Young people of all ages love rhymes and rhythms, especially when they are silly and surprising.  Songs evoke memories from the past.  When we sing together a special bond is formed, and tears and fears are soon forgotten.  Simple silly songs are a great way to stimulate learning and understanding, and an effective way to enhance social/emotional development.

Infants: I Can Make Music – It is important that children start learning one to one correspondence early in life as the start of mathematical understanding.  This is the most fundamental component of the concept of number.  Children must understand it before counting.  This is especially important for infants and toddlers.  When singing with infants, adults can start with simple concepts as two hands, two feet, one tummy and one chest.  The following song is sung to the tune of “Ten Little Indians”

- I can make music with my hands. (3 x’s) I can make music.  Yes I can!”

(I can make music with my feet, thighs, tummy, chest, shoulders, cheeks, and head.)

Toddlers: The Wheels on the Bus – Children express themselves through word and song as a natural extension of early language development.  Ellen Booth Church author of The Great Big Book of Classroom Songs, Rhymes and Cheers says that action songs “…can introduce words for objects as well as sounds.   

- The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round,

The wheels on the bus go round and round, all round the town.  (Roll hands around)

- The driver on the bus says “move on back, move on back, move on back,”

The driver on the bus says “move on back, all round the town.  (Thumb points behind)

-  The wipers on the bus goes swish, swish, swish (Arms wave from side to side)

- The lights on the bus go blink, blink, blink (Fingers on hands open and close)

- The daddies on the bus read the newspaper, read the newspaper, read the newspaper

- The mommies on the bus rock their babies, rock their babies, rock their babies,

(Let children make up actions and sounds for horn, windows, tires, doors etc.)

Preschoolers: Social Snake –The children form a line holding each other’s waist with both hands while swaying their bodies in unison.  They should sing and act out the following song to the tune of “This Old Man.”

- This great snake he can swing, swinging, singing he goes swinging.

With a flip flop, silly mop, he can never stop.  Swinging, singing ‘til he drops.

- This great snake he can hop, hopping, bopping he goes hopping.

With a flip flop, silly mop, he can never stop.  Hopping, bopping ‘til he drops.

- This great snake he can wiggle, wiggling, squiggling he goes wiggling.

With a flip flop, silly mop, he can never stop.  Wiggling, squiggling ‘til he drops.

Ellen Booth Church says that “There is magic in music.  You know that all you have to do is sing a song and you have a child’s attention and interest – no matter what your voice sounds like.”  Singing is terrific fun, but it is also one of the most powerful skills that children can posses.

Music is moral law.  It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and gaiety and life to everything.            (Plato)