Activities Using Music and Rhymes for Early Childhood Education

Find Eency, Weency Spider Books at Amazon.com

Music
Itsy Bitsy Spider Lyrics and Music

Props
For younger children:
Print a spider pattern (or make a spider pattern by making a circle, draw eight legs on it, and two eyes.)
Make a sun (or print a sun or a sun with a face) and rain drops coming out of a cloud (or print cloud and raindrops or a blue-green cloud and raindrops).
Color and laminate them.   Have the children show each pictures, as the words are song in this song.
For the water spout, have the child/ren,  move the spider up as this part is song.
This can also be used as a flannel board story.  You will need a strip of felt for the water spout.  Have the child/ren climb up (or down) the water spout.

If you like, you can go to The Itsy Bitsy Spider @ DLTK-Kids to find other props and resources.

Use the instructions located at: Flannel Board Stories, Songs, and Rhymes for Children and use the laminated props (or make felt ones).

Age Level: Babies through Early Elementary Grades

Eency, Weency Spider Sheet Music
American Folk Songs: Eency,  Weency Spider @ Guitar-Primer

For Babies:

For the spider, climb up the babies body with your fingers.
Climb down the babies body.  When the spider is washed out, throw your arms to the sides.
When the sun comes out, raise hands above head to make a circle for sun.
Climb up the babies body again and tickle him/her (if you like).

For Toddlers and Older
Have the children do the actions of the song with you.

To make a spider, move thumbs and index fingers back and forth touching each other.
When the rain comes down, move fingers down like rain falling from the clouds.   When the spider is washed out, throw arms to the sides.
When the sun comes out, raise hands above head to make a circle for sun.
When the spider goes down the spout, move thumbs and index fingers back and forth touching each other.

Variation: You can color a picture located at  Enchanted Learning - Itsy Bitsy Spider and use it for older children.

Five Little Frogs

If You're Happy and You Know It

Find If You're Happy and You Know It! Books at Amazon.com

Age Level: Toddlers through Early Elementary

Lesson Sequence:

1. Sing the song: "If You're Happy and You Know It".
You can go to If You're Happy and You Know It  where you can see the words and hear the music.  This is is a fun site!
Also go to Happy and You Know It or If You're Happy And You Know It.

If You're Happy
Author: Unknown

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.  (clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.  (clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it, Then your face will surely show it.
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.

Other verses:
snap your fingers (snap snap)
touch you head (touch touch)
You can touch any other body part.

2. Do the actions stated in the song. For example, clap your hands, stomp your feet, etc.

3. Have the children do the motions with you.

Note: The baby and toddler will learn the actions as you show them to the child.

Musical Shapes Game

Age Level: Toddlers through Early Elementary Grades

Materials needed:  Different colored circles cut from colored paper or fabric; sing a song, recorded music or instruments (tape or CD)
Tape or place the circles on the floor in a large circle.  Have the children walk around the outside of the large circle as music is played.  When the music stops, each child names the color of the circle he or she is standing by.  Continue as long as the children are interested.  For variation, use different shapes and colors and have the children name the color and the shape.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (My Body)

Find Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes Books at Amazon.com

Age Level: Toddlers through Early Elementary Grades

There are different songs you can use to teach children body parts.

1st Version
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes @ lds.org (pdf)

The other song is called Head Shoulders.

NIEHS Sing Along has two versions: or #1 and #2.

2nd Version
Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes
Tune of: "London Bridges"
Author: Unknown

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes, knees and toes.
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
And eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

Ankles, elbows, feet and seat,
Feet and seat, feet and seat,
Ankles, elbows, feet and seat,
And hair, hips, chin and cheeks.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes, knees and toes.
Ankles, elbows, feet and seat,
And eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

Lesson Sequence:
1.  Ask the children, "Where is / are your ..." Keep on asking this questions for the different body parts (eyes, ears, mouth, nose, teeth, legs, feet, arms, head, shoulders, etc.)  Have the children point to each body part you mention.

2.  Now we are going to sing a song about our body.  (Choose one of the songs to sing and do the other song another day.) You need to point to the body part I'm talking about as you sing.

Note: If the children are unable to sing, you can sing to them and they can point to their body parts that is mentioned in the song.

For Babies:

1. Sing the song to your baby.

2.  Ask your baby, "Where is / are your ..." Keep on asking this question for the different body parts (eyes, ears, mouth, nose, teeth, legs, feet, arms, head, shoulders, etc.).  Point to each body part and say, "This is / are your ..."

Note:  You can do the two above activities at different times.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Find Row, Row, Row Your Boat Books at Amazon.com

Age Level: Babies and Early Elementary Grades

Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Author: Unknown

Row, row, row your boat
gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.

Activities:
Baby:  Put your baby laying on your lap and sing the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" to him or her.  Move his or her legs like a bicycle as you sing the song.
Toddlers: Tell them "Let's row like a boat, (swing back and forth)", and then sing the song to them or with them.
Preschool - Early Elementary Grades:  Sing the song.  You can sing in it in a round several times.

Songs & Rhyme Activity Cards

Age Level: Babies through Elementary Grades

Have your children color a picture or you can do it yourself located below.  You can also use old magazine pictures, postcards, calendars, other things that have pictures that are in different rhymes or songs.  Color, then glue each picture on the folder, cardboard, or place them in plastic clear pages. You can have the folders or paper laminated to have them last longer.  If you are using cardboard, put masking tape on all four sides so it will stay on.  (If you do not know the words of the song or rhyme, you can place them on the back on the card.  You can also write other activities that relate to that song or rhyme on the back of the activity card, place them in the folder, or behind the picture in the plastic page.)  As you sing the song or say the rhyme, show the picture to your children or have your children hold it for you.  You can call these cards whatever, the song or rhyme is for example, "Old Mac Donald Had A Farm Activity Card".

Resources to find rhyme and song pictures:
Nite Owl's The songs are "Hickory Dickory Dock", "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "Old McDonald Had a Farm", "All Around the Mulberry Bush", "Pop Goes the Weasel", "Rain, Rain (Go Away)", "Rock-a-Bye Baby", "Yankee Doodle", "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and lots of rhymes.
Enchanted Learning - Coloring Pages
Enchanted Learning - Rhymes
Nursery Rhymes Theme

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Find Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Books at Amazon.com

Age Level: Babies through Early Elementary

Sing the song:
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Author: Unknown

Twinkle, twinkle little star,
(open and shut hands)
how I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high.
Like a diamond in the sky.
(put hands like a diamond above head)
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
(open and shut hands)
how I wonder what you are.

Color the picture located at Nite Owl's or Enchanted Learning and use it to sing the song.

Sing the song doing the action listed above.  Have the children do the actions with you.