General rules for successful song times

• ensure you have enough adults sitting with the children and they are positioned to help support children who need it
• make sure you have all the song props and equipment ready before you start
• remember to pre-warn the children that it is song time by showing them the visual timetable picture or photograph
• remember to slow the speed of the songs down to help the children to follow the words and actions
• children who have a hearing or vision impairment should sit at the front, opposite the person leading the song time, where they can make good eye contact
• children will learn the actions to the songs before the words, so try to use action songs where you can, so everyone can join in
• song time should be a focused time - ensure other adults or groups are quiet and not causing distractions by moving equipment around.

Making song time interactive

• use either pictures of objects or the objects themselves to give clues about the song you are singing - for example, a toy spider for 'Incy Wincy', or a picture of a spider
• you could use these visuals to help the children make choices about the song they would like next allowing them to choose or place them in a basket or bag so that they can 'pick' a song at random
• puppets - you could use a puppet specifically designed for a song or a character from the song. A signing puppet can help you to demonstrate the actions to your songs too
• song bags - a song like 'Old McDonald' lends itself to having a bag or box full of animals which the children can take turns to pull out.

Helpful hints for song time.