These animal songs for toddlers will add some fun and imagination to your circle time. Your toddlers will love playing along with the silly characters in these animal songs so much.
While they sing and play, they won’t even realize they’re learning valuable skills like active listening, rhythm matching, and gross motor movement.
Additionally, they will be learning music skills that will last them a lifetime.
Try out any of these animal songs for toddlers written and recorded by Musically Minded!
#1 Spotted Owl
Spotted Owl is an imaginative action song where your students will follow along with the owl. While your toddlers dance and fly with the owl, they will learn music vocabulary like staccato and legato. By hearing these words in a context they can relate to, like tip toeing and flying smoothly in the sky, they can begin to understand how these words apply to music.
How to teach Spotted Owl:
Begin by asking your students how an own would move. Demonstrate how to tiptoe and soar in the sky like an owl.
Next, turn on the song and help your students listen for cues to move along with the owl.
Check out this silly rhythm activity! Help your toddlers learn to identify and mimic these rhythms as they play along with a variety of animals. They will use their imagination to hop and swim along with these characters, all while learning valuable listening skills. Add some rhythm instruments to offer a new way to engage with this animal song.
How to teach Rockin’ at the Pond
Demonstrate a few different ways to pat and tap for your students. If you have them, offer some small rhythm instruments for them to try.
Begin the song and demonstrate how to play along to the rhythms of each animal.
Let’s all have a blast dancing along with a little ladybug. Use this song with your ladybug finger puppets to add a sensory element to this activity. Try Ladybug Jamboree with your infants and move the ladybugs over their body. They will react to the tactile stimulation of the finger puppet, and you may notice them tracking the ladybug with their eyes.
How to teach Ladybug Jamboree
Pass out ladybug finger puppets and show your students how to be kind to their ladybugs. Our ladybugs like to stay on our finger. That’s how we can help them fly and dance!
Next, begin the song and show you students how to make their ladybugs dance. Move the ladybugs along with the song and listen for cues to move the ladybugs to different body parts.
Animal Rhythms is an action song that cues your toddlers to move like different animals. They will sway with elephants and gallop with horses, all while practicing gross motor movements and listening skills. Use your imagination to move and grove to this animal song for toddlers.
How to teach Animal Rhythms
Ask your class to demonstrate ways animals move (crawling, galloping, flying, ect.)
Begin the song and encourage your students to follow the cues to move along with each animal.
Bring out those claves and rhythm sticks for with this rhythmic animal song. Listen for cues in La Cucaracha to play your stick in new and creative ways. While playing along with La Cucaracha, your students will learn some Spanish vocabulary! Try adding this song to your unit about world language!
How to teach La Cucaracha:
Pass out rhythm sticks or claves to your class. Demonstrate how to hold the instruments in each hand and play them safely. Hold on tight, because we don’t want any flying sticks!
Next, demonstrate a few different rhythms to play on the instruments. Let your students explore and experiment with their own rhythms.
When everyone is ready, begin the song and follow along with the cues to play our instruments in different ways.
Peekaboo songs are so much fun for students of all ages. Your older students will be able to practice the fine motor skills it takes to scrunch up a scarf and hide it in their hands. At the same time, younger students can practice visual tracking and listening skills. Try this animal song with any class and watch them light up as the scarf pops out just like the weasel!
How to teach Pop Goes the Weasel:
Pass out scarves to your students and show them how to scrunch it up and hide it in their hands. Then, practice making the scarf pop out and fly into the air.
When your students have mastered this, begin the song and help them listen for the word “pop” so they know when it is time to throw their scarves.
Try out this silly freeze game with your class! Help them listen for the music to stop so they know when it is time to freeze. This will help them practice listening skills and following directions. Show off your dance moves as we dance along with these kitties!
How to teach Kitty Freeze Game:
Explain to your students how freeze games work, demonstrating how they will dance when they hear music and freeze when it stops. Let them practice this by cueing them to dance and freeze.
Once they understand how to participate in the game, begin the song and remind them as needed to dance or freeze when they hear the cues in the song.
Here’s another dance songs about ladybugs, however, this one teaches a variety of gross motor movements. Get everyone on their feet to dance along with this ladybug.
