Hop, skip and
away we
go!
Singing
games for children
A
resource for teachers
Compiled, adapted and illustrated by Dany Rosevear
© Dany Rosevear 2006
All rights reserved
Updated 2008
Updated 2011
Last updated: 16/07/2019 13:58
You are free to copy,
distribute, display and perform these works under the following conditions:
·
you must
give the original author credit
·
you may
not use this work for commercial purposes
·
for any
re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the licence terms of this
work
·
any of these can be waived if you get
permission from the copyright holder
Your fair use and
other rights are no way affected by the above.
Contents
Introduction
The
singing games 1-44
Why singing
games?
Accompanying
the songs
Guitar
chords
Dance
variations
Teaching
the songs
Index
of song titles
Topic
index
Acknowledgements
Return to the ‘Singing
games for children’ home page to find the songs
below
|
Hop, skip and away we go! Singing games for 4-8 year olds |
|
Introduction ‘Hop, skip and away
we go!’ is a treasury of singing games written as a resource for all
teachers of young children, including their parents and carers. The songs can
be taught with or without actions but are enhanced by teaching the children
movements either in small or large groups. Principles followed in making this collection were: ·
resources are all in one
place with a similar format for easy access ·
expertise as a musician is
not needed to use these pages ·
children learn musical and listening
skills best through participating in enjoyable activities ·
to contribute to an active and creative
curriculum and lifestyle for the 4-8 age group. The songs in this collection are
traditional singing games, mimes or dances that have been tried and tested
over time. With my many years experience as an enthusiastic
classroom teacher (Foundation Stage and Primary) I have: ·
selected songs from
published sources, mainly on the internet ·
adapted or changed words ,
music and instructions for ease of teaching ·
grouped songs to link with
topics ·
categorized suitability of
games to specific age groups ·
suggested how to teach and
accompany these singing games ·
provided a gateway to
freely accessed supporting material on the internet. This compilation has been created to share my discoveries, for the pleasure they will surely give and
to put a smile on the face of every child who participates. |
|
Hop, skip and away we go! The
songs Click on links below to
access
Balancing elephants Bow wow wow Brave brave mouse Shoo fly* Six little frogs Adam and Eve* Creep, mousie, creep* Dingle dangle scarecrow Hot potato Jimmy crack corn* Jolly is the miller Pick a bale of cotton Oats and beans and barley Old Roger is dead Shake them ’simmons
down The muffin man Bow Belinda Dipidu Here comes a bluebird Jim along Josie Jingle at the window |
|
Hop,
skip and away we go!
Click on links below to access songs and mp3s Bobbing up and down* Charlie over the ocean* Four in a boat The alley-alley-O Draw a bucket of water Floating down the river Scraping up sand (Shiloh)
Little red wagon Little black train My aunt came back Rig-a-jig-jig Rise, sugar, rise Round and round the village Train is a-comin’ Willowbee
Hansel and Gretel’s Dance I’m a big bright star I’m a little Dutch child Old King Glory Sing a song of sixpence Sur le pont d‘Avignon |
Why singing
games?
There
are many good reasons for using singing games.
· dance involves vigorous exercise
and allows exploration of different movements
· motor and muscular skills are
developed increasing co-ordination and self-control
· singing games use
children’s natural response to music in rhythm, melody and form
· a wide range of musical skills
are learnt – singing, chanting, moving to the beat, changing rhythms and
speed
· singing games help develop
social interaction with a partner or larger groups and encourage turn taking.
Play is a natural way for the child to communicate
· learning linked to action encourages
participation
· the value of rules are
discovered as children learn to follow directions and synchronise actions with
each other and the music
· listening skills are sharpened
with simple and then more complex instructions
· memory is increased, brain research
has found music, rhyme and rhythm are effective ways to do this. Consider the
songs, learnt as a youngster, that you still know so well
· a creative approach increases
vocabulary as children are encouraged to make up new refrains, words and
verses. Many of the singing games in this collection are traditional songs that
have been changed and refined by each of my new classes depending on their
enthusiasms and talents.
· the tradition of
children’s singing games from this and other countries is continued
· above all, it allows lots of
tremendous fun while learning, motivating even the most reluctant child. A
singing and dancing child is invariably a happy one!
Cross-curricula
dimensions
The
National Curriculum recognises the benefit of a cross-curricula approach.
Teaching singing games presents exciting opportunities to cover a range of
subjects and themes other than the more obvious ones of language, physical
education, PSHE & citizenship and music. Among these pages you will
discover strands that cover geography, history, maths, science, religious
education, cooking, healthy eating, teamwork, creative thinking and
conservation.
Keep active
Children
need to be active more than ever. Lifestyles and life at school can be
sedentary but children learn best if periods of concentration are interspersed
with relaxation. Whenever children are restless take a break, if only for five
minutes, that’s plenty of time to enjoy a singing game. Show how to
re-arrange tables quickly and quietly to make space or, even better, if the
weather is fine, slip outside to enjoy the fresh air. A dedicated slot of 20 -
30 minutes each week is needed to learn these games.
An inspector
calls
When an OFSTED inspector visited my mixed Foundation
Stage and Year One class the first lesson she saw was of children enjoying
singing games. She was delighted by their chuckles, smiles and obvious
enjoyment with masses of energy being expended and lots being learnt. This
initial impression favourably coloured the judgements made by OFSTED of my
other lessons. No doubt the children were more alert and concentrated better in
these lessons because of regular opportunities for movement.
