ENGLISH Chants
The following is some chants for teaching English for young learners. They are great helps for young learners in learning English. I have made use some of them when I was a teacher at Satit Bilingual School of Rangsit University Thailand, in the same time when I was doing my Masters program in Bilingual Education. Enjoy. (rina)
Good Morning!
(clapping your hands)
Good morning!
How are you?
It’s nice to see you today!
(I use this at the beginning of Story Time each day to mark the transition from play time to time to listen to the teacher.)
2 Little Blackbirds
Two Little Blackbirds, (hold up 2 fingers)
Sitting on a hill, (bunch fingers together and put each hand on a respective shoulder)
One named Jack (move right hand in front of you)
One named Jill (move left hand in front of you)
Fly away Jack (make right hand “fly” behind your back)
Fly away Jill (make left hand “fly” behind your back)
Come back Jack (bring right hand forward again)
Come back Jill! (bring left hand forward again)
Where is Thumbkin?
Where is thumbkin? Where is thumbkin?
Here I am! Here I am!
How are you today, sir?
Very well thank you!
Run away! Run away!
Open and Shut
Open them, shut them, (open and shut your hands accordingly)
Open them, shut them,
Give a little clap! (open and shut hands quickly, clap your hands on the word clap)
Open them, shut them,
Open them, shut them,
Put them on your lap! Open and shut hands quickly, (put your hands in your lap)
Traffic Lights
The red at the top,
Tells us to stop.
The green down below,
Tells us to go.
The yellow in the middle,
Tells us to wait.
But please don’t worry,
We won’t be late!
(I used a traffic light I made out of stiff paper to help demonstrate this chant)
Butterfly
Butterfly, butterfly, (make you hands into a butterfly and fly them around)
Flying, flying up to the sky!
Butterfly, butterfly,
Landing on my _______________! (insert names of various body parts as you put your hands on them)
10 Little Fingers
(hold up and count each finger as you go)
1 little, 2 little, 3 little fingers,
4 little, 5 little, 6 little fingers,
7 little, 8 little, 9 little fingers,
10 fingers in a row!
(later, when their counting skills are more advanced, you can recite the chant backwards…10 little, 9 little, 8 little fingers….etc.)
I’m Happy!
(as you say each line, change your face and voice to match the emotion)
I’m happy, I’m happy,
I’m really, really happy!
I’m sad, I’m sad,
I’m really sad!
I’m angry, I’m angry,
I’m really, really angry!
I’m bored, I’m bored,
I’m really, really bored!
I’m scared, I’m scared,
I’m really, really scared!
I’m surprised, I’m surprised,
I’m really, really surprised!
Brush Your teeth
You eat breakfast in the morning, then what do you do?
You brush your teeth, sh sh sh, you brush your teeth, sh sh sh
You eat lunch in the afternoon, then what do you do?
You brush your teeth, sh sh sh, you brush your teeth, sh sh sh
You eat your dinner in the afternoon, then what do you do?
You brush your teeth, sh sh sh, you brush your teeth, sh sh sh
You go to sleep at night, then what do you do?
You brush your teeth, sh sh sh, you brush your teeth, sh sh sh
I Like To Eat
I like to eat, eat, apples and bananas,
Apples, and bananas, apples and bananas!
I like to eat, eat, apples and bananas,
Going on a Bear Hunt
I'm going on a bear hunt
I'm going on a bear hunt
I'm not afraid!
Are you afraid?
What's that up ahead?
It's a great big tree
Can we go under it?
Can we go through it?
I guess we will have to climb over it!
(Make motions with arms like climbing)
Whoo! That was hard work. (Wipe forehead)
I'm going on a bear hunt.
I'm going on a bear hunt.
I'm not afraid.
Are you afraid?
What's that up ahead?
It's a river!
Can we go over it?
Can we go under it?
I guess we will have to swim through it!
(motion with arms like your swimming)
Whoo! that was hard work.
I'm going on a bear hunt.
I'm going on a bear hunt.
I'm not afraid.
Are you afraid?
What's that up ahead?
It's a deep dark cave!
Can we go over it?
Can we go under it?
I think we are going to have to go in it.
Shh!
(tip toe)
I feel something furry!!
It has a big nose!!
Turn on your flashlight.
IT IS A BEAR!!!!
Run out of the cave
Swim back through the river
Climb back over the tree
Go into the house and slam the door. BAM!!
I wasn't afraid. Were you?
A Walk in the Jungle
Giraffe are tall, with necks so long. (Stand on tip toes; raise arms high up into air.)
Elephants' trunks are big and strong. (Make trunk with hand and arm.)
Zebras have stripes and can gallop away, (Gallop around in a circle.)
While monkeys in the trees do sway. (Sway back and forth.)
Old crocodile swims in a pool so deep, (Pretend to swim.)
Or lies in the sun and goes to sleep. (Lay head on hands and close eyes.)
Potato Chips
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Turn around!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch the ground!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch your shoe!
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
How old are you?!?!
