Hop Along Easter Bunny

Easter is just around the corner! Holidays give us an opportunity to teach students about holiday traditions as well as teach some new vocabulary. I always love to find ways to get my students moving with a song.

In this post you’ll find:

the teaching steps and videos for teaching Hop Along Easter Bunny, as a fingerplay and as a whole-body activity
Google slides
videos to show you ways you can teach this song
an Easter egg guessing activity created by Setsuko Toyama
arts and crafts activities

How will you teach your students about Easter? Look at the picture below. What do you see? What does it tell you about Easter? (rabbits, colored eggs, spring flowers, chocolates)

When I teach young learners, I use many ways to introduce, practice, and review new language. Use props. Then do this song in three different ways–first as a fingerplay, then moving around a circle, and finally, moving around the classroom. I’ve made a simple video for you to help you learn it as a fingerplay.

Fingerplay: If possible, sit on the floor with the students. Stretch your legs out in front of you. Make an Easter Bunny by raising two fingers. Bounce your fingers up and down your legs as if you’re hopping.

Hop along Easter Bunny, hop along.

Hop along Easter Bunny, hop along.

Hop along Easter Bunny, Hop along Easter Bunny,

Hop along Easter Bunny, hop along.

Young children love surprises. Each time I sing one line, I quickly bring my fingers back to where I started. On the longer line, continue hopping. My students find it funny when I bring my fingers over my head and along my arm.

On the second verse, pretend to tiptoe using your fingers.

Tiptoe Easter Bunny, tiptoe.

Tiptoe Easter Bunny, tiptoe.

Tiptoe Easter Bunny, Tiptoe Easter Bunny,

Tiptoe Easter Bunny, tiptoe.

On the third verse, pretend to pick up an egg and hide it beside you, behind you, or under your legs.

Hide the eggs Easter Bunny, hide the eggs.

Hide the eggs Easter Bunny, hide the eggs.

Hide the eggs Easter Bunny, Hide the eggs Easter Bunny,

Hide the eggs Easter Bunny, hide the eggs.

On the last verse, pretend to run away.

Run away Easter Bunny, run away.

Run away Easter Bunny, run away.

Run away Easter Bunny, Run away Easter Bunny,

Run away Easter Bunny, run away.

These Easter Bunny ears are a fun way to celebrate! Here's Brooke having fun in Tokyo.

2. Around the circle movement: Stand up and magically turn all of your students into Easter Bunnies. Say, Put on your ears, your whiskers, your tails, and your great big feet!

If you have bunny ears like Brooke, put them on!

Make a circle with your students. Sing this transitional song from Jump Jump Everyone to get ready.

Transitional Song: Let’s make a circle big and round (4X)

https://magictimekids.com/2013/09/23/transitional-songs-part-one/

Moving around the circle together in the same direction. Do you remember the four movements?

1. hop like a bunny (They might use their hands to make bunny ears or a bunny tail.)

2. tiptoe quietly

3. pretend to hide eggs

4. run

3. Around the Classroom: Students can move more freely around the classroom. The Easter Bunnies dance the song by moving around the children.

Here’s a simple video of my students in my classroom moving in a circle to this music.

For the studio version of this song, go to iTunes and click on Track #6 of Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays.

4. Follow-up Activity: In this activity created by Setsuko Toyama, students use critical thinking skills to figure out which egg has been chosen. Students need to know colors, shapes, and numbers. They also need to know words like “polka dots” and “stripes.”

Easter Eggs

Secretly choose one egg. Give one clue at a time, such as It’s pink. Students can guess, Is it number three? Add another clue. It has blue polka dots. Students guess again. Is it number one?

After modeling this activity for the class, have students work in small groups or with partners. Make a copy for each student. Have fun celebrating Easter!

5. Art/Craft Activity This is a fun Easter Bunny activity from Nghia.Odin.DIY.

Look at how this cute bunny moves! The bottle tops and rubberband make this bunny run away!

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If you’re looking for something super simple, try out these Easter cutting activities or Easter Egg Name Basket from Sam.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_7171.jpeg — 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 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 (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.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2022-05-11-at-22.56.25.png

You can find more engaging songs 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.

If you’re looking for more action songs, check out these curated playlists.

Celebrate with the song “Happy New Year!”

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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.

Get your students moving with this super simple song to celebrate the New Year.

(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

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.

Audio & Video

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.

Celebrating Moms

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Happy Mother’s Day! These are our two sons. I’m spending Mother’s Day with them this year! It’s a blessing to have family who love and care for each other.

With many types of families in our schools, how will you celebrate Mother’s Day? Here in the US, we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day on May 12th.

Here are some songs that your young learners can share with moms, grandmas, or that significant person in their lives.

This first song is perfect for babies through toddlers. To be honest, even my 4-6 year olds still like it.

Peek-A-Boo

by Kathy Kampa, melody based on Skip to my Lou

Hold onto the corners of a scarf. Cover your face.

When you sing “boo,” drop the scarf down. Hug.

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

Here’s a hug ’cause I love you.

Here’s a video demonstrating how to do this. I really love using juggling scarves for this song.