How to teach Ladybug Move:
Demonstrate some of the movements your students will need to know for this song, including tiptoeing, jumping, flying, and balancing on one foot.
When your students understand how to do each action, begin the song and dance along with your little ladybugs.
This bullfrog loves to move and song! Help your toddlers follow along with this action song as they practice gross motor movements, vocal exploration, and following directions. Let’s listen for ways to play with the bullfrog!
How to teach The Bullfrog:
Ask your students to brainstorm actions a bullfrog might do and practice moving and hopping like a bullfrog.
Begin the songs and demonstrate how to follow the cues to dance and sing with the bullfrog.
What kind of animals do you see at your local park? Do you hear them singing in the trees and croaking in the pond? Follow along with this action song to sing with the animals we find at the park. Use the visuals included in the activity guide when you download this song to represent each animal we find at the park!
How to teach Walk in the Park:
Print and cut out visuals for each animal and lay them out for your class to see. Ask them to identify each animal.
Once everyone knows what each animal is, begin the song and encourage your class to pat along to the beat.
When you encounter a new animal, ask your students to point out the animal, then copy the way than animal sings.
Do you feel out of your depth when it comes to music and song learning? Start with these easy circle time songs! They are all set to easy to learn melodies and are can be sung without the recording. Because of this, you will have no trouble at all learning them for your class.
Simple songs like these are a great tool to have in your classroom. Once you learn them, you will have them forever! So then if you are ever in a pinch and need to come up with an activity fast, you can dust off one of these tried and true songs!
Don’t feel pressured to learn complex songs that may be difficult for your young ones to participate in. In fact, simple songs are perfect for your circle time. Children build self confidence when they are able to be successful. Therefore, using songs they can easily learn helps them build confidence and empowers them to try new things. Just like your students, try these simple songs and see how they go. Then when you feel good about them, check out some activities you have been hesitant to try! And remember, there is no wrong answer in music! As long as you are participating in a way that feels good to you, at Musically Minded, we call that a success!
#1 Circle Time Hello
Hello songs are so important during circle time. This is because they act as a cue to tell your class it is time to sit down and listen. Circle Time Hello has a simple but distinctive melody. When your students hear it, they will know exactly what they are expected to do to get ready for circle time.
How to teach this song
Begin by gathering your students in a circle for circle time. You can already be singing the song while your students are moving to their spots, or begin singing once everyone is seated.
Pass out shakers and encourage your students to shake along to the beat. Another option is to ask your students to pat or clap along.
Next, you can begin the song and encourage your students to sing along. Show your students how to shake or pat on different parts of their body. You can also ask your students for suggestions of places to pat to keep everyone engaged.
Down in the Deep Blue Sea is an interactive listening adventure to try with your class. Print out the visuals included in the activity guide to make this a multi sensory experience! Down in the Deep Blue Sea is a great song to try a capella, or with only your voice. That way, you can move at your own pace and give your students time to guess each animal you will describe. So put on your detective hat and let’s try to name some ocean animals!
How to teach this song:
Begin by discussing sea life with your students. Ask then what kinds of animals they have seen living in or around the ocean.
Next, lay out the visuals you have cut out. You can find these in the activity guide. Help your students identify each animal.
Begin singing the song, encouraging your students to sing along. Give clues for each animal and have your students guess which animal you are describing.
Mr. Moon is a beautiful peekaboo song to sing with your students. The recording offers lovely harmonies to reflect the wonder of outer space. However, this song is just as effective when the melody is sung a capella. Try teaching this tune to your students and help them experiment with their singing voices!
How to teach this song:
Begin by making a crescent shape with one hand to represent the moon. with your other hand, spread your fingers like your going to give a high five to represent the sun.
Hide the sun behind your back and hold the moon up like it is the sky.
Then, when you come to the word “sun” in the song, bring the sun out from behind you back. And when the moon runs away, hide the moon behind you back.
Encourage your students to play along with their own sun and moon.
Are your students getting bored of other popular body songs? Try this new tune to spice things up! Action songs are a great way to get students engaged. Also, this melody will be easy for them to learn and play on their own outside of circle time!
How to teach this song:
Begin by gathering your students and telling them you will all be singing a songs about parts of the body.
To prepare, go over the parts of the body mentioned in the song (eyes, ears, nose, head, knees, and toes).
