Let’s Celebrate Girls’ Day!

Do you celebrate success in your class?

Celebrate success with CCBA. What’s CCBA?

Catch Children Being Amazing! It’s an acronym I created to remind teachers to focus on amazing student work. When we notice the great things happening around us, rather than negative things, more great things can appear. By talking about the wonderful things you see happening in your classroom, young learners will strive to do these wonderful things, too.

How do you do that?

Describe what you see happening in your classroom. What do you see? What do you hear?

-Be specific about what students are doing. Consider your goals for the activity. You can add descriptions to help students come up with more ideas.

For example, the goal of the activity below was for students to make letter shapes in different ways. At first, I’m describing individual student actions. You’ll notice that I’ve pointed out body parts, letter names, size, and students working together.

I see Yuya making the letter d with his fingers.

I see Sara making the letter D with her whole body. She made a big letter shape.

I see Anna and Noah standing back-to-back. They are collaborating by making their letter together.

By describing the many different students’ ideas, students will try out varied ideas, too. Try to acknowledge as many students as possible during your class. That builds self-confidence, too.

You can also acknowledge something that the whole class has done.

Look at how quickly our class tidied up our classroom. Everything has been put away.

Our class now knows all the words to our new song. I listened and heard you singing by yourself.

Celebration Chants

I use Celebration chants with my young learners (and teachers). They’re easy to do and bring positive energy to your space. First, teach them to your students. Then, use them throughout your day. Let’s get started.

Here’s a video with all three chants listed below.

Celebration Chants video

We Did It

My Japanese students used to say, 先生、やりましたよ。Sensei, Teacher, I did it! I wrote this chant to celebrate my students’ successes. It’s called “We Did It!” Maybe you know this popular chant. It’s available on my Jump Jump Everyone album, too.

We did it! We did it! We did It today!

Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap.

We did it! We did it! Hip, hip, hooray!

Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Roll your hands. Arms up high.

4-3-2-1

Why not celebrate in a new way? My students loved counting backwards.

Four, three, two, one,

Use fingers 4—–3—–2—–1

Hooray for all the things we’ve done.

Shake hands up / Clap. Clap. Clap.

SUCCESS

This last chant is called “SUCCESS.” This may work best for your elementary students since they know how to spell words and do handclapping games.

S—U—C—C—E—S—S— That’s the way we spell “success.”

Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat. Clap. Pat Jump up high.

My students like to do this chant with a partner, too. Here are several ways students can do it, from the easiest way to the most complicated way.

Variation 1: Pat own legs—clap both partner’s hands.

Variation 2: Pat own legs—clap own hands—clap both partner’s hands—clap own hands

Variation 3: Pat own legs— clap own hands—clap partner’s right hand—clap own hands

—clap partner’s left hand—clap own hands– clap both partner’s hands—clap own hands* (repeat—last time omit last *)

All of these images can be found in the Google Slides here.

Do you have a celebration chant that you do with your students? Share it with Kathy!

magictimekids@gmail.com

Songwriter Kathy Kampa is a passionate educator of young learners. She seeks to nurture children’s imaginations and spark creativity through fun and engaging activities. Kathy believes that music and movement should be a part of every young child’s education. Kathy’s songs for kids (Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone) are available on iTunes.

Kathy uses a globally-minded and inquiry-based approach to teaching through which students develop 21st-century skills. She also supports the development of English language skills by creating songs, chants, and TPR/movement activities targeted to young learners’ needs. Kathy is an author and teacher-trainer with Oxford University Press. She is delighted to be teaching young learners in her hometown.

Hearts and Lots of Love for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a special time for us to express our love or friendship. Here are two of my new songs.

How do I write songs? Sometimes when I’m driving in my car or out for a walk, I’ll hear a song in my head. I’ll keep singing it until I have a place to stop and record it on my phone. Sometimes a song wakes me up from my sleep, and I’ll write notes on a sheet of paper next to my bed. Children often ask me to sing a song about something they are interested in. I’ll ponder that topic until their special song appears.

After a song is born, I use it with lots of young learners to see what works, what variations appear, what we can do with it, what vocabulary and concepts it teaches, and what makes it fun and special. A song is often filled with surprises!

My first new song is called “I Love You.” I love writing songs for young learners to move to. “Jump” by Patty Shukla invites children to move. But children also need time to be calm and quiet. That’s what Patty’s song does. So does mine.

My song “I Love You” can be used to help children feel cozy, calm, and quiet, especially at the end of a class. Children might rock from side to side, hold a stuffed animal, or even get a hug.

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.

