Hello, Spring!

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, spring has officially begun. What does spring look like in Minnesota? The snow has been melting, so we can finally see the ground. It might even snow again tomorrow. Soon, however, we will see many signs of spring we’ve been waiting for!

Our favorite point to stop on our walk, St. Cloud, Minnesota, March, 2022

Many people take walks in my neighborhood. As they stroll past my window, I delight in watching the little ones. I often see them pointing at things–“Look! A butterfly! Look! A puppy!” Their chubby little fingers point to all of the wonderful things around them.

With that thought in mind, I wrote this song called “Hello Spring.” The melody comes from a traditional Scottish song I have always loved called “Ally Bally.” Imagine this song as a greeting to the many things one might see in the spring.

Hello Spring lyrics by Kathy Kampa on Jump Jump Everyone

Hello, bluebirds. Hello, bumblebees.

Hello, red tulips. Hello, cherry trees.

Hello, warm sun. Hello, blue skies.

Hello, little ants and orange butterflies!

Teach students the vocabulary using the Google images here. You can also create felt images like these creative teachers in Japan.

2. Use my movements from the video, or create your own.

3. I sing the song one part at a time, and the children echo. Then we all sing together.

Feel free to create your own movements. If you’d like some movement ideas, check out my video. We filmed it in Tokyo, Japan at the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Special thanks go out to Andre DiMuzio for his beautiful arrangement. Thanks also to Connor McKeown and Christian Vilina for their help with this video.

You can find this song at iTunes and ETJbookservice. “Hello Spring” is also available on streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music.

As an extension to this song, you can create your own lyrics. Ask your students, What do you see in the spring? Arrange the words to create your version of the song. Listen closely to the syllables. so that your song will fit the melody and rhythm. Move the words around to choose the best idea.

Hello, _______ _______. (2 sounds)

Hello, _____ _____ _________. (3 sounds-short-short long)

Hello, _______ _______ _______. ( 3 sounds)

Hello, _____ _____ _________. (3 sounds-short-short long)

Hello, _______ _______. (2 sounds)

Hello, _____ _____ _________. (3 sounds-short-short long)

and orange _____ _____ _________. (3 sounds-short-short long)

If you’re looking for more craft projects to link to this song, try these. You’ll find more ideas on my Pinterest page.

Bugs by Renata. Tulips

I want to share this beautiful spring project from Jellytots Childcare-Ofsted Registered Childminders.

They write, “Anyone who follows our page will already know that our tots looooveee found things So today we took a homemade heart canvas with us and added tape to make one side sticky. Every time we found something we liked – feathers, fallen petals, leaves, dandelion clocks, daises, etc., we added them to our canvas to create a beautiful floral heart We’re going to add tape to the open side and keep it up in the playroom so we can watch the changes to the flowers and petals “

My second album “Jump Jump Everyone” is filled with many happy songs that have grown in my young learner’s classroom. The songs build language with useful patterns and vocabulary. Many songs link to classroom content. There are numerous classroom management songs, too. Children can dance like falling leaves, bloom like a spring flower, move through the butterfly life cycle . . . . you’ll find LOTS of fun and magic in this album.

Happy teaching!

Kathy Kampa is a passionate educator of young learners. She seeks to nurture children’s imaginations and spark creativity through fun and engaging activities. Kathy believes music and movement should be a part of every young child’s learning.

Kathy and her husband Chuck have co-authored English language courses for young learners, including Magic Time, Everybody Up, Oxford Discover, Beehive, and Buzz (all published by Oxford University Press). They have also written English-language songs for Tokyo Shoseki. Kathy has taught young learners in Tokyo, Japan for 30 years. She has returned to her home state of Minnesota in the US where she continues to teach young learners.

Kathy is active as a teacher trainer, inspiring teachers around the world. Kathy presents workshops on English language education for children, including Growth Mindset, Multiple Intelligences strategies, inquiry-based learning, creativity, global skills, and music and movement.