Start singing this song and encourage your students to touch each body part as they hear them in the song. As your students get more comfortable with the song, encourage them to sing along.
Tap Like I’m Tappin’ is a great instrument song to use with your students. This activity is incredibly versatile. Not only can this be used with rhythm sticks, but you can try this with any small rhythm instrument! Any time you are introducing an instrument to circle time, try singing this song to get everyone engaged and making music together.
How to teach this song:
Pass out rhythm sticks or any small rhythm instruments to your class. Give them a moment to explore their instruments on their own.
Then, begin singing and demonstrating the movement used in the song. Encourage your students to play along with you. Eventually, they will know the song well enough to sing with you too.
To offer more opportunities for creativity and exploration, ask your students to come up with their own actions and add them to the song.
Adding new music to your circle time can feel daunting. However, with these easy circle time song, you will be making music together in no time! Let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help your circle time be a success. We would love to hear about your awesome accomplishments and what you and your class think of these circle time songs!
Circle time is a great opportunity to try some listening activities with your little ones. These listening activities written and recorded by Musically Minded offer a wide variety of learning opportunities for your little ones.
Listening activities are a great way to build skills like following directions, auditory discrimination, and focused attention. These skills will help your child master language and reading later on in their education. Try a few of these listening activities below in your circle time (or at home)!
#1 Ocean Listening
Children are fascinated by the ocean and the exciting life happening just below it’s surface. Use that interest to keep them engaged in a listening activity! Let’s see how many of the these ocean creatures your class can identify just by hearing the sounds they make.
How to teach this song:
Print out images of each animal heard in the song (you can find premade visuals for each animal in the activity guide you will get when you download Ocean Listening from our store!). Show them to your class and identify each one.
Afterward, begin the song and have your students sway to the music like they’re on a boat at sea.
When each animal makes its sound, have your students try to guess which animal they hear.
Do you have a class full of budding engineers who love building with blocks or toy tools? If that’s the case, teach them a bit about tools and jobs in their neighborhood with this interactive listening activity. Do we need an egg or a hammer to build a house?
How to teach this song:
Ask your students what kind of tools they would need to build a house and how to use them.
Begin the song and have the students listen for the different actions that go along with each tool.
Variation: pause the song before each tool and give your students two options to build the house with, one being something silly and the other being the tool used in the song. Try doing this with the visuals included in the full activity guide you can find in our store!
Who knows what kinds of creatures could be lurking in the jungle. Try this listening activity with your class and see what animals you find!
How to teach this song:
Print out the visuals showing each animal used in the song. You can find the visuals in our activity guide on Musically Minded! Then show them to your class and identify each animal together.
Begin the song and clap or tap along with some small rhythm instruments during the chorus.
When you hear an animal, ask your students to point out which one they think it is.
Did you hear something? Could it have been a little mouse? Play this listening activity with your class and try to name the different sounds you hear inside the house.
How to teach this song:
Ask your students about the kinds of sounds they hear in their house.
Print out the visuals included in the full activity guide you receive when you download Sound in the House, and show them to your class, making sure they can identify each one.
When your class is ready, begin the song and have your students point out the visuals that match the sounds they are hearing.
All aboard the shape train! In this activity, your class will trace different shapes like they are driving a train along its tracks. This listening activity is a great way to prepare your class to learn writing and math skills. Can you keep the train on its tracks?
How to teach this song:
Print out the shapes included in the full activity guide when you download Train Shapes. Print out either one small set for each student, or one large set for teacher use.
Once these have been prepared, begin the song and have your students use either a small toy train or their finger to trace along the outside of each shapes as you hear them in the song.
We hope you and your class have a blast during circle time using these interactive listening activities. Download the songs and full activity guides here on musicallyminded.net and let us know how you use them in your class!
Movement is so important for toddlers as they learn about their bodies. Music is a great motivator for children, and what better way to get some movement into their day than through dance! Music is such a valuable tool in the classroom because it can help young children coordinate their movements. This has something to do with the concept of entrainment, or the synchronization of movements to an external stimuli. In this case, that stimuli is music. This is what enables us to dance to the beat of the music or clap along with a familiar tune.
