Sing Through the Day!
After last week’s video in which I talked about the power of verses for easing transitions with children, I had many requests this week to share more verses.
So this week, here are five verses that can be sung during transition times throughout the day. I have printed the words to each below, and you can watch the video to learn the tunes.
And here is a link to an excellent article on how singing to children helps develop language skills. So sing, sing, sing through your days! (Even if you think you can’t.)
I hope you’ll be inspired to incorporate some of these into your days with children.
Good Morning Song
Good morning, dear earth
Good morning, dear sun
Good morning, dear resting stones
And beasts on the run
Good morning, dear flowers
And birds in the trees
Good morning to you, good morning to me!
Clean Up Time
Tick-tock goes the clock
What does it have to say?
Time for us to pick up our toys
and put them all away
(Can be repeated until all the toys are picked up and the room is tidy.)
Folding Laundry
Corner to corner
Meet and greet
Fold our cloth so nice and neat!
(As above, can be repeated until laundry is done.)
Meal Time
Blessings on the blossoms
Blessings on the roots
Blessings on the leaves and stems
Blessings on the fruit
(I always sang this twice with gestures.)
Good-Bye Song
Dear friends, goodbye
Dear friends, goodbye
Now is the time of day
When we all go our way
Dear friends, goodbye
Dear friends, goodbye
Go well and safely
Go well and safely
Go well and safely
Our love be ever with you
Thanks to all of you who shared your favorite verses, blessings, and prayers for children, many of which I’d never heard before. All were delightful. Please keep posting and sharing!
15 Comments
Thank you Sarah, this is so helpful! I’m practicing the good morning verse to sing to my daughter tomorrow 🙂
This is lovely, Sarah, for sharing the songs and lyrics! Such lovely inspiration for bringing singing into the home!
Simply lovely. Once again I adore the simple nurturing engergy of these verses. The gestures are great and really help be recall the words.
Thank you for sharing your. I really love watching and reading you Blog.
Until
Next time.
Do you have a verse or song for potty / diaper changes? My girl screams and hollers whenever it is time. She is almost 3yrs old. I at least have to change her diaper, it would be nice if it isn’t ear piercing several times a day.
Thank you
You know, I don’t Jackie. Though I never changed diapers in the programs I was teaching, we did, of course, have potty time. I will ask my colleagues who are LifeWays caregivers. I’m sure they will have some to share. Any readers out there have a diaper changing potty time to share?
Diaper change verse From Clyde and Wendy Watson, “Catch Me and Kiss Me and Say It Again”–“Coccalolly bumkin, my poppet, my pet, must have fallen in the duckpond to get THIS wet! A nickel for a nappy, a penny for a pin, to wrap dear coccalolly bumkin in.”
Darling! Thanks for sharing, Sue.
Hi Jackie,
I have used a number of touching games with my sons during diaper changes to make it fun for them.
Are you familiar with “Round and round the haystack goes the little mouse? One step, two step, in his little house!” You can do this around the belly button and then do the steps up her belly and tuck your finger into her armpit.
There’s another variation: “Round and round the playground goes the teddy bear. One step, two step, tickly under there!” There’s also “This little piggy” or “This little cow eats grass” – I do these several times, with lots of loving attention and eye contact to get them involved and dissipate any anxiety or upset over diaper changing.
Then I like to tell him what I’m doing – “It’s time to change your diaper now, would you like to help me?” My younger son is 2 and a quarter right now, and he really enjoys being helpful in the process. It never goes as well when I am in a hurry and have to rush through it. So, try to allow plenty of time and then say, “Would you like to undo your diaper, or should I do it? Can you hold this wipe for mommy?, etc.”
I sing fun songs during the diaper change – “If You’re Happy and You Know It” gets him clapping, and then you can do, a verse, “If you’re silly and you know it, make a silly face” and you can make all sorts of silly faces for them! This gets them distracted if it’s actually the wiping that they don’t enjoy/ keeps busy hands occupied. When it’s time to re-dress, I really make it silly. “Is there a mouse in your sock?” And I peek my nose in and see if there is and “Ouch! It bit me!” He thinks this is so funny. Then, in goes your foot! And I let him really put the foot in himself.
All of these silly little touching games, dressing himself, singing, really takes no more than 20 seconds more than it normally would. Because, honestly, if they are upset and screaming, it takes forever anyways, plus your ears hurt!
There are lots of great ideas for dressing toddlers and joyful living with toddlers and preschoolers at Faith Baldwin’s website: http://www.joyfultoddlers.com. I have taken her teleclass with my older son and found it quite valuable! Hope this helps!
Oh, yes, these are all great suggestions, Michelle. Thank you for sharing!
Touching games are perfect for diaper changing. I used to do “Round and Round the Garden” with the toddlers in my Parent/Child classes. Goes to show you how long it’s been since I’ve worked with the diaper set, that these ideas didn’t come to me immediately.
Singing and using humor during diapering and toileting are great tools for making these transitions go more smoothly. Letting a child know what you’re about to do conveys respect for the child, and is inspired by the work of Emmi Pickler and Magda Gerber, founders of RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers), a great resource for parents and teachers of infants and toddlers. http://www.rie.org
Thank you for the suggestions!
I had done that with my oldest, but I guess all the screaming from my little one just got me all flustered and I just forgotten how to have fun with her during these times. Thank you!
We just started saying the bedtime verse you shared last time, 2 nights ago. I light each of my boys candles, we say the verse, then they take their candles to their rooms. After Daddy and I finish the rest of the bedtime routine and good nights they blow out their candles. They love it! So thank you for the inspiration! I really like the laundry one you shared this time. That will be the next one we start.
You are so welcome, Angela! Nothing makes me happier than to read comments like yours. Wishing you and your children many sweet goodnights!
These are so helpful! Thank you!!!
Do you have any songs or suggestions for transitioning into a quiet time? Our quiet time (at home, kids ages 7-2) is after lunch and I try to give everyone some separate space to play quietly.
Do your children rest between lunch and quiet time, Shannon? If so, you could use the verse I shared in last week’s video for rest time/bedtime (“Now the Sun Has Gone to Bed.” You could also take 5-10 minutes after lunch for a quiet time (lying on the floor, or snuggled on the sofa or armchair) and gently play a kinder harp or lyre, which is so calming and soothing, before transitioning to quiet play.