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ifyouCouldGiveAGiftl.mp3
When discussing the holidays with children, most are quick to share what they would like to receive as gifts. My students could spend hours on this topic if I let them, but to their disappointment, I don’t. They are welcome to share one or two ideas, and then I lead the conversation in a different direction through song.
If You Could Give a Gift is a musical conversation starter I use to get the wheels turning in students’ heads. What would you give, if it could be anything in the world, and to whom would you give it? I emphasize that this gift does not need to be something expensive, or even something from a store; it could be a favor for someone or a handmade item.
After I sing through the short verse, I ask for a volunteer to share with the class. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the students to warm up to this activity, but usually by the time we’re finished, each student has taken two or three turns. I’ve gotten some very interesting answers over the last couple of years, ranging from "Money for my mom to pay her bills" to "A big gold chain for my five-year-old sister" but no matter what, one thing is clear: children have extremely generous hearts. You just have to give them the opportunity to show it!
This musical activity can serve as a lead-in for other related activites. Younger children can draw pictures of the items they would choose to give others, while older students can write an essay about their answer. Often I turn this into a songwriting activity, where we compose new verses for each individual in the class.
Written by Rachel Rambach
Listen to If You Could Give a Gift in the audio player below, from Listen & Learn: Christmas
Listen to a sample of this song
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