Here we are, the week in December between the major holidays and New Year’s Eve. While we all run on holiday leftovers and egg nog, we’re faced with the reality that the kids don’t have school tomorrow! For many of us, our children have been home during the school year for virtual school, but regardless, schools in New Jersey are off this week! That being said, it’s still so important to keep kids active and engaged while still having fun! Action songs are a great way to do that (see this list here for another fun list of action songs). As we leave the genre of holiday music and enter the season of winter songs, we’ve compiled a list of 5 winter action songs. While they’ll be very useful during winter break, they’re sure to be a hit throughout the winter season.
Doing the Penguin — Sesame Street
This is one of my absolute favorites! I vividly remember dancing to this with my daughter, then eighteen months old, while I was largely pregnant with my son. I really did waddle. They’re now 5 and 3 and they love the part when they “take two steps and fall on the ice!” Classic Sesame Street does not let you down with this one!
Five Little Snowmen
This cartoon does not include any movements, but there are definitely motions to make this song an action song vs. a cartoon to watch idly.
Five little snowmen standing in a row (Hold up five fingers)
Each with a hat (hands on head) and a big red bow (hands at neck where a scarf would be)
Out came the sun and it stayed all day (hands above head like sun)
And one little snowman melted away (melt to ground)
Ginger Bread Man Dance and Freeze — Jack Hartmann
Jack is a favorite in this house. He knows how to get to a child’s level. In this piece, he’s dressed up as a Gingerbread Man, makeup and all. This is a great one to pair with any Gingerbread Man books. Another fun art activity to do is to trace your child on a large piece of paper and let them decorate their outline as a gingerbread boy/girl.
Snow Man Freeze
This one does not include any specific actions but allows kids to freely dance. Pretending to build their own snowman can definitely be an “assigned action” here, though. For an additional art craft to do with this, you can create a snowman where each snowball under the snowman face is a letter in your child’s name.
5 Little Penguins
Ah, penguins! And Miss Patty! Patty does a great job with this finger-play song. This song also helps with dexterity and fine motor.
And there you have it! Let us know what other fun songs you use in your home or classroom during the winter!
