Do you remember playing the game, “Telephone” as a kid? I remember getting together with friends, whispering silly sentences, and seeing how much the sentence changed as it passed from person to person!
This silly game teaches how quickly information can change when we don’t listen closely. For a neat way to get everyone involved in singing time, use this The Still Small Voice Telephone Game as a simple object lesson to show the importance of listening to the still, small voice!
The Still Small Voice Telephone Game
I often find that younger primary children especially LOVE to participate in ANY way they can. This simple activity is one that involves everyone and is a great people interaction idea.
The basic idea behind this activity comes from the classic game of telephone that we all likely played as kids. Typically, one person starts by coming up with a word or short phrase. Then, they whisper that phrase to the person next to them, who then passes it on.
When the message gets to the last person, they say the phrase out loud. It’s not uncommon for the phrase to be partially or even completely changed! The result is often hilarious! For this activity, we’ll be following the same pattern, but using song lyrics!
What’s awesome about this game is that it requires virtually no prep! Use this fun telephone game for a simple object lesson or combine it with another fun review activity. You can find ALL our The Still Small Voice singing time ideas right here!
How to Play:
Before introducing this activity, I recommend singing through the song once as a quick review. I like to do this so that even those who missed a week or two can feel included. Feel free to grab our The Still Small Voice flip chart if your primary kids are still a little shaky on the words!
Then, tell the children that you’ll be playing a game called, “Telephone.” This is a game that requires everyone to listen carefully. Can you put on your best listening ears?
Start by having one child come to the front of the room. Whisper the first line of the song to them, then have them go back to their seat and whisper whatever they heard to the person next to them. Make sure not to say it out loud!
If someone is unsure of what they heard, you can whisper the phrase one additional time. Then, they have to give it their best guess! After going through 5-6 kids, ask the child to say the phrase out loud. Did we get it right?
Continue on with the next child in the row by whispering the next line of the song. Try and cycle through as many children as you can so that everyone gets a turn.
For a spiritual tie-in, ask the kids some questions about the game. Was it hard or easy? What made it challenging? Sometimes it can be hard to hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Ghost. What can we do to make sure that we can hear the voice of the Spirit?
Finish by singing through The Still Small Voice once more and sharing your testimony about the Holy Ghost. As Sister Bonnie H. Cordon said in the 2023 General Conference, “Never give up an opportunity to testify of Christ.” I know the Spirit fills the primary room when we bear simple testimony of Christ and His gospel.
For another similar group activity, head over to see this I Feel My Savior’s Love Secret Words singing time activity!
Extension Activities:
- Have each class play their own game of telephone! Have each teacher start by whispering a line of the song to one child in their class. Pass on the message until it reaches everyone! This is an especially good option if you have a larger primary.
- Incorporate recent General Conference quotes or scriptures from the weekly Come Follow Me! Print out short conference quotes or phrases from scripture and use those for your telephone game!
- Add to the object lesson by playing loud sounds while the children play the game. It’s frustrating, right? The Holy Ghost has a difficult time communicating with us when we are surrounded by noises of the world. How can we prepare ourselves to hear his voice?
- To add a little more movement, choose 5 children to come to the front of the room and stand in a line. Whisper a phrase to the first child, then have them pass it on until it gets to the 5th child. Then, have each child choose someone to come up and take their place for the next round!
The Still Small Voice Telephone Game Printable Teaching Helps
There is no free printable for this post. You’ll just need the song lyrics!
You’ll find a bonus cute printable telephone phrases to make this quick and easy to implement included as part of the INSTANT Primary Singing Membership when The Still Small Voice is the featured song of the month.
See this The Still Small Voice Number Problems logical activity for another fun way to review this song!
What other fun ways will you use this people interaction singing time activity in your Primary room?
