Preschool Music Program

10 easy lessons with songs, crafts and movement

By Heather MacNeil
preschooltoolkit.com

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

Guidelines for Preschool Music Program
Lessons are designed to be approximately 30 minutes long, but can easily be
adjusted to allow for available time frames.

Lessons flow from Lesson 1 to Lesson 10, with reference to a previous lesson in
some cases. Otherwise lessons can be stand-alone.

Traditional songs are included throughout the lessons and can be found on
YouTube. Song suggestions support the lessons with tempo and beat as well as
theme. You can substitute other songs that you prefer at any time.

Words such as rhythm, beat, and tempo are used in the program to help children
become familiar with musical terminology. Musical terms and their meanings can
be found in the appendix.

Lessons are divided into 4 segments as follows:

Warm-up: Children sit in a semi-circle or circle with the teacher. For larger
groups, a second semi-circle may be formed inside the first one. Sing nursery
rhymes or other familiar or traditional songs, or learn new songs. The teacher
may accompany the singing with guitar or keyboard, or incorporate finger play.

Music and Movement: Children play games accompanied by music, or sing songs
with lyrics that provide directions for movements. Children stand with sufficient
space between them in which to move when doing the actions.

Creative Arts: Music lessons are extended with arts and crafts. Instruments you
make with the children may be stored in the classroom for use during warm-up or
wrap-up segments in future lessons.

Wrap-up: Children return to the warm-up circle for a closing sing-song. The
teacher may accompany the singing with guitar, keyboard, or homemade
instruments, or incorporate finger play.

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 1

Warm-up

Down by the Bay

Alphabet Song

Start a conversation about music by asking: Where or when do we hear music?

What is your favorite song or favorite instrument?

Music and Movement

Hokey Pokey
Here We Go Loopy Lou

Creative Arts

Drum-Diddy-Drum

 Provide each child with a two-litre plastic ice cream container or coffee can
for a drum. Decorate drums with stickers or fringe, and add name tags.
Drums are played by tapping on the surface with the palms of the hands, or
by using craft sticks, wooden spoons or dowels as drumsticks. Store
drumsticks in the containers.

Wrap-up

Use homemade drums to accompany singing.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Merrily We Roll Along

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 2

Warm-up

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

This Old Man

Music and Movement

Introduce a variety of children’s instruments. Discuss how we help the instrument

to make its sound by plucking (strings), blowing (horn), tapping (sticks), or shaking
(bells). Each child chooses an instrument.

The Ants Go Marching

I’ve been working on the railroad

 March in a parade around the room with each child playing an instrument.

Creative Arts

Cut out pictures of instruments from magazines or catalogues to make a collage

on chart paper. As each child glues or tapes his picture to the collage he imitates
the sound of the instrument.

Wrap-up

Are You Sleeping Brother John

Alphabet Song

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 3

Warm-up

My Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear Turn Around

 Talk about how our voices and hands can be used to make music – i.e.
generate rhythm and musical sounds by chanting, clapping, and moving -
without the help of any other instrument such as a drum or guitar.

Music and Movement

The Bear Went over the Mountain

 Make a simple obstacle course with props for children to crawl over and
under as you sing: climb over large foam blocks; crawl under a low table.

Creative Arts

Provide paper and crayons and markers to draw pictures of bears. Refer to the
verses in the My Teddy Bear warm-up song for picture prompts.

Wrap-up

Down by the Bay

Merrily We Roll Along

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 4
Warm-up

The Alphabet Song

Row Your Boat.

Music and Movement

Provide a scarf for each child. Play some classical music while children dance with
scarves around the room.

 Wave scarf over the head, and low to the ground.

 Toss the scarf in the air and catch it.
 Crouch low and cover the head with the scarf.

Each child takes a turn waving a scarf while making the sound of an instrument, or
a silly sound. The other children copy the sound as they wave their scarves.

Creative Arts

Tinkling Tambourine

Provide each child with a round plastic lid. Hole-punch the outside edge. Loop 3 or
4 craft bells onto a chenille stem or pipe cleaner. Insert the chenille stem through
the holes in the lid and twist to secure. You can also glue a round piece of
construction paper onto the lid and decorate with stickers or markers.

Wrap-up

Use homemade tambourines to accompany singing.

