Singing Hymns with a New Reader

The progression of singing hymns with a child learning to read is as follows:

• trying to keep the child from eating the hymnal


• trying to keep the child from drawing on or in the hymnal


• trying to keep the child from standing on the hymnal


• child holding the hymnal upside down to pretend to sing


• parent finding the correct page for the child to pretend to sing


• parent pointing to words in the hymnal for the child to learn to follow along


• child singing a few random words of the song aloud


• child reading the words to the hymn out loud, but not fast enough to sing along


• child reading the words too fast for the song


• the rest of the family trying to stifle laughter sprinkled throughout each step of the way

Yes, we have had days where one of the girls sang louder than every person in the church combined, but it's all in the learning to sing.