If you’re interested in more of Kathy’s work, check out her YouTube channel at Kathy Kampa.

Put On Your “Magic” Shoes!

What kinds of shoes do you have in your closet? Well, I have some unique shoes. Take a look!

When I brought these shoes to young learners’ classes, they wondered where they came from and searched for the country on our big rug map. I shared stories of the places I had traveled to.

In the Shoemaker’s Dance by the Shenanigans, it’s fun for children to imagine many kinds of shoes. What kind of shoes would you like to wear? I begin by suggesting something like popcorn shoes. I show picture cards, such as the images below from Magic Time (OUP), or realia of the items.

These are the questions I ask:

What do we know about popcorn?

What do you think popcorn shoes would look like?

How would you move in them?

For example, popcorn has round edges. It surprises us when it pops. It’s light and bouncy. So, popcorn shoes might have soft, smooth edges. When you put them on, you might jump or hop.

How about rainbow shoes? What do we know about rainbows? We know that rainbows are colorful–red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Rainbow shoes will be filled with color. When you put them on, you might leap or find pots of leprechaun gold.

How about dinosaur shoes? What do we know about dinosaurs? Most dinosaurs are really big and powerful. When you put dinosaur shoes on, you might powerfully stomp your feet.

Butterfly shoes? They might have delicate wings. When you put them on, you can fly (well, we have to pretend!)

Spaghetti shoes? They might have lots of wiggly lines. When you put them on, you start to wiggle all over.

Puzzle shoes? They might have straight and curvy lines. When you put them on, your feet jump apart and together.

Birthday cake shoes? We may have to mix up the batter and add sprinkles. When you put them on, you might want to skip or dance. It’s your special day!

Unicorn shoes–a favorite of almost every class! They might have lots of beautiful colors. When you put them on, you gallop and soar in the sky.

Well, anything is possible.

Pokemon shoes, race car shoes, pizza shoes, donut shoes, princess shoes, leprechaun shoes, star shoes, rocket shoes . . . .

I like to “play” with a lot of different ideas first. We explore Then children may want to choose one idea and draw their designs. They have a clearer image of what the shoes might look like and how they might move in them. Here are a few of my students’ shoe ideas from a recent program at Children’s Day Montessori.

Here’s the folk dance! Folk dances are so important to young learners’ education. Here’s what I’ve noticed.

-Children learn to work together in a group.

-They move their bodies in time to the music.

-They follow the musical form or the pattern. This one is ABC.

-They visualize the movement patterns in their heads. In this one children move around a circle or away from and back to their own space.

-They hear repeated language in the song. They describe their own ideas, too.

-The more children repeat the pattern, the more confident they grow.

-They’re happy!

This dance is by the Shenanigans on their album, Dances of Terra del Zur, Vol. 1. or Dance Music for Children, Level 1.

In Part A, children pretend to make shoes. They might pretend to paint, sew, pound, or make a shape. When we first do this, we all make the same idea, such as Dinosaur shoes.

In Part B, children do a little clapping or pounding pattern. I say, (ti-ti ta)

This happens eight times. If I’m making the dinosaur shoes, I might make a LOUD sound. If I’m making butterfly shoes, I might make a quiet sound.

In Part C, children pretend to dance around the space in their pretend shoes. I like to have the children move around a circle. Once they’re comfortable in their space, they can move freely and come back to their spot.

The three shoes I’ve chosen are:

Popcorn Shoes

Rainbow Shoes

Dinosaur Shoes

At the end, the children pretend to clean up.

Here’s a video of the Shoemaker’s dance.

Shoemaker’s Dance

If you’re looking for more songs for children to “move and groove to,” check out this Spotify playlist.

Lots of great songs for kids to move to!

Songwriter and educator Kathy Kampa seeks to nurture children’s imaginations and spark creativity through fun and engaging activities. Kathy believes that music and movement should be a part of every young child’s education. Kathy’s songs for kids (Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone) are available on iTunes.

