Fun Halloween Activity: Marching Monsters for Kids

Get ready for Halloween! Add “Marching Monsters” to your Halloween activities. What makes this song great?

-It builds phonemic awareness of initial letter sounds

-Students can learn through movement, music, and visuals

-It nurtures imagination and creativity

-You can enjoy a fun, movement break!

I’m gifting you these Google slides. You can print them or just share them on your device. You can easily sync your music to these slides.

Marching Monsters Halloween Slide Show: Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays

There are four Halloween characters in this song–monsters, skeletons, witches, and jack-o’-lanterns. Have fun pretending to be the four characters. Practice the four verbs– march, skip, sway side-to-side in a waltz, and jump! Now put them together.

“How can we march like monsters? (Who doesn’t love marching like monsters?!)

Let’s skip. How can we skip like skeletons?

How do you waltz? How can we waltz like witches? (sway side to side)

Let’s jump! How can we jump like jack-o’-lanterns?

Practice “Turn around and stop!”

Note: Moving and stopping are essential movement skills for very young learners.

For very little ones, skipping is a new skill. Try walking with a little hop. Or galloping.

Here are the lyrics. You can also find them in the slide show above.

Marching Monsters

Words and music by Kathleen Kampa

1. Marching monsters! Happy Halloween! Boo!

Marching monsters! Happy Halloween! Boo!

Marching monsters, Turn around and stop! (hold)

Marching monsters Happy Halloween! Boo!

2. Skipping skeletons! Happy Halloween! Boo! . . .

3. Waltzing witches! Happy Halloween! Boo! . . . .

4. Jumping jack-o-lanterns! Happy Halloween! Boo! . . . .

Just watch the video and have fun!

Did you notice that you can build phonemic awareness with this song too? The word pairs begin with the same initial sound. You can separate the verbs and nouns. Students match.

Marching Monsters worksheet and flashcards

For a bigger challenge, write the letters m, sk, w, j, and h on the board. What pair of words begins with these letters in the song?

m-> marching monsters

sk-> skipping skeletons

w-> waltzing witches

j-> jumping jack-o-lanterns

h-> Happy Halloween!

Want to add a cute monster craft? http://acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.jp/2012/07/my-frankenstein-craftivity.html

Monsters by Gunder on Flickr Attribution CC 2.0 license

http://bit.ly/Gundermonstersdrawing

We hope that your students enjoy singing and dancing throughout October. The music for this song and other Halloween favorites (Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Skeleton Dance, Marching Monsters, I’m A Witch) are available on Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays.

You can search for my music on iTunes. or Apple Music.

If you like this, my second album has more happy songs for children that have grown in my young learner classroom. 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, too.

Happy teaching!

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 movement should be a part of every young child’s learning.

Kathy is the co-author of Magic Time, Everybody Up, Oxford Discover, and Beehive (all by Oxford University Press). She has composed music for Tokyo Shoseki’s English language courses.

Let’s Do the Skeleton Dance

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Two playful skeletons dancing against a black background

Skeleton Dance is definitely one of my students’ favorite songs! Why should you love it, too?

Skeleton Dance is one of the first children’s songs that I wrote. And it’s certainly been requested over and over by children and teachers around the globe. I’ve taught Skeleton Dance to students in pre-kindergarten through junior high school. It’s a favorite song with my online students from Ukraine. I’ve shared this song with teachers in the US, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mainland China, Indonesia, Mexico, Finland, and Turkey.

Kathy Kampa’s Skeleton Dance has been performed by hundreds of students from around the world. You can watch some of my students in Japan doing the Skeleton Dance, and read the lyrics below:

Here’s how you do the Skeleton Dance:

In this song, students will move four different body parts: shoulders, elbows, knees, and feet.
First, students move their shoulders to the beat. Explore different ways of moving each of these body parts.

Move your shoulders . . .
A. Skeleton, skeleton, skeleton dance,
Move your shoulders, do the skeleton dance.
Skeleton, skeleton, skeleton dance,
Move your shoulders, do the skeleton dance.

