top of page

Our Recent Posts

Archive

Tags

Anytime, Anywhere - teaching resources

If you have chosen to teach this sweet song, can I tell you how happy this makes me? Praying and receiving answers to my prayers is part of the core of my testimony, and I don't think children are ever too young to learn that they can pray and receive answers anytime, anywhere, and for anything.


One of the first times I remember praying for something I really needed was when I was around 4 years old. My cousin and I were playing with a doll set that included some small pieces. When we went to tidy up our space, we couldn't find a little shoe that went on one of the dolls. We looked everywhere, but we couldn't find it. The doll's shoe wasn't super important, but I had a baby brother who liked to put tiny things in his mouth. He had already choked on a dime once and had to be taken to the hospital, so his safety was pressing on my small mind. My cousin and I decided that we would kneel down and say a prayer asking for help to find the shoe. Almost immediately after we opened our eyes, we both spotted the shoe. I know it's not always this easy. But this is how my testimony of prayer started. I could tell you a million other stories about how God came through in my life, time and time again, when I called upon Him.


If you are short on time and feel like it might be a struggle to teach the whole song, I would pattern the performance after the video, using soloists or duets for the verses and have the choir join on the choruses. They'll pick it up in no time at all!

Children LOVE to watch other children sing. The music video is great to show the children during practice or send the link to the parents to watch during the week. You can also turn on captions by clicking the "CC" at the bottom right of the video.



ree



Here's a really simple color code for the first verse.
Here's a really simple color code for the first verse.

CODE:

green arches: I/my

red triangles: pray/prayer

blue bursts: Heavenly Father/He

purple heart: cares

aqua blue cross: "any"

pink circle: "time"

yellow arrow: "where"


How to use this code with younger children:


Attach the pictures to the board in the correct order.

Ask the children: what do you see? what do you wonder? what is the same? what is different?

Tell the children that the shapes have something to do with the song you are going to sing. Sing through the entire song, outlining corresponding shapes as you sing.

Ask the children what the shapes have to do with the song. Collect answers, offer praise.

Ask the children to outline the shapes with you as you sing again. Collect answers, offer praise.

Repeat until they can identify all of the shapes.


For older children, I do the same thing, but I don't outline the shapes or ask them to outline them with me.

ree

How to use this map: 

 

1) Print (if I have a big group, I like to print "poster-size" with 4 sheets of paper per page). Affix to the board out of order. 

 

2) Ask the children: What do you see? What do you wonder? What is the same? What is different? 

 

3) Challenge the children to figure out what the map has to do with the song. Sing the song. Ask the children what they learned. If they are still figuring it out, sing the song again, tapping a few key notes on the board. 

 

4) Ask the children to help you put it in the correct order.  Be sure to check their work for another repetition. ;)

 

  • this map works best for older children



ree

This lyric map is for the chorus of "Anytime, Anywhere."

How to use this map:

 

1) Print the pages and arrange them on the board in a random pentagon. 

 

2) Ask the children: What do you see?  What do these pictures have to do with the song we are learning?  Collect answers, offer praise.

 

3) Challenge the children to figure out what the map has to do with the song.  Sing the song.  Ask the children what they learned.  If they are still figuring it out, sing the song again, tapping a few key pictures on the board. 

 

4. Ask the children to help draw lines to connect the pictures with the lyrics.  Sing the song again to check their work.  

5. Ask the children which pictures get used more than once. Sing again to check their work. (Answer: clock, globe, word bubbles)

 

If you have more time, erase the lines, shuffle the pictures, and do it again. 

KEY:

Anytime (CLOCK), anywhere (GLOBE)
I can talk (WORD BUBBLES) to God through prayer (CHILD PRAYING)
He will hear (LISTENING EAR) and answer me (WORD BUBBLES)
Anytime (CLOCK), anywhere (GLOBE)

BONUS ACTIVITIES:
If you have finger lights, have the children point to the pictures with their lights.

Print two sets of each and use them for a matching game.

Cut the pictures in half and use them as simple puzzles for young children.


ree

These pictures represent different places children pray.  I would cut them in half, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, and place one on the board and one in another place in the room.  As you sing the song multiple times, tap a child on the shoulder and invite them to find a picture and match it on the board.  Continue until all pieces have been matched. 


Bear a ten-second testimony that you can pray and receive revelation anytime, anywhere.  Make it personal by sharing a brief experience about praying somewhere and receiving an answer. 

This activity is perfect for even the smallest of learners or a group of children with mixed ages.  I would not use this activity for only older children. 



Note: the picture shows 4 places, but there are actually TWENTY pictures included in the download.  Use as many or as few as you wish.  This can be used for other songs about prayer, too.


ree

This crack the code game is for the bridge of "Anytime, Anywhere."

 

How to play:

 

Prep: Print out the letterstrips, cut on dotted lines

 

1) Affix the letterstrips to the board out of order

2) Sing the bridge

3) Ask the children what the letterstrips have to do with the song.  Collect their answers, offer praise.  If they figured the code out, move on to step 4.  If they haven't gotten it yet, repeat steps 2-3. 

4) Challenge the children to put the letterstrips in order as you continue singing the song.

5) When they are done, check their work, pointing to each letter as you go.

 

Extender activities:

A) Divide the room into sections.  Ask one half to sing the green and blue letters and one half to sing the pink and purple letters.  Alternate colors.  You can have teachers sing one color, boys sing one color, girls sing one color, and you and the pianist sing the last one.  Get creative.  

 

B) You can also replace one color at a time with a sound (such as clapping, patching, snapping) and sing the other colors.


ree

This melody map is for the bridge of "Anytime, Anywhere."


1) Print (if I have a big group, I like to print "poster-size" with 4 sheets of paper per page). Affix to the board out of order. 


2) Ask the children: What do you see? What do you wonder? What is the same? What is different? 


3) Challenge the children to figure out what the map has to do with the bridge of the song. Sing the bridge. Ask the children what they learned. Collect answers, offer praise. If they are still figuring it out, sing the song again, tapping a few key notes on the board. 


4) Ask the children to help you put it in the correct order.  Be sure to check their work for another repetition. ;)


5) Challenge the children to figure out what each color, pattern, and size represent. Sing the song again. Collect their answers and offer praise. Repeat. 


Questions to keep in your pocket:

What word is the highest in the bridge?

Why do those two shapes have stripes?  Why do two have polkadots?

Why are these rectangles red? Purple? Green? Teal? 

Why are the shapes the same on the first and third posters?  How do you know you got them in the right order?


Extender activity: You sing the colored rectangles, and I'll sing the white ones.  We'll both sing the ones with patterns.  Then switch.


Note: this activity is definitely better for older children who know how to read.


Key:

Purple: words that start with M

Red: words that start with a vowel

Green: words that start with H

Teal: words that start with W

Stripes/Dots: rhyming words

Height: pitch (how high or low a note is)

Width: note duration (how long or short a note is)


7) Challenge the children to sing only the colored symbols while you sing the rest of the chorus. Sing again, challenging them to sing the blue dots while you sing the colored symbols.


Are there any other teaching resources you'd like to see? Send me an email, and I'll see what I can do!

 
 
 
bottom of page