Lyrics

Ding Dong Bell
Ding, dong, bell,
Pussy’s in the well.
Who put her in?
Little Johnny Thin.
Who pulled her out?
Little Tommy Stout.
What a naughty boy was that,
To drown a pussy cat?

After having fun singing with your child and, most likely, having a conversation about how we don’t
drown cats, this song provides an excellent opportunity to play with rhymes. As rhymes are one of
the best ways to develop children’s ability to distinguish the small sounds that make up words – an
essential skills for learning how to read – we want to practice with rhymes as often as possible!

To get started, sing the song at least one time through. On the next time through, stop every couple
of lines to highlight the words that rhyme. In this song they are, of course, bell/well, in/Thin,
out/Stout, and that/cat. Talk about how the words sound the same at the end and see if you can
think of even more rhyming words. For example, bell/well… tell? smell? yell? The concept might not
be sinking in at this point, so it’s time to move on to some games for practice!

You’ll probably need to plan this ahead of time, but try to find some objects or pictures of objects
around the house that rhyme with each other. For example, get a spoon and a picture of a moon, or a
chair and some hair, or a bug and a mug, or a sock and a lock. With your child, go over the names of
all the objects, then put them all together in a pile and see if they can pick out the things that are
rhyming matches.

The purpose of getting kids proficient at identifying rhymes is to help them hear the small
differences in words which will help them learn how to read. If they know “dog” and “log” are almost
the same except for the first sound, then when they eventually learn the letters and the sounds they
correspond to, reading will be easier. For example, if they already learned how to spell “dog” and
someone asks them to read “log”, they can sound out the “l” sound, but the rest is easy because it’s
just like “dog”, which they can already spell, and ⅔ of the word was a cinch!

Next, try this rhyming version of the game “I Spy”. To start, choose a set of pictures, or the room
you’re in, or a set of objects on the table. Then try to get your child to find a rhyming word. You’ll say,
for example, “I spy something that rhymes with ‘men’,” and hopefully your child will pick up the ‘pen’!
Or “I spy something that rhymes with ‘sandy,” and hopefully your child will pick up the picture of
‘candy’.

Or better yet since rhyming is all about the sounds, you don’t have to use real words to gain the
early-reading skills benefits. Try using made-up words which makes things silly and fun (and
honestly, is easier for you because you don’t have to think up real rhymes for each word). For
example, “I spy something the rhymes with schmaper,” which, of course, will lead your child to the
‘paper’. Or say, “blarpet” to rhyme with “carpet” or “lindow” to rhyme with “window”.

If your child struggles with any of these activities, give them little clues or just try another word. Keep
it upbeat, and you will undoubtedly have a silly, learning-filled afternoon of blun and plaughter .

See the YouTube version of Ding Dong Bell.

Lyrics

The Ants Go Marching
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one,
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the rain, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching two by two,
The little one stops to tie his shoe
And they all go marching down to the ground

But did you know that aside from all the fun marching that will inevitably take place while you and
your child sing, this song is also a wonderful way to work on counting and rhyming? Let’s check out
how!

For this song, while you and your child are marching, try holding up the number of fingers that
matches the lyrics. Start with one finger in the air and by the end, you’ll have five. Make sure to count
those fingers before each new verse. Singing, marching, and focusing on the correct number of
fingers will be an excellent opportunity for your child to exercise different parts of their brain,
creating stronger synaptic connections (aka, making them smarter).

For a sillier counting activity, have your child gather 5 of their stuffed animals or figurines to be their
“ant” friends, and pick up an additional one for each new verse to march with. They’ll have their arms
full of five whole “ants” by the end, just like in the song and will likely find it unbearably funny. Again,
be sure to take the time to count the “ants” at each opportunity because repetition is key for learning.
Or to challenge their knowledge, skip around with the verses and ask them to bring 3 friends, then 2,
then 5 so they actually have to count each time.

It takes a lot of work for a child to be able to connect the word “three” to the shape “3” we use for
writing to the concept of three things. That’s why the more ways we can combine them all together
and practice as much as possible, the more easily children can learn their numbers.

