SINGING AT THE HEART OF THE CURRICULUM Oakfield First School, Windsor
This workshop offers practitioners a selection of raps, songs and vocal activities, forging strong links
between singing, the EYFS Areas of Learning and Development, and the KS1 curriculum.
HELLO TO YOU! A rap where every line echoes - from The Song Stack published by MES
Curriculum focus: EYFS: PSED CLL, CD
KS1: Literacy [Rhymes, instructions & imperative verbs], Brain Gym [crossing the midline]
Hello to you! [point]
Move your shoulders: one, two!
Now stamp your feet!
And clap on the beat!
Hands stretch up high!
Wiggle fingers near the sky!
Give a smile, give a grin!
Turn around and spin!
Well done, everyone! [thumbs up!]
Our music’s begun!
TASK: Write your own four-line rap, using a rhyme bank to get the creative juices going!
sure/floor, hand/band, click/ flick, groove/ move, bend/end, slide/glide, put/foot, wave/rave, trip/flip,
sky/fly, twiddle/middle… OR use name & action rhymes:
head/Fred, bike/Mike, knee/ Dee, keep on/John, still/Phil, fuss/Gus, again/Wayne, dive/Clive, do/Sue,
crawl/Paul, etc. whiz/Liz, kick/Nick, back/Jack, awake/Jake
WARM- UPS FOR SINGING
Shoulder rolls: forward and backwards - the size of a ping pong ball, tennis ball, football & beach ball!
Knee bends and stretches to pick a star out of the sky!
Shake arms, stop on command, feel the tingle!
Breathing: imagine wearing a large swimming ring round your middle and filling it with air. It has a
puncture so the air escapes [sustained hiss]. Stop the puncture by touching index fingers together .
Swing arms like ‘soldiers’ but also across the front and back of the body
Screw your face up like a paper bag: on a clapped signal stretch it out as if painted on a balloon
Vocal: take line for a walk and follow pitch with an ‘ng’ sound
JUMP ABOUT! Playground Song Book published by MES
Tune ‘Knees up, Mother Brown!’
Curriculum focus: EYFS: PD
KS1:PE [Warm up, action & travelling words]
Jumping up and down,
Jumping up and down,
Keep it steady, keep it steady!
Jumping up and down!
Running on the spot,
Running on the spot,
Keep it steady, keep it steady!
Running on the spot!
Other verses: Hopping on one leg; Tiptoes, up and down; Gallop anywhere; Walk back to your place.
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PICK A NUMBER
EYFS: I’M A TRAIN A gathering game
Curriculum focus: PD, PSRN
I’m a train; I’m a train, going down the line,
When I stop, when I stop, please join on behind [spoken] Toot, toot
At the end of the song, the nearest child joins on behind the leader [engine]. The game repeats,
gathering children [carriages] in a long line. Introduce other trains and make use of questions e.g. which
is longest, shortest …how many more carriages would be needed to make train A the same length as
train B? Use percussion for the ‘Toot, toot!
KS1: JUMP JIM JOE Traditional American song game that gathers new partners SONG BANK
Curriculum focus: Numeracy [doubling], PE [Dance]
Jump, jump, jump, Jim Joe, nod your head, shake your head and tap your toe!
Round, round around we go then you choose another partner and you jump, Jim Joe!
Two ‘dancers’ start; at the end of the song they each find another partner and so it grows by doubling!
LET’S MOVE!
EYFS: WALK AND STOP from Voiceplay published by OUP
Curriculum focus: PD, CLL
A song of movement, stillness and silence, which encourages listening and different styles of travelling!
KS1: HERE WE GO SANTA MALONEY from Songs & Rhymes with Beat Motions by John Feierabend
[Sing to the tune of ‘One finger, one thumb keep moving’]
Curriculum focus: PE, Dance, PHSE
Everyone walks round in a circle singing: Here we go Santa Maloney x3 As we go roundabout.
Pairs of players decide on two movements: e.g. tap your nose and stamp your feet. These are sung ‘on
the spot’ to the same tune, then everyone walks round, repeating: ‘Here we go Santa Maloney’. Adapt
this game to include contrasting percussion sounds: ring the bell and scrape the guiro
TELL ME A STORY
EYFS: SPECIAL FRIENDS Tune: ‘Pease Pudding Hot’: songs and puppets to introduce stories
Curriculum focus: CLL, CD, PSED
I have a special friend,
On my knee,
She/He’s going to tell a story
What will it be?
