Hello, and Happy Spring to you and yours! Springtime is the perfect time to freshen up your wardrobe, your routines, and while we are at it... your repertoire! Below I have listed five songs that address a variety of skill areas. I have also included links to the songs, so you can follow along with ease! Whether you are a fellow Music Therapist, a parent, teacher, or ‘fun aunt,’ I hope you enjoy these songs and what they have to offer for your young ones.
1. “Sol, Solecito”
Skill Area Addressed: Cognition
Interested in being a personal cheerleader for the sun and singing in Spanish? “Sol, Solecito” is a delightful children’s song from Colombia. The chorus of the lyrics translate to “Sun, little sun/Warm me up a little bit/Today, tomorrow, and all week.” There is much research that supports learning of multiple languages, including improving problem-solving skills, listening skills, and concentration.
2. “Five Little Ducks”
Skill Area Addressed: Academic
Alas, here is an alternative to the “Five Green and Speckled Frogs” you may have on loop running through your eardrums. “Five Little Ducks” is a refreshing song that implements counting and sequencing. I have also established my “ducks” as castanets so the pincer grasp may be addressed simultaneously during the song.
3. “The Goldfish (Let’s Go Swimming)”
Skill Area Addressed: Motor
Let’s get moving! The weather often gets much warmer in Springtime, but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming about the iridescence of the water on a bright beach day. Laurie Berkner's "The Goldfish (Let's Go Swimming)" allows us to take a plunge in the ocean and swim with our fish friends. There are natural breaks within the song to promote self-regulation as well as rest your arms.
4. The Farmer Plants the Seeds
Skill Areas Addressed: Academic, Motor, and Self-Regulation
Let’s cool down with this stretching activity after all that swimming. Even better - let’s do some stretching AND plant some flowers! "The Farmer Plants the Seeds" prompts you to go through the process of growing flowers while also allowing time to self-regulate. I pair the lyrics with stretching moves such as:
a. Reach down low by your feet to plant the seeds.
b. Sprinkle rain on your seeds by stretching your arms over your head and back down to your side.
c. Stretch your arms up high to give your seeds the sunlight they need.
d. Move your arms from side to side as your seeds sprout and the roots stretch far and wide.
e. Take a deep breath in to smell those flowers in bloom and let it out. Repeat.
5. “What a Wonderful World” Songbook
Skill Area Addressed: Cognition
This springtime list would certainly not be complete without the classic, “What a Wonderful World” most popularly sung by Louis Armstrong. Although this song is over 50 years old, it carries wonderful and important ideas about our human senses, color identification, celebrating diversity, socialization, and expression. This songbook illustrates all of those ideas beautifully.