Next, students move their whole bodies to the front, to the back, and to the side. I usually start by moving only my arms, but my students love to jump in each direction.

B. To the front, to the back, to the side, side, side,
To the front, to the back, to the side, side, side,

Next, students move their shoulders up, down, and around. Each time they repeat the song, they will move a different body part in these directions. When I teach this, I point with my finger to show the directions.

C. Put your shoulders up. Put your shoulders down.
Move them up and down and all around.
Put your shoulders up. Put your shoulders down.
Move them up and down and all around.

Finally, students move their shoulders in their own way.

D. Shoulders dance . .ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch
Shoulders dance . .ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch

This dance is repeated with the following body parts.
Before I play the music, my students and I figure out how we’ll move up, down, and around using each of these body parts.

2. Move your elbows . . .
3. Move your knees . . .
4. Move your feet . . .

You can download this song from iTunes (Track #15). It’s available on streaming services, like Spotify.

Why use this song in your class?

It teaches body parts.

It teaches directional movements.

It’s a great way to start your school day!

It’s an easy, energizing Brain Break.

It’s a perfect rainy day, get-your-wiggles-out song.!

It’s an effective activity for a health unit.

The song will stick in students’ heads.

It’s just what you need for your Halloween celebrations!

And you can invite parents to have fun dancing with their children!

The kids will ask for it again and again.

It’s so much fun!

Bonus activities

What else can you do with this song?

Reading and Writing:

If you’d like to practice reading the lyrics, check out these fabulous reading and writing activities by Yoko Oho. It’s a fun way to read the words! Click through to see all of the pages to see what Yoko created.

Skeleton_Dance_worksheet (2)Download

Coloring

Here’s a fun coloring activity from Daria. You can see skeletons for Dia Los Muertos (Day Of The Dead). Have fun coloring “calaveras.” Get these activities on Daria’s TPT page

ColortheDiaDeLosMuertosCalaveraSkullFreebie2-1 Download

Pinterest ideas: Here are some fun songs, worksheets, blogs, craft activities, games, costumes, and simple cooking ideas for Halloween.

So, grab your costumes and get ready for one of my favorite holidays.

A group of four girls and one woman dressed in Halloween costumes, smiling together. The woman is wearing a witch hat, while the girls have various playful costumes, including bunny ears and a red outfit. — Kathy and her English students

Cover illustration for 'Special Days and Holidays' by Kathy Kampa, featuring diverse children joyfully dancing with musical notes and colorful elements. — Kathy’s songs were written especially for young learners. Each song focuses on popular classroom topics and invites children to use their imaginations. Songs also support the development of English language skills through repetition and simple melodies. Students love moving to Kathy’s songs!

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 (ELTon winner), Beehive/Buzz and Blue Dot(published by Oxford University Press). She has taught young learners in Tokyo, Japan for over 30 years. Kathy has composed educational music for Tokyo Shoseki and recorded songs for Learning World. She is active as a teacher trainer, inspiring teachers around the world. Kathy and her husband are currently writing educational materials in Minnesota.

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

Autumn Activities for Kids: Explore Colorful Falling Leaves

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Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. Actually, I do love something about every season!! Here in Minnesota, we can find leaves of red, yellow, orange, and brown!

Looking up through trees with vibrant autumn leaves against a clear blue sky.

When I prepare for this lesson, I collect a variety of leaves.

-big and small leaves

-leaves in different colors

-leaves from different kinds of trees

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Hold a leaf and watch it fall to the ground. Talk about what you saw. “This small leaf moved like this. (You can show this with your hands) Let’s see if that happens again.”

Repeat this process with your other leaves. If you have time, invite your students to drop the leaves and watch how they travel to the ground. What did they notice?

This is one of my students’ favorite songs for autumn. I especially love the incredible instrumentation that Andre DiMuzio created to accompany it.

Here are the free Google slides with the lyrics.

