The Song Bag

We do a lot of singing in our home.  Boy and Girl have both really enjoyed music since being tiny and so I often do music activities with them.  Many people shy away from singing because they feel embarrassed (and I totally understand this feeling) but your children will not even notice if your singing is not world class!

I have a special bag which I take into nursery with me when I go to do music activities with the children there.  It's a really simple idea and one which anyone can do at home.  It makes the activity more interesting and interactive too.  In my bag are a number of toys and other items which relate to different songs.

'Three Brown Teddies Sitting on a Wall.'  A great song for simple numeracy.  I throw each teddy into the air when it 'accidentally falls'.

This one needs no explanation!  You could use a bus toy or a picture instead.

'I can sing a Rainbow.'  A lovely song for talking about all the different colours.  You can get hold of ribbons like this from your local market or somewhere like Boyes.  They cost only a few pence each.  You could easily use a clip art picture of a rainbow or a photograph if you prefer.

I got this book from ELC when Boy was very young.  There are a couple of other ones for different rhymes.  You could make little finger puppets of your own using pictures and strips of card or just use some photos or a book with animal pictures in it.

'Little Peter Rabbit' or 'Little Bunnies Sleeping'.  A nice one to link in with Easter.  These are just a small selection of the different 'props' I use.  I try to stick with the same ones for a little while and gradually introduce new ones.  I throw in some 'prop free' songs usually too.

Why not put together a singing bag of your own?  Choose some songs and then work backwards, find objects or toys which link to your songs.  Feel free to ask me for further ideas if you want to.