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.
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.
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.
About me:
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.
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.
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 tummyin.
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.
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.
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 aboutpopcorn?
What do you thinkpopcorn 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, 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.
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.
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.
Lots of great movement songs, transitional songs, and CLIL/content songs!
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.
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.
Catch Children Being Amazing! It’s an acronym I created to remind teachers to focus on amazing student work. When we notice the great things happening around us, rather than negative things, more great things can appear. By talking about the wonderful things you see happening in your classroom, young learners will strive to do these wonderful things, too.
How do you do that?
Describe what you see happening in your classroom. What do you see? What do you hear?
-Be specific about what students are doing. Consider your goals for the activity. You can add descriptions to help students come up with more ideas.
For example, the goal of the activity below was for students to make letter shapes in different ways. At first, I’m describing individual student actions. You’ll notice that I’ve pointed out body parts, letter names, size, and students working together.
I see Yuya making the letter d with his fingers.
I see Sara making the letter D with her whole body.She made a big letter shape.
I see Anna and Noah standing back-to-back.They are collaborating by making their letter together.
By describing the many different students’ ideas, students will try out varied ideas, too. Try to acknowledge as many students as possible during your class. That builds self-confidence, too.
You can also acknowledge something that the whole class has done.
Look at how quickly our class tidied up our classroom.Everything has been put away.
Our class now knows all the words to our new song.I listened and heard you singing by yourself.
Celebration Chants
I use Celebration chants with my young learners (and teachers). They’re easy to do and bring positive energy to your space. First, teach them to your students. Then, use them throughout your day. Let’s get started.
Here’s a video with all three chants listed below.
Celebration Chants video
We Did It
My Japanese students used to say, 先生、やりましたよ。Sensei, Teacher, I did it! I wrote this chant to celebrate my students’ successes. It’s called “We Did It!” Maybe you know this popular chant. It’s available on my Jump Jump Everyone album, too.
We did it! We did it! We did It today!
Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap.
We did it! We did it! Hip, hip, hooray!
Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Roll your hands. Arms up high.
4-3-2-1
Why not celebrate in a new way? My students loved counting backwards.
Four, three, two, one,
Use fingers 4—–3—–2—–1
Hooray for all the things we’ve done.
Shake hands up / Clap. Clap. Clap.
SUCCESS
This last chant is called “SUCCESS.” This may work best for your elementary students since they know how to spell words and do handclapping games.
My students like to do this chant with a partner, too. Here are several ways students can do it, from the easiest way to the most complicated way.
Variation 1: Pat own legs—clap both partner’s hands.
Variation 2: Pat own legs—clap own hands—clap both partner’s hands—clap own hands
Variation 3: Pat own legs— clap own hands—clap partner’s right hand—clap own hands
—clap partner’s left hand—clap own hands– clap both partner’s hands—clap own hands* (repeat—last time omit last *)
All of these images can be found in the Google Slides here.
Do you have a celebration chant that you do with your students? Share it with Kathy!
magictimekids@gmail.com
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.
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!
My fingers, fingers, fingers, fingers, fingers dance!
Make a circle! Take a picture. Make a circle! Take a picture.
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!”
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.
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 andJump Jump Everyone, which build English language skills through music and movement while nurturing creativity and imagination. Grown and loved by real kids!
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!
[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 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.
Have you ever struggled to get your children or your students to tidy up, to clean up the things that 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.
I wrote the song Tidy Up for my students in Japan. The song gets faster and faster. By the time it’s finished, students should have everything cleaned up. Many teachers and parents around the world have told me how much they love this song and use it regularly. Click the arrow below to play it. Try this the next time you need to clean up.
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.
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.
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 andJump Jump Everyone, which build English language skills through music and movement while nurturing creativity and imagination! Grown and loved by real kids!
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