It’s fun to teach this song with a xylophone or glockenspiel. You can play it by starting at the shortest bar (C) (do’), and going step by step to the longest bar. If you turn the instrument on its side with the shortest bar on top, it’s easy to see and hear the melody descending. Just play the melody. Then add the lyrics.

A colorful wooden xylophone with eight keys and two mallets.

Falling Leaves Adapted by Kathy Kampa

Down, down, down, down, the leaves are falling to the ground.

do ti la sol fa mi re do‘

Whoosh!

Red, yellow, orange, and brown, the leaves are falling to the ground.

do ti la sol fa mi re do

Whoosh!

I sing the song with a scarf in my hand. Children love dancing with lightweight scarves. They just love the way the scarves float so lightly. I pass out one scarf to each student. I model swaying with my scarf from side to side. This crosses the midline of their bodies. We move from a high level to a low level.

*Note: For very young learners, I tie a knot in the middle of the scarf to make it smaller. Children can hold onto the knot.

Then, the magic “Whoosh!” Children can toss their scarves into the air. Scarves are easier to catch because they’re so light. My students laugh when the scarf lands on their arm, their head, their shoulder . . . .

You can model this action with your students. I usually do this twice. Look! The scarf is on my head! Look! The scarf is on my elbow!

Then encourage students to spin around. This is a wonderful, vestibular movement! They can spin fast or slow. My students will sing this song over and over again. On the recording, the last time just slows down to signal the end of the song.

Here’s a video of my young learners in Tokyo.

I use small, lightweight hemmed scarves like these. Search for “hemmed scarves” or “juggling scarves.” Check the reviews. I like mine! Young children can practice naming the color, too.

If your scarves are big for your students, just tie a knot in the middle of the scarf. They should hold onto that part.

Check out my Pinterest board for more autumn activities. This song is available on my album “Jump Jump Everyone.” You can find it on most streaming services, such as Spotify. For more kid-tested music and movement activities, check out my music on iTunes.

Kathy Kampa is a teacher, author, and teacher-trainer who specializes in working with young learners. She taught at Seisen International School in Tokyo, Japan in the PYP (Primary Years Program) and continues to teach young learners in Minnesota. Kathy uses a globally minded, inquiry-based approach to teaching that helps 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, Oxford Discover, Beehive, Buzz, and Blue Dot, all published by Oxford University Press.

Here’s another video of this song.

#AUTUMN #FALLINGLEAVES #KIDSMUSIC #AUTUMNDAYS #AUTUMNCOLORS #NURSERYRHYMES #ENGLISHSONGS #KINDERGARTEN

I love this photo! When we lived in Tokyo, we witnessed such beautiful autumn leaves. People celebrate the season outside by enjoying picnics, taking hikes, and taking lots of pictures!

A woman wearing a traditional kimono with colorful patterns, standing near a stream surrounded by autumn foliage. — Photo by Kathleen Kampa, 2020, Showa Kinen Park

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

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 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.

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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.

It’s the Year of the Snake

It’s the beginning of a new year! And it’s time for us to celebrate.

Each year one of the twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac calendar is celebrated, and this year’s animal is the Snake! We have a special place in our home where we display a small ornament for the new year. People celebrating the Lunar or Chinese New Year will welcome the new year of the Snake on January 29th.

This is a simple song to celebrate the new year. It borrows two familiar melodies to create one new song. The Google slides for this song are here.

I like to have students move with music whenever possible. What kind of movement can you do? Here are some suggestions.

In Part A, on the words “It’s the year” students can stand tall with their hands at their sides.

On the word “SNAKE,” make a snake pose or movement. My students made a slithering movement with their arms. Students might enjoy using scarves to create a snake movement on the word “snake.”

For the year 2025 (twenty/ twenty-five), students can write the numbers in the air or hold up their fingers to show the numbers. We made the shapes two-zero-two-five. Or even just wave their hands.

