Come Follow Me: Role Play and Do As I'm Doing for both Younger and Older Children

"Do As I'm Doing, follow, follow me..."I have used this wiggle song a lot with Primary music, but this month it takes on a whole new meaning as I combine it with the hymn, Come Follow Me, and some role play.

Tell the children:

I am going to do some things the Savior might do if he were here.  See if you can figure out what I am doing.

Role Play:

Have a teacher or counselor help you to role play the following scenes:

1. Giving a sick person a drink

2. Giving a cold person a coat

3. Giving service by washing a window for someone

4. Giving someone who is crying a hug.

Receive the children's answers about what they think you are doing (kind of like charades).

Ask the children:

Can you copy me in what I am doing?

Sing:

Sing Do As I'm Doing in a gentle way as you do the four actions above. The children are copying what you are doing.

Tell and Ask:

I think these are things the Savior might do. Do as I'm doing is really a different way to say Come follow me, just like the song we are learning.  Who thinks they can help me demonstrate these actions for everybody while we sing the song Come Follow Me?

Get 8 or 16 (two pairs per action) or 24 (3 pairs per action) volunteers to come up and do one of these actions per phrase of the song (there are 4 phrases, thus 4 actions).

Sing and Role Play:

As you sing this song, indicate to the children when they should start role playing.

1. Come follow me...

2. Then let us in...

3. For thus alone....

4. With God's own...

Bear Testimony

I would ask the children to all freeze immediately after singing, and then bear a short and authentic testimony about following the Savior.  You have opened the pathways so they can really hear you with this activity. Role play is a strong way to teach because it goes into body memory as well as mental memory.  It helps give a deepening of understanding of what this song really means.  Children are actively involved so it opens the door for the Holy Ghost to enter and testify, especially as you testify. And... the children really like it!