Hailey's Picks: Great Songs For Toddlers Part 2 – Get a move on

 

When the kiddos get bored…you’ll look for most anything to get them busy. When Hailey gets bored its BIG trouble…she looks for ANYTHING she knows she not supposed to be into to occupy herself.

In times like these…I like to whip out my little arsenal of fun and silly songs to sing!

Songs for toddlers should be fun — and these songs with their arm-moving and leg-shaking definitely qualify. After you’ve sung and danced them a few times, you’ll be surprised at how quickly your little one figures out what comes next. The sillier you are….the more fun they’ll have (and yes...the more often you’ll have to sing them)!

The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round,
round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
all through the town.
(Roll hands around each other)

The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish,
all through the town.
("Swish" hands in front of you like windshield wipers)

The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep,
all through the town.
(Act like honking a horn)

The doors on the bus go open and shut;
Open and shut;
Open and shut.
The doors on the bus go open and shut;
all through the town.
(Push hands back and forth in front of you)

The Driver on the bus says "Move on back,
move on back, move on back;"
The Driver on the bus says "Move on back",
all through the town.
(Point thumb over your shoulder)

The babies on the bus say "Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah".
The babies on the bus say "Wah, wah, wah",
all through the town.
(Rub fists in front of eyes)

The mommies on the bus say "Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush."
The mommies on the bus say "Shush, shush, shush"
all through the town.
(Hold finger in front of mouth as if saying shhh)

 

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom

Zoom, zoom, zoom where going to the moon
Zoom, zoom, zoom we’ll get there very soon
If you want to take a trip
Climb aboard my rocket ship
Zoom, zoom, zoom were going to the moon
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Zooooooommmmmm!!!!

*Ok so this one isn’t really action, but its fun (and they’re secretly learning).

 

IF YOU’RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT

Emotion version
If You’re Happy is great for helping toddlers when they are learning to express emotions.  You can act out each emotion as you say it.

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, then your face will surely show it. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

 Additional verses: (to be sung in same fashion as the first one)
If you’re surprised and you know if say, “Oh my!”
If you’re sad and you know it, rub your eyes “Boo hoo”
If you’re scared and you know it, shiver and shake.
If you’re sleepy and you know it, close your eyes.
If you’re angry and you know it, stomp your feet.
And always make sure end up with “happy” again.

Action Version (Of course the standard version…):

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, then your face will surely show it. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

Additional verses: (to be sung in same fashion as the first one)
If you’re happy and you know it Jump up and down….
If you’re happy and you know it Stomp your feet…….
If you’re happy and you know it Shout Hooray!……

 B-I-N-G-O

Ever notice that little kids want their fun on instant replay? If they liked a song the first time, chances are they want to hear it again and again, so songs like “B-I-N-G-O,” with its repetitiveness are especially toddler friendly. You can encourage your lil one to pretend to be the pup by barking along to the tune (Hailey gets the giggles with this), or get her to clap along with you as you spell out the name.

There was a farmer who had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
B-I-N-G-O
And Bingo was his name-o.

*You’re supposed to clap an additional letter each time you go through the verse but we usually just sing it and change the verses to Bingo doing different things each time…it keeps her attention longer.

Hokey-Pokey

 Most of all, songs for toddlers should be fun — and “Hokey-Pokey,” with its arm-waggling, leg-shaking, and circle-turning, definitely qualifies. After you’ve sung and danced it a few times, you’ll be surprised how quickly your toddler figures out which body part goes into the circle next. Make it even sillier by using toys or stuffed animals as props: “You put your bunny in; you take your bunny out....” That really is what it’s all about, right?

You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out,
You put your right hand in,
And you shake it all about,

You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That’s what it's all about.

2) Left hand
3) right foot
4) left foot
5) head
6) booty
7) whole self

 

I Use My Brain

(From 500 Five Minute Games by Jackie Silberg)

I use my brain to think, think, think (touch head)

I use my nose to smell (touch nose)

I use my eyes to blink, blink, blink (touch eyes)

I use my throat to yell (touch your neck/throat as you yell the word yell)

I use my mouth to giggle, giggle, giggle (touch mouth)

I use my hips to bump (touch hips or I like to hip bump with her)

I use my toes to wiggle, wiggle, wiggle (wiggle toes)

And I use my legs to jump (jump)

 

One, Two Buckle My Shoe
One, two, buckle my shoe (act like buckling shoe)
Three, four, shut the door (act like shutting a door)
Five, six, pick-up sticks (act like picking up sticks)
Seven, eight, lay them straight (lay them straight)
Nine, ten, let’s do it again

 

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear reach up high

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear wink an eye

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch your nose

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch your toes

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear shut the door

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear count to four

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear climb the stairs

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear say your prayers

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear turn out the light

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear say goodnight.

