Good morning!
This week I’m back with a brand new video!
I’m feeling so happy and excited: just yesterday morning, I started a brand new weekly musical playgroup here in Minnesota! (My first in Minnesota!) It was so fun to sing & dance with these toddlers and their mamas!
And I realized that it has been a LONG time since I did this particular song for the video show. It’s one I use in nearly all my classes, sometimes at shows – if the crowd is mostly babies and toddlers – and in many of my online concerts/Facebook Lives! It’s called C’mon Everybody and I love it because it’s a great way to gather everyone, get them moving and build the energy of the group.
Did you know that I am a former professional dancer?! And before being “professional” I simply danced everywhere and anywhere I could! Dance is sort of my first language and has been part of every part and stage of my life. I’ll write a longer post soon about all the ways in which movement adds to our lives – but it was when I got my Masters in Educational Theatre that I started getting really excited about the profound impact using movement in education could and does have!
So this song – this little move-along song – I find very powerful.
I use it right after my Hello Song when the room is still al little quiet and also the kids might not be fully engaged yet. We start with clapping, a fine motor skills, and then move onto stomping our feet – a slow move toward gross motor – with everyone moving together in rhythm. And then we stand up and jump. The energy has slowly built, we moved from fine motor skills to full gross motor skills and it feels like a party. And what you have there is full body engagement! And I believed we have ot engage the body ot engage the mind.
You also have a stop and go element added in that the little ones are watching YOU for prompting. You have their FULL ATTENTION! So this song is the perfect thing to do right before introducing either the next activity, a song related to your theme of the day, or to give instructions – because everyone – toddler or preschooler or kindergartener – will be full engaged with their attention on you.
Give it a while at home, school or wherever you are!
It’s a simple tune (I use the G & C chords for the first two verses and modulate to A and D on the last) and easy to adapt using other movements. You can even use it as a transition song (“Come on everybody and march to the door…” or “…. put on your shoes”, etc.)
In fact, I’d love ot hear HOW you might use it? Would you leave me a comment and let me know?
As always – please feel free to share with anyone you know who might find this video/blog post/email helpful!
Thank you! I’ll see you next Tuesday….
XOXO
Miss Nina
