Musical activities: Sing a cappella while clapping your hands or sing accompanied with piano, guitar or ukulele encouraging the children to sing along. Sway left and right to the triple feel while singing all of the children’s names where indicated.* Limited time? Sing goodbye to the boys, girls, teacher(s) and then into “So long, farewell, I […]
Musical activities: Sing the song inserting each child’s name where indicated. Suggested accompaniment: piano, guitar, ukelele, tambourine or clapping hands. Move around the circle making eye contact with each child when their name is sung. Use a “hello” hand movement when singing the children’s names. Return to clapping hands or your instrument when all the […]
Musical activities: Turn on or sing acapella. Rock side to side with arms extended to the macrobeat for the beginning of the song. At the lyrics “I build a snowman big and tall,” push through the air moving up as if building a snowman until your hands are high over your head. At the words […]
Musical activities: Everyone stands up. Turn on Insert jump, dance, creep, shake, etc., into the lyrics, alternating between macrobeat and microbeat. Be sure to use movements that incorporate the full body. Variations: large movement variations Sit down at the end of the song.
Musical activities: Distribute rhythm sticks. Turn on Begin tapping the sticks on the floor. Alternate between macrobeat for the verse and microbeat on the refrain. Create a new way to accompany with sticks on each repeat and sing nonsense syllables. Variations: stick play variations. Repeat activity acapella if time. Use resting tone play at the end. Collect sticks.
Musical activities: Begin this rhythmic rhyme by rocking your body side to side and patting your lap to the macrobeat. Repeat the rhyme tapping your lap and keeping a light beat in your body using microbeat. High/low voice play: Recite the rhyme using a low voice. Tap the floor to the macrobeat. Recite the rhyme […]
Musical activities: Distribute instruments if children are able to hold an instrument. Make sure you give the children instruments with a handle or something they can easily grasp. Instruments with faces are fascinating for babies. Turn on Encourage each child to shake their instrument fostering improvisation and spontaneous movement to the beat and rhythms. Observe each child exploring the instrument […]
Musical activities: Turn on and dance with one child at a time. Dance freely to the refrain: “There was a girl from France…” Always return to this movement for the repetitive refrain. A fermata introduces the verse. Wiggle your body throughout the fermata singing “Oh”! Communicate excitement through moving and singing. After using the suggested […]
Musical activities: Distribute finger cymbals. Sing this song a cappella. Preschool teachers who feel more confident with the MP3, turn on Use gentle movements with each child using macrobeat and microbeat. We recently used the finger cymbals with a high energy song. Show the contrast with this gentle aeolian minor song. Introduce other instrument variations […]
Musical activities: Approach each child one at a time to experience this rhythmic rhyme. Phrase 1: “The elephant goes like this and that…” Open one palm and gently swipe back and forth across the child’s belly to the macrobeat. Phrase 2: “He has no fingers. He has no toes.” Tiptoe pointer fingers on both hands […]