The other fun part about this song is the rhyming component. You’ll notice each verse has rhyming
words – two/shoe, five/dive, etc. After singing and marching, you can extend your child’s learning by
using another fun song.

To the tune of “Skip to My Lou”, plug in rhyming words with these actions:
Two, (extend right hand)
Shoe, (extend left hand)
These words rhyme, (put hands into fists and roll around each other in front of chest)
Repeat 3x
They sound the same at the end (Extend both hands)

Using this song, you can explore the rhymes within “Ants Go Marching” as well as numerous other
rhyming songs, rhyming books, or even your own rhyming pair words. When children can identify the
tiny sounds in words, for example, the difference between “bat” and “pat”, they’ll be more prepared
for learning how to read!

You can watch this and more more on our YouTube Channel.

Lyrics

If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap Your Hands
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Stamp your feet.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Stamp your feet.
If you’re happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you’re happy and you know it,
Stamp your feet.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Turn around.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Turn around.
If you’re happy and you know it,
And really want to show it,
If you’re happy and you know it,
Turn around.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.
If you’re happy and you know it,
and you really want to show it,
If you’re happy and you know it,
Clap your hands.

Of course, when you sing this song, you have to get on your feet. The lyrics make it easy by telling
you what to do: clap, stamp, turn around, or add your own fun actions! For young children, any
learning activity combines well with movement. Kids revel in being able to use all their strength to
stomp into the floor or get a smidge dizzy “turning around”. The same part of the brain that controls
the body’s movement also controls learning. So essentially, if you get children moving around, you’ve
immediately got a great learning environment.

This song is wonderful because it’s fun to be happy and it gets us moving, but it’s also a great tool
for developing emotional skills, which involves practicing being mad, sad, and scared (in a fun way!).

Try exchanging the emotion (change “happy” to “angry”) and then ask your child to sing the song
with you as if you’re very upset about something. “If you’re angry and you know it, stamp your feet,”
is really fun when it’s just for play – you can pout and stomp, and since it’s not real, no one will get a
time out for their attitude! Show your child how to shudder and widen your eyes as you sing, “If
you’re scared and you know it, turn around.” Make sure you’re putting on a good display of the
emotions too! Children will learn a lot about being “sad” by studying another human face. A child
who can recognize and label emotions in others or within themselves have better interpersonal skills
and get along with people better. If a child can tell someone they are sad, they don’t have to show it
by crying incessantly, or if they’re angry, they can just say it without needing to hit or yell to get their
point across.

As your child gets a good grasp of basic emotions (angry, sad, scared, happy), try moving on to more
complicated ones (embarrassed, annoyed, jealous, bored). For all of these, it’s a good idea to take a
break between song versions and discuss the new emotion – ask your child to show you his or her
happy/sad/bored face, and then talk about in what kind of situations we feel that emotion.
Depending on your child’s language level and maturity, you can even brainstorm new lyrics together
about how to deal with certain emotions – “If you’re scared and you know it, take a deep breath!” or
“If you’re angry and you know it, walk away.”

Keep this great song in mind for an afternoon that needs a boost in fun or in order to address
difficult social problems for your young child. If you’re not happy yet, then keep singing!

See more videos on this site or on YouTube.

Lyrics

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor, and
the doctor said “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Four little monkeys jumping on the bed one fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor, and
the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Three little monkeys jumping on the bed one fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor and
the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
Two little monkeys jumping on the bed one fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor and
the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”
One little monkey jumping on the bed he fell off and bumped his head Mama called the doctor and the
doctor said, “Put those monkeys right to bed!”

To make this song especially fun, try incorporating actions, with hands and fingers or with full
bodies!

