Does your family look forward to this favorite Thanksgiving Break a Turkey Wishbone tradition? It’s a great way to let the kids get a chance with a wishbone in this simple activity to help you use 2 helpers at a time to pick a song or way to sing!
Thanksgiving Break a Turkey Wishbone
Ask the children what their favorite Thanksgiving tradition is? (You’ll hear lots of fun answers!) Ask if they have ever had the chance to break the turkey wishbone? Since each turkey only has one wishbone, there’s a good chance many of the kids haven’t had a chance to break a wishbone.
Today – you’ll get a chance!
Explain how to play – You’ll invite 2 children to come up to the front of the room. Each child will hold one side of the wishbone. I will count down 3… 2… 1… and then say GO!
It’s your chance then to pull! Whichever child ends up with the larger piece of the wishbone gets to be my helper! If both pieces are equal, it’s a tie and they are both winners.
You can invite the winner to pick the next song to sing. That could be their favorite song or their choice from a selection of songs. Or invite the winner to help you lead the song.
You can use a laminated wishbone as the leading wand! If you’d like to include both children – let the winner choose to pick a song or lead the music and the other child gets to do the other option.
Sing through the song selected and then invite up 2 new helpers and continue to play!
Extension Activities:
1. Laminate and hide the wishbone around the room. Invite two children to go on a wishbone hunt. Whichever child find the wishbone first is the winner and gets to pick the next song. It’s a great replacement for ripping up a bunch of paper wishbones.
You can let the finder pick between two options such as picking the song and leading the music, and let your other helper get to do the option the didn’t pick so they both win.
2. Pass out a small wishbone to each class. Have the teachers help you arrange a match between two children from each class. Still do the countdown to help it be more fair and let them all rip the wishbone at the same time.
Have the winner from each class come up front. They can help you lead, hold flip chart pages, demonstrate a rhythm pattern, etc. This will let all the children get a chance to play, and maybe even more than once!
3. Divide the Primary room into 2 groups. The winning side (larger piece) doesn’t have to sing the next time through. Or, you can let them pick a group to sing, such as boys vs girls, teachers vs kids, right vs left, etc.
Write the two groups to sing on the right and left side of the whiteboard. The winner can move back and forth to stand under the side whose turn it is to sing.
Another fun tradition to bring into the Primary room (or use in your Ward’s holiday program) is this printable Nativity Skit from The Nativity Song!
Thanksgiving Turkey Break a Wishbone Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes a large full-page wishbone illustration.
Join INSTANT Primary Singing for extended printables including 1/2 page, 1/3 page, and Wishbone song cards. You’ll find these bonus files included in the November Doctrine & Covenants packet.
Get more out of singing time with the INSTANT Primary Singing membership that includes printable lesson plans, tons of extended printables and an ad-free experience for each featured song of the month, or get immediate access to the entire song list for the year!
Learn more about INSTANT Primary Singing membership options here!
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Continue over to grab this adorable Thankful Turkey singing time activity! You’ll love hearing all the things your Primary children are grateful for as they add a feather!
What other fun ways will you use this Break a Turkey Wishbone singing time activity in your Primary room?
Thanks so much. I am not creative at all, and your ideas are awesome! I wondered about a paper wishbone, but it was a big hit!
So glad to hear it was a success with your Primary children!