This post is inspired by a few different things:
1. I am a stay-at-home mommy to two busy, WIGGLY preschoolers living in a COLD climate. They I depend on them getting adequate physical activity during the day for life to run smoothly around here, and our options for physical activity in the winter are very limited. The majority of our indoor options involve yucky germs and can be a little overstimulating (i.e. fast food play places, indoor mall play areas and the like, so we try to limit the frequency of our visits to such places).
2. I believe in music and its many, many benefits to our lives. Not that I am at all musically gifted... I can't carry tune, and I never learned how to read music, but I grew up in a family that absolutely appreciated and promoted music. When I worked as a caseworker for kids and adults with intellectual disabilities (before our kids came along) I remember attending a seminar about music therapy, and I really enjoyed learning about how music has been instrumental in helping kids who were non or pre-verbal learn ways to communicate and gain language. Now as a mother to a child with Mixed Expressive-Receptive Language Disorder, I can vouch for how beneficial music is to these kiddos. Lucy didn't start verbalizing words until she was past the age of two and her initial vocabulary came directly from songs that we would listen to with her or sing to her.
3. I am a dancer at heart. I spent the better part of my childhood taking dance classes- tapping, twirling, leaping and doing the running man in my spare time. I don't formally dance any more, but it will always be a part of me (for a good story, ask my friend, Shannon about the time she showed up at my house for coffee and learned heard my love for tap dancing) and it will likely always be a way that I bond with my kids.
And so, over the past year or so, Lucy, Collin and I have gathered some favorite tunes that we have enjoyed together. Some of these songs have simple choreography that we like to do with them, others have little instructions built right into the lyrics and we need only listen and participate when they show up in our play list. Some encourage dramatic play, others we simply free-dance with, and still others we enjoy best when we grab a simple rhythm instrument and enter into the beat. It occurred to me on this bitterly cold January day while we were having a dance party, that some of my mommy-friends might enjoy taking a peak at our playlist and seeing what we do with the songs to help them get through the winter doldrums with their little ones too!
So HERE are 15 songs that we enjoy together on a regular basis! **All of the songs I mention below can be purchased/downloaded from iTunes with the EXCEPTION of the two songs that were produced by Group Publishing for their Vacation Bible School programs from 2009 and 2012 I have included Youtube videos for those.** Also, for the ones that have choreography that was NOT created by me, I have included the Youtube videos that I used to learn the choreography. I normally just use the videos to teach myself and then I teach the kids using the audio only.
Hope you enjoy:
1. "Shake Your Body Down" by Laurie Berkner Band. Can be found on iTunes with their album, "Party Day". This one has choreography that is built right into the lyrics. It is super fun, really cute and has been a huge hit, especially with Miss Lucy.
2. "No Matter How I Feel" from Group Publishing's 2012 VBS program, "Sky". I discovered this song when my parents gave me the"Sky" music CD after their church did this program for their VBS last year.. It is really upbeat and it addresses something that we have been trying to help our kids understand: negative emotions and how to bring them before God.
3. "I'm a Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear Song)", available on iTunes. This song and the choreography came to us directly from the goodness that is "Just Dance Kids 2" for the Wii. It is nothing more than sheer silliness. You're welcome.
4. "Rag Mop" by Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra. We love this one so much. We normally do free dance and grab some instruments like maracas or rhythm sticks and play them in time with the spelling of the word "Rag Mop" or rather "R-A-G-G M-O-P-P" in the song. Get ready to tap your toes! We got into this and the next two songs when we received this awesome music compilation CD, "Jazz for Kids: Sing, Clap Wiggle and Shake".
5. "Old McDonald", Ella Fitzgerald, also from "Jazz for Kids: Sing, Clap Wiggle and Shake". This rendition of "Old McDonald" redefined the song for me and now if it comes to mind, this is the version that plays in my head. We love to free dance, jump on our mini trampoline and of course, sing along with this one!
6. "Chicken Rhythm", Sam Gaillard, again from "Jazz for Kids: Sing, Clap Wiggle and Shake". Another song for sheer silliness. We just strut around and squawk like chickens. Pretty much impossible to put this song on and not smile!
7. "Shaking Your Maracas", Julie Wylie on the album "Do the Bean Bag Bop" available on iTunes. This one is mellow and a good exercise in listening to and following instructions. Engaging and sweet. Make sure you have a pair of maracas or another shaker instrument if you give this one a try.
8. "Bean Bag Rock", from the album, "Children's Songs and Activities" on iTunes. I came across this when I was searching for fun ways to play with bean bags. It's pretty old...I'm thinking 1970s? Makes me think of School-House Rock songs. Anyways, each person needs their own bean bag and we just listen and do what it tells us to do with the beanbags. Pretty simple. Very silly. Quite dorky.
9. "Ring Around the Rosie", from the album, "Mickey's Party Songs". If you can stomach the sound of Goofy's voice singing this old classic multiple times in one track, your kids will find it delightful. It definitely won't be your favorite, but que sera. It has been a hit when we have a larger group of kiddos over for playdates. We put the mini trampoline in the middle and let each kid take turns jumping on it while the others circle around them.
10. "Mambo Italiano", Rosemary Clooney from the album, "16 Most Requested Songs: Rosemary Clooney". When I was a sophmore in college, one of my hallmates in the dorm would play this song extra loud and we'd all congregate there and belt it out and dance to it for study breaks. I introduced this song to my kids for the express purpose of reliving those memories. Turns out they (and most kids) love it. You'll love dancing with your kids to it too!
11. "When Will my Life Begin" from Disney's "Tangled (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)". If you have seen this movie, you will know why it made our playlist. My kids and I like to sing and dance while waving around a super long piece of tulle. We pretend that it is Rapunzel's hair. Cute. : )
12. "We're Going on a Bear Hunt", Chalfont Singers from the album, "Kids Dance and Play". This is a classic and so fun to act out. Bonus points if you build a cave out of sofa cushions. Extra bonus points if you do this at night with the lights off while toting a flashlight.
13. "Life's a Happy Song" from "The Muppets (Original Soundtrack)". I have a weakness for anything "Muppets" and I have a dream to organize a tap-dancing flash mob to this song... Until that dream becomes a reality, I settle for dancing with my kids to it. This is another fun one to use rhythm instruments with.
14. "Pass the Beanbag", find it on iTunes on the album, "Children's Songs and Activities". This is another old, fairly dorky song. We enjoy sitting in a circle and passing the bean bags along with the song, and it is especially fun to vary the speed when the song instructs us to do so. It's another great one for practicing the skill of listening to and following instructions.
15. "Hah-La-La" from Group Publishing's 2009 VBS program, "High Seas Expedition". I also received this CD from my parents after their church used this program for VBS in '09. This is another good one with a decent-sized group of kids. It gets them interacting with each other using appropriate friendly touch ("shake a friend's hand", "pat a friend's back", etc.) Great for peer interaction and learning some social skills.
And that does it! I hope this post finds its way to my friends who are also at home with their pre-school-age kids and could use some fun ideas for interacting with their kids, especially during these long winter months. I'd love to hear feedback if you introduce any of these songs to your kids and how you and they like them! Please share this post with friends too if you feel so led.
xoxo,
