Introducing New Songs and Rhymes

Thank you to everyone who shared their responses to the latest Ask Jbrary question. I’ve aggregated all of the feedback and added in some of my own. This community is the best.

Ask Jbrary

Dear Jbrary,

How do you introduce new material (movement songs, rhymes etc.) that the group might not be familiar with? Especially looking for tips when you have very large groups up to 100+.

The Jbrary Community Answers

There are a variety of strategies you can use to introduce new songs and rhymes.

Give the Families a Heads Up

It’s okay to be blunt! Letting families know you are about to do something new gives them a chance to perk up for listening.

Roxana says, “I like to inform my audience that I am doing something that may be new to them. I also let them know if it is new to me. (sometimes, no matter how many times I practice, I still may mess up when sharing with them!).”

Brenda shared a handy way alert families. She tells them, ““We’ll do this three times. First to learn, then to practice, and finally to show what we know.”

Bring the Enthusiasm

Getting families excited about new things can go a long way. Smiling and using an upbeat, positive tone lets families know this new thing will be fun!

Julie says, “Be okay with being the only person singing, chanting, etc. as people warm up to the new thing. Your enthusiasm will endear the song to your families.”

Patrick says, “If you love the songs or rhymes, and perform them with confidence, your groups will learn and love them as well.”

Make Lyrics Visible

The most frequent suggestion is to find a way to make the lyrics visible. When the caregivers can see the lyrics they are more likely to join in, and I find this the case with any storytime song, not just new ones. It’s also a helpful strategy for making storytimes more inclusive to those who are learning English. People said:

• Have printed out copies of rhymes or an enlarged version to have up on my whiteboard so they can see the lyrics.
• Make sure the lyrics are easily visible on a screen or a handout to take home.
• We also tend to give out a handout with a coloring page, book titles, and the words to a song, rhyme, or fingerplay from the storytime session, so it may be helpful to do that after introducing something new so they can practice at home and be ready to do it again next time!

Bonnie gave a helpful suggestion that works for families AND for the presenter: “I’ve begun making visuals that I put up on the white board that show what movement/action is next. I will talk through each one, demonstrate, and sing through it so they have it. I also print out lyrics on 11×17 paper in big font and tape that on the wall opposite so that I can see them and be facing the group. Or I use index cards with lyrics and actions that I can hold in my hand while participating with the kiddos.“

Chrissie mentions that if you are using a screen to project lyrics it’s also a great tool for opening and closing announcements including guidelines for storytime. Genius!

Walk Them Through the Actions

If the song or rhyme has movements and actions it’s okay to take some time BEFORE you start singing to pre-teach them. This process is called front loading, and it’s a great method to use with young children to increase participation.

Sarah says, “When I do something new, I always talk through it first. Like if I do a new movement song, I say “in this song, we will jump, walk, run, hop, and tiptoe” and I demonstrate each one quickly. If it is a new rhyme or short song that I am doing, I’ll maybe talk through it – “okay, can everyone pretend your finger is a caterpillar? can you crawl your caterpillar?” and then we will do it once and then again.”

Kimberly says, “I speak and do the motions to one line at a time, then sing the line as we do it again. Repeat the process for each line and do the whole thing together. Your temp will need to be slowed down a few times until everyone gets the song.”

The following example includes a concrete explanation of what this actually sounds like in storytime:

I usually find it helpful to first talk through the story of the song/rhyme slowly while showing the moves and encouraging kids and caregivers to do them with me. For example, if I were to introduce the Itsy Bitsy Spider (not a super great example since most people are really familiar with it), I would say something like this: “We’re going to learn a new song today about a… spider! And this spider likes to climb (does the weird hand spider dance-y thing)- can you make the spider climb? And he likes to climb up a water spout! He goes up, up, up, up (hand spider dance goes up) to the top. But- uh-oh… there’s some rain coming (sprinkle-y rain fingers)… etc. etc.” After we’ve talked through the story with the moves, we sing it through pretty slowly once or twice. After that, we pick up the pace!

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

We all know how important repetition is for learning, right? Repeating storytime content both within storytime and from week-to-week helps build language skills.

Martin gave the following advice: “I carve out enough space in the storytime to do the new song or rhyme three or four times over. I’ll teach it line by line, then we’ll sing it through until it becomes familiar. If it’s a success, I’ll make sure to do it again next week. If not, I’ll either present it differently next week or scrap it and move on.“

Julie speaks to the importance of not giving up: “Plan to do that rhyme, song, etc. every single week for several months and don’t be deterred by lack of engagement the first couple times. We choose songs because we really believe our audiences will learn to love them. We have to give them time to adapt.”

Samantha says, “I love introducing new songs with multiple verses so that by verse three, many of the grownups have figured out the pattern and can sing or hum along.”

Additional suggestions include:

• I would keep it in the ‘set list’ every week or session for the next 4-6 weeks to give folks time to learn it. That also gives you time to gauge whether YOU like it and think it’s working.
• If the song or rhyme is short, sing or say it all the way through once, then go again encouraging them to join in. Go slowly and consider going line by line. Repeat at least 3 times all the way through!
• If the song or rhyme is long and has several verses, start with the first verse only and follow the steps above. It might take a few weeks to get to the rest of the verses. No worries! I might add a tip about how learning new songs/rhymes is a great way to increase your child’s vocabulary too!
• I have been using Padlet (Padlet.com) to post my babytime songs/rhymes, either recording them myself or posting Jbrary or other versions I find, then offer them little wee QR codes and I tell them they can watch the video to keep learning the song/rhyme between programs.

To Sum it Up

Someone sent in the following advice and I think it perfectly sums up the tips and tricks we’ve covered.

I think for large groups, increasing accessibility as much as possible is key. For me, this looks like what a lot of other folks are already suggesting:

• Use a mic (everyone can hear)
• Project or display the lyrics (everyone can see)
• Set up your environment for success (everyone is comfortable and safe to move)
• Choose a developmentally appropriate or easily adapted activity (everyone can do it)
• Use repetition & don’t rush it (this is so important!)

I actually don’t over-explain movements beforehand unless it’s critical (and brief) to establish, because I find with large groups of mostly children under 3 I just sound like a Charlie Brown grownup to them (womp womp womp womp.) I let the first time BE the demonstration – it doesn’t have to be perfect! We repeat a lot and play with dynamics. Good luck! So great you are already so thoughtful.

Thank you to everyone who shared their responses!