1…2…3!!!
Little Bunny FooFoo
Little Bunny Foo Foo hoppin' through the forest, scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' em on the head.(Spoken in normal tone)And down came the Blue Fairy, and she said:Little Bunny Foo Foo I don't want to see you scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' em on the head.(Spoken in normal tone)And now I'll give you three chances, and if you keep it up, I'll turn you into a goon.Little Bunny Foo Foo kept hoppin' through the forest, kept scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' em on the head.(Spoken in normal tone)And down came the Blue Fairy, and she said:Little Bunny Foo Foo I don't want to see you scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' em on the head.(Spoken in normal tone)And now I'll give you two more chances, and if you do that again, I'll turn you into a goon.Little Bunny Foo Foo kept hoppin' through the forest, kept scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' em on the head.And down came the Blue Fairy, and she said:Little Bunny Foo Foo I don't want to see you scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' em on the head.(Spoken in normal tone)And now I'll give you one more chance, and if you keep it up, I'll turn you into a goon.Little Bunny Foo Foo kept hoppin' through the forest, kept scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' em on the head.(Spoken in normal tone)And down came the Blue Fairy, and she said:Little Bunny Foo Foo I don't want to see you scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' em on the head.(Spoken in normal tone)You disobeyed me three times, so now POOF! you are a GOON!
All The Fish
All the fish are swimming in the water, (put hands together and make a fish swimming)
Swimming in the water, swimming in the water. (make swimming motions)
All the fish are swimming in the water, (make fish with hands)
Bubble, bubble, bubble,…SPLASH! (make bubbles with hands then clap when you say splash)
Small, small fish are swimming in the water,
Swimming in the water, swimming in the water.
Small, Small fish are swimming in the water,
Bubble, bubble, bubble,…SPLASH!
Big, big fish are swimming in the water,
Swimming in the water, swimming in the water.
Big, big fish are swimming in the water,
Bubble, bubble, bubble,…SPLASH!
In A Cabin by the Woods
In a cabin by the woods
(draw a square in the air with your fingers)
A little old man by the window stood
(make circles, like binoculars, with your hands and put up to your eyes)
Saw a rabbit hopping by
(two fingers in the air, like a V, moving your hand up and down)
Knocking at his door
(knocking motion with one fist)
"Help me! Help me! Help!" he cried
(fling hands in the air three times)
For the hunter shoot me down
(thumb up, index finger pointing like a gun with both hands and move up and down)
Little rabbit come inside
(move one hand in a circlular motion towards yourself as if you're beckoning someone to come to you)
Safely you may hide
(rock your arms like you're rocking a baby)
(The fun thing about his song is that you keep repeating it, but at each line, you just hum the tune and do the hand motions.
So the second time you sing it, you don't say "In a cabin by the woods", you just hum it and make the hand gesture.
The third time, you leave out both 1st and 2nd lines (humming only) do just the hand gesture, sing the rest.
You keep going until there are no words, just humming and gestures.)
1, 2, Buckle My Shoe
1, 2 - Buckle my shoe
3, 4 - Open the door
5, 6 - Pick up sticks
7, 8 - Lay them straight
9, 10 - A big fat hen!
Shape Chant
One square, two squares,
This is what we call a pair.
Three rectangles on the floor,
Four triangles, count some more.
Five circles all around.
Here's a star that I have found!
Hexagon I can hop
Octogon means STOP!
Oval,
Diamond
And a heart.
Now let's go back to the start.....
If I Were…
If I were an astronaut, (Crouch down close to the ground, pretending to be in a space shuttle.)
What would I do?
Blast off to the moon, (Jump up as high as possible.)
Then look down at you. (Hold hand above eyes and look down.)
If I were a baker (Pretend to put on apron.)
What would I do?
Bake lots of cookies (Make a circle with hands.)
For me and you. (Point to self and a friend.)
If I were a dentist, (Look in friend's mouth.)
What would I do?
I'd clean your teeth (Pretend to clean friend's teeth.)
Because that's good for you!
If I were a farmer, (Pretend to remove hat; wipe forehead.)
What would I do?
I'd rise up early every day, (Yawn and stretch.)
And milk the cows for you. (Pretend to drink glass of milk.)
If I were a pilot, (Pretend to fly.)
What would I do?
I 'd climb into the cockpit, (Pretend to climb into cockpit.)
And fly my plane for you.
If I were a secretary, (Pretend to type.)
What would I do?
Answer the phone, (Pretend to hold phone to ear.)
Saying, "How do you do?"
Who Took the Cookies?
Class: Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?
Teacher: [Student's name] took the cookies from the cookie jar!
[Student]: Who, me?
Class: Yes, you.
[Student]: Couldn't be.
Class: Then who?
[Student]: [Next student's name] took the cookies from the cookie jar!
[Next student]: Who, me?
Continue in pattern
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Rain, rain, go away!
Come again another day.
Rain, rain, go away!
Little [insert student's name] wants to play.
