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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Teacher Tuesday: top 5 silly songs to sing with kids

As the end of the school year approaches, one of my favorite activities to incorporate in my lessons is silly songs. Silly songs keep students engaged, motivated, and happy. It just feels good to sing joyfully with friends! Here are my top 5 favorite silly songs that my students consistently love. Click on the title of each one to see and/or hear the song.


1. Pizza Daddy-O 

I usually use this one with 2nd grade, when they are not too self-conscious yet about the boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but self-aware enough that they think it's hilarious. We sing it while jumping, crossing and uncrossing our legs with our hands on our hips, on "Pizza, Pizza, Daddy-O", and doing the appropriate dance moves on the various "Let's ____ it" lines.

2. Bazooka Bubble Gum

I use this one with kindergarten and 1st grade. It's a great way to review the concept of echo songs, and the kids think it's hilarious! 

3. Boom Chicka Boom

I like to use this song with kindergarten to teach echo songs, and then bring it back in the older grades to introduce variations. There are endless versions you can do, depending on your school setting! My kids especially love the cleaning version (I said-a broom, chicka, mop-a, chicka, mop-a, chicka broom!) and the baby version (I said-a poop chicka, waaah chicka waaaah chicka poop!). Again, the motions are what take this song over the top.

4. Baby Shark

This was a new one for me this year. I've used it with 4th grade and up and they all love it! It's fun because it's beach-themed too :) I've changed the ending so that after the lifeguard performs CPR we sing, "catch my breath" (and the doo doo part is said while sharply inhaling), then "never going back" while running away looking terrified!

5. Oh Me, Oh My

This is one of those songs that the kids think is waaaaay funnier than I do. I don't fully understand its power but I just go with it! I use this in kindergarten but I bring it back in 3rd and 4th grade to talk about writing lyrics and variations. This is another great song to add new verses to. I've had students come up with things like, "you don't need a cucumber to make a sandwich", and "you don't need a violin to dance dubstep". It's an easy way for kids to get creative and they love coming up with their own "jokes"!

I could go on for days, but those are some of my students' favorite silly songs. What are yours?

8 comments :

  1. some of these look very exhausting for an old lady music teacher to do! do you buy a cd with the songs or do you play the video?? do YOU do all the actions? do the kids sing the words?

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    1. Haha yes, I suppose these songs do require a good bit of moving around! :) I am pretty active in my teaching so yes, I do all of the motions and sing, and I make the students do both as well :) I don't generally play videos to introduce songs to the students- I just use them for my own reference. You could definitely use the videos to show the students though, if you have difficulty doing all of the motions yourself! You can also do most of them with just hand motions and facial expressions and still get the full effect of silliness. I hope you try some of them out!

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  2. I love Down By the Bay. The kids love to make up new verses. So funny. I use it in 2nd grade.

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  3. I love to have the kids make new verses as well! It is such a great song.

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  4. I just read this and I love the sharp breathing at the end of Baby Shark! Great way to utilize this as a warm up with purpose. Thank you!

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  5. Any suggestions for older elementary?

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    1. Great question! Camp songs are great for silly songs that upper elementary will like! But Bump Up Tomato is a favorite, as are nonsense/ tongue-twister songs like Ging Gang Goolie.

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