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Celebrate Hinamatsuri: Ideas for Girls’ Day Activities
Category: Movement
Embracing Winter: Engaging Children with Snowy Songs
It’s winter 2025 here in Minnesota. We’ve had a lot of snow already! And every time it snows, I start to sing this song in my head. (You might, too!)
A snowy winter is a dream for us here in Minnesota. And today–it’s been snowing all day long! I went sledding with my neighbor’s children. With about eight inches of snow, we have to say that it was a winter wonderland!
Look at this magical fort! I had a delightful time playing there with my great-nephew and my sister.
I started writing this song during our first snowfall in November 2024. I taught it to all my students last winter, and it quickly became a favorite. My cousin stopped by with her daughter and her granddaughter. I brought some toys for her to play with. We also sang this song with scarves. I gave each of them a scarf to take home.
This is what my cousin wrote: “We were checking to see if you had recorded it (Snow Is Falling Down) yet. We sang your song so much today that we honestly started searching for it so we could get a little break🤣🤪. Let’s just say the song and the scarves are a real hit with Lucy💝💝💝💝💝💝💝. “
Things you may notice:
-You’ll find repetition in the lyrics to help children learn the song quickly.
– I featured the /l/ sound to support ESL language development (especially for Japanese students) (la, la, la, la, la/ falling/ gently/ whirling)
-I taught this first as a seated song, then as a dance standing in one place.
-I added variety by inviting students to add playful movements with their scarves and dancing with the scarf on a different body part. Scarves are easy for young learners to manipulate.
You can add, Think, think, think, Think, think, think, what should we do? Let’s dance with the scarf on our elbows!
-Movements include toss/catch, crossing the midline with the scarf (standing), and vestibular (turning).
Here are the lyrics. You can choose which body part to put the scarf on.
You can find the Google slides here.
*Note: I use scarves like this for this song.
Snow Is Falling Down by Kathy Kampa
A: (Sit with children and toss scarves)
Snow is falling down, la-la-la-la-la, Falling gently from the sky,
Snow is falling down, la-la-la-la-la,
Falling to the ground. Falling on my head.
(Scarves cover the children’s heads, sit and move with continuous flow)
B. See it falling down, Whirling all around, Dancing on my head. (2X)
Peek-a-peek-a- peek-a-boo! ( Toss!!)
(Sit and toss scarves or stand and dance.)
2. Snow is falling down, la-la-la-la-la, Falling gently from the sky,
Snow is falling down, la-la-la-la-la,
Falling to the ground. Falling on my shoulder.
(Scarves rest on children’s shoulders)
B. See it falling down, Whirling all around, Dancing on my shoulder. (2X)
(toss it in the air . . . Whee!)
3. Snow is falling down, la-la-la-la-la, Falling gently from the sky,
Snow is falling down, la-la-la-la-la,
Falling to the ground. Falling on my hand.
(Children hold the scarf in one hand)
B: See it falling down, Whirling all around, Dancing in my hand. (2X)
(Sit and toss scarves)
Snow is falling down, la-la-la-la-la, Falling gently from the sky,
Snow is falling down, la-la-la-la-la, Falling to the ground.
Falling to the ground. (scrunch up the scarf, make a snowball, and toss!)
* Variation: Add other body parts.
*Try part or all of this song standing. Make sure that children have enough space to move.
- Swing scarf across the body to feel the meter. (1-2-3, 1-2-3, this is a waltz.) End with the scarf on a named body part.
- Make circles with the scarf. OR Turn slowly in one direction, then the other.
- If you’d like to add instruments, try triangles, shakers, or jingle bells.
Here’s the notation. Enjoy!
Are you streaming music? Go to Spotify or Apple Music to find Kathy’s additional music. You’ll find these albums there.
Jump Jump Everyone, Kathy’s second album, is filled with many happy songs that have grown in my young learner classroom. The songs encourage children to move. Many songs link to classroom content. 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.
This song will be on Kathy’s next album. If you have song requests, let her know.
