Balloon Animals

Making balloon animals means blowing up balloons, twisting, folding, twisting again to make animal shapes, and trying to avoid the alarming POP! This zany cute synthy pop tune for younger singers will be your go-to song when your students need to blow off some steam at the end of the year (or anytime, really)!

You may notice that the syllable accent is a little odd for the word "balloon," but that makes it wackier and more fun to sing, thus matching the silly accompaniment. The playful balloon sound effects included in the recording will add to the silliness.

There are also a lot of opportunities for visuals when performing this song. Even if you don't have the means to make any real balloon animals, your students can still mime the actions that are described in the lyrics and match the sound effects. You could also make simulated paper versions of balloon animals out of colorful cardboard or paper. Or just show pictures of some.

If you want to try making a balloon animal, here are some instructions for making the long dog:

Blow up a balloon about 2/3 of the way. (As you twist and fold, the air goes to the unused area, and you will also need some unused portion for the tail at the end.) Twist about 1-2 inches from the knot for the dog's snout.

While holding on to the snout with your ring or pinky finger, create two smaller twists (about 1 1/2 inches each) for the ears. While holding on to the three segments, fold and twist them together so you can see the two ears and nose as one unit/head. Next, twist about 1 1/2 inches in for the neck.

Similarly, as you had three segments for the head, you will make three segments again. While holding on to the neck with your ring or pinky finger, create two smaller twists (about 1 1/2 inches each) for the front legs. Fold and twist them together so you can see the front part of the dog clearly.

Twist the looooong body (about 5 inches or so), and hang on to it with your ring or pinky finger and twist the back two legs, securing them to the body by folding and twisting. Look at your balloon, and you should see a dog.

Pinch the top half of the blown-up part of the tail with your fingers. Then squeeze the air of the last half of the tail so it goes to the end of the balloon, giving the dog a waggly tail.

Making this balloon animal will likely be too difficult for your young students, but maybe your older students (or you) can make the long dog for them.

For visual instructions on making this balloon animal, you will find a video on our web site.