Not the Wheels on the Bus Again!

Singing familiar songs regularly with young children is an important part of their development.  Although it doesn’t mean you need to be singing the same songs and/or in the same way every day.

When I talk to many adults in nurseries and preschools they mention they are fed up with singing the same songs.  One of the songs that children ask for constantly is, ‘The Wheels on The Bus’.  Does this sound familiar?

How can you overcome this?

• Vary how you approach a song.
• Create a repertoire list
• Suggest songs to the children that haven’t sung for a while
• Introduce them to new songs and rhymes so they gain new favourites

Vary how you approach a song: using 'The Wheels on the Bus' as an example

Verses that you may not have heard about before:

The money on the bus goes, clink, clink, clink;
Clink, clink, clink;
Clink, clink, clink.
The money on the bus goes, clink, clink, clink,
All day long

The Driver on the bus says “Move on back,
move on back, move on back;”
The Driver on the bus says “Move on back,”
All day long

Brakes on the bus, go screech, screech, screech,
screech, screech, screech,
screech, screech, screech
Brakes on the bus, go screech, screech, screech,
All day long

Friends on the bus say, how are you?
How are you?
How are you?
Friends on the bus say, how are you?
All day long

Actions- if you don’t already do them:

Wipers - arms in front of you bent moving from side to side

Horn - press pretend horn on a steering wheel

Doors ... open and shut - clap on the word ‘shut

Babies - pretend to rub eyes with fists

Movement - walk around in a line doing the different actions.

Props and Instruments- Use a different prop for each of the verses:

Wipers: wave scarf

Bell: play bells

Knitting: play claves

Read the newspaper: rattle some paper

Create a repertoire list

Take time to think and write down all the song and rhymes that you know. Then put these into a list, your repertoire list.

Suggest songs to the children that they haven’t sung for a while

Take a look at your list to see, what songs and rhymes do the children know that haven't sung recently?

If you use a song box, bag, chart.  Change the selection frequently.

Introduce children to new songs and rhymes so they gain new favourites

Look at your list and see if there are any songs or rhymes that the children, you are currently working with, haven’t sung before.  Gradually introduce these new songs and rhymes to their repertoire.

Also, take time to learn some new songs that you can then introduce to the children and add to your list.

If you would like more help, please take a look at my ‘The Singing Box’ online training.  It is for anyone who would like to get more from their current songs and learn some new ideas whether you use a song box or not.  Click here to read more about The Singing Box online training

Happy music making!