10 Read {and Sing} Alouds

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We are a very musical family.  I feel like we live in a song most days; from integrating it into our routine or the VBS songs from last summer.  Music has such great connections with love for literacy, especially when you read aloud the very songs your kids know and love.  We have quite a few books that feature the rhyme and patterns of favorite songs and my kids ask for these books often.  I’ve complied a list of our top 10 favorite PreK read {and sing} alouds.

1. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Elieen Christelow.  This book is perfect for the monkeys in your life and oh, so fun to act out!  She has an entire collection of these monkey books, including another favorite of ours,  Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree.

 

2. Down by the Bay by Raffi.  This Raffi song is a favorite with my kids.  It was a favorite of the 1st graders I taught as well.  It’s just so silly!  And it’s really fun to make up your own rhymes: “Did you ever see a…”

 

3. If You’re Happy and You Know It by Annie Kubler.  This is another fun book to read/sing and act out together.  Perfect for a rainy day!

 

4. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. I can remember singing this song as a child and loving every minute of it!  As a former PreK music teacher, this song seemed to be a favorite of almost every child I taught.

5.On Top of Spaghetti by Amanda L. Jenkins- This is another classic that I loved as a child.  Now, my kids enjoy watching mommy sneeze at the end of the book in particular.  I also have made up a few moves to go with the song that make it quite fun to read and sing together.

 

6. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback.  This is a song that will simply turn over your giggle box and tangle up your tongue.

 

7. Oh, A-Hunting We Will Go by John Langstaff.  We sing this song a lot.  It is such a great book for rhyming.  And like Down by the Bay, you can make up your own silly rhymes with objects outside, around the house, or in the car!  I also adapted this song in my free Rhyming PreK Pack.

8. Today Is Monday by Eric Carle.  This one is a great one when learning the days of the week.  It’s also fun to make up your own song to match your schedule, like “Today is Monday…Monday music…”

 

9. Five Green And Speckled Frogs by Priscilla Burris- This is a wonderful counting song that kids love, especially when you get to eat the bugs {Yum! Yum!}.

 

10. Wheels on the Bus by Raffi.  My list wouldn’t be complete without this one!  We sing this song an estimated 3.5 times a day and read the book at least 4-5 times a week.  You’d think my 2 year old would tire of it, but not in the least! 🙂

 

If you can’t find a book featuring your child’s favorite song, here are three ideas to make your own read {and sing} alouds:

• write the words down to the song on chart paper and display
• write onto sentence strips and slide them into your pocket chart
• write the words on blank paper and ask your child illustrate; you could even laminate it bind it into a book

 

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