To the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It

If You’re happy and you know it shake your bells
If you’re happy and you know it shake your bells
If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it
If you’re happy and you know it shake your bells

To the tune of Are You Sleeping?
From The Mailbox Songs & Rhymes on Parade, p. 6

Leaves are falling,
Leaves are falling.

All around,
All around.

I can see a red leaf,
I can see a red leaf.

On the ground,
On the ground.

* Repeat with other fall leaf colors brown, orange, yellow

Knock on the door
Knock, knock, knock
Please come out 
Come out!

Hello pig,
How are you?
Hello pig, 
How are you?

Pig says oink!​

Knock on the door 
Knock, knock, knock
Please come out (have participants echo “come out”)

Hello (insert name of animal), (have participants wave hello to puppet)
How are you?
Hello (insert name of animal),  (have participants wave hello to puppet)
How are you?

(animal name) says (make animal noise)

Bye (animal)  (have participants wave goodbye)

From The Mailbox Songs & Rhymes on Parade, p. 6
To the tune of "Are You Sleeping?"

Leaves are falling,
Leaves are falling.

All around,
All around.

I can see a red leaf,
I can see a red leaf.

On the ground,
On the ground.

From The Richards Institute of Education and Research - Education Through Music program

Here we go looby loo
Here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo
All on a Saturday night

I put my hand in
I take my hand out
I give my hand a shake, shake, shake
And then I turn around

Here we go looby loo
Here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo
All on a Saturday night

I put my head in
I take my head out
I give my head a shake, shake, shake
And then I turn around

Here we go looby loo
Here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo
All on a Saturday night

I put my ear in
I take my ear out
I give my ear a shake, shake, shake
And then I turn around

Here we go looby loo
Here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo
All on a Saturday night

I put my whole self in
I take my whole self out
I give my whole self a shake, shake, shake
And then I turn around.

To the tune of "A Hunting We Will Go"
​
We wiggle and wiggle and stop
We wiggle and wiggle and stop
We wiggle and wiggle
And wiggle and wiggle
And wiggle and wiggle and stop

We wave and wave and stop
We wave and wave and stop
We wave and wave
And wave and wave
And wave and wave and stop

*other motions: twirl, toss, swirl, roll

credit The Richards Institute of Education and Research - Education Through Music (ETM) program
​
​Here we go looby loo
Here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo
All on a Saturday night

I put my hand in
I take my hand out
I give my hand a shake, shake, shake
And then I turn around

Here we go looby loo
Here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo
All on a Saturday night

I put my head in
I take my head out
I give my head a shake, shake, shake
And then I turn around

Here we go looby loo
Here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo
All on a Saturday night

I put my ear in
I take my ear out
I give my ear a shake, shake, shake
And then I turn around

Here we go looby loo
Here we go looby light
Here we go looby loo
All on a Saturday night

I put my whole self in
I take my whole self out
I give my whole self a shake, shake, shake
And then I turn around.

​Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow.
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow.
Nor you or I or anyone knows,
how oats, peas, beans and barley grow.

First, the farmer sows his seed.
Then he stands and takes his ease.
His stamps his foot, and claps his hands,
Then turns around to view the land.

​Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow.
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow.
Nor you or I or anyone knows,
how oats, peas, beans and barley grow.

From The Mailbox's Songs & Rhymes on Parade, p. 6
To the tune of "Are You Sleeping?"

Leaves are falling,
Leaves are falling.

All around,
All around.

I can see a red leaf,
I can see a red leaf.

On the ground,
On the ground.

From the Mailbox's Songs & Rhymes on Parade, p. 13

On the hill where the corn grows tall,

I see a scarecrow that is made of straw.

When the wind blows, his arms will wiggle.

And then his little legs start to jiggle.

He scares away all the crows on the hill,

And when the wind stops, he holds very still.

performed by Laurie Berkner Band from their The Best of The Laurie Berkner Band album

performed by We Kids Rock! from their Everybody Clap Your Hands album

To introduce the letter of the week, I had a star finger puppet that I greeted all of the kiddos with when they came into the room.  I asked the kids if there was a song that we could sing about the star.  We sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."  After we finished singing, I mentioned that the word twinkle begins with the letter T.  Then we talked about different animals and items that start with the letter T (I have pictures that I put up on the flannel board for this part).

Going to Kentucky
from Jbrary

Everybody
Credit:  Nicole Lawton

Everybody stomp, stomp, stomp
Everybody jump, jump, jump
Everybody slap, slap, slap (slap knees)
Everybody tap, tap, tap (tap head)
Everybody twist, twist, twist
Everybody bend, bend, bend
Everybody clap, clap, clap
Everybody sit, sit, sit

Tickle the Clouds
Adapted by:  Nicole Lawton
Original version from Laptime Songs

Tickle the clouds
Tickle your toes
Turn around
And tickle your nose
Tickle your shoulders
Tickle your knees
Let’s read another story
Sit down please

I created a handout for caregivers that have some ideas for activities that they could do at home with their child based on the letter of the week.
​
​You can access the file for the Letter Aa handout here

Sing With Me
from Let's Do It Again (p. 112) by Mary Helen Richards of the Richards Institute of Education and Research

This song comes from a music-based literacy approach that I have been studying called Education Through Music.  I like to add in different actions like creep, wiggle, bounce, etc.
I consider it a double bonus when I can add in some moves that get the littles to cross the midline!

High Stepping Horses
from Let's Do It Again (p. 48) by Mary Helen Richards of the Richards Institute of Education and Research

This is another Education Through Music song.  I have the children's arms become high stepping horses and we make the horse step high on our laps, heads, legs, floor, etc.

Goodbye Song: Say Goodbye
from Carole Peterson's Tiny Tunes album

I prefer to sing this without the recording because I don't have time to play the whole song.

Stretching
When I stretch up, I feel so tall (reach high)
When I bend down, I feel so small (make a ball with two hands)
Taller, taller, taller, taller.  (reach up high)
Smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller. (get low on the floor)
Into a tiny ball.

I created a handout for caregivers that have some ideas for activities that they could do at home with their child based on the letter of the week.
​
​​You can access the file for the Letter M handout here

Ten Friends
From Multicultural Storytime Magic (adapted)

One is fun
But two is better.
Three friends, four friends
Play together.

Under the Big Chestnut Tree
From Multicultural Storytime Magic

Under the big chestnut tree,
You and I play happily,
Under the big chestnut tree.

First I’ll Find a Foot
Credit:  Pierce County Library System

First I find a foot,
and I hop, hop, hop. (stand on one foot and hop)
Then when I get tired,
I stop, stop, stop. (make stop motion with hand)
Turn around and
count to ten. (turn around)
Then I find a foot,
And I hop again. (hop on other foot)

I created a handout for caregivers that have some ideas for activities that they could do at home with their child based on the letter of the week.
​
​You can access the file for the Letter C handout here