Kathy has taught children in a Montessori/PYP school in Tokyo, Japan as well as in the United States. She uses a globally-minded and inquiry-based approach to teaching through which students develop 21st-century skills. She also supports the development of English language skills by creating songs, chants, and TPR/movement activities targeted to young learners’ needs. Kathy is an author and teacher-trainer with Oxford University Press.

Cover screen shot — Lots of great movement songs, transitional songs, and CLIL/content songs!

Children's songs for special events for pre-school, kindergarten, and elementary students — Children’s songs for special events for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary students

Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays CD are filled with songs to celebrate special days in a child’s life–birthdays, a loose tooth, and lots of holidays. In addition, there are 23 engaging songs for kids on Kathy Kampa’s Jump Jump Everyone. It’s filled with movement songs, classroom management songs, and CLIL/content songs. These activities support English language development while developing global skills. Your young learners will love them!

These two CDs each include a handy attached booklet with lyrics and are available for teachers in Japan at ETJ Book Service. The songs are available for download through iTunes or on streaming services, such as Spotify or Amazon Music.

If you’re interested in learning more about creativity, check out this blog called “The Creativity Post.

It’s Leap Year–Let’s Leap!!

If you teach young learners, you know that they love to move! As teachers, we can provide opportunities for children to explore movement in bigger spaces. What kinds of movement should we practice with young learners? We’re going to explore LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENTS. Locomotor movements are not done in one place; children move from one place to another. You might know these as “gross motor movements.”

Add some Locomotor Movements to your Leap Year / Leap Day celebrations!

Happy Leap Day on 29 February with Jumping Frog.

LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENTS.

If this is the first time your students are doing these types of movements, I recommend practicing them. Make sure that your students have ample room to move. Then, say each locomotor movement word and have students move with you before playing the music.

Alternatively, you can dive right in! Put on the music and move with your students around a circle. Model each of the movements.

If your students are used to doing movement, they can move freely around the space. Here are the locomotor movements used in the song.

walk. Use your imagination! Walk with a puppy or an elephant. Walk like a dinosaur or a princess. Walk happily!

march. Pick up your knees. Imagine that you’re playing a big drum.

tiptoe. Sh! Lift up your heels and move quietly. Maybe someone or something is sleeping.

gallop. Put your hands behind your back to make a tail. Gallop like a horse.

skip. Skipping is like a step and a hop. It can be a little challenging for young learners. Once children learn it, they’ll love skipping.

jump. Jumping is moving off of both feet at the same time. You can jump in different ways–jumping feet apart and together, turning around, or jumping super high! You can jump forward or backward.

hop. Hopping is like jumping, but you have to move by balancing on one foot. If one foot gets tired, just change to the other foot. You can hop in a straight line, a zigzag line, or even in your own circle.

leap. Imagine having to leap over a big puddle. Swing one foot out and fly in the air! You can put things on the floor to leap over, such as beanbags, small hula hoops, or spots

Now practice the letters and their sounds.

In this song, we’ll be making the letter shapes. If your students don’t know these letter sounds, try this.

When I first teach letters and their corresponding sounds to young learners, I like to use the Montessori approach with the Montessori Three-Period Lesson.

Step 1: Choose two letters to introduce. This sound is /m/. This sound is /t/.

We can show students things that begin with these two sounds, such as . . .

Mm: milk, monkey, mouse, mother, mirror, me

Tt: table, tail, teacher, teddy bear, tiger, T-shirt, toy

Step 2: Point to /m/. Point to /t/.

Step 3: What’s this? It’s /m/. It’s /t/.

What sound does monkey start with?

What sounds does tiger start with?

Movement

We can also do movement to practice letter sounds and their corresponding shapes.

Here are Melissa Bailey’s Moving Little Letters flashcards. The cards connect movement with letter sounds. Check out her beautiful work.

