Stories with Rhyme or Rhythm Activities
Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
This program is based on the popular children’s song. Children may already be familiar with the
song and will enjoy singing along and watching the animation. Options in the program include
exploring the monkeys - by clicking on a monkey the song begins - and concept building with
colors and number activities. Overlays with different numbers of monkeys may be used with
IntelliKeys. This program will also work with a simple press on a switch.
Integrated Activities:
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Encourage children to jump while the monkeys are jumping. Children who are unable to
jump can control the stopping and starting of the song with their switch.
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Create a picture book that corresponds directly to the screens on the computer.
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Add simple to the pages so that it can be read like a storybook.
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Glue furry material to the monkeys’ faces in the book for the children to feel. Different
textures can be attached to the clothing to make each monkey look and feel different. Talk
about how each piece of material feels.
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Share the picture book can be shared with families so that children can sing the song as they
look at the pictures at home.
Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education • 27 Horrabin Hall • Western Illinois University
One University Circle • Macomb, IL 61455 • 309-298-1634
Five Green and Speckled Frogs
This software is based on the children’s rhyming song. Children can choose how many frogs
they want to see on the log and whether to hear the song again. The simple graphics, animation,
and lively music stimulate children to sing along with the program. Children can use a mouse,
switch, TouchWindow, or a picture overlay on the IntelliKeys.
Integrated Activities:
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Invite children to imitate the jumping gestures of the frogs as they jump off of the log.
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Place play frogs near the computer center for children to explore as they use the program.
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Print pictures of the different screens of frogs to make a picture book for children to enjoy.
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Share a picture from the computer with families to encourage children to sing the song at
home.
Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education • 27 Horrabin Hall • Western Illinois University
One University Circle • Macomb, IL 61455 • 309-298-1634
Eensy and Friends
Five Little Ducks
Eensy Weensy Spider
Mary’s Red Dress
Three stories are contained on this program which represents a simplified version of Circletime
Tales. There are three options for concept development, cause/effect, opposites, or story
completion. Input methods include mouse, switch, TouchWindow, or IntelliKeys.
Integrated Activities:
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See Circletime Tales for activities which focus on the same characters.
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Encourage children to figure out how to get the program to advance to the next screen after it
stops. Allow them time to explore the switch or mouse to help them develop causality
concepts.
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Share printed versions of the stories with families. Encourage them to ask the children about
the story.
Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education • 27 Horrabin Hall • Western Illinois University
One University Circle • Macomb, IL 61455 • 309-298-1634
Fall Fun
This program has an animated version of the Five Little Pumpkin Song which may be familiar to
som children, and other rhymes and songs related to Fall themes. It can be used with a switch or
picture overlays on the Intellikeys as input.
Integrated Activities:
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Figures of the pumpkin characters can be made so that children can manipulate the objects
and stick them onto a background.
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Children can play with the pumpkins as they listen to the song on the computer.
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Fingerplay related to the different rhymes and songs can be done.
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Children can also imitate gesture related to the pumpkins rolling and lights going out.
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A book of the Five Little Pumpkins may be acquired and kept in the book nook.
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The words to the song can be shared with families so they can sing together at home.
Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education • 27 Horrabin Hall • Western Illinois University
One University Circle • Macomb, IL 61455 • 309-298-1634
Nursery Rhymes
Nursery rhymes of Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffet, Hey Diddle
Diddle, and London Bridge are controlled by children as they advance
through the rhyme with a press on an overlay, switch, or mouse. This
program is one of the Start Up Activities on the Intellipics software. It can be used with an
overlay, such as the one pictured below. Children can choose which rhyme to hear and see
animated. A press on the round area moves the rhymes along in small segments. In this way
children can attend to a small part of the rhyme with a related picture before continuing to the
next part.
Integrated Activities:
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Introduce rhymes off-computer by using words and gestures.
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Encourage children to imitate gestures related to the rhymes as they use the program.
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Create small picture books depicting each rhyme. Children will enjoy looking at the pictures
and relating them to the computer program.
•
Share the classroom-made books with families so that children will be encouraged to say the
rhymes at home.
Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education • 27 Horrabin Hall • Western Illinois University
One University Circle • Macomb, IL 61455 • 309-298-1634
My Action Book
This program is a take off on the song “Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush.” A variety of
pictures are offered to children, either one at a time or in groups of two, three, or four, to make
choices. Each time a picture is selected, an adult voice starts to sing the song and words related
to the picture are substituted for “brush our hair.” Children can choose from pictures which sing
about kicking a ball, brushing teeth, reading a book, driving a car, going to sleep, drawing a face,
taking a walk, eating some food, and taking a bath. Pictures may appear randomly or an adult can
use keyboard commands to find a desired picture.
Integrated Activities:
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Encourage children to talk about the pictures that are on the screen. For some children
exploring the pictures will be enough, while others may predict what action they will see.
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Sing along with the song while they watch the animation on the screen.
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Mimic the same gestures, such as brushing hair, brushing teeth, as the animation on the
screen.
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Print out the pictures from each screen and make picture cards children can look at or use
them to select a part of the song to sing.
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Create a small book from the pictures for children to explore off of the computer.
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Share the classroom book with families. Children may be stimulated to sing the song when
they see the picture as a reminder.
Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education • 27 Horrabin Hall • Western Illinois University
One University Circle • Macomb, IL 61455 • 309-298-1634