too!
Below are options for purchasing pre-made castanets or making your own! Singing time supplies don’t have to break the bank or the Primary singing time budget ;).
I purchased enough castanets for each of my Primary childre to have 2 (Amazon affiliate link):
Younger children may be best suited for using one. But older children can definitely handle the challenge of using 2!
You can EASILY create your own homemade version of castanets! Check out this DIY castanets video to make your own using a few common household items:
Activity Days boys and girls are ALWAYS looking for service projects! Let them collect supplies from ward members and then create castanets during one of their activities!
They’ll LOVE seeing their creations used in singing time!
There are various ways to use castanets in singing time. obviously, they can be used with ANY songs but the stronger the beat, the better!
Like I Want to Be a Missionary Now, Follow the Prophet and Family History—I Am Doing It are a few examples of Primary songs that contain a strong beat.
You sing a phrase and click the rhythm to a Primary song with castanets. Then have the children echo it.
Choose a specific word or theme (e.g., “Jesus,” “light,” “love”) and have children click the castanets every time that word is sung.
Children tap castanets on the steady beat throughout the song.
Additional challenge: have children click the beat with one hand while clicking the rhythm with the other! Great for challenging older children!
Children tap the castanets while you sing, but must freeze (and be silent) when the piano stops playing.
Have children click softly then loudly, and so forth, following your lead.
Assign groups of children a color that correlates to specific phrases. They only click the rhythm when those phrases are sung.
Tap a rhythm from a line of the song with castanets; have children guess the matching phrase then sing it.
TIP: give them a list of songs to choose from to help them guess.
Leave your ideas, suggestions and thoughts in the comments! I’m still new to using castanets and can use all the help I can get!!
Make sure to check out my full list of singing time supplies.
Did you like this activity? Make sure to scroll through more singing time review games and activities!
Singing time just got even easier! With my Singing Time To-Go, all you have to do is print! Be prepared for the entire month – every month!
Be prepared in singing time for the entire month – every month! And all you have to do is print!
These singing time ideas for teaching the Primary song, Love Is Spoken Here will help your Primary fall in love all over again with this song! My favorite is using a match-up activity that puts the double melody together! But whatever you choose, these Love Is Spoken Here singing time ideas are bound to accommodate your Primary’s learning style and needs!
The 2nd hour of church has significantly changed for Sunday School, Relief Society, Elders Quorum and all youth classes. However, Primary received a minor change that you might not have noticed.
Add an extra touch of fun to your Primary program by passing out invitations. On the big day, pull it all together with a unique 2026 Primary program bulletin created by your Primary children!
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Singing time just got even easier! With my Singing Time To-Go, all you have to do is print! Be prepared for the entire month – every month!
Hundreds of printables organized by song title and category that coincide with my singing time lesson plan posts!