And if you’re wondering about this photo, our children spent most of their young lives in Japan. We were invited to participate in our local autumn festival by carrying the o-mikoshi, making rice balls, and spending time with our neighbors in Nakamachi.

Here are the lyrics to my song:

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.

Variations:

SEL (Social Emotional Learning) is now part of many curriculums at school. Use this variation to affirm young learners.

I like me, I really, really do. I like me.

I like me in the morning,

I like me at night,

I like me through the day when the sun shines bright.

I like me, I really, really do. I really like me.

Or JUST CHANGE “ME” to “YOU.” Children can sing this to each other.

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 come up with 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)

___________________________________________________

Here’s a more active song for young learners called “A Little Heart, A Big Heart.” They can sing and dance to it alone, with a partner, or with their whole class.

When I first teach this, I cut out a small heart and show it to my students. I sing, I made a little heart.

Then I do the same making a big heart, singing, I made a big heart.

Then I put them together, singing, See, it’s a Valentine.

Then I hand this Valentine to someone, singing, Please say you’ll be mine.

Now let’s add some simple movements!

Here’s the video. The lyrics and Google slides will follow.

Video of A Little Heart, A Big Heart by Kathy Kampa

I made a little heart, (make a little heart shape, or just a small shape)

I made a big heart, (make a big heart shape, or just a big shape)

See, it’s a Valentine. (little by little open your arms to make a big V shape on “Valentine”)

Please say you’ll be mine. (hug)

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

In Place movements: clap, swing, twist, jump, march, hop, turn around, wiggle . . .

Children can dance alone or with a partner. They can also move together as a class.

Sing the melody above using the syllable “la”

La la la la la la!

La la la la la!

La la la la la la !

La la la la la!

Here are the Google slides to help you teach this.

Here’s a BIG heart, little heart craft activity.

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.

I’m Your Friend, a Valentine’s Day Song For Kids

Valentine’s Day is a time for children to celebrate friendships! Classroom activities like this can teach young learners how to develop healthy relationships.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day here in the United States, children often make cards or little treats for their friends. I’ve invited my friend Ava to share her thoughts about how she celebrates Valentine’s Day with her friends and classmates.

Ava shares Valentine’s Day traditions in the US

I like to celebrate holidays with music and movement! Today’s song is called “I’m Your Friend,” from my album Jump Jump Everyone. With this song, you can add valuable skills such as phonemic awareness to your lesson while celebrating Valentine’s Day and friendship.

Rhyming words

Listen for the rhyming words at the end of each line. In this song, the words mine, nine, and Valentine all rhyme. Why is rhyming important? Check out this fabulous post by Marissa Labuz. Rhyming aids memory, supports phonemic awareness, and builds listening skills. Children have fun singing songs and chants with rhyming words.

Movement

This song invites children to move in various ways, such as galloping, skipping, jumping, walking, and even skating! Developing gross motor skills is important for young learners. The movements encourage students to move from one place to another. These are called “locomotor movements.” If you have a smaller space, students can move in a small circle in their own spot.

You can sing this song with small or large classes. I usually teach this song to kindergarten and early elementary students.

Here’s a video to teach you the lyrics and the movements:

Here are the lyrics to the song:

3. I’m Your Friend words and music by Kathy Kampa

From Jump Jump Everyone CD

Chorus:

I’m your friend.

(Gesture to chest, then to a person)

You are mine.

(Gesture to person, then to heart)

Will you be my Valentine?

(Swing hands with partner or in the circle)

Repeat.

Let’s walk.

(See the notes below. Children can hold hands in a whole class circle or move with a partner.)

Verse:

Walk, walk, walk with me. Walking, walking, 1-2-3,

4-5-6, 7-8-9, Will you be my Valentine?

(Clap-4-5-6,-7-8-9) Make a heart shape with your fingers or arms by yourself or with a friend. Or give your partner a hug!

*repeat with skip, jump, slide, skate, dance

Here are Google slides for this song.

Building Social Skills

Here’s the version from the video:

Stand in one big circle. Face the middle for the chorus, and then move around the circle with the whole class for the verses. For the counting part, 4-5-6, 7-8-9, clap your hands on one side and then the other. Finally, make a heart shape using your fingers or arms.

Children face the middle, then hold hands together to move around the circle.

Once your children know this song, you can add some new challenges. Step into my English class in Tokyo, Japan. Check out how my English students added their own ideas.

Children can dance with partners. How can you help them find partners? When children are in a circle, you can walk around the circle. Have two children turn to face each other. They can do all of the movements with their partners.

Or you can use this transitional chant. Pat and clap your legs to keep the beat as you say the chant. Count slowly as you get closer to the number ten.