My young learners really love to make letter shapes. They visualize the letters in their heads and create their own ideas. If your students need ideas, here are some images for you. The images at the right are from the Phonics Section of our course, Magic Time Two by Oxford University Press. We believe that children learn best by having opportunities to move their bodies. It provides an MI (Multiple Intelligences/ kinesthetic) approach.

The additional photos included below are of my students. I hope that they inspire your imagination and creativity. So . . . make shapes with your fingers, arms, whole body, or a partner. Sit. Stand. Lie down.

When you demonstrate to your students, imagine that you are the letter on the whiteboard. Make the letter from that perspective. What does it look like?

I always write the letters on my board to help my students visualize the letter shape. I don’t worry if their letters look reversed. From their perspective, it’s probably okay. Have fun creating letters in different ways.

Song

This song comes from my album Jump Jump Everyone. You can find it on iTunes as well as other streaming sites. You’ll find the Spotify link below.

Here are the lyrics for the first verse. The recording will tell you what’s coming next. Great listening activity! Refer to the locomotor movement list above if you really want to know what’s coming next.

We’re walking all around. We’re walking all around.

Walking, walking.

We’re walking all around.

We’re walking all around. We’re walking all around.

Get ready! Get ready!

Make the letter Ww. /w/ /w/ /w/.

It looks like I might be making the letter i! Or the letter j if you could see my feet!

Songwriter Kathy Kampa is a passionate educator of young learners. She seeks to nurture children’s imaginations and spark creativity through fun and engaging activities. Kathy believes that music and movement should be a part of every young child’s education. Kathy’s songs for kids (Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone) are available on iTunes.

Kathy uses a globally-minded and inquiry-based approach to teaching through which students develop 21st-century skills. She also supports the development of English language skills by creating songs, chants, and TPR/movement activities targeted to young learners’ needs. Kathy is an author and teacher-trainer with Oxford University Press. She is delighted to be teaching young learners in her hometown.

Spotify:

Here are some Google slides, just in case you want to use them in your classroom.

Let’s Play In The Snow!

I love the snow! I love the big snowflakes falling from the sky. I love the way it frosts the trees and makes everything look like a winter wonderland.

This winter has been warmer than usual here in Minnesota. On Valentine’s Day morning, we took a walk through the grassy fields wearing our sneakers.

When it snowed last night, I was excited to get outside today to sing this song for little ones who may be “snow lovers” like me. If you’ve read the book Froggy Gets Dressed ( by Jonathan London with illustrations by Frank Remkiewicz), you’ll see how a little frog wants to play outside in the snow. During the story, each time Froggy goes outside, his mother reminds him of the winter clothing he forgot to put on.

In this song, children can pretend to put on their winter clothing one piece at a time. My young learners LOVE this song! You can watch one video where I’m out in the snow. The other video is the pretend version for the classroom.

Let’s Play In The Snow by Doug Nichols

from the songbook “A Nichol’s Worth of Songs Volume IV “

Put on your boots and come with me.

Pretend to tug on boots. Gesture with your thumb to your chest.

Let’s go out. It’s snowing!

Stretch arms wide. Move your fingers downward to look like snow.

Put on your boots and come with me.

Pretend to tug on boots. Gesture with your thumb to your chest.

Let’s play in the snow!

Pretend to make a snowball. Throw it!

*Substitute each clothing item below into the song. Add your own ideas.

Students can also add their own ideas using my “Think, Think, Think” chant. What clothing items does Froggy wear in the winter? What do you wear? Long underwear? Ear muffs?

Think, Think, Think chant by Kathy Kampa

Think, think, think. Think, think, think.

What should we do?

Think, think, think. Think, think, think.

What should we do?

I know! Let’s put on our jacket!

If you’d like all of the images for this song, download the Google slides. You can see me putting on winter clothing items one by one. It’s fun for the students to put the slides in order and name the new item that was added. You’ll find the musical score here, too.

Here’s a video we took outside with the last item–the mittens.

This is a fun reproducible with Froggy’s clothing.

