Inside: A list of ways early childhood teachers can use Nancy Kopman’s music as an extra hand on the daily routine with the children in early learning environments.
Musical queues are a great way to help children with transitions, as you probably already know! You hit the tunes and everyone (…or some of us) starts singing along while we proceed to do the next bit of the routine.
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After listening to Nancy Kopman’s 5th album “Senses” I decided to write a handy list for those of us who work with children under five on ways to use Nancy’s music in different parts of the daily routine of a kindergarten classroom.
If you haven’t heard Nancy’s children music yet, I recommend you visit her blog and Youtube Channel, so you get to know why so many early years teachers like myself follow her.
Just to give you an idea, below is one of her action songs that uses directional moves and gets the children learning and moving while they have fun:
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Play “Senses” in your Preschool classroom to:
1. Use a more inclusive type of “Hello” song
Start the day with “A Welcome Song” which is all about belonging. When the children are reminded that they belong, right at the start of the day, it is much easier for them to feel safe and engage in everyday learning.
2. To get the children to line up in under 3 minutes
Don’t think that’s possible? Give it a shot using “Everybody Line Up” which builds up the lining up process within the lyrics with a catchy tune.
3. To wash those mucky handsies
This is my personal favorite and I still find myself singing it whenever I help the youngest to wash their hands. I like it because you can keep singing it until they have ACTUALLY washed their hands properly.
4. To move the group from place to place
The action song “Horses” engages the kids in getting them from one place to another doing different types of “galloping”, which is fun for the kids since they get entertained while moving from place to place as a whole group. And it is even more fun for the adults since they don’t have to be reminding everyone to KEEP WALKING (as much).
5. To let off some steam before circle time
Use “Shake, Shake, Shake” to let the children use a bit of all that extra energy before engaging them in a focused activity like circle time (which IMHO shouldn’t be too long anyway!).
6. To halt a train of tears
You know when it is about to happen… so try playing “I feel happy” as soon as you hear the third person in a row saying something that reminds everyone else that Mummy and Daddy are not here at the moment.
Where to get Nancy’s album
You can get the album “Senses” from Amazon, iTunes or Spotify.
More about the artist
Find out more about Nancy Kopman and her music in her blog. If you enjoy her work show her your support by leaving a comment in her Youtube Channel.