2. I shared “I Love You” earlier this year, but it’s a perfect song for Mother’s Day. Children might rock from side to side, hold a stuffed animal, or even get a hug. They can sing it for their mom, grandma, or caregiver.

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.

Here are the lyrics to my song:

I Love You!

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.

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 created 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)

3. I love to end an early childhood class with this lovely song.

May There Always Be Sunshine

composed by Arkady Ostrovsky, lyrics written by Lev Oshanin

May there always be sunshine,

May there always be blue skies,

May there always be mama/daddy/grandma/grandpa/someone,

May there always be me/ OR Who always loves me.

Here’s a beautiful video of Raffi singing this song.

As Raffi mentions, “May There Always Be Sunshine” (Russian: “Пусть всегда будет солнце!” or “Солнечный круг”) is a popular Soviet children’s song created in 1962. The music was composed by Arkady Ostrovsky and the lyrics written by Lev Oshanin. Korney Chukovsky, a writer and immensely popular children’s poet, later wrote that the inspiration for the song had been the four lines of the refrain, which were composed in 1928 by the four-year-old boy Kostya Barannikov. (source: Wikipedia)

If you’re looking for a simple craft, this one shared by Abby is inexpensive. Children trace around their hands and choose flowers for a bouquet. Paper flowers or stickers would work too.

Last of all, I want to share a favorite photo of my mom, Betty Kampa Miller. She visited us in Japan on four different occasions. Mom always encouraged me to write songs. Can you write a song for your grandma? How about a song for . . .? I thought everyone wrote songs. I continue to write songs that tickle the imaginations and hearts of little ones.

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’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 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.

Jump! Jump!

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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! 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.

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.

Rainy Day Songs

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What do you do with young learners on a rainy day? Sing! Dance! Make inside recess a lot of fun!

In this post you’ll find three different rain songs, all perfect for young learners. You’ll find movement suggestions, videos, and Spotify playlists for more rainy-day songs. Enjoy!

This first song is called “It Is Raining.” It’s a song that encourages noticing, a first step in learning. It invites students to listen to the various sounds created by patting on different body parts. These sounds are called “body percussion.” They can listen to the similarities and differences in the sounds. Is the sound loud or quiet/soft? Is the sound high or low?

Students learn the names of body parts, like head, arms, legs, chest, cheeks, and tummy. They can pat the rhythm of the words.

It Is Raining

by Kathy Kampa on Jump Jump Everyone

(Goals: body part names, listening for different types of sounds, rhythm of the words)

It is raining. It is raining.

Wiggle your fingers from high to low to look like it’s raining.

On my legs. On my legs.

Pat your legs to the rhythm of the words.

Pitter patter raindrops. Pitter patter raindrops.

Tap that body part (legs) to the rhythm of the words.

I’m all wet! I’m all wet!

Brush your hands along your legs. Pretend to shake off the water.

Step inside my classroom in Japan to see my young learners singing and moving to this song.

Once your students have learned this song, take it a step further.

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

Tap your finger to the side of your forehead. Put your hands out to the side.

Let’s sing about our elbows!

Tap your elbows. How does that sound? Loud? Soft? High? Low? I think that sounds soft or quiet. Sing in the same way.

Let’s sing about our back(s)!

Tap your back. How does that sound? Loud? Soft? High? Low? I think that sounds kind of low. Sing in the same way.

Get a rainstick or shaker if you want to add an interesting sound.

Ethnic percussion musical instruments on yellow background. Caxixi shakers, rainstick, pandeiro, maracas and musical spoons.

Our second song is called “Ame, Ame.” After living in Japan for over thirty years, I grew to love this traditional song. There are many different translations for it. Here’s mine.

Japanese Rain Song “Ame, Ame”

Beth’s Notes shares this notation as well as some delightful videos.

Pitter patter falling falling, Rain is falling down,

Tap on your legs. Wiggle fingers to look like rain falling.

Mother brings me my umbrella, Rain is falling down,

Pretend to open an umbrella. Wiggle fingers to look like rain falling.

Pi-chi Pi-chi, cha-pu, cha-pu, ran, ran, ran, （らん、らん、らん）

Tap on your legs.

If you have instruments, it’s fun for students to make their own rainstorm. First the wind and gentle rain, thunder, pouring rain, then returning to the wind and gentle rain.

Students can create this with body percussion sounds, too.

Lastly, a traditional rain song is “Rain Rain Go Away.”

Rain, Rain Go Away

Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day.

Make rain movements. Show “Go away.” Show “Come again.”

All the children want to play.

Clap your hands.

Rain, rain, go away!

Make rain movements. Show “Go away.”

There are many videos for this song. This one by Cocomelon shows how we can be creative while we wait for the rain to stop.

And if three songs aren’t enough for your rainy-day plans, check out these Spotify Playlists with lots of music for kids.

Are you streaming music? Go to Spotify or Apple Music to find Kathy’s music. You’ll find “It Is Raining” on “Jump Jump Everyone.”

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.

Here We Go Looby Loo!

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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.

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.

Hello, Spring!

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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 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.

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!!

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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.

Spotify:

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