Music does more than just delight and entertain us. It can build connections in the brain, introduce and develop new vocabulary, promote emotional intelligence and so much more. Moving to a simple tune makes learning fun while stimulating several areas of the brain all at the same time. As teachers we know young children need to move their little bodies a LOT throughout the day!
Children immersed in music build reasoning and problem solving abilities. Keeping a simple beat by clapping or using a small percussion instrument develops the sense of pattern and focus. There is a lot of brain research that supports using music with young children to develop essential skills. New vocabulary can be learned in the context of a song. How many of you can still sing “Frere Jacques” and were curious to learn the English translation to those lyrics? We probably all know the French word of brother because of this simple song learned as a child.

The brain remembers so much more when connected to music. I can remember all 50 state names because I taught my 3rd graders a song! All 50!!! I amaze (and probably bore) my friends when I burst into that 50 state song! But it does prove the point, music helps the memory!

We LOVE to use music and movement in our classrooms. We write what we call “singables” using familiar tunes but with new lyrics. Here are a few of our Thanksgiving singables our students enjoy!!

A Turkey Named Fred

A Turkey Named Fred is easily sung to the tune I’m a Little Teapot. That’s because the song comes with a mini-movie where the pages of the book turn as we sing the lyrics. Just show this a few times and your students will be singing along! Stick puppets are included and so easy to prep. Cut them out, tape a tongue depressor on the back, and place them in the hands of even the most reluctant child. They will stand in front of their classmates as they sing the song. Holding a puppet gives them reason to be in front of the class even if they are too shy to sing along yet. A Turkey Named Fred

Five Little Turkeys

Here is another singable, Five Little Turkeys, with some cute stick puppets. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is the tune and again there is a Shared Reading book with a Mini-movie to help students learn the lyrics. Five Little Turkeys

My Colorful Feast

Need to review some color words? My Colorful Feast uses the tune The Itsy Bitsy Spider and again has the large picture book, a mini-movie, pocket chart cards, a take-home booklet and a few interactive printables to extend the learning. My Colorful Feast

FREE Singable – I’m a Little Turkey

This FREE singable is also sung to the tune I’m a Little Teapot. There are song charts in both color and black & white, pocket chart cards, a writing paper, and 5 stick puppets. Download I’m a Little Turkey and enjoy singing it today!

If you love singing with your students and need some fun songs like these, please consider following our TeachersPayTeachers store JK SIngables. You will find lots of songs to use in your classroom!

It is amazing how quickly fall is flying by! Can you believe its the middle of November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner? We hope you have a fabulous colorful Thanksgiving feast with family and friends. Stuffing or dressing? What does your family call it?

The post Thanksgiving Singables appeared first on JK Curriculum Connection.

Wild Cats at the Zoo

Taking a field trip to the zoo seems to be a favorite springtime activity or end of the year event.  Whether it is traveling by bus or in cars, going to the zoo is an exciting time for children.  Even if you don’t go to a zoo, studying about wild animals is an excellent way to practice many core skills. Most children (and adults) love to watch the wild cats like lions, tigers and leopards at the zoo….as long as they are safely in their enclosures! These big cats are sometimes fascinating to watch as they move around showing off their powerful muscles. But more often than not they are asleep in the sun with not much action going on! if you happen to be there at feeding time, then you get to see them in action!

We created a short song about these wild cats. It is easily sung to the tune “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Besides the song chart there are stick puppets, resource photographs and some Interactive Printables. You can find this WIld Cats Singable at our JK Singables store.

Five Baby Elephants Singable

This fun song is all about baby elephants rolling and stomping and having fun! Easily sung to the tune “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” there is a mini-movie where the pages of the song turn while we sing the lyrics. Your students will be singing along very quickly. There are pocket chart cards, stidk puppets, a path game with short e words AND EDITABLE cards so any words can be added. Resource photos and themed writing papers complete this product. Five Baby Elephants

Here We Go Through the Grasslands Song

Here’s a fun song that is easily sung to the tune “The Mulberry Bush”. But don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with that song as there is a. mini-movie of the song that shows the pages of the book turning as we sing the lyrics. Just pop it up on a big screen and your students will be singing along in no time. The lyrics as easily to learn because of their pattern. Included in this product is a Path Game with short e words AND EDITABLE cards so ANY words can be added. Resource photos and themed writing paper complete this product. CLICK Here We Go Through the Grasslands.

Let’s Learn about Giraffes…and sing a song too!

Gus the Giraffe and His Friends are the stars of a fun song BUT there is sooooo much more. Lots of informational text about giraffes, Interactive printables, Resource photos, a path game with SHORT U words AND EDITABLE cards, BUMP Math games and a Take-Home booklet loaded with fun facts about giraffes are all included. This is a perfect addition to any study of Zoo animals or Grasslands. Click Let’s Learn About Giraffes to find this great product!

FREEBIE Game – A Trip to the Zoo

Although not a song, this colorful game is a great addition to your Zoo Animals thematic studies! It comes with R-blend words that start with BR, CR, DR, GR, PR, and TR. There are also EDITABLE cards so ANY words can be added! CLICK Trip to the ZOO Game FREEBIE.

