Fall Literacy Songs with Music and Movement Activities

Fall is here and it’s time for fall literacy songs with music and movement activities for circle time, literacy centers and music class.

This is a teaching tutorial and not meant for children, kids or students.

I’m sharing how to incorporate music and movement into your fall literacy learning activities.

In this post I’ll be sharing ways that all early childhood teachers and moms can teach fall literacy songs and poems to improve musical, physical, language and creative skills.

There’s many reasons you want to use thematic songs to help children make connections between ideas, vocabulary and musical concepts as well as seasons, animals and math concepts.

Singing and moving together in music class helps build your classroom or group community and boosts social-emotional skills by encouraging cooperation and participation in these activities.

I hope you get some fun ideas from this blog post!

LISTEN ON THE SING PLAY CREATE PODCAST

WHY PHYSICAL MOVEMENT IS IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP LITERACY SKILLS

Let’s get the children moving to encourage their physical development. And doing the movement to the song or poem is also a good transition activity.

Here’s a couple of ideas to encourage fine and gross motor muscle development and practice reading and decoding skills.

Here’s some tips from the video!

1-Begin with free movement.  Play the song or say the poem and ask the children to show the words. Be sure to define their personal space.  If it’s the first time you are doing this, you may want to move along with them to encourage them to move freely.  After a couple of times, they’ll be able to do it without your help.

2-I’m using this song or poem I wrote that can be found in the FALL LITERACY PACKET and on any of your favorite music channels.

“TOSS THE LEAVES”

As you teach the words to the song, have the children use their hands and fingers to clap the sounds of the words back to you.

1. Fine Motor movement: Try clapping the words, tapping with fingers, tapping head, tapping shoulders, tapping bellies, patting knees.
2. Gross Motor movement: Use the whole body to show the movement of the words.

3-BUILD COMMUNITY: “IT’S FALL”

(A FREE MUSIC ACTIVITY SONG FOR SUBSCRIBERS TO THE NEWSLETTER-LINK BELOW)

1. Teach the song using a movement option.
2. Move or sing the song as children hold hands and walk in a circle.
3. At the end of the song, jump into the circle and pretend to toss leaves.
4. You can do this with a scarf or premade leaf shapes too.

LESSON ACTIVITY IDEAS

Sing the songs.

Wave a scarf.

Wave and toss premade leaves.

Use the songs in circle time.

Sing the songs and color and cut out leaves. Learn about colors in fall.

Sing the songs as children hold hands and walk in a circle. At the end of the song, jump and pretend to toss leaves. You can do this with a scarf or premade leaf shapes too.

Children will love to sing these songs with movement. Try adding in some movement components after they learn the songs.

QUICK MOVEMENT IDEAS

Encourage the children to show you their own movements.

Wiggle fingers to show leaves are falling.

Spin around and fall to the ground like a leaf falling.

Sway like leaves blowing in the wind.

Jump into a pile of leaves.

Have a “Fall Leaf” party dance

ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY

Pretend play is a fun way to help children develop their creativity.

You can use Vivaldi’s Fall (Op. 8, No. 3) (LINK IN THE DESCRIPTION)

This activity can also be used with scarves.

Gather the children together in a circle or in a space.

Have the children move freely when the music plays and follow directions when the music stops.

Play the music for about 20-30 seconds then give them an action to perform.

Then repeat the cycle for about 5-8 minutes.

Here’s some ideas!

• Fall to the ground like a leaf.
• Lie on the ground like an acorn.
• Jump over the leaves on the ground.
• Catch the falling leaves.
• Toss the leaves.
• Rake up the leaves.
• Twirl like a leaf.

End the movement with a transition movement activity.

After doing the big movements, have them sit or lie on the floor and only use their fingers to move like a leaf.

Tell them when the music stops it’s time for winter and everyone goes to sleep.

DEVELOP MUSICALLY & MAKE CROSS CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

Here’s some ideas to use this song in the music classroom.

SING THE SONG

TEACH THE LYRICS USING ONE OF THE MOVEMENT AND LITERACY IDEAS

“I’m a Little Leaf”

Sung to “I’m a Little Tea Pot”

SONG IS IN THE SEPTEMBER SONGS AND POEMS LITERACY ACTIVITIES PACKET

I’m a little leaf up in the tree.

Watch me flutter in the breeze.

This way, that way, up and down.

Now I’m falling to the ground.

FALL SOUNDS EXPLORATION using these events.

LEAVES

WIND

FALLING/SWIRLING/MOVING

1-Gather assorted rhythm instruments (e.g., tambourines, shakers, rain sticks, hand drums, xylophones)

2-Gather and discuss the changes that happen in the fall (leaves falling, wind blowing, rain showers)

ACTIVITY #1

1. Place instruments out on the floor and have the children take turns playing them. 
2. “What do you hear?”  What does this sound like?  (SHOW THE INSTRUMENT AND ASK THE QUESTION) Discuss if the sounds are like leaves, wind or rain.
3. Play the instruments with any of the fall songs. Use different instruments for different lines of the song.  Give an instrument to a group. Have that group play on their line.

ACTIVITY #2 

1-Teacher asks which instrument sounds like the …….. leaves/wind/rain?  

2-As the children take turns, the other children can have a scarf and wave their scarf to show what the leaves/wind or rain looks and feels like.

3- Sing the song and play instruments as in the other activity.

EXAMPLE:

(LEAF SOUNDS)

 I’m a little leaf up in the tree.

(WIND SOUNDS)

Watch me flutter in the breeze.

(LEAF & WIND SOUNDS)

This way, that way,

up and down.

(FALLING SOUNDS)

Now I’m falling

to the ground. (STOP ON WORD GROUND)

I love these types of activities and know that they are effective ways to teach young children about fall, their body, working together and having a musical experience.

Be sure to get the FREE FALL ACTIVITIES for your literacy and music lessons!

MORE FALL LITERACY AND MUSIC ACTIVITIES

READ THESE FALL ACTIVITY BLOG POSTS

How to Teach Fun Turkey Fingerplays

How to Teach Fun Turkey Fingerplays

10 Christmas Songs and Fingerplays for Children

10 Christmas Songs and Fingerplays for Children

Fall Literacy Songs with Music and Movement Activities

Fall Literacy Songs with Music and Movement Activities

Halloween Songs and Poems for Children

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Fall Songs and Poems for Children

Fall Songs and Poems for Children

Pirate Music and Movement Activities for Children

Pirate Music and Movement Activities for Children

I hope you’ll give these activities a try with your children.

Let’s keep kids learning and moving with music.

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