LADY BUG SONG & LITTLE KIDS SINGING
If you want to see a darling video of an engaging echo song for children from Frank Leto, click here:
Frank Leto is just one of the most fun music educators around! He happens to be a Montessori teacher as well. Frank uses the Orff-Schulwerk technique of instilling a good sense of steady beat into children's music experiences by introducing clapping and stamping games from toddlerhood on. He does this by offering echo games to children. These start with clapping echoes that can be very simple, but gradually develop into intricate rhythmical patterns as the children grow in age and skills development.
Of course, the echo games carry over beautifully into singing in a "call and answer" fashion and Frank specializes in these types of songs for young children. Check out his cds on itunes and also on his website. Everything he produces is the highest quality and very enjoyable for children!You can check out his website here:
High quality early music lessons almost always involve echo singing of some kind. Echo songs provide instant success for children because they don't have to learn the words of the song to be able to sing it. They just copy! We all know how much fun copy games are for children.
You can also play echo games with children whenever you like. Start with patting a steady beat to keep the "pulse" and then say something like this:
"Copy my words..." (child repeats)"Say what I say..."
"I love you..."
"You look cute..."
"Let's make sounds..."
"Ready, set, go..."
"Oink, Oink, Oink..."
"Meow, meow, meow..."
"Ready for a bath..."
"One, two, three..."
Don't forget to let your child have a turn to be the leader and you be the echo!
Not only are echo games great for developing language and rhythm, they are also a way to calm the energy down since they offer some large motor movement with the beat keeping (clapping, patting knees, etc.) and give the child a chance to get focused again as well. They are irresistible!
Photo from the artists at Dollar Photo Club