I Hear Thunder
Itsy Bitsy Spider

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 5

Warm-up

The Wheels on the Bus

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Music and Movement

Roll that Red Ball

 Seat children on the floor, forming two lines facing each other. The lines
should be staggered, so a child seated in one line should be facing the
space between two children in the opposite line. Beginning at one end, a
child rolls a ball to the child seated opposite. The ball goes back and forth
between the lines in a zigzag fashion as you sing.
 Stand to bounce the ball back and forth as you sing: bounce that red ball.

Creative Arts:

Draw shapes on paper for children to color with crayons or paint. Include the oval
shape which is the shape of a musical note which will be explored in Lesson 6.

Wrap-up:

This Old Man

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 6

Warm-up

Old MacDonald Had a Band (tune: Old MacDonald Had a Farm)

 Each child holds an instrument. Name a different instrument as you sing

each verse. Pause and listen while the instrument named is briefly played
by the child holding that instrument. Then all join together as a band.

Music and Movement

Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do

 Pretend you are musical notes. Crouch low, then rise slowly to a standing
position as you sing each note going up the scale. Slowly lower to the
ground as you go down the scale.

Hokey Pokey
Do as I’m Doing

Creative Arts

Beforehand, draw a musical scale on chart paper. Draw musical notes on plain
paper for the children to color and cut out. Children glue or tape their notes to
the scale to create their own “song”.

Wrap-up

I am a Fine Musician
Row Your Boat

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 7

Warm-up

Down by the Bay

This Old Man

Music and Movement

Beforehand, outline 3 large squares on the floor with masking tape to resemble a
simple hopscotch. Tape a large musical note cut-out in each square of the
hopscotch: quarter note, half note, whole note. Place sticker dots alongside each
note to indicate how many beats (“jumps”) are required.

Children take turns proceeding through the hopscotch by hopping once on the
quarter note, twice on the half note, four times on the whole note while the beat
is clapped by the other children and/or music is played.

Creative Arts

At craft time, provide a sheet of paper for each child with 3 squares resembling a
hopscotch. Cut out musical notes to glue into the hopscotch squares. Children can
place stickers beside each note in a square to indicate the number of beats.

Wrap-up

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Alphabet Song

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 8

Warm-up

You are My Sunshine

Alphabet Song

Music and Movement:

.

Sleeping Bunnies

 Use homemade tambourines to accompany singing and movement. Crouch

low on the floor to begin singing Sleeping Bunnies. Keep the instruments
quiet until the bunnies “wake”, then jump around shaking the tambourines.

Do as I’m Doing
Hokey Pokey

Creative Arts

Make a musical scale with mason jars. Click the link to the website for details.

Musical scale activity on Preschool Toolkit

Wrap-up

I Hear Thunder
Row Your Boat

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 9

Warm-up

Listen to the Water

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Music and Movement

Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do from Lesson 6

Head and Shoulders
London Bridge

Creative Arts

Draw large ‘puddle’ shapes on cardstock. Children color and cut out the puddles.

Play a version of musical chairs with the ‘puddles’.

.
 Listen to classical music on a music player while children walk around or
hop over their puddles. Pause the music after a few seconds. When the
music stops, children jump onto their puddles or sit down in their puddles.

Wrap-up:

I am a Fine Musician
It’s Raining It’s Pouring

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Lesson 10

Warm-up

The Bear Went Over the Mountain

I’ve Been Working on the Railroad

Music and Movement

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

 Children form a circle and join hands. Begin walking in a circle singing the
chorus. Each time a verse is sung, children stop walking and role play an
instrument as they sing. For example, “This is the way we play the drum”.
After each verse, join hands and walk in a circle to sing the chorus. Each
child can have a turn naming a different instrument.

Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do from Lesson 6

Creative Arts

Provide each child with a piece of paper with the word ‘Me’ written at the top in
large letters. Children draw pictures of themselves with crayons or markers.

Option: Glue craft materials to the face for features; yarn for hair; paper or felt
cut-outs for eyes, nose and mouth.

Wrap-Up

Are You Sleeping

Open Them Shut Them

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

 Appendix

Word Meanings
Beat = the pulse or regular rhythm pattern of a piece of music

Rhythm = the arrangement of notes according to their relative duration and

accentuation; the pattern of regular or irregular pulses caused in music by the
occurrence of strong and weak melodic and harmonic beats

Note = a single sound or its representation

Staff = lines and spaces on which the notes are placed

Tempo = the speed at which a piece of music is played

More Song Suggestions

Jump My Jiggles Out
Monkey See Monkey Do
If you’re Happy and You Know It
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
On Top of Old Smoky
Green Grass Grows All Around
Skip to My Lou

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019

Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019
Copyright Preschool Toolkit June 2019