Primary Baseball

PRIMARY BASEBALL

When I want the kids to really sing well, I like to play Primary Baseball.  It's a great review for songs you are learning.  I am a digital scrapbooker so I use Photoshop Elements to create my people.  If you have access to that program you could leave me a note with your email and I would gladly send you the layered templates.  But you could just use the pictures of the baseball players and paste kids faces onto them.  My kids play this game often enough that when they graduate they ask for their baseball picture!  You could just use the baseball people and write the kids names on them and not worry about faces but if you have the means, the kids love seeing their faces up there.

I will explain how we do it.  You can vary the game to suit your purposes.

We have two teams - mixed up ages so that no one team has an advantage.  The pitcher's mound contains baseballs with the name of a song plus one verse.  Example:  I am a Child of God verse 3.  I often give a hint to remind them which verse it is.  Example:  Rich blessings.

The pieces all have magnetic tape on the back so that they stick to the chalkboard.  The full layout looks like this.  I like to post the criteria right on the board so the kids can see it while we are playing.

I assign the two teams and also the "coaches" for each team.  The coaches are of course the teachers.  Then each team chooses a name for their team.  Then we are ready to play.

We do not play with outs.  We just let the 2 teams take turns so that each team is having equal time singing. So the first person in the line of blue players comes up and chooses a ball from the pitcher's mound.  His whole team must sing that song.   The goal is to get the kids to sing their very best.  That player then moves to the appropriate base using the posted criteria to make that decision.   Then the green team gets a turn.

I choose another adult to be the umpire for the game.  It is important to choose someone who is willing to be discerning in their evaluation.  .

Criteria is based on singing the correct words with quality singing - not loud singing.

1st Base = Everyone singing   Many mistakes on words 

2nd  Base =  Everyone singing  Few mistakes on words 

3rd Base =  Everyone singing  Words are correct - but singing isn't very good.

Home Run  =  Everyone is singing  Words are correct  Enthusiastic and beautiful singing voices!

Here are all the pieces for the game: