Chanting is fun! Just absolute fun!
Chanting can be introduced and enjoyed in a range of activities. For example a chant for children when on the swing is:
I'm swinging
I'm swinging
I'm swinging up so high!
Like a butterfly
If you are not a good singer - don't worry as you don't have to be.
Learning chants is great for children's language development, confidence, and discovering rhythm and rhyme.
Often done in a group with other children and adults chanting together gives a feeling of community.Below are some popular early childhood chants.
Clap hands (for infants)
Clap hands, Clap hands, till Mummy comes home
Clap hands, Clap hands, till Daddy comes home
Clap hands, Clap hands, till _____ comes home
Fruit haka (Māori)
Aporo, aporo
slapping your thighs
Panana, panana
slapping your elbows
Pītiti, pītiti
hands to your chest
Mereni, mereni
hands on back of thighs/buttocks
Repeat and end on "Mereni" x3.
Boom chica boom
I Said A Boom Chica Boom!
leader says and others repeat
I Said A Boom Chica Boom!
leader says and others repeat
I Said A Boom Chica Rocka Chica Rocka Chica Boom!
repeat
U-HUH
repeat
OH-YEA
repeat
One More Time
repeat
Baby Style!
I Said A Boom Chicka Boom!
repeat (Make a baby face and wave hands like a fidgety baby.)
I Said A Boom Chicka Boom!
repeat
I Said A Boom Chicka Rocka Chicka Rocka Chicka Boom!
repeat
WAA-WAA
repeat
GOO-GOO
repeat
One more time
repeat
Mary wore her red shoes
Mary wore her red shoes, red shoes, red shoes.
Mary wore her red shoes, all day long.
repeat inserting names of children and something they are wearing and colour of it
I'm a little hunk of tin
I'm a little hunk of tin
Nobody knows what shape I'm in
I've got 4 wheels and a running board
I ain't no Chevy and I ain't no Ford
Honk, honk, rattle, rattle, crash, beep-beep.
Honk, honk, rattle, rattle, crash, beep-beep.
(suitable for chanting while jogging around the bike or cart track to keep at the same pace or say while doing hand actions)
Hello, Hello
Hello
leader says first and others repeat following - waving
Nice day
repeat - smile
Pleased to meet you
repeat - shake each other's hands
Pleased to meet you too
repeat
Lets run
repeat - run on the spot
Lets play
repeat - any playing action
I will beat you
repeat - "I will beat you too"
Over there
repeat - run to wall
And back
repeat
Then we'll sing
repeat
and clap
repeat - clap
Watch me laugh
repeat - then make a laughing sound
and poke a face
repeat - everyone shows their funny face
Now we're friends
repeats - hold hands
Come and join us at Our Place
say together
The 3 Bears Jive
Rhythm 3/4 (2 claps and 1 beat of open palms on knees). This is a group jive and children and adults usually sit in a circle on the floor or on chairs.
Once upon a time in a nurs-ery-y rhyme there were 3 bears.
A mom-ma and a pop-pa and a wee bear.
They all went a walking and a-walking in the woods.
Along came a girl with long curly-y hair.
(low voice) Someone's been eating my por-ridge, said the poppa bear
echo: said the poppa bear
(higher voice) Someone's been eating my por-ridge, said the momma bear
echo: said the momma bear
(tiny voice) Hey Mom-ma 3 Bear said the little wee bear someone has been eating my porridge. Yeah!
Verses:
Someone's been sitting in my chair said the poppa bear, said the poppa bear
repeat for momma and for baby say "Someone has broken my chair. Yeah!
Someone's been sleeping in my bed said the poppa bear, said the poppa bear
repeat for momma and baby
Goldilocks woke up and broke up the party
Bye, bye, bye
Bye, bye, bye!
said the poppa bear
repeat verse for momma and baby
The children went a skipping
The children went a skipping, a skipping, a skipping
The children went a skipping upon a winter's day
Fa la la la la, fa la la la la la
The children went a skipping upon a winter's day
All in the group chant as they do the action stated. Ideas for next verses:
The children went a hopping ...
The children went a jumping ...
The children went a twirling ...
The children went .... on a winter or summer or autumn, or sunny, or cloudy .... day
