Songs for Teaching Blog

Music is a great way to teach children social skills!
In a time when face-to-face social interactions are often being replaced by social networking online, it is increasingly important to teach these skills to our children and students. Social skills can be especially difficult for children with developmental disabilities because these children often are unable to pick up common social cues, such as saying “hello” and “goodbye." Music provides a safe, predictable place to practice skills that may be anxiety-producing; songs make these teachable moments fun!

One important social skill is saying “hello." Our society gives high social marks to people who appear to be friendly. Many children don’t understand the importance of this skill at first, but upon becoming better at it, they often get the positive social reinforcement that allows this behavior to become more habitual and natural.

Beginning the day with a “hello” song is a great way to start the day! Here are a few ways I use a “hello” song to teach this skill:

Listen to a “hello” song while drawing what the song is about. Go around the room and allow children to share their drawings if they would like. Talking about songs has the added benefits of teaching children to take turns and of expanding their vocabulary.

After singing or listening to a “hello” song, make a plan to say “hello” to three people throughout the day. Adding a visual picture or drawing can be a great way to support songs as educational tools. Make a board with a variety of pictures of people that we can say hello to.

Sing a “hello” song. Go around the circle as each child says hello to the person on his/her right. I look for a positive aspect of their behavior and share this with the students. Then if additional skills need to be reminded, these can be “sandwiched” into the comment. For example “What a beautiful smile you had as you said hello, but let’s hear you say it a little louder so they can hear you. Your words are important and we want everyone to hear them.” Or “Well said, Tony. Remember to look towards their eyes. That way they will know that you are with them.”

Play or sing a “hello” song, and refer back to it during teachable moments. For example, in the song People Like it When I Say Hi (from My Turn Your Turn) verse one says:

I can say hi to my Mom when I wake up in the morning.
I can say hi to the bus driver on the way to school.
I can say hi to my friends when I see them in the lunchroom;
and when I meet someone new, saying ‘hi’ is good to do.

Refer to the song if someone new should enter the classroom by saying “Remember that the song teaches us that people like it when we say ‘hi,’ or even try humming a bit of the song, as a reminder.

Listen to a short sample of "People Like It When I Say Hi" in the audio player, below. (from My Turn Your Turn)

 The countdown to Thanksgiving is on!  It is only a few weeks away, so I know I’ll be packing my lessons full of songs related to the upcoming holiday.  

Although teaching the history and meaning behind Thanksgiving is essential, it seems that my students are mainly interested in the food they’ll be gobbling up on November 26th.  So I came up with a fun way to end my Thanksgiving lessons; not only it is centered around the big meal, but it comes with movements!

"Turkey Dinner Dance" involves four different foods: turkey (of course), gravy, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.  For each verse in the song, I demonstrate the corresponding move and ask my students to do it along with me.  

Turkey
Tuck your thumbs under your armpits and flap your arms (turkey-style).

Stirring Gravy
Hold your right arm in front of you, curving it to make a half circle (this is the pot). Then use your left to "stir" inside the pot.

Mashed Potatoes
I’m sure you all know this basic dance move, where you pump your fists up and down in front of you.

Pumpkin Pie 
Hold your arms out in front of you, curved at the elbow, and twist back and forth at the waist.

Or even better, make up your own dance moves!  Ask your students to come up with "choreography" for this song and take turns sharing with the rest of the class.  If you really want to get creative, add other Thanksgiving foods and corresponding moves.  Just make sure you do this activity right before lunch, because singing and dancing to this song is guaranteed to leave you hungry!

Listen to "Turkey Dinner Dance" in the audio player below, from Listen & Learn: Thanksgiving

See all of Songs For Teaching’s Thanksgiving Songs

Childhood obesity is a national problem that we can help prevent.
It’s a lot easier to instill healthy habits during early childhood then to repair your teenager’s bad nutritional habits later on!

Exposing a child to teachable moments throughout the year is always beneficial. So during this time of Halloween candy, turkey, yams, Christmas cookies and Chanukah latkes, let’s take a moment to teach a few “nutritional nuggets."

Introduce the big idea: “Let me see your muscles,” you say with great admiration.
“Put your thinking caps on. Whoa, you need a bigger cap! Your brain is growing,” you say in amazement.
Discuss with your class how what we eat fuels brains and builds muscles. 

Children learn through the senses. Here are some lesson ideas that use many of them:

Math and Science Activity: Follow a recipe using many of the fruits harvested in the fall. Some of the more popular in-season fruits include apples, clementines, cranberries, pears, pomegranates, and tangerines. As you measure, weigh and change the composition of foods, you can connect these concepts to their math and science lessons.

Musical Phonics Activity: Let’s Go Shopping is a fun and interactive song that combines initial phonemes with food.  Have your students call out alphabet letters starting with "A" as an adult leader or the recording responds to the call by answering with the shopping items.  
Enjoy singing the chorus (especially the “yeah, yeah, yeah” part) !!! 
Choreography tip: When the cash register sound effect occurs, have the children raise their hands over their heads and tap their thumb and index fingers together.

Language Arts and Science: Encourage children to expand upon the grocery list by thinking of other items alphabetically. As a follow up for older students, let them categorize their grocery list by food groups.

Physical Education and Language Arts: Have your students form two lines that face each other. One line is the “letter caller”, while the line that faces them has to respond with a food that corresponds to the initial phoneme. 
      Example: Call: “A” Response: “Apple” 
To designate whose turn it is, a ball can be passed between the two lines. To extend the activity, form two groups and have a relay.

Listen to Let’s Go Shopping in the audio player, below. 

See all of SongsForTeaching’s Nutrition Songs and Physical Activity Songs.

For many educators, the start of a new month means a new educational unit or set of lessons. I always plan my lessons in monthly blocks, using Mondays to bring new songs and activities for my students. November is a wonderful month for themed lessons; the message of giving thanks is prevalent, which opens the door to so many different learning opportunities.

There is definitely no shortage of concepts that go hand in hand with the theme of giving thanks. Sharing, observing the golden rule, and caring for others are just a few concepts that can be taught and emphasized through song. And of course, the Thanksgiving holiday is the highlight of November. The history, food, and meaning behind this holiday are great lesson topics, and there are songs for each.

The first song that my students and I will be singing on Monday morning, and all month long, is my November song.  It includes all of the month’s special events in order, the perfect way to lead into all of the other songs and activities for the new month!

Listen to "November" in the audio player below, from Listen & Learn: Months

See all of Songs For Teaching’s Calendar Songs