One of my favorite parts of developing a quality physical education lesson is creating and researching quality ASAPs (aka Instant Activities) to begin my classes. Over the years, I’ve utilized many types of awesome ASAPs, but one of the most neglected is instant activity songs or movement songs. They are great for early childhood grades and assist in teaching listening skills, movement concepts, benefits of fitness, locomotor skills, etc.
The top two movement song companies that I would recommend are The Learning Station and Greg & Steve. What makes them so great is that you can buy their CD’s and/or subscribe to their YouTube channels. Then you can either download the music on your phone or tablet and Bluetooth® it through an Ion® Block Rocker™ or you can use a tablet with a projector and use their videos on a white screen or on a white wall.
Top 10 Instant Activity Songs by The Learning Station:
- Swimming Song – This song is great to use for teaching about movement concepts. Self & General Space, Tempos (slow, medium, and fast), and Levels (high, medium, low).
- Give me Ten – This song is great for teaching the importance of our muscles. I usually tell my students that our muscles help move our bodies, protect our bones, and help us push, pull, and move things. The song has the students do 10 reps of push-ups, sit-ups, and legs lifts.
- Jumping Jacks – This song is great for teaching the importance of heart health. The song has you do 4 rounds of jumping jacks.
- Singing in the Rain – Great song for teaching a basic dance to children. It allows children to learn a dance in self space while learning the concept of mirroring.
- Can You Keep Your Balance? – Great song for teaching the concept and importance of balance. It has the children hold different balance poses for a given time period.
- Physical Education – This song is great at teaching and reinforcing your student’s locomotor skills.
- Gallop – This song is great for teaching the locomotor skill of galloping. It provides several opportunities to practice. I like to add different tempos during the song.
- Monkey in the Middle – This song is great for teaching the different exercises you would like your students to know for the year. It also gives the students a chance to be leaders in the class. Use it for assessing your students on the 5 components of fitness.
- Move & Freeze – This song works well at the beginning of the year for teaching your classroom management expectations along with the concept of self-space, especially your stop and go commands. When the song says freeze, they freeze.
- Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes – Great for teaching levels (low, medium, high) and body parts.
Top 5 Instant Activity Songs by Greg & Steve:
- Animal Action #1 and #2 – Great song for teaching creative movement, tempos (slow, medium, and fast), and speeds (slow, medium, fast). Version 2 uses different animals.
- The Balancing Act – Another song that helps with teaching the concept of balancing and why we need it, when we need it, and why it’s important.
- Beanbag Boogie #1 and #2 – Great song for teaching body parts, along with the concepts of levels (low, medium, and high).
- Can’t Sit Still – Great song to teach the importance of physical activity and why we should try to move every day for 60 minutes.
- The Freeze – Helps to teach listening skills, along with stopping and freezing for classroom management.