Accompanying
the songs
“For
the best movement response children should move to their own voices” is
excellent advice from Lois Choksy and David Brummit in their book 120 Singing Games and Dances for Elementary
Schools. This approach leaves the teacher free to help children master
sequences.
However,
if you do not find it easy to hold a tune, accompany the song with a guitar as
this can easily be put down when the need arises. A guitar is also invaluable
to familiarise children with a song before attempting to introduce the
movements.
The
chord sequences below will help you accompany the songs. Remember your young
audience will be tremendously impressed by even the most basic guitar playing!
Guitar
chords
X
X
C
G7
F
G
D7
C7
Am
X
X
X
= a string not to
be played.
or denotes the fingers on the left hand that hold down
the string behind the fret shown. : pointing finger, : middle, : ring finger, : little finger.
For
more chords and to check the look and sound of your chords visit websites such
as http://www.emediamusic.com/freetools/chord.html or http://www.hotfrets.com/chords/arpeggiator_free.asp .
All these songs can be played with a simple strong rhythmic strum using the right hand but do explore some simple plucks. Google “guitar lessons” to find a number of free sites on the internet to help you learn how to do this.
Musical
novices will also find that a simple electronic keyboard can be very useful to
record new tunes and to play them back. One that has a separate button for
entering the rhythm after the notes have been put in is especially helpful.
These songs can also be
accompanied using some of the delightful midis / mp3 / video files that can be
found on the internet, including www.kididdles.com and You Tube.
At
the end of this section you will find a full list of mp3s, videos and CDs
referenced to each song. I have also made my own simple videos to accompany
each song see
Dance
variations
The
chart below indicates suitability of games for a specific age group. Do
remember that older children will often enjoy the fun of a simpler game and
some younger groups will rise to the challenge of more complex routines,
especially in the summer term.
Vary
the type of dance you use, but ‘moving in place, then space’ often
suit younger children and line formations are generally more suitable for the
older ones.
|
Hop
skip and away we go! |
|||||
|
Age group |
Moving in place |
Moving in space |
Pair + more games |
Circle games |
Line games |
|
4-5 |
6 little
frogs Dingle
dangle scarecrow |
Little
red wagon Brave,
brave mouse Jimmy
crack corn Creep,
mousie, creep Bobbing
up and down |
Dipidu Elephant
|
Oats
and beans Sing
a song of sixpence Charlie
over the ocean The
muffin man Jingle
at the window |
Train
is a-comin’ |
|
Bow-wow-wow Floating down the river Jim along Josie |
|||||
|
5-6 |
Shoo
fly Pick
a bale of cotton Hot
potato My
aunt came back |
Scraping
up sand ( Round
and round the village I’m
a big bright star on a Christmas tree |
Bow
Belinda Draw
a bucket of water Shake
them ’simmons down I’m
a little Dutch child |
Old
Roger is dead Little
black train Rise,
sugar, rise Sur le pont d’Avignon Dusty bluebells Here
comes a bluebird Four
in a boat |
Willowbee The
alley-alley-o |
|
6-8 |
|
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|
Rig-a-jig-jig Jolly
is the miller |
Grand
old Duke of York Hansel
and Gretel’s dance |
Many
of the songs included in this collection have their roots in the UK and were taken
to North America and adapted there. Those such as Dipidu come from other
continents.
Parents
or carers whose own parents, or themselves, come from other countries may
provide another rich resource to be tapped for more a diverse and global
selection of singing games.
Teaching the songs
Gather
the children close to you. When singing a song for the first time, use its
natural speed so children appreciate the spirit of the song. Allow the children
to learn the words and music thoroughly before attempting to teach the
movements of each game, it is not easy for children to concentrate on both
initially. Indeed you might find the less confident willing to follow the
movements but taking some time before joining in with the words. Often,
however, you will find these very same children singing with gusto at home!
When
introducing a new game allow the bolder children to demonstrate the actions and
the shyer ones to sit and watch. The less bold will soon join in especially if
they are partnered with a more confident friend.
The
younger the children the more practice they will need. These children will also
appreciate singing familiar songs regularly rather than learning a new one too
often. Begin and end a session with old favourites.
As children
become familiar with a song allow them to change words, make up new ones and
suggest different actions or ways to improve performance.
Index
of song titles
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Song
title |
Song
title |
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Topic
index
|
The
songs |
The topics |
At
the farm |
At
work |
In
the woods |
Creatures
great and small |
Colours
and clothing |
Counting
and numbers |
Food,
fruit and vegs |
Homes
and gardens |
Dance,
hop and jump |
Days
and nights |
Family
and othrs |
Musical
instruments |
My
body |
Friends
and feelings |
On
the water |
Position
left and right |
The
seasons and time |
Off
we go! |
Weather
hot and cold |
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Acknowledgements
‘Six
little frogs’: written by Ian Humphris and is from the BBC-TV programme
for schools, Words and Pictures
‘I’m
a brave, brave mouse’: written by Julian Dakin, music by Elizabeth
Bennett
Every
endeavour has been made to trace owners of copyright materials and I would
encourage copyright owners to contact me if their rights have been unwittingly
infringed.
I
would like to thank Lois Driscoll (Charlton School, Wantage, Oxfordshire) for
her help in editing this collection.
A big
thank you too, to all those children who have helped me refine and develop
these singing games during my years of teaching.
Their
great eagerness and avidity when engaged in these activities has encouraged an
enduring enthusiasm for the genre without which this book would not be
possible.
Return to the ‘Singing
games for children’ home page