Songs of Praise

Song 1 — Kindergarten: “Yahweh Made Everything”

Chorus

Yahweh made the sun so bright, *(arms make a big circle)*

Yahweh made the moon at night, *(hands together under cheek, "sleeping")*

Yahweh made the birds that fly, *(flap arms)*

Yahweh made the big blue sky! *(arms stretch wide)*

Everything, everything, *(spin once)*

Yahweh made everything! *(arms stretch wide)*

Verse 1

Yahweh made the fish that swim, *(swimming motion)*

Yahweh made the trees so tall, *(reach up high)*

Yahweh made the little lambs, *(gentle head tilt)*

He made the big and the small! *(big arms, then tiny arms)*

*(Chorus)*

Verse 2

Yahweh made my eyes to see, *(point to eyes)*

Yahweh made my hands to clap, *(clap twice)*

Yahweh made my voice to sing, *(hands around mouth)*

And He made me — just like that! *(point to self, big smile)*

*(Chorus)*

Teaching note

The last line is the point of the whole song: the Creator who made the sun and the sea also made *me*. Let each child point to themselves on "He made me." Sing it often; the repetition plants the truth deep.

Song 2 — Grade 1: “Clap and Sing”

Chorus

We praise Yahweh, yes we do! (yes we do!)

We praise Yahweh, me and you! (me and you!)

Clap your hands *(clap clap)*, stomp your feet *(stomp stomp)*,

Praise Him with the music's beat!

Verse 1

In the morning when I wake, *(stretch up)*

I will praise Him — *(children: "I will praise Him!")*

For the breakfast that I eat, *(rub tummy)*

I will thank Him — *(children: "I will thank Him!")*

*(Chorus)*

Verse 2

When I'm playing in the sun, *(march in place)*

I will praise Him — *(children: "I will praise Him!")*

When the busy day is done, *(yawn and stretch)*

I will thank Him — *(children: "I will thank Him!")*

*(Chorus)*

Teaching note

Praise is not only for church or assembly — it belongs to mornings, meals, play, and bedtime. This song teaches children that praise is a *daily* habit, woven through an ordinary day.

Song 3 — Grade 2: “My Angel Watches Over Me”

Verse 1

When I lay me down to sleep,

There's a promise I will keep:

I will close my eyes and know

My angel will not let me go.

Chorus

My angel watches over me,

All through the night, so peacefully.

Yahweh sent him from above —

My angel watches over me with love.

Verse 2

When I wake to morning light,

When I play till day turns night,

On the road and in my home,

I am never, never alone.

*(Chorus)*

Bridge

Thank You, Father, for Your care,

For Your angel everywhere.

I am safe within Your hand —

More than I can understand.

*(Chorus, softly, then hum the last line)*

Teaching note

Young children often fear the dark. This song answers fear with truth: Yahweh's protection is real and personal. Teach it as both a classroom song and a bedtime song families can sing at home.

Song 4 — Grade 3: “Father in Heaven Loves Me”

Verse 1

Like the sunshine warms the land,

Like a father holds my hand,

Like the rain that feeds the tree —

Father in heaven loves me.

Chorus

He loves me, He loves me,

My Father in heaven loves me.

Not because I'm good or strong —

He has loved me all along.

Verse 2

When I'm happy, when I'm sad,

When I'm good and when I'm bad,

When I whisper, "I'm sorry" —

Father in heaven loves me.

*(Chorus)*

Verse 3

He is higher than the sky,

Yet He hears me when I cry.

He is coming close to see —

Father in heaven loves me.

*(Chorus, then repeat last line softly)*

Teaching note

Third graders are old enough to wonder whether love must be earned. The chorus answers directly: "not because I'm good or strong." This is the first song in the collection to name grace in a child's vocabulary.

Song 5 — Grade 4: “The World He Made”

Verse 1 — The Mountains

I climbed the mountain, high and steep,

Where the quiet valleys sleep.

Who piled the rocks so high and grand?

The mighty hand of Yahweh's hand!

Chorus

Oh, the world He made, the world He made!

Every color, every shade!

From the mountain to the sea,

Yahweh made it all for me!

Verse 2 — The Ocean

I stood beside the rolling sea,

Its waves came dancing up to me.

Who taught the waters where to go?

Yahweh did — the sea waves know!

*(Chorus)*

Verse 3 — The Stars

I counted stars till I lost track,

A million white, a million black.

