Older babies and toddlers can be encouraged to exercise their bodies in musical activities.
Stretching rhymes
Stretch, stretch, stretching out,
Stretch our arms together
Stretch, stretch, stretching out,
Stretch our legs together.
Like any rhyme, you may find another melody you know also fits and sounds right with the words.
Changing speeds
Encourage toddlers to bounce up and down steadily for the first part of this traditional rhyme, then faster for the second. A mini-trampoline is ideal.
As I was walking down the street,
Down the street, down the street,
A friend of mine I chanced to meet,
Hey ho, hey ho, hey ho.
And... Riggedy jig and away we go
Away we go, away we go.
Riggedy jig and away we go,
Hey ho, hey ho, hey ho!
Water babies
Music practitioners at the Sage Gateshead, Newcastle, have set up singing sessions in a toddler pool.
'Water music' has the advantage that babies' and mothers' faces are brought close up as mothers bob in the water, holding their babies just in front of them. Water play encourages all kinds of active movements such as swishing to and fro, kicking, patting and splashing the water, and lifting and dipping are easier, particularly with heavy babies. Rubber balls and floating toys add to the fun and possibilities.
Scrub (or wash) your dirty hands, (knees, tummies etc)
Scrub your dirty hands
With a rub-a-dub dub
And a rub-a-dub dub
Scrub your dirty hands.
Baby in the pool, Baby in the pool,
Splishy, splashy, splishy, splashy,
Baby in the pool.
