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10 songs to get YOUNG students energized
Action songs are the simplest way to get the youngest students engaged. Such songs, dozens of which can be found online, are always upbeat and hard to resist even for us, serious adults. They involve some basic vocabulary and often come with karaoke-style subtitles. Moreover, action songs stimulate the three main styles of learning – visual the video, auditory music and kinesthetic actions. Thus, action songs are not only fun for kids and convenient for the teacher, they are also a high quality educational resource. Below is a list of the 10 best songs we use in the classrooms.
Pharrell Williams - Happy
Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZSe6N_BXs
Minions version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOWDb2TBYDg
This one is a bomb. It was in the animated movie Despicable Me and all kids know it well. Still, the energy in this pop song is unparalleled.
The procedure:
1. As a group come up with simple words and corresponding actions:
hot, cold, sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy
Or
lion, monkey, giraffe, hippo, cat, dolphin
2. Ask your students to stand up and move around the classroom.
3. Play the song and see how they immediately start dancing. It’s impossible to resist the song; it’s simply too energetic!
4. At some point stop the music and scream one of the words: HOT!
5. Students must do the action you’ve agreed on. Who confuses the action sits down.
If You’re Happy Clap Your Hands
Personally I find this video unsettling, but the kids seem to love it and it offers a lot of simple movements to perform. I recommend this one for more experienced kiddies than total beginners.
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfCMRk-osJ8
Vocabulary & Actions:
Clap your hands, Click your fingers, Tap your shoulders, Nod your head, Blink your eyes, Pull your ears, Turns around, Twist your body, Touch the ground, Slap your thighs, Stomp your feet, Clap your hands, Say hello.
There’s also an easier version of the song.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4WNrvVjiTw
Vocabulary & Actions:
Happy – clap your hands,
Angry – stomp your feet,
Scared – say oh no,
Sleepy – take a nap,
Wheels On The Bus
I absolutely love the effort that someone put into animating this song. And so will your beloved learners, I’m sure.
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_04ZrNroTo
Vocabulary & Actions:
Wheels – round and round
All through the town
Doors – open and shut
All through the town
Wipers – swish, swish, swish
All through the town
Signals – blink, blink, blink
All through the town
Horn – beep, beep, beep
All through the town
Motor – vroom, vroom, vroom
All through the town
People – up and down
All through the town
Babies – wah, wah, wah
All through the town
Mommies – shh, shh, shh
All through the town
Daddies – I love you
All through the town
The Singing Walrus
We’re not 100% clear on the title since it appears to be a chicken not walrus but, hey, that doesn’t make this song any less catchy.
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUXk8Nc5qQ8
Vocabulary & Actions:
Clap your hands, Stomp your feet, Swing your arms, Jump around, Touch the sky, Touch the ground, Shake your hips.
Old MacDonald Had A Farm
Any such list would be incomplete without this classic.
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6HzoUcx3eo
Vocabulary & Actions:
Pig – oink, oink
Duck – quack, quack
Horse – neigh (ney), neigh (ney)
Sheep – baa, baa
Cow – moo, moo
Turkey – gobble, gobble
Hokey Pokey
Here’s a fun song to do in a group. The lyrics are all about instructions, which are easy enough for any age and level. It’s also great for learning basics such as in & out, right & left.
Live action song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ogs1lUwjak (recommended)
Animated version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZinb6rVozc
Vocabulary & Actions:
Put left foot IN
Put left foot OUT
Shake it
Put right foot IN
Put right foot OUT
Shake it
Put right hand IN
Put right hand OUT
Shake it
Put left hand IN
Put left hand OUT
Shake it
Put bottom IN
Put bottom OUT
Shake it
Put head IN
Put head OUT
Shake it
The Freeze Song
If your pupils are in the right mood this one will be a killer. It’s simple yet fun. Short yet engaging, catchy and energizing. There are many versions of this song, however, I highly recommend this live action rendition:
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=388Q44ReOWE
Vocabulary & Actions:
Right hand on the left knee
Left hand on the right knee
Knees move in and out
Hands stay tight
Keep on moving but switch hands
Put one hand across your shoulder
And one hand across the back
Jump in place
Shake your body
From your head to the feet
Put your right hand on your head
And your left on someone else’s knee
Turn in a circle.
Turn the other way.
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
When I introduced this to my classroom it became an instant favourite. I kid you not (pun unintended) for the next 3 weeks my beloved students (and I’m talking about 7 graders here) forced me to start every lesson by shaking with Taylor.
Song (with lyrics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIOVMHMNfJ4
Before you play this establish some actions for these words:
Shake, Play, Hate, Break, Fake and… shake it off!
The actions can be anything, from simple hand movements to sophisticated mime routines. For the grand finale of Shake If Off I suggest a full body seizure.
Hakuna Matata
Admittedly, this choice might be a bit risky. Unless your students are crazy about the Lion King they might not engage with this 90s classic. That said, as of this writing a live action reboot that has just came out in the cinemas, so who knows, maybe this amazing film and its songs will reach the current young generation too.
Original (from Lion King): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB5ceAruYrI
Official lyric video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4zG1Tnt5A8 (this is brilliant)
Vocabulary & Actions:
While it’s hard to learn all the lyrics, plus only half of the ‘song’ is actually sang, I recommend introducing only the strong punctuation words such as:
Hakkuna Matata
Wonderful Phrase
Craze
No Worries
Days
Problem Free
Philosophy
The Coconut Song
This last song is our bonus gift to YOU. This modern masterpiece is wacky enough for kids not to notice how utterly insane this creation is. Put this on, sit back, relax and enjoy the 3 minutes long psychedelic trip you’ve earned.
Plus, if you haven’t seen it before we challenge you to watch it all with a straight face 😉
Best of internet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0AOGeqOnFY
Vocabulary & Actions:
Coconut
Nut
Fat
Tree
Family
House
Yup that’s it!
It’s also surprisingly educational, I mean, did you know that the coconut is a fruit??
Bonus: Despacito Zumba
We’re including this as a bonus because this song is in Spanish, however, our young students don’t seem to mind it at all and are absolutely obsessed with this zumba class.
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkRTgXy4HeQ&pbjreload=10
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One Comment
Wonderful, very useful