Songs and young children go together like cake and ice cream! I once asked a mother of young children if she thought her children were ready to learn a certain concept. She told me, “They can learn anything if you put it in a song.” There’s a lot of truth to that! Just think how easily children learn advertising jingles they hear only a few times!
There are many ways you can use songs to make your day go more smoothly. Here are a few ideas:
Welcome
Sing a song to welcome the children to your setting. Including their names will personalize the song and make each child feel special. Here’s one to try:
Hello Friends!
Sung to “Good Night, Ladies”
Hello, (Emily)!
Hello, (Emily)!
Hello, (Emily)!
We’re glad you’re here today.
Hello, (Emily)!
Hello, (Emily)!
Hello, (Emily)!
Oh, won’t you come and play?
Weather
Make checking the weather part of your daily routine. It’s a great way to promote observation skills and to help children make connections between how the weather makes them feel and what they need to wear to be comfortable in it. Here’s a song you can sing:
What’s the Weather?
Sung to “The Muffin Man”
Oh, what’s the weather? Look and see,
Look and see, look and see.
Oh, what’s the weather? Look and see,
Come take a look with me.
Transitions
Singing a song can be a huge help with transitions. Singing motivates children to focus on and complete a task, and it’s fun! Sing while cleaning up after play, moving to the tables for a meal or snack, or going outside. Here are some songs that may help:
Clean Up
Sung to “Happy Birthday”
It’s time to clean up.
It’s time to clean up.
Let’s pick up the toys now.
It’s time to clean up.
Come and Eat
Sung to “This Old Man”
Come and eat! Come and eat!
The food is ready; come and eat!
Come and sit with us! We have a place for you.
Come on now and have some food.
Going Outside
Sung to “The Farmer in the Dell”
It’s time to go outside.
It’s time to go outside.
So everybody come with me.
It’s time to go outside.
Naptime
Lullabies are a time-honored way to help children unwind and relax.
Time for Bed
Sung to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
When it’s time to go to bed,
I close my eyes and rest my head.
I hold my nap-time toy so tight.
My toy is soft and feels just right.
My toy and I will rest today
Until it’s time to wake and play.
Time for a Rest
Sung to “Rock-a-bye Baby”
We played and we played,
And had so much fun.
But now we are tired,
And playing is done.
Our sleepy eyes close.
It’s time for a rest.
And when we wake up
We’ll all feel our best.
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