Pets & Other Animals Level: Early Grades - Songs & chants

Pass the Animals Round the Ring

Everyone sit in a circle. Have several plush animals in front of you, fewer animals than children. First, go through who the animals are: Who is this? ... Yes it's Froggy! The children need to know what each animal is before you begin. Pass an animal to each child, one at a time, ask in a sing-song voice 'Who's got the elephant?' and model how to reply, 'I've got the elephant'.

Next teach the song a bit at a time, using First Me, Then You. When the song is known, pass one animal to the child on your right, who passes it to the next child, and so on. When you can see that the first animal is moving round, pass another one. If your group is around 15 children you need maybe 7 animals, otherwise you'll find one child holding onto a whole zoo! Before starting each new verse, it helps the children to start all together if you first sing, Ready! on the note you'll begin with. Here are a few favorite characters from my plush animal collection:

• Pass the animals round the ring
• round the ring
• round the ring
• Pass the animals round the ring
• And then STOP
• Teacher: Who's got the tiger?
• Child: I've got the tiger

This was the children's first attempt. The song quickly became their favorite and they organised it for themselves when I wasn't there!

Here's the Froggy Again!

The children can do actions to this little song. If you can use an outdoor space the children can be spread out. In a hall, each child can have a hula-hoop 'water lily' to sit in and do their hopping and jumping.

• A little frog in the pond am I
• Hippety hippety hop
• And I can jump in the air so high
• Hippety hippety hop