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Singing is a favourite activity for many people and if movements are added with the hands and arms then singing can also become a gentle exercise actitvity.

Objective:

  • Opportunity to reminisce
  • Memory recall
  • Group socialization

Materials:

  • Pictures representing the songs you want them to remember (see below for examples)
  • Enlarge, if necessary and laminate pictures
  • Either a CD or a person with a guitar or a pianist to accompany the sing-along
  • Lyrics of the chosen songs typed in large fonts

Instructions:

  • Explain to participants what is expected of them. Show the first picture and wait for some responses before giving them hints.
  • Lyrics are handed to participants as they remember the songs.
  • If you don't have a pianist or guitar player, gather cds with the chosen songs and have them ready to accompany the sing-along.
  • Encourage participants to incorporate gentle movements to any relevant songs, for example 'YMCA'.

Some ideas on songs to be chosen for Sing-along Picture Cards:

Picture Song
A colourful rainbow Over the Rainbow
A Pie American Pie (Don McLean)
A Blackbird Bye, Bye, Blackbird
A Daisy Boomps-a-Daisy or Daisy, Daisy
A Can of Beer The Pub with no Beer
A Tulip Tulip of Amsterdam
A Windmill The Windmill of Your Mind
A Gum Tree Give a Home Among the Gum Trees
A sign saying: 'YMCA'             YMCA (The Village People)
A Moon By the Light of the Silvery Moon
A piano Piano Man (Billy Joel)

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Comments   Post a Comment

Peehu 18th Jan 2022 Social Support Team Leader
This is a great idea as we are now restricted to meet in groups with our clients, one of our just organised program is a virtual singing group. We meet online with the use of our digital devices. Most of the participants have no experience in singing but one of their family member are into music but they didn't bothered to try.
They joined because they want to give themselves a go and they treated this as their outlet to meeting someone even just online.
Talita 23rd Jan 2022
That's so lovely the hear Peehu
Solange 11th Apr 2019 Diversional Therapist
Well done girls! Lots of ideas!
karen 25th Oct 2016 activity specialist
Great Material ...Thank you .Does anyone have links to more international songs for this sing along and pictures idea?
Geraldine 10th Nov 2015 Care

Newactivity

Picture quiz

Try a picture quiz with a variety of flowers.
What do all these flowers symbolise?
Example, on tha page have at least ten flowers .
A picture of a rose, and a song to match this is "Paper Roses.
Picture of Eldeweiss, film, sound of music sung by Christopher plummer. Great for creating reminisce.
Activity coordinators will pick up on this activity.
Joanne 9th Nov 2015 Leisure and Lifestyle Co ordinator
I have also done this with Irish Songs, colours, flowers, war songs, seniors songs, love, Scottish songs, Australiana, summer/ocean, places we travel to, Disney classics, Movie musical classics, weather, novelty songs, dancing songs, T.V themes, clothes, celebrations eg Easter, animals and birds, girls names, boys names, English songs, nursery rhymes, numbers, drinking songs and advertising jingles (which was a huge list). Hope this helps give people more ideas. More or less giving hints too rather than pictures.

Cheers Jo
Geraldine 29th Nov 2015 Care
It is good to use a variety of picture quizes to create reminise as well as hints to encourage a sing along and conversation. Residents need variety and pictures help to visualise that's why we use the 5 senses.
Geraldine 4th Nov 2015 Care
New activity.
A song with a girls name in the lyrics, for example, Daisy Daisy, Lili Marlene, Oh Suzannah, Sandra de, Oh Carol, Molly my Irish Molly, there are plenty of songs with the name Rose. The list is endless and makes for a great mind stimulation activity and a sing along.
This activity can also be used in categories, girls names, boys names, colours, flowers, cities or countries and more, use your imagination. You be amazed with the number of songs and use prompts if needed, also use a flip chart.
Hope this activity helps other activity co ordinators.
Geraldine
Solange 4th Oct 2013 Diversional Therapist
You go by ear; if participants feel like singing let them sing otherwise a verse or the chorus is enough. If you want more participation, here is a couple of ideas. Challenge them to find as many nursery rhymes as possible. They don't have to sing just give you the name, if they don't know the name they may sing a few sentences of the song and someone else will come up with the title. Another idea is to give them a word and they have to come up with songs that have the word in the lyrics. For instance the word 'bird' has dozens of known songs such as: Over the rainbow, Rocking Robin (Michael Jackson) , Bye, Bye Black Bird (Folk song) , Paloma Blanca, Wings of a Nightingale (Everly Brothers) , El Condor Pasa (Simon & Garfunkel), Bluebirds Over the Mountain (Beach Boys), Turkey in the Straw (folk song), Kookaburra Sings (Australian folk). And so on.
Jennifer 10th Apr 2019 Chief Of Services
Hi Solange, Thanks for your comments on Sing-Along With Picture Cards! This is sprouting
more ways to use Picture Cards as conversation starters.
Joanne 28th Sep 2012 Leisure and Lifestyle Co ordinator
I've done this with plenty of songs...the list is endless...sun - for you are my sunshine; dog - how much is that doggie; dog on tuckerbox - road to Gundagai; etc
Deborah 1st Apr 2012 A.I.N
walzing matilda,, john williamson
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