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This Reading Mama

20 Songs that Add Rhyme to your Routine

By thisreadingmama 9 Comments

20 Songs that Add Rhyme to Your Routine

Did you know that being able to rhyme is an important predictor of early reading?  How so?  Because being able to rhyme helps kids manipulate the sounds in common word family words (cat, bat, sat, etc.) that are so prevalent in the early readers.

And a SUPER FUN way to integrate those rhyming words is through SONG!  So, I thought I’d share 20 songs we sing quite frequently to add rhyme into our routine.  Some of these are original to me; some are old-time favorites. And some are youtube links so you can enjoy them with your child together! Please note that this post contains affiliate links. All photos are used with permission from Microsoft Office Clip Art.

20 Songs that Add Rhyme to Your Routine

 

1. WAKING UP

Good Morning To You
(tune: Happy Birthday to You)
 
Good morning to you
Good morning to you,
Good morning, dear child’s name
Good morning to you!
 
Good Morning, Mr. Rooster (youtube link)
I substitute the words “Mr. Rooster” with the child’s name and “Cock-a-doodle-do” with “How do you do?”

2. BRUSHING TEETH

 
Raffi’s You Brush Your Teeth Song (a classic!)
 
Brush, Brush, Brush Your Teeth
(tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
 
Brush, brush, brush your teeth
Brush them every day
Brush, brush, brush your teeth
Keep cavities away.

3. GETTING DRESSED

This is the Way
(tune: Mulberry Bush)
 
This is the way we put on our shirt,
put on our shirt,
put on our shirt,
This is the way we put on our shirt
So early in the morning.
(verses: put on our pants, shorts, hat, shoes, etc.)
 
 
Let’s Get Dressed
(tune: London Bridge)
 
Put your shirt on, let’s get dressed
Let’s get dressed, let’s get dressed
Put your shirt on, let’s get dressed
We’ll look our best
(replace “Put your shirt on” with different articles of clothing)

wash hands

4. WASHING HANDS

Wash Your Hands
(tune: Clap Your Hands)
 
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Scrub your hands together
Wash, wash, wash your hands
Scrub your hands together
Scrub a little faster now
Scrub along with me
Scrub a little slower now
Scrub along with me.
 
 
If They’re Dirty and You Know It
(tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It)
 
If they’re dirty and you know it, wash your hands
If they’re dirty and you know it, wash your hands
If they’re dirty and you know it
Then your hands will surely show it
If they’re dirty and you know it, wash your hands

5. SNACK TIME

Thank You, God
(tune: Are You Sleeping?)
 
Thank You, God
Thank You, God
For our food, for our food
And our many blessings,
And our many blessings,
Amen. Amen.
 
 
Yum, Yum, Yum
(tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb)
 
Applesauce- so yum, yum, yum
Yum, yum, yum
Applesauce- so yum, yum, yum
Yummy in my tum.
(replace “applesauce” with other food names)

swing

6. PLAYING

Swinging
 
Swinging, swinging
Swinging to and fro
Swinging, swinging
child’s name loves it so!
(I learned this from my grandmother.  Not sure the name of the tune.)
 
 
Walking, Walking
(tune: Are You Sleeping?)
 
Walking, walking
Walking, walking
Run, run, run!
Run, run, run!
Jumping, jumping, jumping
Jumping, jumping, jumping
Oh, what fun!
Oh, what fun!

 

7. OUTSIDE WEATHER

Rain, Rain, Go Away (currently one of MBug’s favorites)
 
 
Mr. Sun
If you haven’t seen any of the Gigglebelly videos, they’re super fun!

 

8. CLEANING UP

Clean Up Song
 
Clean up, clean up
Everybody, everywhere
Clean up, clean up
Everybody do your share.
(I couldn’t find the link, but Barney made this one popular!)
 
 
A Helper I Will Be
(tune: The Farmer in the Dell)
 
A helper I will be,
A helper I will be.
There’s work to do,
There’s work to do
A helper I will be.

baby taking bath

9. BATH TIME

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
 
Scrub-a Dub, Dub
(tune: Skip to My Lou)
 
Scrub-a dub, dub
In the tub
Scrub-a dub, dub
In the tub
Scrub-a dub, dub
In the tub
Get clean in the tub.

10. ROCKING CHAIR/SLEEPY TIME

Rocking, Rocking
 
Rocking, rocking
Rocking to and fro
Rocking, Rocking
Child’s name loves it so!
(similar to Swinging, Swinging)
 
Hush, Little Baby (classic version)
 

Just a side note: You don’t need a vocal degree to sing with your baby, toddler, or preschooler.  You don’t even need to be able to carry a tune in a bucket! If this still doesn’t comfort you, simply the lyrics and speak them to a steady beat.  The effect is still the same.

So, there you have it–an educationally *sound* reason to simply be silly and sing together! (pun intended) What songs do you like to include in your routine?

 

Join me on my Pre-Reading Pinterest Board, where I pin and share ideas to develop an ear for reading!

 

Follow This Reading Mama’s board Pre-Reading Skills: Rhyming & Phonological Awareness on Pinterest.

 

~Becky

 

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Filed Under: Reading Readiness

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Comments

  1. Tonya Dirksen says

    July 24, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    What a great list of songs! Thanks for sharing them.
    Tonya from stringskeysandmelodies.com

    Reply
  2. Melissa says

    July 28, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    Hi! Thanks for sharing! These are wonderful, I will print them out and share them with my team. I like your blog! It looks very professional 🙂 Great job!!! -Melissa

    Reply
    • thisreadingmama says

      July 28, 2012 at 2:29 pm

      Thank you, Melissa. I’m so glad you’re enjoying!

      Reply
  3. Elisa says

    May 8, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    Thank you for sharing! I’ll use them with my daughter!

    Reply
  4. CJ says

    January 23, 2015 at 12:52 am

    Teeth Brushing Song (Sung to Mulberry Bush tune)

    This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, brush our teeth.
    This is the way we brush our teeth, so early in the morning!
    (Or for night-time, substitute ‘so early in the morning’ for ‘before we go to bed’)

    Additional versus (made up desperately on the spot): This is the way we…..
    -Clean the plaque
    -Scrub our gums
    -Clean our mouths
    -Prevent Cavities

    I would sing this with a particularly resistant child, so many versus were needed to do an adequate job!
    I would also make it into a silly almost-game. For smaller children I would start by tapping their lips on the words “brush our teeth” if they were reluctant to open their mouths, making sure to sing extra silly and dramatic. This would get them to smile or laugh, and then I could sneak the bristles onto their teeth. Would then slowly progress until actual brushing could occur. Sometimes it can take a very slow progression… one swipe, and then two, and then a little longer swipe, and then a back and forth… Especially with younger ones. However a much more pleasant experience than forcing it on them all at once. I’ve been a nanny for 5 years and used this with many children as little as 1 year old and as old as 4 years old.

    Reply

Trackbacks

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Hi! I’m Becky, a homeschooling mama with 4 blessings who keep me on my toes {and knees}. Before homeschooling, I was a classroom teacher (M.Ed.) and reading tutor. Read more about me here.

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