The trouble with only singing program songs.....is that you don't know any songs.

Today I was going through my files looking through old things and organizing visual aids.  I didn't realize how much I had, but after 4 years it kind of makes sense.  I found a list of songs from 2008 when I was first put in.  There were about 15 songs on it that the kids in primary knew.  Mostly they were program songs, but there was also the snowman song, a birthday song and Hello!  They really didn't know any songs!  They had had four leaders over the previous year who spent the whole 15-20 minutes every Sunday only teaching and reviewing program songs.  There was no continuity.  These children didn't know core songs, or even the program songs from the previous year!  I went through the list today and highlighted all the songs they knew. 

THEY KNOW 71 SONGS!!!!!!

These are songs that they can sing well, without visual aids, at anytime.  This is probably about what a primary should be able to sing, but for this primary it's a huge step!  I am so proud of these children and all their hard work learning songs!

The trouble with only singing program songs is that ultimately the kids don't know any songs.  In order for them to truly learn a song, you have to sing it well beyond the program and keep singing them into the next year.  I know it's hard.  It takes a lot of planning, and even with good planning sometimes songs fall through the cracks.  But consider this, a song taught once, and reviewed periodically, doesn't have to be retaught.  The younger kids learn it by hearing the older ones sing it.  And that's how favorites and classics are made, and gospel principles are retained.