Talk about ideas and where they come from. Like Dr Seuss and the Cat, put your hats on and dream up some new ideas (questions you’d like answered, ideas for stories or pictures, inventions that solve a problem, new ways of doing things). Songs can be used to learn new words and to practise letter sounds, word parts and alliteration. Traditions, Self-Concept, and Social Studies Skills Children often are unaware of feeling upset. If they express themselves through song and movement, they can get control of their emotions and learn new coping skills to be drawn upon in the future. Have a go at swaying like a Truffula Tree, humming like a Fish and singing like a Swomee- Swan, then show what happens when they meet the Once-ler – “He was shortish, and oldish. And brownish. And mossy. And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy…”

This kids’ favourite combines singing and performing movements with both hands. In addition, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes also enhances body awareness in youngsters. 26. Clean Up Song Written in a catchy, foot-tapping poetic meter and full of quirkily energetic illustrations, these are books that children find impossible to ignore, and make a great starting point for creative literacy and cross-curricular activities. Discovering the books A limited and repeated vocabulary makes Dr Seuss’s books accessible to beginner readers. Learn some of the text in Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat by heart and perform it. Musical instruments are a wonderful way to explore cause and effect. What happens when I shake/press/strum this? Rhyme is a major feature of Dr Seuss’s work. Play rhyming games by taking turns to think of a word that rhymes with an object in the room, or giving clues such as, “What’s a word that rhymes with red? It’s where you go to sleep at night”. Read other rhyming stories and poems, and compare.This line from One Fish Two Fish sums up Dr Seuss’ work – if you haven’t dipped into his world of zany humour and repetitive rhymes, you really, really should. Read Scrambled Eggs Super and explore the impact of adding extra ingredients to your egg mix. Peter T Hooper went for things like ginger and prunes – but you might prefer grated cheese. Why not turn your eggs and ham green, or even blue, with a little colouring? Design an investigation to discover what people think about food that isn’t the right colour, then display your results as graphs and charts. There are a wide variety of benefits of teaching music to preschoolers, that are then combined with movements. You can expect to see positive gains in the following areas: Social Skills This can also be used in a parade format, with the kids marching and playing according to the beat.

Each child begins with a craft feather. Play music, fast or slow, while kids attempt to keep the feathers in the air by blowing on them. 10. Alphabet Sounds and Actions This is a somewhat different take on “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” The If You’re Happy activity combines singing, motor skills and exploration of emotions. 2. We are the DinosaursWhere might the Lorax have come from, and what did he do before the Once-ler arrived? Role play the conversations between the Lorax and the Once-ler, then write a report for a newspaper as if you’ve just spoken to the Lorax about what happened in the book – or tell a story about what happens when he leaves. The leader starts some happy music and shouts out the name of an animal. Children must then dance or move, pretending to be that type of animal. Read The Cat in the Hat and talk about the games the Cat dreams up. He doesn’t write stories or paint pictures, but he’s still being creative. Give each child a box and explore what’s inside. Where could the Cat have found this hat – and what could it help him invent? An old favourite, Little Bunny Foo Foo tells a funny story in song. Kids take part by singing and adding hand movements. 4. Scarf or Ribbon Dancing How could you record your ideas so that you don’t forget them? In writing, in pictures, as audio recordings, with labelled diagrams or a mixture of everything? Is it difficult to think of ideas while you’re sitting still? Where and how might you have better ideas?

Melody also connects to patterns, such as when sounds or words are repeated in songs. [source] Listening Skills Music and movement in the classroom of any preschool are essential. The same types of activities and games should be used at home, as well.The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom is a fun song that combines counting, hand motions and singing. Several options are presented for different groups or ages of children. Then the other person takes a turn, and so on, which often ends up in giggles. 18. The Farmer in the Dell Combining music and movement should start early, as infants develop beyond the lullaby stage into toddlerhood. The Ish in One Fish Two Fish has a magic dish Make some ‘big swish swishes’ over a suitably magical-looking dish and dream up some wishes of your own. Draw and write about what happens next. Cross-curricular opportunities