Kathy Kampa loves to bring joy to the world through her children’s music. She is passionate about making learning engaging for young learners. You’ll find more resources on Kathy’s YouTube page. Kathy seeks to nurture children’s imaginations and spark creativity through fun and engaging activities. She also supports the development of English language skills by creating songs, chants, and TPR/movement activities targeted to young learners’ needs. She believes 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 and streaming services like Spotify.
Kathy uses a globally-minded and concept-based inquiry approach to teaching and learning through which students develop 21st-century skills. Kathy is an author and teacher-trainer with Oxford University Press. Together with her husband, Charles Vilina, their new course Blue Dot will be released in 2025.
It’s Christmas Time!
Christmas Day is just around the corner! Here’s a simple song for your little ones!!
You’ll find everything you need to teach this song–a handout, lyrics, movement suggestions, and a video. You can find this song on Apple Music, Spotify, or iTunes.
My dear friend and Oxford co-author, Setsuko Toyama from Niigata, Japan, created this wonderful activity sheet and picture cards. Just click below and print them!
It’s Christmas Time-Song by K. Kampa, Handout by S. Toyama
It’s Christmas Time
Words by Kathleen Kampa, copyright © 2013 by Kathleen Kampa
(music adapted from The Muffin Man)
1. Do you hear the jingle bells,
the jingle bells, the jingle bells?
Do you hear the jingle bells?
It’s Christmas time!
Chorus:
Christmas! Christmas! Time to celebrate.
Christmas! Christmas! We can hardly wait.
2. Do you see the Christmas tree,
the Christmas tree, the Christmas tree?
Do you see the Christmas tree?
It’s Christmas time!
Chorus:
Christmas! Christmas! Time to celebrate.
Christmas! Christmas! We can hardly wait.
Do you smell the gingerbread,
The gingerbread, the gingerbread?
Do you smell the gingerbread?
It’s Christmas time!
Chorus:
Christmas! Christmas! Time to celebrate.
Christmas! Christmas! We can hardly wait.
4. We feel joy and happiness,
happiness, happiness,
We feel joy and happiness,
It’s Christmas time!
The steps to the activity are as follows:
1. Teach the six new words using the picture cards.
It’s Christmas Time-Song by K. Kampa, Handout by S. Toyama
Create a gesture for each word.
2. As a critical thinking activity, place the pictures for hear, smell, and see in a column on the left side of the board. Place the images for gingerbread, jingle bells, and Christmas tree in a column on the right side. Point to the “hear” card as you ask students, “What can you hear?” When students answer, “jingle bells,” draw a line from hear to jingle bells. Continue in the same way with the other words. In addition, you may ask questions such as, “Can you smell a Christmas tree? Can you see jingle bells?” and so on.
3. Hand out a copy of the activity sheet to each student. Play the song. As students listen, they point to the lyrics with illustrations (known as a rebus).
4. Play the song again, with students standing in a circle or at their desks. On each verse, pantomime the movement with your students. For a performance, you could have different groups perform each of the verses.
5. There are so many possibilities for movements. For example, on the chorus, on Christmas, Christmas, students can a) make a big circle with their arms, b) wave their arms side to side, or c) choose their own idea.
On time to celebrate, students clap their hands five times, once for each syllable.
On We can hardly wait, students hug themselves, then reach their hands up on the word wait!
For the interlude music, pretend to make it snow by moving your fingers gently from up high to the ground!
We hope you enjoy this wonderful Christmas song and activity.
Here’s a video that I made with some amazing kids! They jumped right into the song and we recorded this video at a park.
For the studio version of my song, go to iTunes and click on Track #13 of Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays. (Just click on iTunes above or the album cover below.)
This music is also available on streaming services.
I have collected numerous Christmas craft activities here on Pinterest.
Happy Teaching, and have a very Merry Christmas!
Kathy Kampa
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 learning.
Kathy is the co-author of Magic Time, Everybody Up, Oxford Discover, Beehive and Buzz , and Blue Dot(all published by Oxford University Press). She has taught young learners in Tokyo, Japan for over 30 years. Kathy is also active as a teacher trainer, inspiring teachers around the world. She has currently returned to her home state of Minnesota in the US.
