Let’s Do the Animal Stomp!

Let’s do the animal stomp!

The title, ’Let’s do the Animal Stomp’, is from a song that I wrote to help children understand tempo (speed).  I usually use this song when we are doing the topic/theme of animals. Although if I was working in the same early years setting, most days, it is one of a collection of animal songs/rhymes that I could call on when the need arose e.g. after a story, the children's interests, on a walk...

So, do you have a collection of animal-themed musical activities up your sleeve?  If not, don't worry I'm going to discuss some which you may wish to add to your collection!

I have always found animal themed songs and rhymes are firm favourites with young children.  Whether it’s, the onomatopoeia sounds in ‘Old MacDonald’, ‘Pussy cat, pussy cat’ or ‘Cow’s in the kitchen’; counting rhymes in five little ducks, five little speckled frogs or 1,2,3,4,5 once I caught a fish alive; or sounding out words in the song B-I-N-G-O (one child asks me to sing this song every week!)

What animal songs could you sing?

Here is a selection of animal themed song and rhymes that I sing/say with the children:

• Elephant where are you? Is a two-note song that helps to develop tuneful singing.
• Animal Stomp.  This won't be a song that you've heard before as, I mentioned earlier in the blog, I wrote this to help the children explore tempo.  The children love moving at the different speeds of the animals and as it is a very simple song they pick up the words and tune quickly.
• Horsey, horsey. The children love this especially when I bring the hobby horses for them to wear as we sing and move to the song.  Even without the hobby horse prop, the children love marching around as the song is sung.
• Sleeping bunnies.  The song is great for getting children to wait.  I sometimes elongate the glissando (going from a low to high sound) on the 'ju', in the word ‘jump’, to get the children to wait a little longer.
• Underneath the water.  I use a piece of fish printed voile for this activity.  The children love going underneath the voile pretending to catch the fish.  Sometimes I just ask the children to join in with the actions whilst I say the rhyme.

All the songs and rhymes mentioned above will be coming to my Early Years Music Ideas online resource. Click here to read more Early Years Music Ideas 

Happy music making!