Kathy uses a globally-minded and inquiry-based approach to teaching through which students develop 21st-century skills. She also supports the development of English language skills by creating songs, chants, and TPR/movement activities targeted to young learners’ needs. Kathy is an author with Oxford University Press and has co-authored English language courses for young learners (Magic Time, Everybody Up, Oxford Discover, Beehive, and Buzz). Kathy conducts teacher training sessions around the globe.

This song hasn’t been professionally recorded yet. However, for more kid-tested music and movement activities, check out more music on iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music. Kathy has produced two music CDs for very young learners, Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone, which build English language skills through music and movement while nurturing creativity and imagination. Grown and loved by real kids!

Here’s a playlist with songs for kids to move to:

Are you missing out on Kathy Kampa’s new videos?

Check out Kathy Kampa’s YouTube channel here and subscribe.

Let’s Celebrate Girls’ Day!

Hearts and Lots of Love for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a special time for us to express our love or friendship. Here are two of my new songs.

How do I write songs? Sometimes when I’m driving in my car or out for a walk, I’ll hear a song in my head. I’ll keep singing it until I have a place to stop and record it on my phone. Sometimes a song wakes me up from my sleep, and I’ll write notes on a sheet of paper next to my bed. Children often ask me to sing a song about something they are interested in. I’ll ponder that topic until their special song appears.

After a song is born, I use it with lots of young learners to see what works, what variations appear, what we can do with it, what vocabulary and concepts it teaches, and what makes it fun and special. A song is often filled with surprises!

My first new song is called “I Love You.” I love writing songs for young learners to move to. “Jump” by Patty Shukla invites children to move. But children also need time to be calm and quiet. That’s what Patty’s song does. So does mine.

My song “I Love You” can be used to help children feel cozy, calm, and quiet, especially at the end of a class. Children might rock from side to side, hold a stuffed animal, or even get a hug.

For parents at home, this is a lovely lullaby to sing before your child falls asleep.

When our two sons were little boys, we loved to snuggle up and sing lullabies to them.

And if you’re wondering about this photo, our children spent most of their young lives in Japan. We were invited to participate in our local autumn festival by carrying the o-mikoshi, making rice balls, and spending time with our neighbors in Nakamachi.

Here are the lyrics to my song:

I love you, I really, really do! I love you.

I love you in the morning,

I love you at night,

I love you through the day when the sun shines bright.

I love you, I really, really do. I really love you.

Here’s the video.

Variations:

SEL (Social Emotional Learning) is now part of many curriculums at school. Use this variation to affirm young learners.

I like me, I really, really do. I like me.

I like me in the morning,

I like me at night,

I like me through the day when the sun shines bright.

I like me, I really, really do. I really like me.

Or JUST CHANGE “ME” to “YOU.” Children can sing this to each other.

I’ve been studying French with Duolingo. I started to wonder if I could write this song in French. With a little help from my French-speaking friends, we’ve come up with this version of the first verse.

Je t’aime. Encore, toujours, Je t’aime. (Or Je t’aime d’amour– pronounced: J’t’em d’a-mour)

Je t’aime. Encore, toujours, Je t’aime. (Or Je t’aime d’amour)

Je t’aime le matin. Je t’aime la nuit,

Et toute la journée quand le soleil sourit,

Je t’aime. Encore, toujours. Je t’aime. (Or Je t’aime d’amour)

___________________________________________________

Here’s a more active song for young learners called “A Little Heart, A Big Heart.” They can sing and dance to it alone, with a partner, or with their whole class.

When I first teach this, I cut out a small heart and show it to my students. I sing, I made a little heart.

Then I do the same making a big heart, singing, I made a big heart.

Then I put them together, singing, See, it’s a Valentine.

Then I hand this Valentine to someone, singing, Please say you’ll be mine.

Now let’s add some simple movements!

Here’s the video. The lyrics and Google slides will follow.

