It's All in the Name

I know this sounds silly, but it's something that is important to know & put into practice...and unfortunately, because we work with the kids only a couple of hours a week, get's overlooked.

EVERYONE wants to be called by their name. My sisters and I definitely look like sisters. When we were in college, at one point or time, each of us was mistaken for the other sister. Not a big deal at all. In fact, I always used to joke that I just answered to anything...but it's still nice to be called by MY name.

Do you know all the names of the children in your primary? I know this is easier said than done in some primary's. We have a LARGE primary right now, so getting to know the names of each child in primary has been difficult (and an on-going process), but it's a process that changes everything. I like to be able to call on my helpers by name. I like to be able to praise children by name...and occasionally, I like to be able to call children out (so to speak) by name to get their attention. It's amazing to see a child's eyes when you call their name and they don't even realize that you know who they are. It is a self esteem booster for the child. It encourages them to pay attention, and it helps them to know that you think of them as more than just another child in a big group of children.

The most obvious way to do this is with a list of names from the handy dandy primary secretary, but another PERFECT way to do this is to use the primary song, "Here We Are Together". Choose 4 new people a week. Have the children in primary say hello to each of the children by name (Hi _________), then sing the song with each name inserted. If there is time, our primary likes to sing it once in the order the kids are introduced, and then again with me randomly choosing (I stand behind the children, and point to the child whose name is next) the order the names will be sung in. Not only does this help me learn the kids names, but it helps everyone else in the primary to learn names too.

Whether you learn 1 new name a week or 10 new names a week, take some time to get to know the names of the children in your primary. It will make your calling as a chorister easier, and it make a child's day.