For toddlers and preschoolers who have some fine motor skills (ability to control their fingers and
hands), perform the following actions with your own hands to correspond with the following lyrics
and encourage your child to do the same:
Verse 1:
“Five little monkeys jumping on the bed”: Hold up five fingers and bounce your hand up and down
“One fell off”: Your hand falls down a few inches
“ And bumped his head”: Gently “bump” your head with your hand
“Mama called the doctor and the doctor said”: Extend your thumb and pinky finger and place to your
ear for a “phone”
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”: Point your index finger and sing the words with a funny,
stern face

Verse 2: “Four little monkeys…” hold up 4 fingers
Verse 3: “Three little monkeys…” hold up 3 fingers
Verse 4: “Two little mokeys…” hold up 2 fingers
Verse 5: “One little monkey…” hold up 1 finger

You might be surprised to find that simply holding up the right number of fingers is a physical
challenge for young children who might need your help to gently put their fingers into correct
positions.

Use the experience of holding up different fingers to allow children to develop those tiny finger
muscles (which they’ll need to become good writers in kindergarten!) and to practice counting those
little fingers.

You can even modify this song to be fun for infants by follow these steps:

“Five little monkeys jumping on the bed”: Bounce your baby gently on your lap, facing towards you
“One fell off”: Holding on tightly, gently tip them to the side
“And bumped his head”: “Bump” their head gently with a kiss, a stuffed animal or a very soft pat with
your hand
“Mama called the doctor and the doctor said”: Bounce some more to the rhythm of the song
“No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”: Make a playful stern face while delivering this line

For babies, the experience of feeling the rhythm of a song and hearing the melody of the chant will
instill in them the beginnings of language.

For older children who need to get more energy out than just dancing with their hands, incorporate
full-body actions for the song. Jump like the monkeys, dramatically fall onto a carpeted surface,
make a passionate “phone call”, and be sure the doctor’s line (“no more monkeys jumping on the
bed”) is delivered with a hand on the hip or any other way parents show someone’s in trouble.

An added benefit of this song for children’s learning is that it is so repetitive. Songs that use the
same words, verse after verse, help children truly learn the content and they’ll have it so well
memorized that they won’t even realize it’s learning because all they’re focusing on is delivering
the best angry doctor speech around!

Now you’re ready to go have a “barrel of monkeys” with this entertaining song.

See the 5 Little Monkeys and More on YouTube.

Lyrics

Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full!
One for the master,
One for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full…

Let this song be the impetus of a mini-research project in your house. Together with your child, go to
the library for books about sheep, look for sheep in the books you already have at home, and do
some internet searches together to see what you can find out about the lives of our farm friends.
Introduce your child to the “scientific method”: come up with a question about sheep together, create
a possible answer, and then go out and use real materials to find out if your idea was right. For
example, maybe you heard in the song that the sheep is black. Ask yourselves – are all sheep black?
Your theory might be – no, not all sheep are black because I think I saw some white ones in a
different book. And now your goal is to find out if, indeed, there are various colors of sheep, through
your research.

Setting an example for young children that answers can be found in books or through articles online
helps them develop what we call “Print Awareness” – the knowledge that those scribbles all around
us are called words, and they contain meaning. When children grasp that ideas can be passed from
person to person through writing, they become very motivated to read – and motivation to read and
interest in books are the best indicators that a child will be a strong reader and learner later in
school.

Now that you’ve learned a bit about sheep and likely the shearing process too, why not “experience”
sheep-shearing for real? Most households have some paper, cotton balls, glue, pens or makers, and
scissors already on hand. Allow your child to glue a big bunch of cotton balls onto some paper and
draw a little head so everyone knows it’s a sheep. Let the glue dry, and then take those scissors and
shear your sheep! When you have short-haired sheep and soft bundles of fluff, gather the fluff into
piles or bags, and sing the song again, this time with a much deeper understanding of what exactly
“wool” is, what it has to do with sheep, and why so many people might be interested in a bag of the
comfy, poofy stuff.

Experiential learning, or learning in a hands-on way, is a wonderful way for children to learn. You
might not always have access to a farm on an average weekday afternoon, but with creativity, a
library card, and devotion to research, you and your child can learn and experience anything, from
shearing a sheep to whatever your mind or old nursery rhymes can come up with!

More Ba Ba Black Sheep and other Videos on YouTube.