Video of A Little Heart, A Big Heart by Kathy Kampa

I made a little heart, (make a little heart shape, or just a small shape)

I made a big heart, (make a big heart shape, or just a big shape)

See, it’s a Valentine. (little by little open your arms to make a big V shape on “Valentine”)

Please say you’ll be mine. (hug)

Think, think, think. Think, think, think. What should we do?

In Place movements: clap, swing, twist, jump, march, hop, turn around, wiggle . . .

Children can dance alone or with a partner. They can also move together as a class.

Sing the melody above using the syllable “la”

La la la la la la!

La la la la la!

La la la la la la !

La la la la la!

Here are the Google slides to help you teach this.

Here’s a BIG heart, little heart craft activity.

For more kid-tested music and movement activities, check out more music on iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music. Kathy has produced two music CDs for very young learners, Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone, which build English language skills through music and movement while nurturing creativity and imagination. Grown and loved by real kids!

Check out Kathy Kampa’s YouTube channel here.

I’m Your Friend, a Valentine’s Day Song For Kids

Valentine’s Day is a time for children to celebrate friendships! Classroom activities like this can teach young learners how to develop healthy relationships.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day here in the United States, children often make cards or little treats for their friends. I’ve invited my friend Ava to share her thoughts about how she celebrates Valentine’s Day with her friends and classmates.

Ava shares Valentine’s Day traditions in the US

I like to celebrate holidays with music and movement! Today’s song is called “I’m Your Friend,” from my album Jump Jump Everyone. With this song, you can add valuable skills such as phonemic awareness to your lesson while celebrating Valentine’s Day and friendship.

Rhyming words

Listen for the rhyming words at the end of each line. In this song, the words mine, nine, and Valentine all rhyme. Why is rhyming important? Check out this fabulous post by Marissa Labuz. Rhyming aids memory, supports phonemic awareness, and builds listening skills. Children have fun singing songs and chants with rhyming words.

Movement

This song invites children to move in various ways, such as galloping, skipping, jumping, walking, and even skating! Developing gross motor skills is important for young learners. The movements encourage students to move from one place to another. These are called “locomotor movements.” If you have a smaller space, students can move in a small circle in their own spot.

You can sing this song with small or large classes. I usually teach this song to kindergarten and early elementary students.

Here’s a video to teach you the lyrics and the movements:

Here are the lyrics to the song:

3. I’m Your Friend words and music by Kathy Kampa

From Jump Jump Everyone CD

Chorus:

I’m your friend.

(Gesture to chest, then to a person)

You are mine.

(Gesture to person, then to heart)

Will you be my Valentine?

(Swing hands with partner or in the circle)

Repeat.

Let’s walk.

(See the notes below. Children can hold hands in a whole class circle or move with a partner.)

Verse:

Walk, walk, walk with me. Walking, walking, 1-2-3,

4-5-6, 7-8-9, Will you be my Valentine?

(Clap-4-5-6,-7-8-9) Make a heart shape with your fingers or arms by yourself or with a friend. Or give your partner a hug!

*repeat with skip, jump, slide, skate, dance

Here are Google slides for this song.

Building Social Skills

Here’s the version from the video:

Stand in one big circle. Face the middle for the chorus, and then move around the circle with the whole class for the verses. For the counting part, 4-5-6, 7-8-9, clap your hands on one side and then the other. Finally, make a heart shape using your fingers or arms.

Children face the middle, then hold hands together to move around the circle.

Once your children know this song, you can add some new challenges. Step into my English class in Tokyo, Japan. Check out how my English students added their own ideas.

Children can dance with partners. How can you help them find partners? When children are in a circle, you can walk around the circle. Have two children turn to face each other. They can do all of the movements with their partners.

Or you can use this transitional chant. Pat and clap your legs to keep the beat as you say the chant. Count slowly as you get closer to the number ten.

It’s okay for partners to be scattered around your space and move in their own little group. If you have an odd person out, make a group of three.

