Music forms an intrinsic part of their lives from a very early age. During their nursery years, children sing songs with their parents to help them learn about the world around them as well as their own mother tongue.
Later they have exposure to music and songs in all aspects of their lives – through family, television, radio and their lessons at school.
They enjoy songs because they can identify with them, even when songs are in a foreign language.
The value of songs
The enjoyment factor is always an extremely important reason to use something in the English language classroom, but there are other invaluable motives that make music, rhythm, rhyme and songs an essential part of language learning for young children.
The structure and rhythm of a song makes it much easier to follow, to imitate and to reproduce language.
Vocabulary is easier to remember because there are often rhyming words at the end of lines. There is sometimes a simple storyline, which helps put vocabulary into a relevant context. Songs help reinforce language structures because they are full of repetition, so the children have the opportunity to hear words and sentences again and again in a meaningful way.
When to use songs
There are many moments throughout a lesson when a song can be used as a useful learning tool. When starting a lesson, the teacher can ask the pupils to sing a song to show that the subject is changing to English. This has become increasingly important recently, as in many schools the English language teacher also teaches other curricular subjects.
Alternatively, the teacher can use a song at the end of a lesson to round off the lesson and practice what the children have learnt.
Another appropriate moment to use a song is during revision of vocabulary or even to introduce new words, as a change from using flashcards or other visual stimuli. The popular song Head, shoulders, knees and toes is ideal for this, as the children have to point to parts of the body. In subsequent lessons, if the children forget the vocabulary, it is often enough to just hum the tune to refresh their memories.
Intonation, punctuation and pronunciation are often accentuated in a song, so they can be used to help children to internalise the sounds of English.
Songs can be linked to topics that are being covered - there are plenty of English songs about the weather, animals or parts of the body, for example.
Songs for festivities
Songs are a great way to introduce and illustrate festivities celebrated in the English speaking world, and can help practice more specialised vocabulary. Lessons about festivals and traditions often involve craft activities and making things.
Why not play an associated song in the background while children work? It is surprising how much children learn passively and background music has a calming, relaxing effect.
When the teacher teaches the children a new song or rhyme, it is always better that the teacher sings along with the children as this helps the children build up their confidence and helps create a sense of group/class identity. Once the children are familiar with a song, the teacher can give different parts to small groups. This is a very useful technique in big classes and also helps develop listening skills and team work.
Here’s a selection of Christmas songs with mp3s that teachers can use in class to introduce or revise Christmas vocabulary or to use as background music when working on Christmas worksheets, culture or atmosphere!
Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells Jingle Bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open-sleigh
(repeat)
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
(repeat)
Merry Christmas everybody!
Decorate the house
Decorate the house with holly
Fa la la la la, la la la la...
It’s the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la...
Put some tinsel on the tree
Fa la la la la la, la la la...
And some lights for all to see
Fa la la la la, la la la la...
(repeat)
You can also find many Christmas songs (with or without lyrics) on YouTube, here’s a short list of titles you might want to explore: Oh, Christmas Tree, Silent Night, White Christmas, The Holly and the Ivy.
Referenze iconografiche: New Africa/Shutterstock
