How to Teach Children Songs With Hand Motions
Many children love expressing themselves through singing. Young children often spontaneously sway and make movements to match the rhythm of songs. Showing them hand motions to match a song helps them to channel their abundant energy constructively. Teach children the song "The Wise Man Built His House" with unique hand motions to help them learn the lyrics.
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Instructions
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Listen to the words in the song, paying attention to action verbs and nouns that move the story along.
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Make hand movements to go along with them. For example, flutter fingers down to indicate rain. You can also pound fists together while singing about building a house.
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Repeat the same gestures each time the verb or noun appears.
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Interject movements and words between verses to build tension. Words like "oh," "but" and "so" capture children's interest, and they'll want to know what's going to happen next in the song.
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Sing the song a few more times to help children memorize the words and gestures. Repeat the song slowly so the children can clearly hear and remember the verses.
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Ask children about the song's events to see if they have memorized the lyrics.
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Tips & Warnings
Use lively expressions while teaching children songs to draw their attention.
Talk about the events in the song to help children think about its story. Point out the logical consequences of characters' actions. For this particular song, see if they understand the difference between building a house on rock as opposed to sand.
Studies indicate that singing helps children build their vocabulary.
