Minibeasts Level: Key Stage 1 - Skills & games

Little Bird, Little Bird (rhythm, pulse)

This is a chant for practising walking in time. I was surprised, when I first started teaching, to discover how difficult some children find walking in time! You'll probably need to do this truly 'one step at a time'! Don't forget that it's easier for the children to copy you if you are in a row or if you have your back to them so that they can match your left and right. We walked on the spot here but, if you have enough space, let the children follow you in a line, like ducklings. Here's me getting my right and left feet muddled up!

• Little bird (left, right)
• Little bird (left, right)
• Left your nest (left, right)
• Was it right? (left, right)
• __
• Little bird (left, right)
• Little bird (left, right)
• Came back home (left, right)
• In the night (left, right)

Little Bird Tabla Drumming

The tabla is a traditional pair of Indian hand drums. The two tabla drums make a different sound not only from each other, but also depending on where on the skin they are struck with the fingers. When tabla players learn to play, they are taught to associate the sounds of the drum with vocal sounds such as 'din' and 'dah'.

If you are lucky enough to have a pair of tabla, the children can practise playing Little with left hand (two taps) and bird with right hand (one tap). Any two, different size drums can make a satisfactory substitute. While one child plays the drums, all the other children can practise using the correct hands by tapping gently on knees.

In the video the child is playing the tabla and the other instrument is the harmonium, a keyboard instrument (see player's right hand) powered by bellows (player's left hand).