It’s okay for partners to be scattered around your space and move in their own little group. If you have an odd person out, make a group of three.

For elementary students, you might try this challenge. Make an inside and an outside circle. One partner stands in the inside circle, and the other in an outside circle. Partners face each other. Children can do the movements for the verse holding hands with their partner around the circle. At the end of the verse, the outside circle children move ahead to the next partner.

So you can make this as simple or as fancy as you’d like!

If you’re looking for music to play in your classroom, check out this Spotify playlist for February:

Come back to my blog to discover more fun activities that build language through music and movement. Thank you!

Celebrate Valentine's Day with this delightful song for children.

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.

For more kid-tested music and movement activities, check out more music on iTunes. Kathy has produced two music CDs for very young learners, Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays and Jump Jump Everyone, which build English language skills through music and movement while nurturing creativity and imagination! Grown and loved by real kids!

My Fingers Dance!

Fingerplays are a fun way to add movement to your lesson. Students can move their fingers while sitting. When you need an activity to bring the energy level down in your class, consider a fingerplay.

This chant teaches the heart shape (perfect for Valentine’s Day!) as well as other shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, star). Notice the repetition in the phrases, which is important for young learners.

Encourage students to make shapes in different ways to nurture their creativity. Notice the great things your young learners are doing. That’s what I call CCBA–Catch Children Being Amazing!

Check out my Japanese students making shapes. Here we are studying together online. (Photos used with permission)

My students just love this chant! I hope that you do, too.

My Fingers Dance

by Kathy Kampa on Jump Jump Everyone. Available on iTunes, Spotify, and other streaming services.

My fingers, fingers, fingers, fingers, fingers dance!

Make a circle! Take a picture. Make a circle! Take a picture.

*Substitute additional shapes for “circle.”

Check out the video below for the simple motions.

This Google slide from the video provides a visual of the shapes.

The music is available on iTunes and on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Let’s practice shapes some more!

Time for a surprise! Have students open their hands and close their eyes. Hand them one of the shapes. Use this little chant I just made.

A Big Surprise by Kathy Kampa

Open your hands and close your eyes.

Get ready for a big surprise!

My students enjoy going on a shape hunt. We focus on one shape at a time, and look for things with that shape.

Kids love using the shaped “magnifying glasses” to find shapes in everyday objects around them! You can make these darling shape finders from Amber at Apples to Applique (amber@applestoapplique.com)

Learning something in many ways is fun for young learners! As Dr. Howard Gardner pointed out in his theory of Multiple Intelligences, children can learn more successfully when using many ways to approach a topic. In this lesson, students hear words in rhythm, they move their bodies, they see shapes, and they interact together.

If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, students can make cards with LOTS of shapes!

Finally, if you read my last post, you’ll remember how to make a heart shape with your hands. This poem was shared with me by my colleague:

I put my hands together. (put the heels of your hands together)

This is how I start. (hold)

I curve my fingers just like this (curve your fingers to touch each other)

and now I have a heart. (this should make a heart shape)

Now, look through the heart to see each of the students in your class.

Say, “I see you in my heart!”

Check out Kathy Kampa’s YouTube channel here.

V-V Valentine!

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! What activities will you do with your young learners for Valentine’s Day?

Playing with letter sounds is fun for little ones. Let’s explore ways to make the shape of the letter Vv:

-with our fingers

-with our hands

-with our arms

-with our legs

-with our whole body (balance!!)

-with a friend

Each time you make the shape, say the sound /v/.

*Try to make only the sound /v/ and not /vƏ/ (vuh)

Can you change your V shape into a heart shape?

I created this song with the phrase “/v/ /v/ valentine.” Make the shapes with your fingers or the heels of your hands, then with your arms. Watch the video for more details. I created it with my nieces Shannon and Brooke many years ago. It’s easy to sing and so much fun!

Here are the lyrics:

Be My Valentine

lyrics by Kathy Kampa, melody “Cho Cho”/”Lightly Row”

I like you. You like me. Will you be my Valentine?

I like you. You like me. Be my Valentine.

[v] [v] Valentine!

I like you. You like me.

Be my Valentine.

Repeat facing a partner.

This song can be found on iTunes and other streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Spotify playlist: Songs for Kids for Valentine’s Day and Friendship

Celebrate the joy of Valentine’s Day while building social skills in your classroom. This playlist includes songs for Valentine’s Day and songs about friendship. You’ll find songs to add movement to your class activities, too. Click here to see Kathy’s Spotify channel. for more curated playlists.