Music can also change our mood and state of mind, making it a great tool to help a group of toddlers stay engaged in an activity. Match your class’s energy with the music activity you pick. For example, for a class that is lower energy or drowsy, pick a calm song with a relaxing tune. But with a class that is having trouble focusing on a quieter activity, meet them where they are with a high energy dance song. Using the ISO principle, start by matching their energy level, then slowly transition them to the state you need them in for the next activity. Read through these 10 movement activities to find some great new tools to add to your classroom!
#1 Come Out of the Barn
Come out of the Barn is a silly movement song featuring a little mouse. This little mouse sneaks into and out of her barn when no one is looking! Listen to the song here!
How to teach the activity:
Ask your class how to move like a mouse and show them how to move back and forth from their barn.
Start the music and help your students follow the cues. Listen to know when it is time to sneak out of the barn and when it is time to sneak back in.
Dyna Band Jam uses an unexpected tool to help your students move. Dust off those exercise bands and bring them to your class to use in this silly movement song. Listen to the song here!
How to teach the song:
Share the stretchy bands with your students, showing them how to use them safely.
Help them follow along with the prompts in the song, letting them learn to stretch the bands in different ways.
Jump Along Josie invites your toddlers to dance along with a variety of characters, all teaching a different movement. Broaden your toddler’s movement vocabulary with this fast paced song. Listen to the song here!
How to teach the song:
Begin the song with the toddlers jumping along to the music
Listen for cues telling the children to freeze and continue dancing.
During the last verse, your students will sit back in their spots, ready to move on to the next activity.
Hop along with Little Peter Rabbit while your toddlers explore new movements. Pretend play is a great motivator in this song. They will love pretending to follow along with the little rabbit! Listen to the song here!
How to teach the song:
If using finger puppets, show your students how to treat the rabbits kindly (treat them gently, keep them on your own body, keep them on your finger).
Begin the song while singing and modeling the rabbit’s movements to your students.
Encourage them to follow along with their own movements when they are familiar with the song.
Teach your toddlers about opposites with this song featuring familiar characters. Toddlers will be able to connect the fast and slow movements to these familiar animals, making it easier for them to copy with their own movements. Listen to the song here!
How to teach the song:
Have a discussion with your students about animals that move quickly and animals that move slowly.
Start the music and show your students how to crawl slowly like the turtle and hop quickly like the rabbit.
Freeze dances are so much fun for toddlers! not only do they practice movement, but they also practice impulse control and following directions. Listen to the song here!
How to teach the song:
Have your class stand and spread out around the room, making sure they each have enough personal space.
Explain when they hear the lyrics of the song, they should be completely frozen until they hear the word “go”.
Start the song and model how to freeze and dance with the cues.
Balance is a tricky skill for toddlers to master. Help them practice with this song and some bean bags or scarves. They can practice balancing them on different parts of their body. Listen to the song here!
How to teach the song:
Ask your students if they know what it means to balance and have them all try balancing a bean bag or scarf.
Start the song and have them all throw the beanbag from one hand to the other during the chorus then balance the beanbag along with the prompts in the song.
Movement games are a great way to teach toddlers about tempo. Help them match their movements to the beat while they hear music vocabulary like presto, largo, and moderato. Help them form connections to these words and understand fast and slow movements. Listen to the song here!
How to teach the song:
Explain how music can move at different speeds, like fast, slow, or medium.
During the chorus, students can tap along to the beat or dance in their own space.
Encourage your students to match the tempo with each step as they move around the room.
Movement songs are a great tool to use with your toddlers. They seem to have endless energy at times, and it can be difficult to keep them engaged during class or circle time. Try any of these 10 movement songs for preschool to offer a movement break. Your students will come back ready to engage in a quieter activity after having the chance to release some energy. We hope you enjoy these valuable tools and have a successful and fun circle time with your toddlers!
Finding farm songs to sing at circle time especially during your farm theme is probably fairly simple for most preschool teachers.
But finding farm songs that engage and teach is a little bit more difficult!
That’s why I love “When Ducks Get Up in the Morning”. Its repetitive verses with just enough variation keep kids engaged, singing and of course learning.
That’s what we want right!?!
How to Teach The Song
To really get the attention of your learners, I recommend having a bag full of stuffed animals or even animal figurines. This immediately catches their eye and they’ll want to stay with you throughout the song to see what you are pulling out next!
