Antelope Dance   Liz Buchanan - Fun music for kids and families!

For Parents and Teachers, Chapter 1

Singing for Literacy
by Liz Buchanan

Singing can be used to build language and early literacy skills. And it's fun and easy for you too. Here are some ideas.
  • Sing with your child. Make a list of songs you remember from when you were growing up and start singing them again! Need help jogging your memory? Try these web pages: www.kididdles.com or www.songsforteaching.com. Use songs to help build children's vocabulary and basic knowledge. What's sixpence? What are cockles and mussels? Make it a game to find out! If you speak another language, sing songs in that language!
  • Play rhyming games. Songs are a fun way to get started thinking up rhymes. Making rhymes helps children start to distinguish different vowel sounds as well as hearing various consonant sounds. Here are some songs that help children initiate rhymes:
    • "Down By the Bay" (available on Songs for Teaching)
    • "Alligator Pie" (poem by Dennis Lee)
    • "Dr. Knickerbocker" (on Liz's upcoming CD)
  • Alliteration activities. These activities build children's sense of consonant sounds. "Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Pepper" is a classic alliteration tongue-twister using the letter 'P.' Say simple rhymes with children such as "Pease Porridge Hot" and ask how many 'P' sounds are in the rhyme. Other examples of rhymes and songs that help children hear and articulate consonant sounds:
    • "Willabee Wallabee Woo" (on Raffi recordings and various other sources)
    • Many nursery rhymes begin with several words starting with the same consonant: Diddle Diddle Dumpling, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Goosey Goosey Gander. Read these classic rhymes with your child, pointing out consonant sounds, rhymes and rhythms.
    • "Pepperoni on the Pizza" (song from Liz's sing-alongs)
  • Rhythm activities. Research has shown that children who can keep a steady beat learn to read more readily. Find ways to tap out rhythms in your daily routine with your child, whether it's clapping hands to "Patty Cake" or songs such as "Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands." Sound out the different syllables of words and clap each distinct syllable sound. Make home-made instruments such as drums from oatmeal containers or shakers by filling small containers with lentils or rice. Here are some songs to build rhythm awareness with your child:
    • "A Sailor Went to Sea Sea Sea"
    • Horse rhymes (knee-jogging) such as "This is the Way the Gentlemen Ride" or "Horsey, Horsey, Don't You Stop"
    • Jump Rope rhymes (see Action songs on Kididdles.com)
    • Songs from Liz's upcoming CD: "Doctor Knickerbocker," "Catch the Beat," "Hand Clap Rap"
    • Songs from Liz's CD, "Make it a Song, Song, Song": Chugga Chugga Ding Ding," "If You're Happy and You Know It," "Lavender's Blue"
Liz Buchanan: For Parents and Teachers Page 2
Chapter 1 AntelopeDance.com

Some key studies about music and literacy learning:
  • Children who could tap a regular rhythm achieved greater success at phonological awareness activities.1
  • Children who had regular music instruction scored better on pre-reading assessments.2
  • Children who were taught pre-reading skills using music had higher assessment scores than those in classes that didn't use music.3
  1. David, D., Wade-Wodley, L., Kirby, J., and Smithrim, K. (2007). Rhythm and reading development in school-age children: a longitudinal study. Journal of Research in Reading, 30 (2), 169-83.
  2. Gromko, J. (2005). The effect of music instruction on phonemic awareness in beginning readers. Journal of Research in Music Education, 53(3), 199-209.
  3. Fisher, D. (2001). Early language learning with and without music. Reading Horizons, 42(1), 39-49.

"For the vast majority of students, music can be every bit as important educationally as reading or writing."

– Oliver Sacks, neurologist and author of Musicophilia

For more information about making a difference with music, contact Liz Buchanan, Music Specialist, through AntelopeDance.com.

Does your child attend a preschool program? Liz offers music programs and teacher training sessions that help preschoolers build early literacy skills!