So if you are taking a trip to the zoo or just learning about all the animals seen there, these products will be great additions to your classroom studies!

The post Zoo Animal SONGS appeared first on JK Curriculum Connection.

Add some Fun Songs to your classroom this Halloween

When I think of Halloween songs the only ones that come to mind are The Monster Mash and Michael Jackson’s Thriller! While neither of those are easily sung by Kindergartners or 1st graders (and we love to sing with our students!) we came up with some songs that are truly singable and kids love! Music is great for creating connection and especially helps develop language fluency. I can still sing Sur La Pont D’Avignon that I learned in French class in the 7th grade and we all seem to know the words to Frere Jacques or La Cucaracha!! Are you ready to add some fun singable songs to your Halloween celebration? Here goes!

Our first song is called Halloween Friends Go This Way and That! It is sung to the tune Did You Ever See a Lassie? If you are not familiar with that tune, no problem! All our songs come with a “mini-movie” that shows the pages of the book turning while we sing the songs! This gets the print in front of the students so they see the words while singing the song! A nice added bonus we think! This product also comes with math manipulatives and mats and some story problems. Your student can create the problems to solve on the mats or generate problems of their own and record them on the recording sheet. Writing is inspired with the included writing papers (in color & b/w) as well as a Vocabulary Word chart to spark some ideas! Click HERE for Halloween Friends!

Ten Days of Halloween is a great song that is sung like “The 12 Days of Christmas”! This fun song comes with stick puppets and ACTIONS that will have your whole class engaged in singing this song! Your students can perform for their classmates or invite parents in for a mini-concert of songs and poems! Also Included is a path game with High frequency word cards and EDITABLE cards so any words can be added. Click HERE for this song packet.

Another song with goodies! Five Trick or Treaters!

Going trick or treating is such fun and this song celebrates that event! Five Trick or Treaters comes with a mini-movie and stick puppets for performing the song. A Path game uses “R” blend words and comes with EDITABLE cards so ANY words can be added. There are also Sorting Mats for “R” blend words and a few worksheets for practicing these words. Click HERE to see this one!

Halloween Night!

The last of our featured singables is this one called Halloween Night. This is easily sung to the tune The Ants Go Marching. There is a BIG BUILDUP to its surprise ending! Your students will LOVE performing this for their own classmates or entertaining another class just to see the surprised looks on their faces when they get to the last page! Included are 3 BUMP Math games that are great for practicing addition skills. They come with EDITABLE mats so other numbers can be programed in and harder skills can be practiced. Complete directions are included in case you’ve never played BUMP games with your class. Students LOVE “bumping” the other players off their numbers while practicing their math skills….all in good fun, of course! Click HERE to get this fun surprise ending song!

Here’s a FREEBIE Song to add to your repertoire!

Look Who’s Here is sung to the tune The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Besides the Shared Reading book and mini-movie, there are some reading worksheets that practice High Frequency words here, is, & a, words used in the song. Some cute writing paper and and a class book cover or bulletin board sign round out this packet. Click HERE to get this FREEBIE at our TPT store.

The post Halloween Songs for Kindergarten & First Grade appeared first on JK Curriculum Connection.

Music Leads the Way to Learning!

We LOVE to sing with our students. It is a wonderful way to teach new concepts and develop language skills. Anita Collins in her book, The Music Advantage, writes that the latest research indicates that “music and reading may well be complementary learning activities,” with music serving as a tool to improve language learning in young students.

Farm Theme is an Engaging Study

A Farm theme is such a fun way to engage your students in learning. Most children love animals and learning fun facts about them. If you are lucky, you may teach near a farm that allows you to take a field trip. But, singing about the farm is fun too. Of course, everyone knows about the Farmer in the Dell song! We have written a song called The Busy Farmer. It tells about a farmer  who busily gathers eggs, wool, milk, and honey from his animals. It is easily sung to the tune “The Wheels on the Bus”. There are stick puppets that students LOVE to use to “perform” this song for their  classmates, other classes and anyone who will listen! Many additional resources are included with the songbook. Click HERE to find it at our TPT storel

Another Fun Song to Sing

A visit to the farm is a great culminating activity to end your study of the farm but if you can’t go in person there are lots of videos available online to give your students a virtual experience…without all the dirt! Our Let’s Go Visit the Farm Song is a perfect resource to add to your thematic study. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is the tune for this song. Lots of additional resources to go along with it. A Beginning Reader, stick puppets, Vocabulary Chart and Interactive Take-Home booklet are included. Click the title above to link to it.

Free Singable

Here is a fun FREEBIE to add to your Farm studies. It is called “Mother Hen”. It is easily sung to the tune “Are You Sleeping?” (AKA “Frere Jacques“) A large book, Song Chart in Color & B/W, a Take-Home paper, Life cycle of a Chicken chart, and Pocket Chart cards accompany the song. Click HERE to grab this FREEBIE! Check out the singables at our other TPT Store, JK Singables!

Hope you enjoy doing a Farm study with your students. We have always loved this theme!

The post Singing About the Farm! appeared first on JK Curriculum Connection.