How to create an engaging song time for children
Have you ever wondered why children begin to start fidgeting during song time or lose attention quite quickly? Yes there age may be a contributing factor but why not use props to engage them. Using a wide range of props and resources can keep children’s attention. The children will be more focused if you are using a star finger puppet during the song ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, this gives the children something to look at and if lucky the children may be able to hold it.
There are many resources and props around that practitioners can use, but don’t forget there are also simple things that you can use that costs very little but very effective. Having song time in your routine is very important for many reasons, one being to help support children’s communication, language and literacy development and two, a great way to introduce quality teaching and learning opportunities for all children.
Here are a few suggestions of what resources you can introduce into your song time;
- Create a song bag using a drawstring bag and place this in a special place where children can see it – when children see an adult getting the song bag this will help them understand that it is time to sit down and join in song time.
- Use a large piece of fabric preferably elasticating, this can be used for so may purposes – place animals puppets on the material and sing animals bouncing on the bed song.
- Large piece of elasticated ribbon sew the two ends together to create a large elastic band. – get children to sit in a circle and hold the edge on the elastic material – you can introduce songs that require children to move the elastic up and down round and round eg Wheels on the bus.
- Cut up small squares of fabric, using sparkly fabric is popular – these are great to use during songs like peek a boo
- Have puppets to represent songs
- Create a song board using widget symbols, large piece of card and Velcro. Let the children take it in turns to choose what song they want and place this on the song board.
- Use musical instruments
Most of the resources suggested in the list above cost very little but will be very effective during your song time. As we know children have favourite songs that they like to sing during song time. However do you ever find yourself singing the same songs?
Here are a few songs to add to your song time.
- Waddle Archer see song sheet
- Ready and up and down see song sheet
- I’m a little teapot
- There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf
- Tommy Thumb
- Muffin Man
- Dingle Dangle Scarecrow
- I hear thunder
- Five currant buns
- Miss Polly had a dolly