Diddle Diddle Dumpling and The Blue Danube

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the brain pathways to make new connections.

MUSIC
Diddle Diddle Dumpling
Poem – Anonymous
Song – by Jackie Silberg

This musical game is fun to sing or say and teaches beginning sounds.
Ask the children to each take off one of their shoes. Now say the following poem or sing the song.
Diddle diddle dumpling, dumpling , dumpling,
Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John.
Went to bed with his stockings, stockings,
Went to bed with his stockings on.
One, one shoe off.
One, one shoe on.
Diddle diddle dumpling
Diddle diddle dumpling,
Diddle diddle dumpling, my son John.
The words “Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling” are fun to say and to sing. “Dumpling” is a term of affection.
What other words are terms of affection? ...sweetie, cutie, honey? There will be a lot of laughing in this discussion.

Sing the song with different beginning sounds. Try a “b” sound: “biddle, biddle, bumpling.” Or a “z” sound: “ziddle, ziddle, zumpling.” 

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Do you wear your shoes when you go to bed? What do you wear on your feet?
For developing the idea: Can you tell me what the boy did with one of his shoes?
For moving forward: The words “diddle diddle dumpling” all start with the same sound. What sound is it? Can you think of others words that start with that same sound?

~~~~~~~~

Waltzing- The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss

This is a video of the Vienna Philharmonic playing the Blue Danube. The children can see a symphony orchestra, watch a conductor, see dancers and hear the wonderful music.

You will need waltz music or you can play this wonderful YouTube video and use various stuffed animals.
Play waltz music and dance around the room..
Hold the stuffed animals and dance with them....swirling and twirling
When the music is over, fall to the ground and shout “viva le waltz!”

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: “That music makes me want to dance.” Let’s dance together.
For developing the idea: “Isn’t dancing fun? It makes me feel good.”
For moving forward: “Would you like to dance to a different kind of music?” "What kind of music do you like? Fast or slow?"

Products from Discount School Supply® that I recommend:Naptime Classics - 4 CDs (LULLABIES)
Happy Hands Farm Puppets - Set of 6  (FIRSTPUP)
Early Childhood Puzzles - Set of 12 (ECPUZ12)

Color Clothes

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the brain pathways to make new connections.

FOR TODDLERS
Tell Me What it Says 

The brain likes novelty. By exploring and investigating new sounds, the brain seeks to connect the learning to an already existing pattern or begins the process of creating a new pattern for understanding.

You will need pictures of a baby, a clock, a bird, a drum, and water
The teacher asks the question and the children give the answer.
First, tell the child what the baby says. Then ask the question:
Tell me what the baby says.
Ma ma, ma, ma
Continue on telling the answer and then asking the question.

Tell me what the baby says
Da da da da
Tell me what the clock says
Tick, tock, tick, tock
Tell me what the birdie says
Tweet. Tweet, tweet, tweet
Tell me what the drum says
Boom, boom, boom, boom
Tell me what the water says
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle
Depending on the age of the baby, ask the appropriate number of questions.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Let’s make these sounds again.
For developing the idea: Let’s look through magazines and find pictures of things with other sounds
For moving forward: What are some things in our classroom that make sounds? (door, water running, footsteps)

~~~~~~~~

Color ClothesSit the children in a circle.
Ask them to look at their clothes carefully to see the different colors that they are wearing.
Tell them that you are going to ask them questions about the color of their clothes.
If a question applies to them, they should stand up.
Sometimes more than one child will be standing.
Make up questions about their clothes.

Who is wearing black shoes?
Who has a jacket on?
Who is wearing a belt?
It is fun for them to see which children are similar to one another.
Once you have played the game awhile, ask if anyone else would like to ask a question about someone’s clothing. You will find that your older toddlers will volunteer.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:

For building confidence: Tell me about the shoes that you are wearing. What color are they?
For developing the idea: Does anyone else have on shoes that look like your shoes?
For moving forward: Let’s look through some magazines and try to find a hat, a belt, brown shoes, and a dress.

One, Two and I'm a Walking Activities

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the brain pathways to make new connections.

FOR INFANTSThe newest brain research says that babies need touching experiences to “grow” the brain and grow the body. It is as critical as nutrients and vitamins. 

One, Two
Sit with your baby on the floor.
Make up rhymes as you hold your baby’s hand and let him or her touch different parts of your body.
Here are some ideas:

One, two, touch my shoe.
Yellow, red, touch my head.
Dippity dips, touch my lips.
Apples, pear, touch my hair.
Each time you say the body part, put your child’s hand on that part. When you say, “One, two, touch my shoe,” put your baby’s hand on your shoe.

Continue on with each rhyme.
Reverse the game and help your baby touch his shoe, head, etc.
Make up new rhymes for different parts of the body.
Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Say the rhyme with your little one and praise him as he touches the different parts of his body.
For developing the idea: Ask your little one “Where is your head? Where is your shoe?” Encourage him to touch his head and his shoe.
For moving forward: Using a doll or stuffed animal, find the head, shoes, lips and hair on the toy.

~~~~~~~~~

I’m a Walking 

Movement unites all brain levels and integrates the right and left hemispheres. The locomotion centers of the brain are paired, facing one another along the top of the right and left hemispheres, so that the center controlling the left leg parallels the center controlling the right leg, and so forth. For this reason, movement ties in both hemispheres, allowing young children an opportunity to use both sides of the brain.

This song is on the CD: "Hello Rhythm" by Jackie Silberg and in the I Love Children Songbook by Jackie Silberg.

Sing or say the following words.
I’m a walking, walking, walking
I’m a walking, walking, walking
I’m a walking, walking, walking
Then I stop!
Walk around the room and on the word “stop” freeze in place.
Hold your child’s hand to walk or carry him if he isn’t walking.
You can also skip, hop, jump, skate, swim, run, tiptoe, swim and march.
Children adore playing this game…..especially the stop part.

Ideas for taking this activity to the next level:
For building confidence: Walk several times and practice the stop part. Make positive comments like "Isn’t this fun!” or “I like to walk with you.”
For developing the idea:  Repeat the activity using different motor skills.
For moving forward: Let’s sit down and crawl and scoot to the words.