Hello Families! Here is a list of songs , rhymes, and fun musical chants from our music class. I hope you enjoy singing and playing with your young child today! Take advantage of their love of music, imaginative play and movement! This is the time of their life to ignite and nurture a lifeling love of music as well as stimulate their brain with the magic and joy of musical play! Singing and playing with musical activities is a wonderful way to bond and connect with your child, and to enjoy these precious years with them ! They grow up so fast. Enjoy!
Love, Teacher Susy
Early Childhood Music
Activities and Lyrics
Compiled
by Susy Porter
11/11/02
Finger Play
Here is the
beehive, but where are the bees?
Hidden away where
nobody sees.
Watch and you’ll
see them come out of the hive,
One two, three,
four five.
BZZZZZZZZ!
Slowly, slowly,
very slowly, creeps the garden snail.
Slowly, slowly,
very slowly up the wooden rail.
Quickly, quickly,
very quickly, runs the little mouse!
Quickly, quickly,
very quickly, in his little house.
Two little
blackbirds sitting on a hill,
One named Jack and
one named Jill.
Fly away Jack. Fly
away Jill. Come back Jack, come back Jill.
Notes:
Replace “blackbirds” with different animals or creatures. Ask the children for ideas. It will always rhyme as long as you
keep the creatures’ names “Jack and Jill.”
On my toe there is
a flea.
Now he’s crawling
up on me
Past my tummy,
past my nose,
On my head where
my hair grows.
On my head there
is a flea.
Now he’s crawling
down on me.
Past my tummy past
my knees.
On my toe, take
that you flea! (flick the flea off your toe w/your finger)
Johnny had one
friend, one friend, one friend,
Johnny had one
friend, one friend two.
Johnny had two
friends, two friends, two friends.
Johnny had two
friends, two friends three. (continue up to five)
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny,
Johnny, Whoops,
Johnny, Whoops,
Johnny, Johnny, Johnny
“Wiggle”
by L. Levinowitz from Maracas by Music Together
Wiggle ,wiggle,
wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.
(etc.,etc.)
Notes: Replace with “tickle”, or “jiggle”, or let the kids suggest
words.
Upper Body
Movement
A Ram Sam Sam, A
Ram Sam Sam,
Gooley, gooley
gooley gooley gooley Ram Sam Sam.
A raffey, a
raffey!
Gooley gooley
gooley gooley gooley, Ram Sam Sam.
Notes: Audiate the different phrases of the song (hear the song
without singing out loud while doing the motions), audiate the whole song, then
sing the song.
Roly poly, roly
poly, up, up, up!
Roly poly, roly
poly, down, down, down.
Roly poly, roly
poly, out, out, out.
Roly poly, roly
poly, in, in, in.
Notes: Vary the volume and pace.
This old man, he
played one. He played nick-knack on my thumb.
With a nick-knack
paddy whack, give the dog a bone.
This old man came
rolling home.
This old man, he
played two, he played nick-knack on my shoe
This old man, he
played three, he played nick-knack on my knee
Hey Mr.
Knickerbocker, boppity bop.
I feel so good
with my boppity bop,
I put that beat
right into my fingers. (tap,tap,tap,tap,tap,tap,tap)
Hey Mr.
Knickerbocker, boppity bop.
I feel so good
with my boppity bop,
I put that beat
right into my ___________
The earth is our
mother; we must take care of her.
The earth is our
mother; we must take care of her.
Hey yanna ho yanna
hey yanna ho.
Hey yanna ho yanna
hey yanna ho.
The sky is our
father; we must take care of him.
The rivers are our
sisters; we must take care of them.
The trees are our
brothers; we must take care of them.
The earth is our
mother; she will take care of us.
Notes:
Try sitting in a circle (“knees to knees if you please”), or dancing
with bells.
Tick tock, tick
tock goes the grandfather clock.
But the cuckoo
clock goes double-time,
Tick tock, tick
tock, tick tock, Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
Bouncing
Songs
I have a little
pony. His name is Macaroni.
He trots and trots
and then he stops.
My funny little
pony; Macaroni.
Mother and father
and Uncle John, went to market one by one.
Mother fell off,
and father fell off,
But Uncle John
went on and on and on and on.
Chants and
Rhymes
Who stole the
cookies from the cookie jar?
Jackie stole the
cookies from the cookie jar.
Who me? Couldn’t
be! Then who?
Cheryl stole the
cookies from the cookie jar.
“The
Sounds of Fall” by Ken Guilmartin from Music Together
Listen to the
leaves falling one by one, chh chh chh chh,
When we rake them
up, we’re gonna have some fun.
Listen to the
birds in the tree so high, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.
Don’t you wish
that you could spread your wings and fly?
I’m
a long John (teacher) I’m
a long John (children
echo)
I’m
a long time gone I’m
a long time gone.
Like
a turkey in the corn Like
a turkey in the corn
With
my long johns on With
my long johns on
Ba
ba ba ba ba Ba
ba ba ba ba
Boo
boo boo boo boo Boo
boo boo boo boo
Notes: Make up your own sounds (ma, bo, po,
la, etc)
As I was walking
to town one day,
I met a __________
along the way.
