I wrote this short and simple song many years ago, and it
remains a favorite with children 2-5 years old. Use your favorite animal
puppets, and manipulate them as the song indicates. Children follow along. I
sing the song four times through with different puppets, inviting the children
to sing along. About the third time you can tell the children the next animal
is really tricky. Pause before you say the last word “down”, and tell the
children to listen VERY carefully, and not sit down until you say “down”. They
love the element of surprise, and will want to do it again and again.
ALTERNATE: You can also give each child a
puppet, and all of the puppets can do the movements ( in that case, you could
change the lyric of “kitty cat” to “my friend.”)
You will notice that the recorded song is fairly slow. That is to allow young
children enough time to follow the movements. There is also a little extra
time built in so younger children have enough time to stand up. If you are singing
a cappella, be sure to follow their lead, and sing slowly enough for their
physical ability level.
NOTE:
You can learn the song and sing it a cappella, use the recorded vocal version,
or sing along with the instrumental version, using a different puppet each
time.
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