October
19
Putting it to music
I’m thoroughly enjoying one class of five-year-olds this year and I think it’s all because of the power of song. Teaching VYLs is all about just letting go of your inhibitions and playing a part – whether that part is singer, entertainer or teacher depends on the activity.
I’m not going to start posting recordings of the songs I’m doing in class, but so far we’ve done one with colours and we’re just learning one with numbers 1-10. I also don’t think I’ll be releasing an album anytime soon, as most of my material is vague covers of already popular nursery rhymes!
Oooh, over the years I have made up plenty of songs to tunes like Twinkle Twinkle, Polly Put the kettle on, The Farmer’s in the den, Frere Jacques etc! The kids find them easier to sing to if theyr ecognise the tune, and if you haven’t got a CD it’s always better to sing something you know so you don’t get it wrong. I used to be very reluctant to sing in front of a class but now I love it, especially when they all join in!