And what do you
think that _________ did say?
Unusual Meter Rhythmic
Chants
“Rocketship”
Rocketship,
rocketship, to the moon.
Rocketship,
rocketship, to the moon.
Rocketship,
rocketship, to the moon.,Zoooom
Airplane, airplane,
flying high.whoosh
Butterfly,
butterfly, flutter by. Shhh,shhh,shhh
Notes:
Replace rocketship with fire truck, race car, choo choo train, or school
bus You can ask the kids for suggestions; you’ll get some fun ideas!
“Splishing
and splashing” by K. Guilmartin from Music Together
Oh I like to sit
in a nice hot tub,
splishing and
splashing and splishing and splashing.
And I like to walk
in the rain and the mud,
splishing and
splashing and splishing and splashing.
And I like to play
washing dishes in the sink,
splishing and
splashing and splishing and splashing.
And I like to
watch as my doggy takes a drink,
splishing and
splashing and splishing and splashing.
Train
Songs (Shaker
eggs work great with these)
“Train
is a comin’”
Train is a comin,
oh yeah, train is a comin, oh yeah,
Train is a comin,
train is a comin, train is a comin, oh yeah.
Train’s goin’
faster, oh yeah, train’s goin’ faster, oh yeah,
Train’s goin’
faster, train’s goin’ faster, train’s goin’ faster, oh yeah.
Notes:
Replace “train’s goin’ faster” with “train’s goin’ slower” or “better
get your ticket.” Have children
blow out all their steam at the end of the song.
“This
Train is Bound for Glory”
This train is
bound for glory. This train is bound for glory.
This train is
bound for glory. Children get on board.
No more weepin and
a wailin. No more weepin and a wailin.
No more weepin and
a wailin. Children get on board.
Notes:
Try “this train is headed for the zoo” (the farm, the city, the moon)
“Down
by the Station”
Down by the station
early in the morning.
See the little
pufferbellies all in a row.
See the engine
driver pull the little handle,
chug chug, toot
toot, off we go!
Notes:
Have children sit in a circle, facing the same way, making a ‘train’,
moving arms like a
train, and pulling the handle on “toot toot.”
“Little
Red Caboose”
Little
red caboose, chug, chug, chug
Little
red caboose, chug, chug, chug
Little
red caboose behind the train, train, train, train.
Smokestack
on his back, back, back, back. (tap your back)
Comin
round the track, track,track,track.(rub your palms together)
Little
red caboose behind the train. Choo Choo!
Up &
Moving/Dances
“My
Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean” Scottish traditional
My Bonnie lies
over the ocean,
My Bonnie lies
over the sea.
My Bonnie lies
over the ocean,
Oh bring back my
Bonnie to me.
Bring back, bring
back, oh bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.
Bring back, bring
back, oh bring back my Bonnie to me, to me.
(Optional
2nd verse)
Oh blow ye winds
over the ocean,
Oh blow ye winds
over the sea (continue
same as 1st verse)
Notes: Walk in a circle while singing,
emphasizing the 1-2-3 beat. On,
‘bring back’, all come together lifting hands in the air.
“Clap
and Stop”
I’m gonna clap and
clap and clap and stop.
I’m gonna clap and
clap and clap and stop.
I’m gonna clap and
clap and clap and stop.
Clap and clap and
clap and stop.
Notes:
Replace clap with walk, spin, stomp, run, hop, crawl, and surf. This simple song helps children develop
impulse control.
“Do
Re Mi”
Doe,
a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of
golden sun
Me, a name I call
myself
Far, a long long
way to run
Sew, a needle
pulling thread
La, a note to
follow sew
Tea, I drink with
jam and bread
That will bring us
back to do...oh oh oh
Notes:
For a walking activity with the song, have children take a step for each
note while singing up and down the scale, starting at one side of the room
walking to the other. You can have fun with it by singing, ‘do re mi re do’,or
‘do mi so mi do’, and taking big steps.
Recorded
Music with Movement Activities
·
“In
The Hall Of The Mountain King” from “Peer Gynt” by Grieg: tip toe like mice, act like cat, then
dog, then giant, then hide in the cave.
·
“Flight
Of The Bumblebee” by Rimsky-Korsakov:
buzz like bees
·
“March
from the Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky:
soldier marching, butterfly dancing, bumblebee buzzing and flying.
·
“Rodeo:
Hoe Down” by Aaron Copland:
dancing as on a horse.
·
“Wipe
Out” by The Ventures: surf to it ,
play air guitar, silly freeze.
·
“DeColores”
traditional folk song: use rainbow streamers or scarves.
·
“The
Pizzicatti” by Diebes: rhythmic sneezing and use scarves.
·
“Can
Can” by Offenbach
·
“Rock
Around The Clock” by Bill Hailey and the Comets: twist!
·
Wee
Sing “Pretend & Play”
·
Musical
Moments, Activities for Kids and Parents, USC School of Music