Here is a princess
Wave hello,
She wears a yellow dress….
Off we go!
Puppets create a strong visual focus and capture children’s attention effortlessly, adding excitement and
atmosphere to the reading or telling of a story.
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EYFS/KS1: SHHH! By Sally Grindley and Peter Utton
ISBN 0-340-74662
Tune: Here we go round the Mulberry Bush – an activity taken from Croydon’s ‘Sound Foundation’.
Copies obtainable from Croydon Music Service 020 8681 0909
Curriculum focus: CLL, CD, PSED
Giant’s Castle, me oh my!
Tiptoe quietly, I’ll tell you why,
The giant’s mouse is just nearby,
[Mime whiskers: Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak
[Hurriedly]Turn the page over quickly!
Giant’s Castle, me oh my!
Tiptoe quietly, I’ll tell you why,
The giant’s cat is just nearby,
[Mime claws] Miaow, miaow, miaow, miaow
[Hurriedly]Turn the page over quickly!
Giant’s Castle, me oh my!
Tiptoe quietly, I’ll tell you why,
The giant’s hen is just nearby,
[Mime flapped wings] Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck
[Hurriedly]Turn the page over quickly!
Giant’s Castle, me oh my!
Tiptoe quietly, I’ll tell you why,
The giant’s wife is just nearby,
[Angry face, fold arms, foot: tap, tap, tap, tap]
[Hurriedly]Turn the page over quickly!
Giant’s Castle, me oh my!
Tiptoe quietly, I’ll tell you why,
The giant himself is just nearby,
[Shouted] AND HE’S AWAKE!
[Hurriedly]Shut the book very quickly!
Actions and ideas for performance
Giant’s Castle –finger tips touching to make a pointed roof
Tiptoe quietly- fingers make walking movements
Turn the page - one hand becomes the book, the other mimes turning a page
Shut the book – clap hands together loudly
KS1: PIRATES! Tune: Drunken Sailor
Curriculum focus: CLL, CD, PSED
We are the pirates, brave and bold, see all the treasure in the hold,
Big bars of silver, jewels and gold, stolen by us pirates!
Other verses:
Jingly coins, new and old...
Silks and satins neatly rolled…
Boots with leather heels and soles
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SONGS FROM DISTANT PLACES
EYFS: CHAMNIAMO GOGO A Kenyan Call and Response song from www.lindsaymusic.co.uk
Curriculum focus: PD, CLL, PSED
First turn around, Chamniamo Gogo
Then go to ground, Chamniamo Gogo
Wave your arms and pull a face, Chamniamo Gogo
Funny walk around your place, Chamniamo Gogo
[Chamniamo Gogo means ‘Let’s go walking’]
KS1: KAERU NO UTA from Tam Tam Tambalay published by A & C Black
Curriculum focus: MFL [Japanese], Geography [distant places], Science: Living things, [Traditional
stories: the Princess and the Frog]
A simple Japanese song about a frog that uses stepping notes. Divide the song between the leader and
singers and revisit at KS2 and sing as a canon
STARS and CELEBRATIONS
EYFS: ONE CANDLE FLAME A song about candlelight sung to the tune of ‘Pease Pudding Hot’
Curriculum focus: PSRN, KUW
Two candle flames,
Two small lights,
Changes a window ledge
Makes it bright!
One candle flame,
One small light,
Changes a dark room
Makes it bright!
Three candle flames… changes a birthday cake….
Four candle flames…. changes an Advent crown….
Sing verse one with a few voices, add more for verse two and so on until everyone’s singing. Sing gently
and quietly and add some tone/chimes or bells for an accompaniment and invent new verses for five or
six candles. Use model candles, or if appropriate, real ones for an atmospheric performance!
KS1: SILVER AND GOLD
by Jan Holdstock
Curriculum focus: RE [Nativity],
An simple but elegant song that can be enhanced with a tone-chime or chime bar accompaniment using
two chords: D minor [D F A] played on the word ‘silver’ and C major [CEG] ‘gold’ [myrrh, incense].
