“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 […]
Tag Archives: preschool music
“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 […]
“Simple Signing with Young Children” by Carol Garboden Murray I discovered this wonderful resource several years ago. Actually, I’ve always been interested in signing, and I’ve attended numerous workshops at early childhood conferences on using American Sign Language, or ASL, with young children. But this book is the most accessible and easy-to-use resource I’ve found. […]
This article originally appeared in Creativity Portal in September 2010. How to Help Children Stay Creative Picasso famously stated, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Anyone who lives or works with young children knows they truly are artists, buzzing with creativity, filled with wonder, curiosity, and […]
“Drip Drop” by Sarah Weeks It’s an absolutely fabulous, sunny early-spring day here in New Jersey, but In April, rain is never far away. If you’re planning a unit on rain, “Drip Drop” is a perfect story for you to bring some music (and fun) into your lesson plans. Poor Pipsqueak! It’s raining in […]
“Ducks Like Rain” by Raffi from the CD “Rise And Shine” available on iTunes It’s April, and lots of us are talking about (and experiencing!) rain with our preschoolers and kindergarteners. Another popular unit for this time of year is ducks. Here’s a fun song that brings both these topics together! This simple, short song […]
Here’s a cute activity for a rainy day, or for a unit about rain, from my book “The Musical Toddler.” I’m a Little Raindrop (tune: I’m a Little Teapot) Young children are curious about rain, and they enjoy the opportunity to pretend to be a raindrop! I’m a […]
I bet I know what you’re doing this week, early childhood professionals! You’re coloring eggs! Since I’m a music teacher, I’m not personally dealing with in the whole- ‘nother-dimension of messiness that dying eggs with preschoolers involves. Butthat doesn’t mean I don’t have a great tip for you! Save those egg cartons for music time! You’ll often […]
Music (and Science) For Young Children 