Music time should be fun — for you and the children. Different classes respond differently to music, and the most important skill is knowing when to adapt.
Setup
- ✓ Arrange children in a circle with adequate space for movement.
- ✓ Use a taped circle on the floor as a visual guide.
- ✓ Signal the start of music time with a consistent opening song — children quickly learn what it means.
- ✓ Follow with an activity song featuring clapping, shaking, and movement to get energy flowing.
Classroom Management
- ✓ Designate a rotating "music helper" each day.
- ✓ Have the helper sit consistently on the same side to prevent disputes.
- ✓ Give the helper responsibilities: choosing a song, wearing a special necklace, distributing instruments.
- ✓ Have a plan — and be ready to abandon it if the songs you've chosen aren't working!
💡 Strategy for Hard Days
When children lack focus or energy is low, reach for “books that sing” — picture books where the text is a song everyone already knows. The familiarity is instantly calming.
- 📗 Old MacDonald's Farm
- 📗 Go Tell Aunt Rhody (illustrated by Aliki)
- 📗 The Farmer in the Dell (illustrated by Kathy Parkinson)
- 📗 Lizard's Song — George Shannon
- 📗 Spider on the Floor (illustrated by True Kelley)
- 📗 Mama Don't Allow — Thacher Hurd
- 📗 Down By the Bay (illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott)
- 📗 Mother Hubbard's Cupboard (illustrated by Laura Rader)
- 📗 Old Mother Hubbard and her Wonderful Dog (illustrated by James Marshall)
- 📗 Oh A Hunting We Will Go — John Langstaff
And always: recycle songs you know!
Recommended Books for Teachers
Wee Sing series
Collections organized by genre: lullabies, silly songs, camp songs, multicultural
A Song is a Rainbow
by Patty Zeitlin
Comprehensive preschool music guide
Your Baby Needs Music
by Barbara Cass-Beggs
Infant and toddler resource
Musical Games, Fingerplays, and Rhythmic Activities for Early Childhood
by Marian Wirth et al.