Lyrics

Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle.
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.
Up and down the City road,
In and out the Eagle,
That’s the way the money goes,
Pop! goes the weasel.

But for a story seemingly as old as time, how much do you really know about it?

Today we aim to help you enrich you and your children’s experience with the nursery rhyme Pop Goes the Weasel by providing some background information on this iconic song.

We will go over the history of the rhyme, provide some topics you can discuss with your kids involving the story, and even go over a few sharp tips that will make the experience of the song a little bit more exciting.

History:
Like most English nursery rhymes, Pop Goes the Weasel seems to have nineteenth century origins. That said, the precise point of origin is hard to pinpoint. Competing stories suggest different things.

Believe it or not, one of the origin stories has Pop Goes the Weasel originating as an elegant ball room dance of the mid nineteenth century.

Indeed, there was a dance called Pop Goes the Weasel that may very well be the origin of the song. This is a particularly plausible point of origin because it seems that the words were added retroactively to the song.
In other words, the music existed for the dance, and it seems that people later added words to it.

While you children might not be to interested in the history of nineteenth century English dancing, they may enjoy the opportunity to get dressed up and waltz around to the tune of this song!
Lessons:
Now that the boring grown up stuff is out of the way, let’s dive into some fun the whole family can enjoy.
What lessons can Pop Goes the Weasel teach us?

Different ages are going to take different things from the story. Your youngest children might simply enjoy the fact that it is sung in a soothing rhythm.

It’s time to bring your kids into the discussion. Feel free to read over the lyrics to the song below while elaborating with comments that will be of interest to your kids.

Half a pound of tenpenny rice, have a pound of treacle. That’s the way the money goes. Pop goes the weasel!
Woah! There is the weasel. Aren’t animals cool? What sound do you think weasels make?

Up and down the city road, in and out the eagle. That’s the way the money goes. Pop goes the weasel!
Oh my! The weasel is back! Not only that, but she has a friend. There is also an eagle. Eagles are big birds? Can you flap your arms like an eagle? Or would you rather pop like a weasel?

Tips for Parents:
Now, here are a few tips that will help make the story even more exciting for your kids.

First things first, think about having your kids sit on your lap when you tell the story. That way you can “reenact” the tale as you go.

This way, you can lift your kids into the sky anytime the weasel “pops.”

These motions will be fun, and they will also help your kids connect words of the song (like the word pop) with their literal meaning.

And of course, you can always get creative with this idea to tailor the experience to activities you know that your kids will really like.

Conclusion:
Simple stories stand the test of time. Use the tips and lessons provided today to have a fuller experience of Pop Goes the Weasel with your children.

See the YouTube version of Pop Goes the Weasel.

Lyrics

Here we go round the mulberry bush Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush So early in the morning This is the way we wash our face Wash our face, wash our face This is the way we wash our face So early in the morning This is the way we comb our hair Comb our hair, comb our hair This is the way we comb our hair So early in the morning This is the way we brush our teeth Brush our teeth, brush our teeth This is the way we brush our teeth So early in the morning This is the way we put on our clothes Put on our clothes, put on our clothes This is the way we put on our clothes So early in the morning…

Luckily for us, this is a very easy rhyme to customize! Since most people know the rhyme, you can start by using the original lyrics of “here we go round the mulberry bush” to introduce it. To make it interactive, join hands with your child or as many people as you want to go in a circle while singing the verse. Starting with movement will actively engage your child. You may want to go through the first verse several times. Your child will enjoy spinning in circles and the tune will sink in better.

Once you establish the tune and everyone is involved, stop spinning and move on to another verse. You are welcome to continue using the traditional lyrics, but feel free to create your own verse depending on the situation. If you are working with your child on other motor skills such as clapping or waving, you can change the lyrics to “This is the way we clap our hands” as you act it out with your child. It’s important to keep up the same melody and rhythm, so your child stays engaged. For every new verse, be sure you really act out the activity with your child. Things like brushing your hair or washing your hands need to be very exaggerated for effect.