For elementary students, you might try this challenge. Make an inside and an outside circle. One partner stands in the inside circle, and the other in an outside circle. Partners face each other. Children can do the movements for the verse holding hands with their partner around the circle. At the end of the verse, the outside circle children move ahead to the next partner.

So you can make this as simple or as fancy as you’d like!

If you’re looking for music to play in your classroom, check out this Spotify playlist for February:

Come back to my blog to discover more fun activities that build language through music and movement. Thank you!

Celebrate Valentine's Day with this delightful song for children.

Songwriter Kathy Kampa is a passionate educator of young learners. She seeks to nurture children’s imaginations and spark creativity through fun and engaging activities. Kathy believes that music and movement should be a part of every young child’s education. Kathy’s songs for kids (Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone) are available on iTunes.

For more kid-tested music and movement activities, check out more music on iTunes. Kathy has produced two music CDs for very young learners, Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone, which build English language skills through music and movement while nurturing creativity and imagination! Grown and loved by real kids!

My Fingers Dance!

Fingerplays are a fun way to add movement to your lesson. Students can move their fingers while sitting. When you need an activity to bring the energy level down in your class, consider a fingerplay.

This chant teaches the heart shape (perfect for Valentine’s Day!) as well as other shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, star). Notice the repetition in the phrases, which is important for young learners.

Encourage students to make shapes in different ways to nurture their creativity. Notice the great things your young learners are doing. That’s what I call CCBA–Catch Children Being Amazing!

Check out my Japanese students making shapes. Here we are studying together online. (Photos used with permission)

My students just love this chant! I hope that you do, too.

My Fingers Dance

by Kathy Kampa on Jump Jump Everyone. Available on iTunes, Spotify, and other streaming services.

My fingers, fingers, fingers, fingers, fingers dance!

Make a circle! Take a picture. Make a circle! Take a picture.

*Substitute additional shapes for “circle.”

Check out the video below for the simple motions.

This Google slide from the video provides a visual of the shapes.

The music is available on iTunes and on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Let’s practice shapes some more!

Time for a surprise! Have students open their hands and close their eyes. Hand them one of the shapes. Use this little chant I just made.

A Big Surprise by Kathy Kampa

Open your hands and close your eyes.

Get ready for a big surprise!

My students enjoy going on a shape hunt. We focus on one shape at a time, and look for things with that shape.

Kids love using the shaped “magnifying glasses” to find shapes in everyday objects around them! You can make these darling shape finders from Amber at Apples to Applique (amber@applestoapplique.com)

Learning something in many ways is fun for young learners! As Dr. Howard Gardner pointed out in his theory of Multiple Intelligences, children can learn more successfully when using many ways to approach a topic. In this lesson, students hear words in rhythm, they move their bodies, they see shapes, and they interact together.

If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, students can make cards with LOTS of shapes!

Finally, if you read my last post, you’ll remember how to make a heart shape with your hands. This poem was shared with me by my colleague:

I put my hands together. (put the heels of your hands together)

This is how I start. (hold)

I curve my fingers just like this (curve your fingers to touch each other)

and now I have a heart. (this should make a heart shape)

Now, look through the heart to see each of the students in your class.

Say, “I see you in my heart!”

Check out Kathy Kampa’s YouTube channel here.

V-V Valentine!

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! What activities will you do with your young learners for Valentine’s Day?

Playing with letter sounds is fun for little ones. Let’s explore ways to make the shape of the letter Vv:

-with our fingers

-with our hands

-with our arms

-with our legs

-with our whole body (balance!!)

-with a friend

Each time you make the shape, say the sound /v/.

*Try to make only the sound /v/ and not /vƏ/ (vuh)

Can you change your V shape into a heart shape?

I created this song with the phrase “/v/ /v/ valentine.” Make the shapes with your fingers or the heels of your hands, then with your arms. Watch the video for more details. I created it with my nieces Shannon and Brooke many years ago. It’s easy to sing and so much fun!