“Christmas Gingerbreads” image courtesy of nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The Life Cycle of the Butterfly
Here in Minnesota, we’ve caught a glimpse of butterflies flying in our pollinator garden. It’s wonderful to see them!
You can teach your students about the butterfly life cycle in a CLIL lesson, or Content and Language Integrated Learning. CLIL lessons link classroom content with vocabulary and grammar paradigms. We can bring the world of nature into our English lessons!
Using the theory of Multiple Intelligences, you can use many ways for your students to learn. Use words to describe the pictures or puppets. Use music and follow the pattern in the chant. Move your fingers or whole body. Invite students to work together and come up with their own ideas. Notice how each part of the life cycle changes.
In addition, if you teach want to teach conceptually, consider the concept of “change.” What changed in each part of the life cycle? (size, the way it moves, the way it looks, etc.)
Through this activity, students will:
-know the names of the butterfly life cycle
–create movements for each part, with their fingers, with whole body
–perform a chant
–recognize a life cycle
Please refer to the illustration below as we go through the steps of the lesson.
1. First, present the new language:
egg caterpillar chrysalis butterfly
You may introduce the language using the picture card illustrations (right), or use these Google slides to show students beautiful images of the vocabulary. It’s fun for students to find these life cycle images in the story of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.
I often introduce the language with an egg shaker, a Folkmanis caterpillar puppet that changes into a butterfly, and a scarf (to be the chrysalis).
2. Create finger shapes for each word. The “fingerplay movements” below the illustrations will show you how, or use your imagination to create your own ideas.
3. Say the chant using the finger movements.
Tiny Egg Chant (Butterfly Life Cycle Chant)
by Kathleen Kampa © 2013
Tiny egg, tiny egg X X XX X (ch – ch- ch ch – ch)
Tiny egg, tiny egg X X XX X (ch – ch- ch ch – ch)
Tiny egg, tiny egg X X XX X (ch – ch- ch ch – ch)
1-2-3-4 LOOK!
Caterpillar, caterpillar X X XX X (ch – ch- ch ch – ch)
Caterpillar, caterpillar X X XX X (ch – ch- ch ch – ch)
Caterpillar, caterpillar X X XX X (ch – ch- ch ch – ch)
1-2-3-4 Look!
Chrysalis, chrysalis X X XX X (ch – ch- ch ch – ch) (Repeat 3 times)
1-2-3-4 Look!
Butterfly, butterfly X X XX X (ch – ch- ch ch – ch) (Repeat 3 times)
Wait . . . . Good-bye!
________________________
____________________
Here is a simple recording of the chant that you can use:
The professional recording can be found on Jump Jump Everyone.
4. Finally, you can expand the activity by having students move to the chant using their whole body. Students can curl up to make tiny egg shapes, then wiggle about on their tummies as caterpillars. They can balance on one foot in a chrysalis shape. While students are balancing quietly, give each student one or two colorful scarves for butterfly wings. Your students might enjoy moving around the room like butterflies. I often play “Aviary” by Camille Saint-Saëns, or the Japanese song “Cho Cho.” I’ve also written a song called “Flitter Flutter Butterfly” that connects nicely with this.
Video: Here are my young learners in Tokyo doing this chant with me.
______________________________________________________________
Through the power of CLIL, students have now experienced the life cycle of a butterfly in a meaningful, memorable way. They have embodied the vocabulary and will happily repeat this activity in future lessons.
You can transfer the idea of the butterfly life cycle to other animal life cycles, such as the frog life cycle. How does the frog change? How is this similar to the butterfly life cycle?
Let us know how this activity works in your classroom, and if you discovered any new ways to teach it!
Here’s a beautiful visual of the gradual transformation. According to The Butterfly Lady, “When the Monarch caterpillar is ready to pupate it will spin a silk button, attach itself, and hang head-down in a “J” shape. The caterpillar will stay like this for around 24 hours. Shortly before the caterpillar is ready to shed their larval skin, it will straighten and the antennae will become ragged. The caterpillar wiggles to discard the skin and reveals the pupa (chrysalis).”
Happy Teaching!
