This is a great little song that’s about being thankful. It has a catchy, easy to learn melody but the harmony in the accompaniment is a little different which makes it interesting. Plus, this is a really great song to sing at the close of primary right before the prayer because it’s short and reverent but gets kids thinking about things they are thankful for that they do or experience EVERY DAY. Here’s some visuals to help things along:
Father We Thank Thee For the Night Visuals
Start by posting the title of the song on the board (there’s words in the printable!). Then ask a few questions. Why should we be thankful for the night? It’s dark and your parents just want you to go to sleep! But wouldn’t you have a bad day if you didn’t get any sleep? Have you ever stayed up really late and then had to get up early? Could you sleep well if it was bright outside? Did you know it’s a commandment to go to sleep!? (D&C 88:124 – you may want to go over what ‘invigorate’ means!) Now you’re ready to learn the first line of the song and post the first picture.
Then go through each line of the song posting the relevant picture as you go, and asking a question about it. Can you describe what a sunrise looks like? (pleasant morning light) What are some things you do every day that you’re thankful for? (rest and food) Have you ever been lost or left completely alone for a little while? (aren’t you glad you have people who love and care for you?)
In the last line the word ‘fair’ has a different meaning than most of your children will probably be used to. Start by asking what the word fair means. Talk about how words can mean different things depending on the context. A little Snow White analogy may help in this situation. When the evil queen asks “Who’s the fairest of them all?” as she looks in the mirror, what is she really asking? It’s about beauty, not justice or carnivals. Learn the last line of the song and then talk about all of the things that make up every single day that we should be grateful for. Challenge your kids to look for things this week that are completely ordinary that they see or do every day that they can be thankful for. If you have some extra time, you may want to talk about how when we pray, we start by thanking Heavenly Father for things that He has given us.
HAPPY SINGING!
Sunbeam Singing 