Songs, Motion and Retells
I have always loved singing but as an adult I never let my voice be heard in public singing. But catch me in my car and the radio will be up loud with me singing along out of tune and at the top of my lungs. When I changed grades to Kindergarten several years back, my first and most frightening thought was “Oh NO!!! I am going to have to sing out loud! They are going to hear my terrible pitch. Those poor babies!” But sing I did! (I mean it is pretty much a given that all kindergarten teachers are doing a lot of singing throughout the school day. ) So, those first several weeks were a stretch for me but the kids didn’t even notice. Before I knew it, I was enjoying myself singing as much as the kids were.
That leads me to the next skill. Singing!!! Kids learn so much from singing kids songs and/or chanting rhymes. It gives them experiences in language, rhyming and even motor skills. Songs also help them to remember important information. We sing songs about all of the holidays, themes we are learning about such as pumpkins, and butterflies, numbers, and other fun experiences. And they remember the information we are singing and then apply it to situations or other experiences.
Of course going to your local store and buying a Kids CD of songs is a great idea but there are lots of other ideas and places you might want try or use. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- Work on singing some of the old tried and true ones you learned as a kid such as Itsy, Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, or You Are My Sunshine.
- Check out some of the great songs and rhymes on Kindergarten websites. One of my favorites is:
- http://www.kellyskindergarten.com
- Check out YouTube, I was amazed at the number of songs for kids.
- Go to your local library and see if they have a preschool class to attend for free. My local library has 4 different classes a week where kids and their parents can come for free and hear stories, sing, dance and all of those other fun things we do at school.
- Look up your childs favorite picture book on line. There are tons of ideas and songs out there for free. I have found all kinds of songs and rhyming activities to go with books on line. My favorite website for books and themes is: http://makinglearningfun.com/
- Look for characters to use while you are singing. My kids love when I have the characters in a song that they can use to play with while we are singing. A couple of great websites for rhyme and song characters are : http://kizclub.com/nursery.htm and http://kizclub.com/stories.htm
Most importantly have fun and next time you’re in the car or have an extra few minutes, belt out your favorite kids song with your little one as loudly as the neighbors will allow.