Songs with hand / arm movements

YellowLily2013

These are DSs absolute favorite but my repertoire seems way too repetitive. Any new suggestions?

We do:
Itsy bitsy spider
If your happy and you know it
Wheels on the bus
Pattie cake

Thanks!

flummadiddle85

Looby loo, 5 green speckled frogs, 5 little ducks, hury hurry drive the firetruck, tony chestnut, head and shoulders.

Dancing and just putting the beat in his hands, legs, whatever is always good too.

I probably have more in all the music books I have since I teach music. 

YellowLily2013

NVandGZ said:

Looby loo, 5 green speckled frogs, 5 little ducks, hury hurry drive the firetruck, tony chestnut, head and shoulders.

Dancing and just putting the beat in his hands, legs, whatever is always good too.

I probably have more in all the music books I have since I teach music. 

Is it bad ive never heard of any of those, except head and shoulder. And we do that one too. It was some of the first giggles we got out of him.

flummadiddle85

No, I know most of them from teaching them.

But really, it is sad how the level of music making has gone down so much over the generations. We've become a society of "music consumers" not "music makers". A clinic I attended at a conference a fe years back was very interesting. This guy sent his grad students outto the nursing homes to see how many/what songs the residents knew. The younger they were, the less they knew. And I think this was back in the 90s.

 But basically, lots f people just don't sing to their kids anymore. Then they get sent to school, and they may have their first exposure to music making. But it can be very challenging to teach when there are kids who can't match pitch, find the beat, or anything. They just haven't hadthe exposure at home. It's like asking kids to read before they can talk. 

Raising a musical kid really does start when they're babies. Singing to your baby is the best way to do that. Recordings are ok, but not the same. Just keep singing! Just keep patting the beat!

Also, I like traditional folk songs best. I don't care for cheesy kids music....

I'll step off my soap box now.

unaveragejane

Dr. Jean has a lot of songs with motions. Some of the songs are traditional ones that she just made movements to. There are also some fun ones she does that I just enjoy: Five Little Monkeys (Swinging in a Tree), Goin' on a Bear Hunt,  and Tooty Ta are some that come to mind. I also love Herman the Worm, but I don't know who sings it.

CLLDLL

London Bridges is a favorite in our house.  Along with some of the others already mentioned.  Puff the Magic Dragon (although not a arm movement song) was sung to me as a child and my sisters and I all sing it to our kids.  I hope they pass it down! 

Chichigo

I've been fingerspelling the alphabet while singing the ABCs. M now moves his fingers when I sing that or twinkle twinkle little star.

freezorburn

There's a really popular one here called Wind the Bobbin Up. From what I gather it originated in the mill towns.

DS is always asking to sing this one.

YellowLily2013

I need to do some research and learning now.

Thanks all!

flummadiddle85

Chickypoo2468 said:

How do you not sing to your baby? I remember always singing with my mom growing up, even as an older child. I want those memories for my kids. That said, S hated when I sang. She would always tell me to stop :'( L makes me sing at bedtime. J can't get enough of it

I don't know, some people just don't. It's sad. I could usually tell when I would first get them in either kindergarten or first grade. I even had a third grader who had no idea what twinkle twinkle little star was. When I teach band, kids know fewer and fewer of the folk songs that are in their method books now too.

Also, I'm having a major brain fart. There's that song with the rabbit, boppin the field mice on the head and the fairy and such. But I keep singing Peter cottontail instead, so now I can't think of it.

The bear goes over the mountain is another one.

flummadiddle85

Little bunny foo foo. That's it.

ElleBeeDub

One of our favorites is the "10 in the bed" song (i don't know if it has a real name...) G LOVED this song as a tiny. I'd sing it to him to help practice rolling over. Everytime "they all rolled over" I'd roll him over, and he thought it was hilarious. It's still one that can almost guarantee a laugh.
We also love Row, Row, Row Your Boat (we make big exaggerated rowing movements) especially since we recently learned a new ending... Instead of "merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream," we sing "if you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream," then we "scream" and throw our hands up. Am I the only one who didn't know that ending?

YellowLily2013

I don't know how you couldn't sing to your kid either. I love singing to him!! But I had to relearn a lot via the Internet.

And I'm realizing I need to add to my knowledge. DH is always amazed I know different song. Hehe

unaveragejane

I forgot about 10 in the Bed! I'll have to google the lyrics; it's been a while!

My mom started singing Bye, Baby Bunting last time she was up. It's kind of morbid, but DS asks me to sing it all the time now! (I don't have arm motions for it, though.)

unaveragejane

Chickypoo2468 said:

Ok. Note to all. Do not watch any little bunny foo foo videos with children around. I was trying to find then ending. Yikes.

Oh, I think you missed the caption that says "WARNING this video is violent and bloody."

flummadiddle85

unaveragejane said:

I forgot about 10 in the Bed! I'll have to google the lyrics; it's been a while!

My mom started singing Bye, Baby Bunting last time she was up. It's kind of morbid, but DS asks me to sing it all the time now! (I don't have arm motions for it, though.)

If you know the origination of a lot of songs, many of them are actually quite morbid. I think London bridge is one.

unaveragejane

It was right under the video on my screen. If you're mobile, it might not show up.

Isn't London Bridge something about the English monarchy? I can't remember exactly, but I know there are more verses that I knew about until I was forced to endure an episode of Barney one time.

unaveragejane

Well, here's a delightful little read about some of your favorite children's songs. I'm not sure how true it is, but with a name like Smuckers, it has to be good.

jcwinsto

NVandGZ said:

unaveragejane said:

I forgot about 10 in the Bed! I'll have to google the lyrics; it's been a while!

My mom started singing Bye, Baby Bunting last time she was up. It's kind of morbid, but DS asks me to sing it all the time now! (I don't have arm motions for it, though.)

If you know the origination of a lot of songs, many of them are actually quite morbid. I think London bridge is one.

Ring Around the Rosey is about the Plague.

Google "I'm a Little Piece of Tin" 

It looks like the YouTube video has other links to similar songs as well.