Who hung each lantern in the sky?

Yahweh did — He's way up high!

*(Chorus)*

Verse 4 — Me

I looked inside my wondering heart,

And found Him there, the greatest part.

Who made the one who's singing free?

Yahweh did — He made me!

*(Chorus, big finish)*

Teaching note

This song trains *observation* — the curriculum's science thread begins here. Take the class outside after learning it: find one thing Yahweh made and sing its verse to it. Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Song 6 — Grade 5: “I Will Sing to Yahweh”

Verse 1

Nobody has to tell me twice,

My heart already knows the price —

He gave me life, He gave me breath,

He'll hold me close through life and death.

Chorus

I will sing to Yahweh, sing to Yahweh,

I will lift my voice and say:

You are worthy, You are true —

I will sing my song to You!

Verse 2

When the morning sun is new,

I'll remember what is true:

Every good gift that I see

Comes from Him who first loved me.

*(Chorus)*

Bridge

Not just with my lips, but with my days,

Not just in song, but in my ways —

My whole life a melody,

Sung to Yahweh, wild and free!

*(Chorus twice, second time stronger)*

Teaching note

Fifth grade is the hinge: children begin to choose for themselves. This song makes praise a *decision* — "I will sing" — and widens it beyond music: "my whole life a melody." Discuss: what does it mean to praise Yahweh with your *days*?

Song 7 — Grade 6: “Never Alone”

Verse 1

When the hallway feels too long,

When the right feels like the wrong,

When my friends all walk away —

There's a voice I hear Him say:

Chorus

"I am with you, never alone,

Closer to you than your own home.

Through the valley, through the night,

I am with you — hold on tight."

Verse 2

When the test is on the desk,

And my heart is beating fast,

When I fail and feel the shame —

Still He calls me by my name:

*(Chorus)*

Verse 3

When I'm older, far from here,

When I face my biggest fear,

This old song will find me still:

He is with me, and He will.

*(Chorus, then hum)*

Teaching note

Sixth graders enter the anxious years. This song is pastoral before it is musical — teach it as a promise to memorize. The third verse looks ahead deliberately: the songs of childhood are meant to follow them out the door.

Song 8 — Grade 7: “How Great Is the Creator”

Verse 1

He spoke, and stars caught fire and burned,

He breathed, and turning worlds were turned.

The ocean's edge, the mountain's crown —

He laid them up, He laid them down.

Chorus

How great is the Creator!

How great is Yahweh's name!

The heavens shout His glory,

The earth repeats the same!

How great is the Creator —

Forever He will reign!

Verse 2

He counts the hairs upon my head,

He knows the tears that I have shed.

The God of galaxies above

Bends down to me in perfect love.

*(Chorus)*

Bridge

Not far, not far — He's closer than my breath,

Stronger than my fear, truer than my death.

Great in power, great in love —

My Creator, throned above!

*(Chorus twice)*

Teaching note

Seventh grade can hold two truths at once: infinite power and intimate love. The second verse is the hinge — "the God of galaxies bends down to me." Discuss how both can be true, and why it matters that they are.

Song 9 — Grade 8: “Praise With All My Heart”

Verse 1

Is praise a song I sing on Sunday,

Then forget by Monday?

Is praise the words I say in prayer,

When nobody is there?

Chorus

Praise is more than singing —

It's the life I'm bringing!

Every choice I make today

Is a song I sing Yahweh's way.

Praise with all my heart,

Let the worship start —

Not just the tune, but all of me:

That's what praise was meant to be!

Verse 2

Is praise the thanks I give for food,

Only when I'm in the mood?

Is praise a feeling, warm and bright,

That fades into the night?

*(Chorus)*

Bridge

So I'll praise Him in the hallway,

Praise Him when I work and play,

Praise Him when it's hard to do —

That's when praise is truest, true.

*(Chorus, then strip back to voices only on the last two lines)*

Teaching note

Eighth graders smell hypocrisy a mile away — including their own. This song takes their hardest question seriously: is worship real if my life doesn't match? Don't rush past the verses. Let them argue with the song before they sing the chorus.

Song 10 — Grade 9: “My Father Knows My Name”

Verse 1

In a world of seven billion faces,

Lost among the crowded places,

One voice calls me soft and true —

"Child, I made a place for you."

Chorus

My Father knows my name,

He knows my joy, He knows my pain.

