Teaching preschool and toddler music?

Question

I don't have problems teaching the older kids because i can do more with them, but the younger ones I have problems with (this is why i want to be a professor!).

What are some more songs with hand/body motions i can do with my little ones? I need to take up 30 minutes worth of time with songs. And since the attention span is so short, I tend to do something different with each song.

Answer 1

that would be any song. you can like clap along as the song plays or pretend you're playing a guitar if it's a rock song.

Answer 2

Give the kids drums to bang on while you sing and play.  Also encourage them to join you!!  Sing songs they know... ABC, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, etc.  Little kids love to act out the words!!

Answer 3

Get them up and moving-hand movements, pretend play, jumping, running, and crawling...  Totline has some great resources for songs and activities that are group by age groups:  "Songs & Games for Babies", "Songs & Games for Toddlers", "Piggyback Songs for Infants & Toddlers".  There are a number of preschool & early childhood music curricula that you can purchase to assist you with the little ones as well.

Answer 4

There are a bunch of CD's by this guy named Raffi that plays/sings a lot of popular kids songs.  We use his CD's in our daycare and the kids love it.  They sing the songs when we are playing outside or going for a walk in the park.

Also, you could get bells and ribbons for the kids to use while they are singing and dancing.  

You could too find a CD that is for Bean Bag play.  It keeps the kids active (hands and body) and their attention because they have to listen to the words of the song to know what to do with their bean bags.

I hope this helps!!

Answer 5

Bolero!

Habanera! (Yea, make them sing chromatics! LOL!)

Edit: I am such an idiot!

Lemme think....Have you checked out Thomas Tallis's music. He's got some really memorable ones.

Answer 6

30 minutes of music with toddlers is a long time.  I'd play a game in between there - have sitting down fingerplays then stand up and dance and move.

Dr. Jean is my favorite CD -she has several out and they are all wonderful.

Answer 7

Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes

This is my brainbox,

Down by the station (children go around making train moves)

Winde the Bobbin Up

Wheels on the Bus-different actions

Row, Row the Boat-sit on floor stretch to toes.

Farmers in His Dell,

Ring-O-Rosies

Dingle, Dangle Scarecrow....

ww.elc.co.uk sell some good movement songs-try looking it up as it might have a song list!

Answer 8

Here is an article which I wrote for the Amazon site:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltgui...

I hope you like it.

Answer 9

Kids love anything with movement.  I always ask my daycare kids what their favorite song is, and let them take turns being the song leader for that particular song.  Do you remember the song "how much is that doggy in the window"?  We do that song but then let the kids add all kinds of different animals and that animals sound.

Answer 10

For the young 'ens I'd probably go look at the "Wee Sing" stuff. printed material (songbooks) and tapes are available.

There are plenty of clapping games included and some fun tunes based on popular classic tunes.