This is a fun activity for playtime in the room, but the best part about this rhyme is you can use it any time! As your child grows and develops, you can include new activities to teach them good habits. Since children respond so well to songs, you can sing this song with them while they do different things. It’s a great way to grab their attention as well. “This is the way we clean our room” is a simple and effective verse to sing while you and your child clean. He or she will be excited to clean since you are singing and cleaning too!

It is important to consider where your child is developmentally. It never hurts to return to old habits they know like clapping or stomping their feet, but this activity provides a great way to challenge them with new things. If you are helping them learn to brush their teeth on their own, using a song they are familiar with helps so much. They will learn better, and the lessons will stick. As they get older, you can let them create their own verses to sing with you.

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush is one of the most flexible rhymes for working with your child. You can reinvent and update the activity as often as you want, and it will stay one of your child’s favorite rhymes to do with you. Remember to be creative and enjoy yourselves!

Our Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush on YouTube.

Lyrics

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got, and home did trot,
As fast as he could caper,
He went to bed to mend his head,
With vinegar and brown paper.

The story of Jack and Jill is an English Rhyme dating back to the 1700s. Today, the verse is one of the most well known nursery rhymes in the world, but there are many different ideas about the meaning. The words are mostly interpreted as nonsense, but we can make easily make the story our own and teach a valuable lesson along the way. First, we want to make sure the child understands what is happening in the story. The scenarios below involve you acting out the story with your child, but you can also be creative with other ways to recite the verse. For example, you may want to use your fingers as legs and walk up a leg or knee to simulate going up the hill. Second, we want to incorporate a positive message. Since the story leaves off with Jack and Jill laying at the bottom of a hill, there is an opportunity to provide a constructive ending. See below for our interpretation.

Start by acting out the story with your toddler while you sing the rhyme. You can relate the characters of Jack and Jill to mommy and daddy, daddy and daughter, or whatever combination fits your family that your child will understand. As you recite the first line, raise your child slowly as you walk forward to simulate going up a hill. Now is an excellent time to teach or reinforce the differences between “up” and “down.” Then, gently bring your child back “down the hill” by going back the way you came. This will provide the up and down movement for your child to relate to the actions in the story. You can substitute “broke his crown” with “bumped his head” and ask your toddler to point out their (or your) head to show understanding. You can then repeat the “down the hill” motion in a more dynamic way (like swaying side to side) to mimic Jill tumbling down as well.

Given the movement and interaction in this exercise, your child may want to repeat the motions. This motion is great for entertainment and engagement, but you can take this opportunity to teach a lesson about getting back up again when we fall. You can emphasize the fact that Jack bumped his head by stressing he “got a boo-boo” just like what happens when your child falls. Then you can say that Jack and Jill went back up the hill to try again. For example, you may say, “Jack got a boo-boo, but he was a big boy and tried again” as a lesson for your child.

Another idea for a small departure from the original text is the idea of Jack or Jill helping each other get back up and go up the hill. Again, the original story does not provide a resolution, so it is important to tie in a moral to the story. You can act out this version of the story by encouraging your child to help you back up off the ground, or bring in another adult if your child is unable. The goal is to create a visual and interactive example of the rhyme.

Jack and Jill is not necessarily a positive or uplifting rhyme, but through some creativity, we can take these very popular stories and turn them into something interactive and educational.

If you want to see Jack and Jill on YouTube click here.

Lyrics

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day,
Little Johnny wants to play,
Rain, rain, go away

The lyrics, “Rain, rain, go away!” are definitely most fun when sung with an index finger directed
to the sky and a (pretend) angry expression on your face. WIth your 1-2 year old children, sing
the words and display a comically frustrated face for them to study and giggle at. Encourage
your pre-school aged children to sing the words with you and express their own exasperation at
the crummy weather. This simulated “angry” situation is a great opportunity for children to learn
to identify the human facial expressions that represent anger and perhaps even have a
discussion about what things make them angry as well. Children who can correctly identify
others’ and their own feelings have better interpersonal skills and self-control. If they can say
that they’re angry, there’s no reason to express it in the form of hitting or yelling.