 

This Little Piggy

This little piggy went to mark. (Wiggle big toe)

This little piggy stayed home. (Wiggle second toe)

This little piggy had roast beef. (Wiggle third toe)

This little piggy had none. (Wiggle fourth toe)

And this little piggy cried… “Wee, wee, wee: all the way home. (Wiggle baby toe)

Hailey's Picks: Some great songs to sing with your toddler part 1 of 2 (ok…maybe more)

I went a little crazy on compiling the list of songs…it’s just so hard to only come up with a few. When I started this I thought it’d be no problem to only do a few, but quickly found out that my list had gotten out of control (as I was writing them down…I kept thinking of more)!

Singing songs and nursery rhymes to our kids is fun for them and us…not to mention all the benefits for your little one. They not only help language development but are great for introducing learning in a fun way!

Most of these songs can be started before they even understand the ideas behind them  (they’re just that much fun). You’ll find that they start to associate with the song as you sing.

When Hailey was a newborn I would sing to her while putting her down to sleep or soothing (heck, I still do it…especially now that she’s figuring out how to postpone bedtime). For toddlers the songs that get them involved are the ones with dancing and/or hand motions; these work much better at keeping their attention.

I made sure to include the words and hand motions for a one stop shop…woot, woot!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The itsy, bitsy spider climbed up the water spout (touch the thumb of one hand to the index finger of the other and alternate like you’re climbing)

Down came the rain and washed the spider out (hold both hands up and wiggle the fingers then swish to the side as you lower your hands).

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain (Make the sunshine by circling your arms up to form a sun…then wiggle fingers for drying rain)

So the itsy, bitsy spider climbed up the spout again (repeat the climbing finger movement)

Five Little Monkeys

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed (hold up the number of fingers to match the verse & then bounce your fingers up and down on your other hand)
One fell off and bumped his head. (Hold up 1 finger & then hold head with both hands and rock head back and forth)
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said, (pretend holding a phone)
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" (Shake finger like saying no, no)

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 straight to bed!"

*Do same hand motions for each verse

 

The Beehive

Here is the beehive, but where are the bees

(Make a fist with you palm down)

Inside the hive where nobody sees

(Peek into your hand)

Watch them come out, come out of the hive

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

(As you count you stick up a finger for each number…when finished counting take your first finger and buzz into their belly or nose, etc.)

 

Baby Bumblebee

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Cup hands together as if holding bee)

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Ouch! It stung me!
(Shake hands as if just stung)

I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
('Squish' bee between palms of hands)

I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee,
Ooh! It's yucky!
(Open up hands to look at 'mess')

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Wipe hands off on shirt)

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,
Now my mommy won't be mad at me!
(Hold hands up to show they are clean)

Old MacDonald

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O
With a "moo-moo" here and a "moo-moo" there
Here a "moo" there a "moo"
Everywhere a "moo-moo"
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O
With a "oink" here and an "oink" there
Here an "oink") there an "oink"
Everywhere an "oink-oink"
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a horse, E-I-E-I-O
With a "neigh, neigh" here and a "neigh, neigh" there
Here a "neigh" there a "neigh"
Everywhere a "neigh, neigh"
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a chicken, E-I-E-I-O
With a "cluck, cluck" here and a "cluck, cluck" there
Here a "cluck" there a "cluck"
Everywhere a "cluck, cluck"
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

*Keep adding animals and their sounds – we end up with all kinds of non-farm animals!

 

25 fun things to do with a toddler on a rainy day…

This week we have had several days in a row of rain. A day occassionally isn't too bad, but with this many in a row you start hunting down things to keep the kiddos entertained. I don’t know about you, but if I let my little one get bored she quickly finds ways to get into trouble and make a huge mess. Not to mention she then doesn’t want to take her nap! This is a recipe for disaster…

At home:

1)     Coloring

2)    Reading

3)    Hide and seek

4)    Another variation of hide and seek is to hide a toy and have/help them find it

5)    Finger painting

6)    Grocery store- We have several reusable shopping bags and then fake food or old boxes and containers from food items that can be used to go pretend grocery shopping.

7)    Pretend cooking- We use mommy’s pots and pans, baking pans, etc. to pretend cook.

8)    Build a fort- Love this….use all kinds of blankets, pillows, boxes,  etc. to make forts around the house.

9)    Puppets- over the last year or so we have bought a slew of little animal puppets from  the Carter’s store (they are so darn cute), even before she knew what to do with them she love to hold on to them. We have definitely gotten our money’s worth out of these!

10) Have a dance party….I don’t know about your little one, but mine just looovvveesss music and to dance.

11)  Play with sidewalk chalk in the garage

12)  Watch a movie (depending on their age, you could make it like going to the movie theatre with popcorn and a darkened room)

13) Hide stuffed animals through-out an area of the house and pretend you’re on a safari

14) Finger painting

15) Bake together (age dependent on how much they are able to help)

16) Play dress up

17) Have a tea party

18) Have a picnic

Out and About:

1)     Shopping (for us girls…this is always fun)

2)    Indoor play area

3)    Indoor pool (if not thundering & lightening)

4)    Story time at a local library, community center or book store (I know our local library has it several times a week)

5)    Got to library to look at books

6)    Children’s Museum

7)   Go outside anyway (if there’s no thunder & lightening of course)

Hope this helps you guys to get the creative juices flowing…if you think of anything else…feel free to add to my list.