Nothing makes an activity more worth sharing than finding one that teaches too!
“When Ducks Get Up in the Morning” does just that. In this farm animal guessing song, your kids will learn:
Identifying animals by sight and sound
Singing with others
Vocabulary
A Lil’ Side of Ukulele?
This song is especially fun to play on the ukulele. Matter of fact, in my course, Yes! Uke’N Play the Ukulele, it’s one of my students’ favorites!
You don’t know how to play the ukulele but want to learn? You are in luck! Several times a year I offer my 4 week online training for teachers. Join the waitlist by clicking the link below and you’ll be the first to know when the doors open
“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
-Dale Carnegie
Learning the names of your kids right away is a must! It instantly connects you with them and they move from being anonymous to, “oh man, she knows my name!”.
My mom was a substitute teacher for years. She had a few tricks to help her survive the day. The first one was to always start by telling the class a joke. She mainly taught high school so that opened up the door for lots of silly and probably off color ones too.
Her second trick was to learn the students’ names right away. That way they went from being “hey you” to “Tommy, turn around!” and that got their attention REALLY fast.
I took that trick to heart and always made sure to learn every child’s name as quickly as possible.
That meant I had to find a lot of name games to keep it fun for kids while I was busy committing the names to memory. As a music teacher I see on average around 300 kids a week so if you are a classroom teacher with 20 kids, I’m little jealous.
I did find that having a list in front of me or on the wall with the names helped me to lock in the name even better. When we use multiple senses to retain information, it helps us to retrieve the information more easily because it’s kept in more than one spot in our brain.
Below are 4 name games that kids love and I hope you will too.
#1 Higgelty, Piggelty, BumbleBee
This catchy rhyme can be sung or chanted with the same great results. There are so many variations to this activity, that you really could do it every day for weeks! Begin by going around the circle and having children say their name at the end of the rhyme. If children are not comfortable enough with the group to say it, they may need some help. Just be sure to not force them to say their name. It will come with time.
#2 Willoughby, Wallaby Wee
If you don’t know this funny rhyming song yet, it’s time to learn it! Even babies will enjoy it especially if you bring along an elephant finger puppet or hand puppet to join in the fun.
Rhyming is a major component to learning to read. The sooner children are able to manipulate language the way we do in this song, the sooner they will learn to read. Click here to read more about why rhyming is such a key player in reading.
#3 Who is Here Today?
Taking the time to show each child that they are a valuable member of the learning community, builds self-confidence and a sense of belonging. When these skills are fostered at an early age in children, it helps cement the idea that they are important and special.
Make sure to look each child in the eye when their name is called. This lets them know you are focusing on only them. Emergent literacy is also developed in this activity when a picture of each child along with their name is used. By providing this visual clue, a child can correctly identify their written name in print as well as their classmates’ names – double win!
#4 Johnny Whoops
While it might seem boring and basic to you as an adult, kids love the simplest things like hearing their name played with in funny ways.
“Johnny Whoops” is the perfect song for this.
You can either go around the circle and do one child’s name at a time, or use a name jar especially if you have a big class.
To use this method, simply place a popsicle stick with each child’s name written on it in a jar. Then select a few children’s names to do at each circle time.
Start on your pinky finger and say “Johnny” as you point to the tip of each finger. After the pointer finger, slide your finger over to the thumb while saying “whoops”. Then work your way back to the pinky saying “Johnny” on each finger.
If you are looking for ways to get kids engaged at circle time, look no further than the ukulele!
It’s one of the easiest instruments to learn to play and kids love it!
Kids also love it when the songs you play on the ukulele are interactive. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love a good open mic night, but sing-alongs are WAY MORE FUN!
Wait, me play the ukulele?!?
Ok, we should probably address the elephant in the room here ie. playing the ukulele. It may not currently be in your bag of tricks, but before you just write it off for reasons such as “you aren’t musical”, “your hands are too big or too small” or “you are too old”, check out my blog, 3 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Play the Ukulele.
Matilda the Gorilla for the win!
“Matilda the Gorilla” is great for kids to sing because it has a repeating chorus that’s easy to join in on. I mean, who doesn’t love singing like a gorilla?!?
