“The Owl Chicken Bunny Song”

Young children really enjoy this funny activity, which gets them moving in some very silly ways! It’s from my most recent book, “Shake, Rattle and Roll: Rhythm Instruments and More for Active Learning” (Gryphon House, 2015).

Children should be standing in a circle. Make circles around your eyes with your thumbs and cupped hands, bounce to the beat, and sing to the tune of “Buffalo Gals:”

Make big eyes like an owl today,
An owl today, an owl today,
Oh, make big eyes like an owl today,
And turn yourself around!
(On last line, turn around while keeping the “owl eyes”)

Then tell the children to keep the owl eyes, but also “flap their wings” (with hands tucked in at the armpits, elbows out) like a chicken. Sing:

Flap your wings like a chicken today,
A chicken today, a chicken today,
Oh, flap your wings like a chicken today,
And turn yourself around!

Now tell the children to keep the owl eyes and the flapping wings, but also hop up and down like a bunny! Sing:

Hop up and down like a bunny today,
A bunny today, a bunny today,
Oh, hop up and down like a bunny today,
And turn yourself around! 

Variation: When children know this song well, you may ask them if they’d like to add more animal movements – instead of hopping like a bunny, maybe they could stomp like an elephant or waddle like a duck!

Learning benefits of “The Owl Chicken Bunny Song” include:

                        Curiosity (exploring music and movement)

                        Fine motor skills (making “owl eyes”)

                        Gross motor skills (flapping “wings,” hopping, turning around)

                        Auditory memory (remembering previous animal movements)

                        Imagination (pretending to move like different animals)