Early Childhood Education/Early Years (Including emergency settings)

Types of songs/rhymes to be locally sourced

Each community will have songs, rhymes  and games which are used to teach children about the community and the environment they are living in. New songs/rhymes may be needed to explain the world children find themselves in.

Look for songs, rhymes  and games in the local language which are used for teaching language, social skills, how to do things, counting, concept and motor development, (small and large muscle development) hygiene, anticipation and prediction, self control, following Instructions.These can be recorded locally and shared between mobile phones without using wifi, via for example, the  USTAD sharing software. (https://www.ustadmobile.com/lms/).

Below we give examples from the English language.

Songs for Counting: eg 12345 Once I caught a fish alive, One man went to mow, Ten green bottles, 5 little speckled frogs (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Little_Speckled_Frogs), one two buckle my shoe, ten little monkeys jumping on the bed.

Songs/rhymes for Concept and motor development:

- up and down eg The Grand Old Duke of York, incy Wincey Spider, Hickory, dickory dock.

- Around and around e.g. The Wheels of the bus,

- Naming of parts e.g. heads, shoulders, knees and toes...

- Hygiene and how we do things e.g. Here we go around the mulberry bush.. wash our hands, brush our teeth, wash our face, brush our hair, jump on the spot etc etc

- Stimulating different movements as well as up/down and round and round e.g. I’m a little teapot, Row row row your boat, wind the bobbin up, Twinkle, twinkle little star

- Stimulating anticipation and prediction: e.g. round and round the garden went the teddy bear, peekaboo

Games for Language and social skills: e.g. turn taking - sit parents and child in a circle, take an object with a strong characteristic e.g. soft, fluffy, squishy etc say the word and pass

Games Self control: dead lions, having a trigger e.g. music stopping to reinforce ‘ stop’ concept, passing games

Games for following Instructions: e.g. music is played and then stopped and person in charge gives an instruction e.g. “ Hands in your head” etc

Language Games: e.g. I spy...something  which sounds like e.g. ‘me’, or starts with  <a letter sound> e.g. ‘b’...> < colour ie ‘is red’ >