Here are 6 songs for a "Circle Dance" which uses rhythmic motor skills to practice directions of movement including forward, backward, sideways; moving clockwise and counter-clockwise; phrasing in language through breaks in movement; concentration and cooperation.

Songs included are Baa, Baa, Black Sheep; Bobby Shaftoe; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Allouette; Frère Jacques and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep -- Traditional
Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.

One for the master,
One for the dame,
One for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

Bobby Shaftoe -- Northumbrian Folk Song
Bobby Shaftoe's gone to sea,
Silver buckles on his knee,
he'll come back and marry me,
Bonny Bobby Shaftoe.

Bobby Shaftoe's bright and fair,
Combing down his yellow hair,
He'll be mine for ever more,
Bonny Bobby Shaftoe

Mary Had a Little Lamb -- written by Sarah Hale in 1830
Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
Everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.

Allouette -- French Canadian Folk-Song
Alouette, gentile Alouette,
Alouette, Je te plumerai,
Je te plumerai la tete,
Je te plumerai la tete,
Et la tete, et la tete,
Et la tete, et la tete.
Alouette, gentile Alouette,
Alouette, Je te plumerai.
Alouette, gentile Alouette,
Alouette, Je te plumerai,

Frère Jacques -- French Traditional Song
Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques
Dormez vous? Dormez vous?
Sonnes les matines, sonnez les matines,
Din, din, don. Din, din, don.

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John,
Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing
Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star -- written by Jane Taylor, 1806
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
how I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
like a diamond in the sky,
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
how I wonder what you are.

Homepage for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Circle Dance Using Rhythmic Motor Skills and Songs
Kinesthetic Learning Introduction
Combinations of Motor Skills for Fun and Practice
Rhythmic Motor Skills for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Rhythms and Dances for Toddlers and Preschoolers
How to teach toddlers and preschoolers rhythms, floor exercises, large motor skills, expressive dance, kinesthetic mini-lessons and full dances in a 98 pages including photos and illustrations.


Rhythms and Dances for School Age Kids
For grades K-12 in 100 pages, how to teach 16 rhythmic dance steps illustrated and described, plus 9 little dances, 18 ABA and other sequencing combinations, and 4 advanced group dances - for learning kinesthetically about math sets, sequencing, and language phrasing and rhythms. Can be adapted for special needs kids.


Article and photo credit Susan Kramer