This article originally appeared in Teachers Net Gazette in May 2012. Using Puppets to Improve Reading Comprehension Have you ever heard anyone argue with a puppet? I have. I recently read “Henny Penny” to a class of four-year-olds. After the story, Henny Penny herself (in puppet form) came out of my bag, and she was […]
Author Archives: Abby Connors
“Bear Flies High” by Michael Rosen There are two reasons I love “Bear Flies High”: first of all, it’s a gorgeous vision of summertime, with beach, ocean, seagulls, carnival rides, sunshine. and fun with friends. Secondly, as a music teacher, I love the lilting, rhythmic writing (which was also a feature of Rosen’s earlier book, […]
“Wiggly Wiggly Wormies” I just invented this activity recently after a class of four-year-olds got very excited talking about a worm they saw outside! I think that almost all young children are fascinated by worms and their wiggliness, whether they think worms are cute or yukky! The group should be standing in a circle holding […]
“Finger Band” Peter & Ellen Allard “Sing It! Say It! Stamp It! Sway It! Vol.1” CD If you’re looking for a musical way to celebrate the upcoming holiday, “Finger Band” is a fun one. Even toddlers can perform the motions to this short song, but older preschoolers will also enjoy it. Most of them are […]
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2013 issue of TEMPO, the magazine of the New Jersey Music Educators Association. Is It Ever Too Early to Start Learning Music? E-I-E-I- NO! When I first started leading music classes for toddlers, it was relatively rare. Usually it came about when a school where I was teaching […]
“Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum” by Lisa Wheeler How would you like a sure-fire, always successful read-aloud story for the young children you teach? Well, here it is. One of my students’ top favorites. Here’s the plot: Uh oh! A toad is just walking down the road when he accidentally steps in bubble gum. Ooey, gooey […]
“Where’s My Mom?” by Julia Donaldson Don’t you love the cover of this book? All of the illustrations are just as cute and original. The story is wonderful, and the musical possibilities make it a perfect choice for a Mother’s Day read-along. At first I worried that the plot of the story, about a little monkey who […]
“Ruben’s Jungle/La Selva de Ruben” by Carlos Harrison This very sweet story is great for any day, but if you’re looking for an accessible, developmentally appropriate book for young children to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, this is a fun one. It’s written in English, with the Spanish version underneath the English words on each page. […]
“Bob” by Tracey Campbell Pearson Yes, I know there are farmyards-full of children’s stories about roosters, and even a subgenre of books about roosters who, for some reason, can’t crow. Either they lost their crow in some mysterious mixup, have a sore throat, were raised by parents of another species or just never learned how. […]
“Flap Your Wings” You don’t have to be a chicken to sing and play along with this silly movement song! If you have arms and an imagination, you’re good to go! Have children stand in a circle. Tell them that in this song, we’re going to flap our “wings” and then clap. This is how […]
Music (and Science) For Young Children 