Kathy
Are you streaming music? Go to Spotify or Apple Music to find my music. You’ll find “Tiny Egg” and “Flitter Flutter Butterfly” on “Jump Jump Everyone.”
Jump Jump Everyone, my second album, is filled with many happy songs that have grown in my young learner classroom. The songs encourage children to move. Many songs link to classroom content. 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.
Kathy Kampa loves to bring joy to the world through her children’s music. She is passionate about making learning engaging for young learners. You’ll find more resources on Kathy’s YouTube page.
Celebrate with the song “Happy New Year!”
Happy New Year 2025! New Year’s Eve traditions in the US are different from those we celebrated when we lived in Japan. On New Year’s Eve, one of our dear Japanese friends used to bring us homemade soba from a famous restaurant. So delicious! Last year Chuck and I created our own version of toshikoshi soba for New Year’s Eve. Not quite the same, but still a taste of “home.” This year we enjoyed Chinese lo mein.
In this blog, I’d like to share my “Happy New Year” song. It’s quite special to me. When our son Christian was in elementary school, he started playing this simple melody on our piano. This song will stick in your head! Now he’s grown up and is performing in Hollywood! I love this recording of Christian and my husband Chuck singing it at home.
(picture taken at a Red Carpet event for his Indie film “Gift of Fear”)
Now you can also go to Spotify to get the professional recording.
No matter how you get my music, it’s great to play it often for children. My friend Kumi plays my CDs in her car. When she brings her three children to different activities, they sing along to songs in English. During my recent trip to Japan, the kids were singing along to my songs when she picked me up in her car. What a precious moment!!
Here are the lyrics to the song. For the Google Slides, click here.
Happy New Year
Words and Music by Christian Vilina and Kathleen Kampa © 2013
Happy New Year! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! Hip hip hooray!
When I first teach the words to this song, students keep a “steady beat” by patting their legs or clapping their hands. I don’t worry about teaching the words first. I lead them through some movements while students listen to the words. Then, I add more challenging movements. Students can pat their legs once, then clap their hands. Think “pat-clap-pat-clap” or “down-up-down-up.” Do this for the first three lines. Before you know it, the students are singing along.
You can ask your students for other steady beat ideas to do during the repeated section.
Try this:
Think, think, think! Think, think, think! What should we do?
If students need help with ideas, offer two choices: Should we do jumping jack jumps or scissor jumps? Should we snap our fingers or pound our fists?
We like to do something special on the last line:
— On Happy New Year! my students like to shake their hands above their heads. Some students like to turn around quickly!
— On Hip hip hooray! students roll their hands, then jump once in place.
For an even bigger challenge, students can do the pat-clap pattern with a partner by patting their own legs, and then “air clapping” both hands with a partner.
Check out this video to see what my students did! Students stand in a circle facing their partner. First they pat their own legs, then clap with their partner. Then they turn to the person on the other side (called a “corner” in folk dance), repeating the pat-clap. They repeat the pattern with their partner, then corner until the Hip hip hooray.
During COVID, every student used a set of sticks, something like the Indian Dandiya dance. This gave students a chance to interact with a partner, but at a distance. Tap my sticks, your sticks, my sticks, your sticks.
Happy New Year 2025! We hope that you keep a song in your heart and a smile on your face. May this year be filled with lots of joy!
Kathy
Happy New Year is one of 15 great songs for kids on Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays. The CD includes a handy attached booklet with lyrics, and is available for teachers in Japan at ETJ Book Service.
The songs are available for download through iTunes. To hear the studio version of this song, go to iTunes, and click on Track #3.
Kathy’s second CD Jump Jump Everyone is filled with songs to get students moving! Songs and chants build English language skills through simple movement activities. They nurture a child’s imagination and creativity. There are beautiful seasonal songs, lively gross motor movement songs, plus effective transitional songs. Grab a scarf and play along. Grown in the young learner classroom, you’ll find that your children will ask for these songs over and over again.
All of Kathy’s music is now available on many streaming platforms, such as Spotify.
For some of Kathy’s favorite music, check out these Spotify playlists.