But really, why even be angry about rain? Rain can be just the thing needed for an extra-fun
afternoon outside. If it’s raining, pull out the galoshes and umbrellas and head outside. Sing the
lyrcis to this song while you splash in puddles, study the rivulets in the street, or even sniff
ordinary objects to see how trees, grass, or pavement smell when wet. As always, combine all
of these activities with lots of conversation and great vocab – in slow, short, and complete
sentences, tell your baby, “You’re touching mud! Is it squishy?”, or ask your preschooler to tell
you what the rain sounds like, and then be sure to add a couple extra new words, “Yes, it is loud
– but under our umbrella the sound is muffled ”. Repetition is key to learning new words or ideas,
but luckily, music gets stuck in your head, so if kids have a fun rain experience and have a song
about rain to accompany their memories of it, the learning they did that day will stick.

Or better yet, don’t limit yourself to waiting for a rainy day to have some watery fun! Why not
incorporate these same fun ideas into bath time? Create your own rain by turning on the
showerhead or slowly tipping a small bath bucket over your child’s head. In fact, bathtime rainy
play is fun because when we tell the rain to “Go away!”, the rain (showerhead or bucket) can
quickly obey and also “Come again another day”, and turn back on.

“Rain, Rain, Go Away” is the perfect tool for having tactile fun while learning rainy-day
vocabulary as well as working on the concept of being angry in a silly, positive environment. Get
those rain jackets ready, because at the next drizzly forecast, you’re going to be ready for a
laughter and splash-filled afternoon!

Watch Rain Rain Go Away on YouTube.

Lyrics

Mary had a little lamb,
its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day,
which was against the rules;
It made the children laugh and play,
to see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out,
but still it lingered near,
“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
the eager children cry;
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know”,
the teacher did reply

To start, gather a few of your children’s figurines. If you have a sheep, great, and if not, that’s okay!
Use Lego people, stuffed animals, or if you spontaneously start singing while outside, use a few
sticks to represent our characters.

Next, designate one of the figurines as Mary and one as the lamb. If your child is too young to
participate, you’ll be performing a one-parent show! If your child can hold a figure and move it
around, let them choose who to play.

For participating children, sing a line at a time and talk through what each character should do. For
example, for, “Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go,” discuss how one will follow the
other around. Or for, “Why does the lamb love Mary so?”, plan to have the figures cuddle in a hug. Or
for, “The teacher turned it out”, make sure whoever plays the teacher gives a hearty, “Go home,
Lamb!”. Once the actions are clear, sing and act out the song a line at a time. Make it as silly and fun
as you want, because when children have a good time, they learn and remember better.

If you’re performing this show for a baby who isn’t giving you encouraging feedback, just know that
the combination of words in the song, the actions your characters are performing, and the fact that
you are lovingly interacting with them is helping them learn. You might sing this song one hundred
times without a reaction before, suddenly, one day, they’ll be singing it back to you word-for-word!
Providing these rich learning experiences for infants and toddlers builds their ability to speak and
listen – you just might have to wait to see the fruit of all your hard work till down the road.

Don’t be afraid to veer away from the original lyrics. If none of your figurines remotely resemble a
sheep, feel free to sing, “Adon had a little Jedi, little Jedi, little Jedi…” while dancing around an action
figure. Or allow the teacher to more fully tell the sheep why he can’t be in class by asking your child
what they would tell a messy sheep who came into your house.

Always define and discuss any unusual words in songs. We don’t discuss fleeces much in our daily
lives, so take a break from singing to find something fluffy in the house to examine, or pull up a
photo of a real sheep from the internet and talk about how it would feel to touch it. Or talk about
what is “eager”? Why are the children in Mary’s class eager? What makes you eager?

After completing this mini work of theater, your child will have gained practice singing and speaking,
learned new vocabulary, and acquired deeper “narrative skills” by having a better understanding of
how a story progresses. All of these experiences are not only terribly fun, but are essential for
building the foundation of skills they’ll need to be good readers when they get to kindergarten.

Don’t be surprised if your house becomes a sheep-filled drama production for many days to come!

More videos can be seen on our YouTube Channel.