In Part B, students can add body percussion sounds. What’s body percussion? These are sounds students can make using body parts, such as clapping their hands, patting their legs, stamping their feet, or snapping their fingers.

They can play the rhythm of the letters when spelling the word “snake.” Practice spelling the word with many different sounds. Since this repeats three times, you can repeat it with a different body percussion sound each time. Some of my students even tried body spelling by making each of these letters with their fingers or whole body. Challenging!

If you have unpitched instruments, like rhythm sticks, drums, tambourines, or shakers, play the rhythm with the instruments. You might even add a long musical sound on the word, SNAKE.

Since this song comes around once every twelve years, it hasn’t been professionally recorded. Enjoy it with your students to celebrate the new year!

Here’s the video for this song. I’ve still got my cast on, but you’ll get the idea.

Here’s a note from teacher, Chieko Kume.

“I introduced this song to the 3rd and the 4th grade class at an elementary school last week (in Japan) and they loved it. We made a big Y with our body at the “It’s the year…” part, and then wrote a big S in the air with both hands.

I love your songs and ideas of teaching young learners along with music and movement. Thank you again, and please take care. “

Here’s a link to some activities.

About Me:

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.

If you’d like a chant or song about a specific topic, let Kathy know. She has received a grant through the McKnight Foundation to compose some new music for children.

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 Concept-Based Inquiry 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, Buzz, and soon to be released, Blue Dot, all published by Oxford University Press.

This photo was taken during our recent Asian teaching tour, Fall 2024.

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

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!

Photo by Kristina Rose Photography

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.

Enjoy your rainy day!!!!

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.

Hokey Pokey Like The Easter Bunny!

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Let’s get hopping! Put on your bunny ears and do the Easter Bunny Hop.

Say to your students, Let’s pretend to be Easter Bunnies. Look at this picture.

Let’s pretend to be the Easter Bunny. We need . . .

Students may say, such as two long ears, two big feet, a bunny tail, bunny paws, and a bunny nose. This song teaches ears, feet, tail, tummy, and whole self as well as the directional movements in, out, and around. Students have a lot of fun jumping and shaking. There’s a slow version, followed by a fast one. It’s easy to just turn on the music and dance!

Students can stand in their spots or you can make a circle together. Sing Let’s Make A Circle. (Click here for this song.)

Here are the movements.

Say, Show me your Easter Bunny ears.

Put your bunny ears in. Put your bunny ears out.

Let’s shake our Easter Bunny ears.

Jump like a bunny. Then, turn around and say, Happy Easter!

Click here to watch the video of my former students dancing to this song. Grab the recording to listen to the entire song. It’s a great way to teach body parts and directional movements. Use this as a brain break, an energizer, or an Easter celebration son.

Easter Bunny Hop

Words by Kathy Kampa, Music Hokey Pokey

on Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays, available through iTunes

Slowly: You put your bunny ears in.

You put your bunny ears out.

You put your bunny ears in. And you shake them all about.

Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, shake!

Jump like a bunny. Jump, jump, jump!

Turn around and shout! Happy Easter!

Then sing quickly . . .

You put your bunny ears in.

You put your bunny ears out.

You put your bunny ears in. And you shake them all about.

Shake, shake, shake! (* three shakes!)

Jump like a bunny. Jump, jump, jump!

Turn around and shout! Happy Easter!

Repeat each verse slowly, then quickly with these body parts.

2. You put your bunny feet in.

3. You put your bunny tail in.

4. You put your bunny tummy in.

5. You put your whole self in.

Click here to get this song on iTunes on Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays, track #7. You can find it on Spotify and Apple Music, too.

Kathy Kampa loves to bring joy to the world through her children’s music. She is passionate about making learning engaging for young learners. You’ll find more resources on Kathy’s YouTube page.

Looking for more Easter songs? Check out this super simple song for little ones. It’s called “Hop Along Easter Bunny.”

After your young learners wiggle about, check out this quieting activity. This simple reproducible is from Julissa Mora. For more hands-on Easter resources, check out my Pinterest page.