It’s Time for “The Turkey Dance”
If you teach young learners, you’ve got to check out this simple song and dance. It’s called The Turkey Dance, and as you can imagine, it gives children a chance to dance like . . . . turkeys!!
While many countries give thanks at this time of year, an American tradition is turkeys. When I was a child, we made turkey drawings by tracing along the edge of our hand. These hand drawings became turkeys! So celebrate turkeys and try out the The Turkey Dance. It’s really easy to do.
Here are the lyrics, which go to the tune of “Turkey in the Straw.”
The Turkey Dance
Words by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina, music adapted from Turkey in the Straw
copyright © 2013 by Kathleen Kampa
Spoken: It’s Thanksgiving Day. Let’s move like turkeys.
First, move your elbows! (Imagine that these are your wings.)
Move your elbows, do the Turkey Dance.
Move your elbows, do the Turkey Dance.
Stamp your feet and shout “Hooray!”
It’s Thanksgiving Day.
2. Now move your hips. . . (Imagine that this is your tail.)
Move your hips, do the Turkey Dance.
Move your hips, do the Turkey Dance.
Stamp your feet and shout “Hooray!”
It’s Thanksgiving Day.
3. Now move your knees. . . .
4. Now move your head . . . .
5. Now move your whole body!
Here’s a video to show you the movements.
Teacher’s Notes:
In this dance, students are pretending to be turkeys.
Before you put on the music, show students a picture of a turkey like the one in this blog.
I usually start by teaching this part of the song first–
“Stamp your feet, then shout ‘Hooray!'” Stamp your feet, then jump in the air on “Hooray.”
On “It’s Thanksgiving Day!” put your hands together.
My students added their own ideas between the verses. Some children enjoyed saying “Gobble! Gobble!” while others liked to say “Thank You” in a language they know.
Now teach the body part movements. Say “Move your elbows.” These are the turkey’s wings.
Repeat with each body part listed below: hips/tail, knees, head, and whole body.
1. Make turkey wings by moving your elbows.
2. Make a tail by putting your hands behind your back and moving your hips.
3. Move your knees like you’re strutting.
4. Move your head forward and back.
5. Choose your favorite movements or make some new ones. Dance!
Here is a very, very short clip of young learners from my English class dancing to The Turkey Dance. It’s easy to do. They love this song!
For this catchy “hoedown” professional version that children LOVE to dance to, listen to The Turkey Dance on iTunes and on streaming services, such as Spotify!
If you’re looking for craft activities for Thanksgiving, check out my Pinterest page. In addition, check out Marnie’s blog, Carrots are Orange for some autumn Montessori activities focusing on turkeys. Here’s a cute craft idea from Sam. I especially like the Zentangle turkeys from Laura Hutchinson.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! No matter where we live, we all give thanks this season for the blessings we have.
Kathy and Chuck
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 movement while nurturing creativity and imagination! Grown and loved by real kids!
Kathy’s second children’s CD, Jump Jump Everyone, includes songs to move to, seasonal songs, and lots of transitional songs. For more kid-tested music and movement activities, check out my music on iTunes.
Kathy’s CD’s and downloads are available at these locations:
iTunes Streaming sites, such as Spotify.
Kathy Kampa is a teacher, author, and teacher-trainer who specializes in working with young learners. As a former PYP (Primary Years Program) teacher in Tokyo, Japan, 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 and her husband Charles Vilina are also co-authors of Magic Time, Everybody Up, the Oxford Discover(ELTon award), Beehive and Buzz, all published by Oxford University Press.
Wiggly Little Worms
Have you ever wondered why worms surface when it rains? Worms appear everywhere!
My students have been fascinated with worms, so I created an activity where we pretend to be worms.
Follow the video to do a fingerplay or a whole-body activity.
The Little Worms
The little worms are in the mud, wiggling, wiggling, wiggling,
They push their heads up out of the mud and say, “Yippee! It’s a rainy day!”
The little worms are in the mud, wiggling, wiggling, wiggling,
They push their heads up out of the mud and cry, “Oh no! It’s a sunny day!”
Invite your students to think about other types of weather–windy, snowy, hot, cold, etc. How do you think the worms will feel?
