Add a little variety to your songs by adding some sequencing into the mix. Sequencing is the process of putting events, ideas, and objects in
a logical order. Why is sequencing important? We sequence all
day long—we divide our time into what we need to do first, second,
and last; we understand events in our lives by understanding the
order in which they occur. For some children, sequencing can be a
hard concept to grasp, especially when they are trying to tell a
story. Using key words like “first,” “next,” “then,” and “finally,” cue
your child as to what is coming next.
At Music in Unison, we use sequencing to help our Pre-School children order
events that occur in songs. One song that is particularly good for
this is ‘The wheels on the bus’. This is how we do it.
1) Children can listen to the original version
2) In response, order the correlating pictures. Using the terms
first, next, then and finally, encouraging the children to use
‘time related vocabulary’. This becomes vitally important in
the first few years of formal education.
First Next Then Finally
3) Re-arrange the order of pictures.
4) Children can now sing the new version of their song.
Other song suggestions that would lend itself to this technique
include: Old Macdonald (various animals) and If your happy and
you know it (various actions).
Have a go and let us know how you get on.