Silver is the star ahead, gold the desert sand
Silver is my royal gown, gold is in my hand
Silver and gold, silver and gold
[Getting, quieter] Silver, silver, silver
v2: Myrrh
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v3: Incense
ALL ABOUT ME!
EYFS Curriculum focus: PSED
KS1: PSHE
WELL DONE! HIP HOORAY! from The Handy Band published by A & C Black
A song to share and celebrate children’s achievements
IT’S A GOOD DAY from The Handy Band published by A & C Black
A song about everyday activities; encourage the children to help you make up new verses
THE HANDY BAND from The Handy Band published by A & C Black
The band leader is selected to wear the crown and lead the group in playing ‘hand’ music: clapping
hands, tapping fingers, sliding palms, drumming fists, clicking nails, clicking fingers etc.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
A & C Black Music Express Music Scheme and the new Singing Express
No music reading required
Bobby Shaftoe Clap Your Hands
Michael Finnigin Tap Your Chinigin
Three Singing Pigs
Three Tapping Teddies
Three Little Nativities
Bingo Lingo
Tom Thumb’s Musical Maths
The Handy Band
Other EYFS/KS1 resources
Playsongs, Lively Time Playsongs and Sleepy Time Playsongs
Let’s Go Zudie-O
Let’s Go Shoolie-Shoo
Tam Tam Tambalay
Three Little Nativities
Singing in English
Singing phonics
Songsheets –chants new and old
Singing Sherlock 1 and 3 published by Boosey and Hawkes
The Song Stack and The Playground Song Bookavailable from www.mesdirect.com
John Feieraband: Call & Response, Simple Songs and Circles, Echo Songs www.lindsaymusic.co.uk
OUP Voiceplay and Young Voiceworks
Singing Breakfast Clubs, simple activities FREE to download from www.continyou.org.uk
…to download enter ‘Singing Breakfast Clubs’ into your browser or…
find the activity sheets at www.continyou.org.uk/children_and_young_people/singing_breakfast_clubs
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Rhymes for raps
sure - floor
groove - move
crawl –wall
trip - flip
hand - band
bend - end
put - foot
sky - fly
click - flick
slide -glide
wave - rave
twiddle - middle
head - Fred
still - Phil
do - Sue
squeak - Razik
bike - Mike
fuss - Gus
crawl - Paul
back - Jack
knee - Lee
again - Wayne
whiz - Liz
awake – Jake
keep on -John
dive - Clive
kick - Nick
clear - Shamir
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PUPPETS TO INTRODUCE TRADITIONAL STORIES
I have a ........................ friend on my knee,
He’s/she’s going to tell a story; what will it be?
Here is a...............................
Wave hello!
He/she.......................................................................
Off we go!
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IT’S A GOOD DAY!
It’s a good day for dressing up, for dressing up, for dressing up,
It’s a good day for dressing up, so what will we need?
We’ll need.............................................................................
For dressing up, for dressing up
We’ll need............................................................................
Yes that’s what we’ll need!
It’s a good day for the water tray, for the water tray, for the water tray,
It’s a good day for the water tray, so what will we need?
We’ll need................................................................................
For the water tray, for the water tray
We’ll need.................................................................................
Yes that’s what we’ll need!
It’s a good day for cooking, for cooking, for cooking,
It’s a good day for cooking, so what will we need?
We’ll need............................................................................
For cooking, for cooking
We’ll need.......................................................………………
Yes that’s what we’ll need!
It’s a good day for painting, for painting, for painting,
It’s a good day for painting, so what will we need?
We’ll need..........................................................................
For painting, for painting
We’ll need..........................................................................
Yes that’s what we’ll need!
It’s a good day for Playdo, for Playdo, forPlaydo,
It’s a good day for Playdo, so what will we need?
We’ll need.........................................................................
For Playdo, for Playdo
We’ll need.........................................................................
Yes that’s what we’ll need!
It’s a good day for swimming, for swimming, for swimming,
It’s a good day for swimming, so what will we need?
We’ll need..........................................................................
For swimming, for swimming
We’ll need..........................................................................
Yes that’s what we’ll need!
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