Crafts Activities

On Valentine’s Day, kids love to make things for their friends. Check out these simple craft activities.

Can your students find the letter V in these craft activities?

This first craft is a Valentine chain. Cut narrow paper strips about 1″ wide and fold them in half. Look! There’s the letter V! Then curve the tops in to make a heart. This is a great activity for teaching colors and patterns. Try this when you’re sitting with a small group. Students fold the strips, slide a new strip through, then staple the top of the heart. Then, create a color pattern, such as white-red-pink-white-red-pink. Young learners can count the number of hearts in the chain.

When students have the paper strips open, they can write a secret message on the heart.

This idea comes from https://www.teachwithme.com/blogs/getting-to-the-core/item/588-valentine-ideas.

This second craft is like magic! Each student folds a sheet of construction paper in half. Trace around the student’s hand. Be sure that their thumb and pointer finger are touching the folded edge. Students can cut around their fingers. Then decorate a card for someone they love.

This idea comes from https://easypreschoolcraft.blogspot.com/2013/01/top-20-valentines-day-crafts-for-kids.html?m=1

Come back to my blog to discover more fun activities that build language through music and movement.

It’s the Year of the Dragon!

January 1st marks the beginning of the year. Each year one of the twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac calendar is celebrated, and this year’s animal is the Dragon! 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 Dragon on February 10th.

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.

It’s the Year of the Dragon By Kathy Kampa

Part A: For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow

It’s the year of the Dragon!

It’s the year of the Dragon,

It’s 2024. (twenty, twenty-four)

Part B: BINGO

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 “DRAGON,” make a dragon pose or movement. My students made a wavy movement with their arms.

For the year 2024 (twenty/ twenty-four), students can write the numbers in the air or hold up their fingers to show the numbers. We made the shapes two-zero-two-four.

In Part B, students can add body percussion sounds. What’s body percussion? 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 “dragon.” 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 big cymbal sound on the word, DRAGON.

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 a video from my online class with my Japanese students. We tried to capture both my students’ movements and my movements.

It’s a cold winter day here! I made a video of the song from the front so that you can see the movements more easily.

Beautiful videos capture authentic dragon dances. Here’s one that you might share with your students.

Go to Kathy’s Spotify playlists to find more music for young learners.

If you’re looking for a craft project, check out this one which uses paper towel rolls. You can use construction paper in lieu of the pom poms.

Kathy currently teaches young learners in her hometown of St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA as well as classes online. She is passionate about creating memorable songs for children that build language as well as music and movement skills. Kathy creates songs that stick in children’s heads long after class. We hope that you enjoy her music, too.

Contact us at magictimekids@gmail.com if you’re looking for a song about a specific idea or topic. We’ll try to write one with that idea in mind.

Don’t Forget to Leave Cookies and Milk for Santa

Our Christmas tree is decorated with ornaments from around the world. Some presents are already under the tree. I’ve been busy baking Christmas cookies and plan to bake some more today. Why? On Christmas Eve, we always leave cookies and milk for Santa.

Even though our children are grown up, we continue to believe in the magic of Christmas. This is one of the traditions that lingers in our lives.

So, here’s the song I wrote to celebrate this.

It’s to the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. To thank you for your support through the years, I’m including a complimentary music track of this song from my CD entitled Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays.

Here are some suggestions for movements for this song.

Santa’s Cookies and Milk Words by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina

Spoken: Dear Santa, Welcome to my house. I’ve been very good this year.

Sung: Have some cookies. (gesture with one hand to the side)

Have some milk. (gesture with the other hand)

Christmas cookies and a glass of milk. (Twist hands like twinkling Christmas stars for the words “Christmas cookies” and then make the shape of a glass for the word “milk.”)

Eat the cookies. 1-2-3 (gesture eating cookies, then fingers 1-2-3)

Drink the milk. It’s from me. (gesture drinking milk, then point to self)

Have some cookies. (gesture with one hand to the side)

Have some milk. (gesture with the other hand)

Christmas cookies and a glass of milk. (Twist hands like twinkling Christmas stars for the words “Christmas cookies” and then make the shape of a glass for the word “milk.”)

Spoken: Thanks Santa! Have a good night! Good-bye!

For more tips on performances, see this blog post.

Music and movement are one way for students to learn new words and phrases in English. Art projects are another way.

Yoko Matsui created this simple project for her students. They made plates with cookies and milk. Your students could write a little note, too.

If you’re looking for more craft ideas for Christmas, I’ve gathered a bunch of them on my Pinterest page for Christmas.

We wish you all the best for Christmas and throughout the year from our family to yours. May the magic of Christmas remain in your hearts.

