Submitted by Gretchen Taylor, Illinois

Idea posted November 7, 2003

Here are a few chants/songs I used with my K's:

Marco Polo
Marco Polo went to France
Taught the children how to dance
First a step
Then a bow
Marco Polo showed them how.
(solfège)
s s l l s s m (clap)
s s l l s s m (R/L foot jig steps)
f f r (step forward)
f f r (bow)
s s s f m r d (turn in a circle)

Bubble Gum
Bubble gum bubble gum in a dish
How many pieces does ____ wish?
s s m s s m s l s
s m m s m m s m d

Sally Ann
Sally Ann Sally Ann
Make the pudding in the pan.
Make it thick
Make it thin
Make it any way you can!
s s m s s m (stirring motion)
s s l l s s m
s s m (extend hands wide)
s s m (bring hands close tog)
s s s s s s d (stirring motion)

Tommy
Tommy gave me peaches
Tommy gave me pears
Tommy gave me fifty cents and
kissed me on the stairs.
s s s l s m (patschen on the word peaches x x)
s s s l s (patschen on the word pears x)
s s s l s s m m (pats. on word .50 x x)
s f m r d (blow kiss)
(We eventually play this like a duck, duck, goose game in a sitting circle.)

5 Little Sausages
5 little sausages
frying in the pan, the
grease got hot and the
Pan went BAM!
d d d r r r (show 5 fingers)
m m m m f f
s s l l l (shake open horizontal hands)
t t d' (One full loud clap)

These are just a few. There are lots in the resource Children Sing, Children Play by Kathleen Wojcik-May.

Really though, just go to the library and pick up a poetry book for young children. Any of these rhymes can easily be turned into simple solfège songs with fingerplay-type actions or larger movements.