Using Songs to Increase Reading Skills

Songs are a great to way to boost learning. They help with memorization, vocabulary and kids love them.
Print out lyrics to your kids favorite songs for word-to-word correspondence. In my class each child has a binder with song lyrics and poems. We play a few songs everyday, use song time as a reward, a brain break, a transition. And on Fridays, instead of Silent Reading during Reading Groups we have “Loud Reading” where they get to read (or sing) from their Lyric binders. It amazes me the words they pick up from these songs–then carry over to books.

Music on CD

Hap Palmer–Website –His calming songs teach specific skills and have whole group activities that go with them.
Learning Basic Skills Vol. I
Learning Basic Skills Vol. II I love “Paper Clocks”, “Parade of Colors” and “Let’s Dance”
Getting To Know Myself

Greg and Steve–Website Interactive Learning Songs for kids 3 to 9, many of them fast and upbeat.
Vol. 2 We All Live Together
Kids in Motion
Fun & Games

Sesame Street Music
Platinum All-Time Favorites
Sing the Alphabet
Kids Favorite Songs

Dr. Jean Feldman–Website Songs that teach colors, phonics, manners, presidents, everything you can imagine. Her website has lyrics, activities and lost of teacher tips.
Dr. Jean and Friends
Sing To Learn
All Day Long
Kiss Your Brain
               Some Dr. Jean lyrics: Alphardy, Color Farm, Rhyme Time, My Mother is a Baker

Ella Jenkins–Website Beautiful children’s songs from all over the world.
You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song –follow the links to hear samples
Songs Children Love to Sing
Multicultural Children’s Songs
Growing Up with Ella Jenkins

*Do your kids have favorite songs or CDs? Send me your suggestions! WildRumpusSchoolHouse@gmail.com

YouTube
*Always preview YouTube links before showing them to your kids. Check the video for words changed into inappropriate words as well as foul language in the comments. I don’t know what’s wrong with people. *Also beware of ads placed on some of these videos as they can also be inappropriate. **ALWAYS PREVIEW!
YouTube Channels: Click on “Videos” to see all they’ve uploaded.
Disney Sing Along Songs Channel My 1st graders favorites.
Muffin Songs Channel Some have lyrics, some don’t. Some phonics songs, some classic songs.
Schoolhouse Rock Channel Some of these will definitely be over the heads of the little ones, but my 1st graders LOVED the Noun and Adjective songs, Electricity and Mother Necessity.
Kids123 Channel Adorable, sweet, calm songs from alphabet to shapes to counting
HooplaKidz Lots of really cute songs here, some with lyrics, some without. (Although I really hate it when something specifically for children is purposely spelled wrong. Pet peeve.)


Songs my Class has LOVED 
(I’ll post more of my lyric sheets later–ask me if you need them!)


Phineas and Ferb–Gitchee Gitchee Goo               Gitchee Goo Lyrics

Step in Time–Mary Poppins This one’s long!     Step In Time lyrics

             
More from their favorite: Mary Poppins
A Spoonful of Sugar                                            Spoonful of Sugar lyrics
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious                    Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious lyrics

I Just Can’t Wait to be King                                  I Just Can’t Wait to be King lyrics

The Bare Necessities                                             The Bare Necessities lyrics

The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

This Land is Your Land

I Can Sing a Rainbow                                           I Can Sing a Rainbow lyrics

Mr. Grinch Start at 0.12. There have been years I’ve had to play this song ALL YEAR. They love it, and what’s better than 1st graders singing about a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce?                                              Grinch lyrics

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