If you want to learn more about worms:
There are multiple theories about why worms come out when it rains, including:
- Movement: Wet soil allows worms to move more easily across the surface, which can help them find food, new habitats, or mates. They can also migrate longer distances than they could underground.
- Survival: Worms need a moist environment to survive, and they can’t travel as fast while burrowing tunnels underground. After a rain, the soil pores and worm burrows fill with water, which allows worms to breathe through their skin.
- Escape: The vibrations from raindrops hitting the ground can sound similar to vibrations from predators like moles, causing worms to flee to the surface for safety. Birds also take advantage of this behavior by mimicking rain to lure worms to the surface for food.
- What can you do? If you see worms on the sidewalk after it rains, you can help them by moving them to a nearby patch of dirt or grass so they can burrow back underground more easily.
- For more activities and songs for a rainy day, check out this post.
- Go to Spotify or Apple Music to find Kathy’s music. You’ll find “Little Worms” on “Jump Jump Everyone.”
Jump Jump Everyone, my second album, is filled with many happy songs that have grown in my young learner classroom. The songs encourage children to move. Many songs link to classroom content. 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. 
- Kathy Kampa loves to bring joy to the world through her children’s music and English language books (Oxford University Press). She is passionate about making learning engaging for young learners. You’ll find more music and movement resources on Kathy’s YouTube page.
Jump! Jump!
If you teach young learners, you know that they love to move! In some classrooms, students need to move in a small space. You might have circle time with students standing on a spot. Your students might just stand beside their desks. This is a movement chant that you can do in ONE SPOT.
This chant comes from OUP’s Magic Time, Book One. There are just verbs–jump, run, hop, fly, stop. Once you and your students know the pattern, add your ideas. Here are some ideas: march, wiggle, twist, spin, stretch, bend, shake.
In Unit 10, students learned animal names. When they flip the page, the animals are moving. Here are the words to this simple chant.
Run, Run, Run
by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina, Magic Time One
Jump! Jump! Run, run, run.
Jump! Jump! Run, run, run.
Jump! Jump! Run, run, run.
Jump! Jump! Stop!
The second time, substitute hop for the word jump.
Hop! Hop! Run, run, run. (3X)
Hop! Hop! Stop!
Last of all, substitute fly for the word hop.
Fly! Fly! Run, run, run. (3X)
Fly! Fly! Stop!
Students do all of the movements on their spot. When they say, Stop! they can make an interesting pose. Watch how my students create their own ideas.
We need to practice moving and stopping with our young learners. This develops their focus and self-control. Plus, it’s a fun activity for our little ones.
Here are my young learners in Tokyo, Japan. I placed the picture cards on the floor as a reminder of the order, similar to a rebus reading. This chant helps them practice their /r/ sound.
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 music and movement should be a part of every young child’s education.
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.
This chant comes from Magic Time 1, by Oxford University Press. Each lesson has a simple chant or song to practice the language. Many of these chants and songs invite children to move
For more fun and engaging songs that have been loved by many kids, check out these albums. Kathy’s songs for kids (Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone) are available on iTunes, Spotify, and other streaming services.
Here We Go Looby Loo!
If you want a fun song to practice the sound /l/, this is for you! Looby Loo is a simple dance song. It encourages listening to the movement directions and dancing together as a group. It invites young learners to add their own ideas, too.
Check out the lyrics to this traditional song from Mother Goose.
Here we go looby loo,
Here we go looby light,
Here we go looby loo,
All on a Saturday night!
For my young students in Japan, distinguishing /r/ and /l/ can be challenging. This is a playful way to practice the /l/ sound. In addition, students hear the rhyming words, light and night.
We sing this song in a circle. Use Let’s Make a Circle to get ready.
The verses invite students to put one part of their body into the middle of the circle. For young learners, we choose body parts, like hands, feet, arms, legs, tummy, head, fingers, thumbs, etc.
Verses:
You put your hands in.
You take (put) your hands out
You give your hand/hands a shake, shake, shake (shake, shake, shake, shake . . . .)
And turn yourself about!
To build learner agency, invite students to share their ideas.