Before I speak, He understands —

I'm held forever in His hands.

My Father knows my name.

Verse 2

When I wonder who I am,

When I doubt and give a damn,

When the mirror tells me lies —

He looks at me with Father's eyes.

*(Chorus)*

Bridge

Not a number, not a face in the crowd,

Not too quiet, not too loud —

Known, and loved, and called, and claimed:

My Father knows my name.

*(Chorus, then whisper the title once)*

Teaching note

Ninth grade is identity formation. The world's loudest question at fourteen is "who am I?" — this song answers with the oldest answer: you are known and named by your Father. Teach it gently; some students will cry. That's all right.

Song 11 — Grade 10: “Angels All Around”

Verse 1

I used to think the dark was deep,

I used to fear the night would keep

Its shadows — but now I see

There's more here than appears to me.

Chorus

Angels all around, though I can't see their faces,

Standing guard in all my places.

Yahweh's watchers, strong and true —

They're watching over me and you.

Angels all around.

Verse 2

When I walk through fire and flood,

When I'm tempted, when there's blood,

When the battle's in my mind —

Heaven's army's close behind.

*(Chorus)*

Bridge

Not because I'm good or brave,

Not a prize that I could crave —

Grace alone has stationed them:

Heaven's guard for Yahweh's gem.

*(Chorus, big, then acapella last line)*

Teaching note

Pair this with the Grade 2 song "My Angel Watches Over Me" — sing them back to back and discuss what changed. The child's lullaby has become the young adult's battle song. The protection is the same; the singer has grown. This is the curriculum working as designed.

Song 12 — Grade 11: “The Heavens Are Telling”

Verse 1

The heavens are telling, the skies declare,

The glory of Yahweh is everywhere!

No voice, no language, yet all can hear —

Creation is preaching, loud and clear!

Chorus

Day after day, the story's told,

Night after night, the truth unfolds:

Yahweh made it all, Yahweh reigns above —

The universe is singing of His love!

Verse 2

The sun comes running like a champion strong,

The moon keeps time through the whole night long.

The stars are scattered like a jeweled crown —

And not a single one falls down!

*(Chorus)*

Bridge

If I had no Bible, had no song,

The sky would teach me all day long:

Look up, look up, and you will see

The Maker's fingerprints on me!

*(Chorus twice, key lift on the second)*

Teaching note

This is the curriculum's natural-theology song, suited to the grade where students meet science seriously. The claim is precise: creation *declares* — it does not replace scripture, but it testifies. A good companion to the Grade 4 "World He Made" nature walk, now with older eyes.

Song 13 — Grade 12: “I Choose to Praise”

Verse 1

Twelve years of songs have led me here,

Through every joy, through every tear.

The little tunes I used to sing

Have grown into a bigger thing.

Chorus

I choose to praise — not forced, not blind,

With open eyes and open mind!

Yahweh, my Creator, Father, Friend —

I will praise You to the end!

I choose to praise!

Verse 2

The world will offer other songs,

Loud and shiny, sweet and wrong.

But I've been taught, and now I know

Which melody will make me grow.

*(Chorus)*

Bridge

Kindergarten's simple tune,

Grade school mornings, afternoon —

Every song was building me

For the praise that's wild and free!

Final Chorus

I choose to praise — my own voice now,

Not my teacher's, anyhow!

Yahweh, take this song I raise:

My life, my choice, my praise!

Teaching note

Sing the Grade 1 and Grade 5 songs in the same service as this one. Let the graduates hear how far they've come — from "clap your hands" to "I choose." That arc *is* the curriculum. This song belongs at every graduation.

Song 14 — University: “Sustainer of All Things”

Part I — The Creator

Before the first star learned to burn,

Before the first tide learned to turn,

Before the word "begin" began —

You were, You are, the Great I Am.

Part II — The Father

And yet this Ancient of all days

Bends low to hear the child who prays.

The throne room and the nursery —

Both are Yours, both hold me.

Part III — The Presence

No height, no depth, no far, no near

Can hide me from the One held dear.

Your Spirit never leaves, never ends —

My Maker, Father, closest Friend.

Part IV — The Praise

So what is left for me to do

But give my everything to You?

Not just my song, but all I am —

The praise of the Great I Am!

Finale (all voices)

Sustainer of all things, Yahweh, we sing —

Creator, Father, ever-present King!

The angels join us, the heavens resound:

The lost are sought, the sought are found!