I have yet to meet a 3 year old who did not enjoy a good silly song.  Silly kids songs may seem just that – silly.  But in fact, they are actually a wonderful way for kids to learn.  I know, it sounds ridiculous.  How is an Old Lady who Swallows a Fly teaching my child anything (besides questionable eating choices)?  Here’s my thinking ….

One of the very first things I was taught in Teacher’s College was in order for learning to take place, children must be engaged in what they are doing.  Here is what I take this to mean:

1. A child must be interested and focused to begin learning an idea,
2. A child must be participating and playing to begin to understand an idea,
3. A child must be creating and exploring to understand that idea deeper,
4. and finally a child must explain and extend the idea to fully understand.

Silly songs are a great way for all of these steps of learning and understanding to take place.  While we sing:

1. At first Sammy hears a silly song – likes it because it is funny – so is focused and interested
2. Next, he starts to sing along (participating).  You know these silly kids songs – the ones that get stuck in your head so you are singing them even when no kids are near?  Good luck trying NOT to sing along!
3. After, we start adding our own words and verses following the rules of the song (creating and exploring).  Even though the songs are silly, they do generally follow rules (certain words rhyme, the next animal must be bigger, and so on)
4. Finally, Sammy understands the rules of the song well enough that he is making up his own verses and singing (loudly) to anyone who cares to listen (extending).

Silly Kids Songs are a great way for wee ones to begin understanding and thinking about their world.  These songs introduce ideas that even very young children understand are unusual, unlikely, or even impossible.  They also help wee ones learn about rhyming and poems.  These songs almost always follow a pattern which helps wee ones develop reasoning and ordering too.

Most importantly they are just plain fun.  Dancing and singing along to Silly Kids Songs is a great way to turn a day that started gray into a bright one (for Mama too).

Here are some of our Favourite Silly Kids Songs:

Do Your Ears Hang Low

Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot?
Can you tie them in a bow?
Do you throw them over your shoulders,
like a continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?

This Old Man

This old man, he played one
He played knick-knack on my thumb
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played two
He played knick-knack on my shoe
With a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

(three-knee, four-door, five-beehive, six-sticks, seven-heaven, eight-gate, nine-line, ten-he played knick-knack once again)

Michael Finnegan

There was a man
named Michael Finnegan
He had whiskers
on his chin-again
They fell out
and then grew in again.
Poor old Michael Finnegan.
Begin again!

There was a man
named Michael Finnegan
He went fishing with a pin-again
Caught a fish
and dropped it in again
Poor old Michael Finnegan
Begin again!

There Was an Old Lady

There was an Old Lady who swallowed a Fly,
I don’t know why she swallowed that fly – perhaps she’ll die.

There was an Old Lady who swallowed a bird – oh my word! She swallowed a bird.  She swallowed the bird to catch the fly, I don’t know why she swallowed that fly, perhaps she’ll die.

There was an Old Lady who swallowed a cat – imagine that!  She swallowed a cat!  She swallowed the cat to catch the bird, she swallowed the bird to catch the fly, I don’t know why she swallowed that fly, perhaps she’ll die.

(And so on – we change the animals each time we sing!)

There are so many silly kids songs out there, these are just some of our favourites.  We also like to make up our own songs — which are really just rhyming words put into sentences (any sentence is fine, no need for it to make sense at our house!)

As a Mama I love learning that happens without much preparing on my part.  Silly kids songs are perfect.  All I need to do is start a song, make it as silly as possible, encourage some giggles and dance moves of course, and before I know it Sammy is ready for University.  Well … maybe we will wait till he can print his name on his own …

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