All say: Think, think, think. Think, think, think. What should we do? Think, think, think. Think, think, think. What should we do?
Teacher: Should we put in our legs? Our thumbs? Our elbows?
Student: Legs. Let’s put our legs in the circle.
Here’s a video of my young learner class in Tokyo. These children range in age from three to six. They studied English once a week with me. Listen to how well they sing along! You can see how I’m prompting the next body part to sing about by naming and showing them two or three choices. You’ll also notice that we have a lot of fun shaking longer than the standard version of this song.
For older children, practice right and left with each body part. You may want to use less repetitions of the song.
For older students, it looks like this:
You put your right hand in.
You take (put) your right hand out
You give your hand a shake, shake, shake (shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake . . . .)
And turn yourself about!
If you want to learn more about this song, check out the history of it here. The professional version of this song isn’t available yet.
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 is the co-author of Magic Time, Everybody Up, Oxford Discover, Beehive, and Buzz (all published by Oxford University Press). She has taught young learners in Tokyo, Japan for over 30 years. Kathy is also active as a teacher trainer, inspiring teachers around the world. She has currently returned to her home state of Minnesota in the US.
If you’re interested in more of Kathy’s work, check out her YouTube channel at Kathy Kampa.
Are you streaming music? Go to Spotify or Apple Music to find Kathy’s music.
You can find more engaging songs on Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and on Jump Jump Everyone
Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays has songs for the special events in children’s lives, including a loose tooth, birthdays, and many holidays.
Jump Jump Everyone is filled with many happy songs that have grown in my young learner classroom. The songs encourage children to move. Many songs link to classroom content. 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.
For more action songs, check out this curated playlist.
Hokey Pokey Like The Easter Bunny!
Let’s get hopping! Put on your bunny ears and do the Easter Bunny Hop.
Say to your students, Let’s pretend to be Easter Bunnies. Look at this picture.
Let’s pretend to be the Easter Bunny. We need . . .
Students may say, such as two long ears, two big feet, a bunny tail, bunny paws, and a bunny nose. This song teaches ears, feet, tail, tummy, and whole self as well as the directional movements in, out, and around. Students have a lot of fun jumping and shaking. There’s a slow version, followed by a fast one. It’s easy to just turn on the music and dance!
Students can stand in their spots or you can make a circle together. Sing Let’s Make A Circle. (Click here for this song.)
Here are the movements.
Say, Show me your Easter Bunny ears.
Put your bunny ears in. Put your bunny ears out.
Let’s shake our Easter Bunny ears.
Jump like a bunny. Then, turn around and say, Happy Easter!
Click here to watch the video of my former students dancing to this song. Grab the recording to listen to the entire song. It’s a great way to teach body parts and directional movements. Use this as a brain break, an energizer, or an Easter celebration son.
Easter Bunny Hop
Words by Kathy Kampa, Music Hokey Pokey
on Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays, available through iTunes
Slowly: You put your bunny ears in.
You put your bunny ears out.
You put your bunny ears in. And you shake them all about.
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake!
Jump like a bunny. Jump, jump, jump!
Turn around and shout! Happy Easter!
Then sing quickly . . .
You put your bunny ears in.
You put your bunny ears out.
You put your bunny ears in. And you shake them all about.
Shake, shake, shake! (* three shakes!)
Jump like a bunny. Jump, jump, jump!
Turn around and shout! Happy Easter!
Repeat each verse slowly, then quickly with these body parts.
2. You put your bunny feet in.
3. You put your bunny tail in.
4. You put your bunny tummy in.
5. You put your whole self in.
Click here to get this song on iTunes on Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays, track #7. You can find it on Spotify and Apple Music, too.
Kathy Kampa loves to bring joy to the world through her children’s music. She is passionate about making learning engaging for young learners. You’ll find more resources on Kathy’s YouTube page.
Looking for more Easter songs? Check out this super simple song for little ones. It’s called “Hop Along Easter Bunny.”
After your young learners wiggle about, check out this quieting activity. This simple reproducible is from Julissa Mora. For more hands-on Easter resources, check out my Pinterest page.
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