It also tells a story so it keeps everyone’s attention as they listen to the verses. To make it even more meaningful, teachers will love the rich language and rhyming that foster pre-reading skills.
Ready to give it a try on your ukulele? Watch the video below, then print the activity guide and ukulele chords and you’ll be playing in no time!
Not sure how to play the ukulele but want to try? You are in luck! Take my 4 week online ukulele class and with a little practice you will be playing a ukulele superstar!
It’s a perfect beginner class geared for preschool teachers (anyone can join, I just teach songs little kids like) for those who have never played an instrument in their life, but are ready to give it a shot. Click here to learn more about the class!
Did you know that one of the best ways to get your child ready to read is to sing with them? When you pair a book with a song, you up the ante even more! Below are 3 reasons why children’s books you can sing offer a great way to get kids ready to read!
FYI…Don’t even worry if you think you aren’t a great singer. Children do not care if you can’t carry a tune, so sing out! They’ll simply love that you are spending time having fun together.
Singing a book instantly engages a child’s brain. Because music affects multiple regions of the brain, when a child is listening to a book being sung, both hemispheres are working. One side of the brain processes the words while the other processes the music.
Singing books reinforce narrative skills or the ability to retell a story because they are more likely to remember the story. When children actively participate in the telling of the tale rather than passively listen, their level of focused attention is heightened. This is especially true for books that have repeated lines or rhyming words. Attention=retention. End of story:)
Singing teaches children how to break down words into smaller parts. When words are sung, they are naturally broken down into smaller sounds. This is the rhythmic element of language that allows it to pair so well with music. By highlighting each syllable in a word, more focus and awareness is given to it. This experience helps children get ready to read independently teaching them how to break down words into bite-sized pieces.
Books to Sing!
So where would one find books that are singable you ask? You’ve come to the right place, because I have that answer!
While many books that have a rhyming pattern work well to add a tune to, it may be difficult to come up with a catchy tune on your own if this is a new concept. That’s where piggyback songs come in.
Now if you aren’t sure what piggy back songs are, check out my blog post here. The great thing about these tunes is you already know many of them so being able to fit in the words of the story into the tune is fairly easy.
Below is a list to get you started. Who knows, maybe after singing a few of these books, you’ll find yourself writing one of your own! That’s actually just what I did when I taught the butterfly life cycle.
I figured out what I wanted the book to include content wise, then I chose a familiar song and wrote the words to both rhyme and fit into the rhythm of the song! Be sure to get a FREE copy of the “Butterfly Life Cycle” book by clicking here!. I set it to the tune of “Up On the Housetop”.
If you have a favorite book set to a song, be sure to comment below so we can add it to the list!
Did you know that songs are fantastic for teaching skills across the curriculum? The song I have for you today is no exception!
“Five Little Fishies in the Sea” is a home run, but at first glance one might not see all the learning packed into this little fingerplay. There’s rhyming, fine motor skills, one to one correspondence, vocabulary and basic subtraction just to name a few!
I’m showing the same activity in two different formats. I call it “Fish Two Ways” on my menu:) Ready to see it?!? Click on the first video, that’s “A”. Then click on the second video, that’s “B”. Once you’ve watched them both, comment below on which one you liked best. Then don’t forget to score the activity pack below so you can teach it to your little school of fish! It’s got the visuals, activity guide and the audio download so you’ll be ready to teach right away!
Birds are all around us and they have something to say! Just listen for a minute as you play in the backyard or take a walk in the forest and it won’t be long before you’ll hear a bird’s beautiful song.
Because each species of bird has its own unique song, you can identify a bird without ever laying eyes on it!
This makes “birding” a great way to not only explore the outdoors, but also build listening and focus skills as well as phonemic awareness. Yep, I just mentioned a pre-reading skill that birding can foster, phonemic awareness!
Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds found in words. It is a critical skill for children to master on their journey to becoming readers. To build this skill, children need countless opportunities to strengthen their listening and attention muscles.
This bird listening game is the perfect pre literacy activity because in order to correctly name the bird by its song, the listener must focus only on that sound and listen to the unique qualities that make up that sound. Hey, that’s just like sounds in our alphabet!
If you are ready to strengthen your child’s listening skills and get them ready to read, check out the activity pack below and add this fun pre literacy game into your next circle time!