Here are the lyrics:

Be My Valentine

lyrics by Kathy Kampa, melody “Cho Cho”/”Lightly Row”

I like you. You like me. Will you be my Valentine?

I like you. You like me. Be my Valentine.

[v] [v] Valentine!

I like you. You like me.

Be my Valentine.

Repeat facing a partner.

This song can be found on iTunes and other streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Spotify playlist: Songs for Kids for Valentine’s Day and Friendship

Celebrate the joy of Valentine’s Day while building social skills in your classroom. This playlist includes songs for Valentine’s Day and songs about friendship. You’ll find songs to add movement to your class activities, too. Click here to see Kathy’s Spotify channel. for more curated playlists.

Crafts Activities

On Valentine’s Day, kids love to make things for their friends. Check out these simple craft activities.

Can your students find the letter V in these craft activities?

This first craft is a Valentine chain. Cut narrow paper strips about 1″ wide and fold them in half. Look! There’s the letter V! Then curve the tops in to make a heart. This is a great activity for teaching colors and patterns. Try this when you’re sitting with a small group. Students fold the strips, slide a new strip through, then staple the top of the heart. Then, create a color pattern, such as white-red-pink-white-red-pink. Young learners can count the number of hearts in the chain.

When students have the paper strips open, they can write a secret message on the heart.

This idea comes from https://www.teachwithme.com/blogs/getting-to-the-core/item/588-valentine-ideas.

This second craft is like magic! Each student folds a sheet of construction paper in half. Trace around the student’s hand. Be sure that their thumb and pointer finger are touching the folded edge. Students can cut around their fingers. Then decorate a card for someone they love.

This idea comes from https://easypreschoolcraft.blogspot.com/2013/01/top-20-valentines-day-crafts-for-kids.html?m=1

Come back to my blog to discover more fun activities that build language through music and movement.

It’s Time to Tidy Up!

Have you ever struggled to get your children or students to tidy up and clean up the things they’ve taken out? Here’s your secret tool — songs!

Even Mary Poppins knew that! Songs create seamless transitions and make cleaning up a fun, enjoyable task.

Here are some songs that you can play to make your space sparkling clean! You can find this music on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming sites. Keep them handy for the next time you have a mess to clean up.

Tidy Up is definitely one of my most popular songs. The lyrics are super simple. I wrote it for my Kindergarten students in Japan. The song gets faster and faster. By the time it’s finished, students should have everything cleaned up. Teachers and parents around the world have told me how much they love this song and use it regularly. Ask Alexa to play it for you! You’ll have it ready whenever you need to start tidying up. Or click the arrow below to play it the next time you’re surrounded by a mess!

2. Perhaps you know this cute song from the Barney show. Our children love to sing along!

Clean Up song

Clean up! Clean up! Everybody, everywhere.

Clean up! Clean up! Everybody do your share.

Click the arrow below to play it.

3. Sometimes you have something specific to put away — picture cards, scarves, instruments, etc. Here are some simple songs to play to collect the items.

Cards, Please lyrics by K. Kampa

T: Cards, please. Ss: Here you are!

T: Cards, please. Ss: Here you are!

T: Cards, please. Ss: Here you are!

T/S: Thank you very much!

*What other materials are you using? Instead of singing the word cards, sing a new word such as scarves.

Click the arrow below to play it. Use it in your next English class.

It’s Time to Put the Instruments Away lyrics by K. Kampa

It’s time to put the instruments away!

Oh, it’s time to put the instruments away!

Oh, we’ve had a lot of fun, and we’ve sung a lot of songs,

But, it’s time to put the instruments away.

Click the arrow below to play it. Use it when you use instruments with your class!

4. I love to celebrate our successes with the “We Did It” chant. My students launch into this chant often in my lessons. We always finish our lessons with this. Send your students off with a positive feeling!

We Did It! by Kathy Kampa

We did it! We did it! We did it today!

We did it! We did it! Hip hip hooray!

Click the arrow below to play it. Play this the next time your students do something great.