Santa's Cookies and Milk is a simple song to celebrate a time-honored tradition of leaving a treat for Santa Claus.

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 (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.

Celebrate Thanksgiving Day with “The Turkey Dance!”

Celebrate Thanksgiving with this lively song for children! This song is called “The Turkey Dance” and it’s one of my students’ favorite songs.

So use your imaginations and dance like . . . . turkeys!! Get a little silly and have a lot of fun!

Here are the lyrics, which go to the tune “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 wings!)

Move your elbows, do the Turkey dance

Stamp your feet and shout “Hooray!”

It’s Thanksgiving Day.

(You can add “Thank You” in any language you know. Or add a “Gobble! Gobble!)

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.

(You can add a “Thank You” in any language you know.)

3. Now move your knees. . . .

4. Now move your head . . . .

5. Now move your whole body!

Teacher’s Notes:

In this dance, students are pretending to be turkeys.

Before playing the music, show students a picture of a turkey like the one in this blog.

I usually start with a little TPR 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 Thanksgivixng 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’s a video to show you the movements.

For this wonderful “hoedown” song that children LOVE to dance to, download The Turkey Dance on iTunes! You can find it on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. The arrangement is fun and lively.

And if you want to add an art project, check out Marnie’s blog, Carrots are Orange for some autumn Montessori activities focusing on turkeys. I especially like the Zentangle turkeys from Laura Hutchinson. There are more activities on my Pinterest page.

Have a wonderful day!

Kathy

Here’s a very short clip of my Magic Time students doing “The Turkey Dance.”

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! No matter where we live, we all give thanks this season for the blessings we have.

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, Oxford Discover (ELTon award), Beehive, and Buzz, all published by Oxford University Press.

Everything You Need for Halloween

If you’re looking for easy-to-sing, easy-to-remember, fun Halloween songs for young learners, you’ve come to the right place! If you’re planning a Halloween party, you’ll find so many songs to use. I’ve been writing songs for my young learners for many years. These songs have grown in my young learner classrooms. I have taught many students over the years, so lots of students have added their ideas to make these songs exactly what you can use in your classroom.

In addition to being fun, each song boosts an English language goal, a music goal, and/or a movement goal. You’ll find lyric notes, Google slides, videos, movement notes and complementary arts activities. Just head over to iTunes to purchase the songs you like best. I hope that you’ll love them and use them for years to come! All of these songs come from my first album Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays.

Click on the link to each of the blog posts.

Skeleton Dance: Students learn about body parts and directional movements. My students ask to dance this song over and over throughout the year. Once your students learn it, use it as a “Brain Break” song. If you’re having a sports festival, get the whole school dancing to this song!!!

Trick or Treat: I created this fun song to help my Japanese students work on the sound /r/ and /l/. You hear /r/ in “trick or treat” and /l/ in Halloween. Students use functional language, I see a . . . to describe Halloween creatures. Use the Google slides to teach the characters in the song. Add your own Halloween picture cards or your own ideas to create a new version of the song.

After learning the song, we sang it the next time with our own ideas. I placed Halloween picture cards face down in a circle. Students took turns turning them over and singing about that character. You can also hang picture cards around your space.

Use this song to “trick-or-treat” with your students.

Marching Monsters: This song teaches phonemic awareness of initial sounds. It also practices locomotor and axiel movements of marching, skipping, waltzing and jumping. Use the colorful Google slides to teach the characters.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin: Autumn is a time for change, and this song surely demonstrates that! Change is a concept we teach in our young learner classrooms. Our pumpkins change size, growing from small to big. We change our body shape in this song. Pumpkins change into jack-o-lanterns. We change our faces. Our voices change from high, little voices to low, big voices.

I’m a Witch: It’s fun for young learners to use their imaginations to move like different Halloween characters. They can use different locomotor movements to move from one place to another and change the way they move (slowly/ quickly). Grab the free picture cards, too.

I’ve gathered a bunch of Halloween ideas on Pinterest, too.

Here’s my YouTube channel with some videos of my students. These songs are from my album Kathy Kampa’s Special Days and Holidays. You can grab my music on Spotify and Apple Music!

I love celebrating Halloween with my students! Throughout the entire month of October, we sing songs and use our imaginations. As a teacher of young learners, I find that songs with strong rhythm and repetition stick in students’ brains. Fun songs become well-loved. I hope that you’ll find my music a great tool for building students’ skills in language and the arts.

If you’re looking for a song about another lesson or topic, send your idea to me at magictimekids@gmail.com.

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The Turkey Dance