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!

Sheet music with notes and words

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A sheet music with notes

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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!

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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

(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!

Butterfly life cycle stages illustration

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)

1-2-3-4 LOOK!

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).”

Inspire your students by teaching them the life cycle of the butterfly. This simple chant invites students to do fingerplay movement or use their whole body. You can find this beautiful chant by Kathy Kampa on Jump Jump Everyone.

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.

Hop Along Easter Bunny

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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 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

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

It’s Time for “The Turkey Dance”

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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

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.

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.

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!

The Turkey Dance is fun, engaging song for young learners.

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!

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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.

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.

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.”

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.

Are your students ready to learn? How do you focus their attention?

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If you’re starting a new school year or you’re experiencing the excitement of the end of the year, how do you get all of your students’ attention? Teachers need to guide students to prepare for learning at different times during a class, such as:

Beginning a lesson

Moving to a new space in your classroom

Introducing an activity

Checking in during an activity

Finishing an activity

First of all, with any strategy you use, you must practice it before you actually use it.

Secondly, the success of each strategy depends on you, your group of students, their age, and their disposition.

Lastly, choose one or two strategies to start. Figure out what works best. When you’re ready, add a new strategy.

1. Get attention with something that creates an interesting sound.

What do you have readily available in your classroom? A slide whistle is one of the most interesting sounds I have in my classroom. If you have a big group of students, it quickly gets their attention. Don’t have a slide whistle? How about a shaker, a tambourine, or a kazoo?

(Check out West Music for interesting instruments.)

2. Peace and Quiet

To gesture “peace” you can make a Peace sign with two fingers up. Alternatively, you can just raise your hand.

To gesture “quiet,” put your finger to your lips.

When I say, Peace, you say Quiet. Peace and Quiet.

3. Add a little rhythm and vocal expression to get attention.

Teachers at my school loved this way of getting students’ attention. Nina Septina shared this at the JALT 2023 conference.

a. Echo the same rhythm saying the word, Yes! Change the rhythm, the tempo, your voice, etc.

T: Class, class, class. Echo: Yes, yes, yes!

T: Class, classity, class. Echo: Yes, yessity, yes!

T: (fast) Class, class, class, class, class. Echo: (fast) Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

T: (whisper) Class, class, class. Echo: (whisper) Yes, yes, yes!

(Clap on every syllable. Students echo your clap.)

I like ba-na-nas. (I like ba-na-nas.)

I like po-ta-toes. (I like po-ta-toes.)

I like to-ma-toes. (I like to-ma-toes.)

4. How about trying some rhyming conversations? These help your students develop phonemic awareness too!

My Grade One students love “Hands on Top.”

The teacher says, Hands on top! (put your hands on top of your head)

The students answer, That means “Stop!” (students do the same)

One, Two, Three, Eyes on Me is another rhyming conversation.

The teacher sings, “One, two, three, eyes on me.” (so-so, mi, so-so, mi)

Hold up fingers as if you’re counting to three. Point to yourself.

The students answer, “One, two, eyes on you!”(so, mi, so-so, mi)

Hold up fingers as if you’re counting to two. Students point to the teacher.

My students can do “Peace and Quiet” (above) by putting two fingers in the air (peace) and one finger to their lips (quiet).

5. How about fun phrases?

T: Peanut, peanut butter ——-Ss: JELLY.

T: Macaroni and cheese . . . Ss: everybody freeze!

T: Hocus pocus. Ss: Everybody focus!

Check out more fun attention-getters here from Jenn at The Teacher Next Door.

6. How about making butterfly wings?

I love to pretend with my very young students. Say, Let’s make butterfly wings. What color are your wings today?” Pretend to paint each arm by gently rubbing it and naming a color. i.e This wing is pink, but this one is purple.

Raise and lower your arms to your sides as if you’re flying. Inhale and exhale.

7. Calm students with this breathing activity called “Candles.”

Finally, inhale while raising your arms from your sides to above your head. Put your hands together above your head, then bring them down in front of you. Exhale when your hands are in front of your mouth. This is an effective way to calm students after a lively activity. The teachers I worked with in Tokyo loved the way this activity quickly quieted my students.

Remember to practice your strategies first. Add new strategies little by little. Having some strategies in place will help your classes run smoothly.

If you’re looking for Class Management Songs for Kids, check out this collection on Spotify.