Building Successful Literacy Skills In The Early Years Through Music

Literacy skills are fundamental to higher level skills like planning, critical thinking, problem solving and socio-emotional development. It all begins with fine motor skills like holding a pencil effectively, listening to stories and being able to retell them while anticipating events and consequences, recognising sounds and word shapes, and finally, forming letters and/or words that can be recognised by others. Music can be used in all of these, whether introducing shapes by walking in lines and circles, playing instruments accurately to the beat like drumming, or singing songs with developing storylines.

Research shows that the best environment for developing these skills is a positive one, where adults read together with children (Wirth et al., 2021), and where children can express joy in the books and stories that they share (Nordström et al., 2021). Role-models are important in childhood (Herrmann et al., 2021), whether inside or outside of the home, and have the potential to influence future mindsets and behaviours. We hope that by using these songs, adults will feel empowered to play these games, knowing the thinking and developmental planning behind them.

Fine Motor: Aiken Drum

There was a man lived in the moon
Lived in the moon, lived in the moon
There was a man lived in the moon
And his name was Aiken Drum

And he played upon a ladle
A ladle, a ladle
And he played upon a ladle
And his name was Aiken Drum

And his coat was made of smelly cheese
Smelly cheese, smelly cheese
And his coat was made of smelly cheese
And his name was Aiken Drum

And his shoes were made of pineapples …

This song can be used with children taking turns to sit in a group and play drums or triangles (instruments with beaters) while the rest walk around them in a circle, like the moon going around the earth. Use children’s suggestions to develop the story.

Literacy: Green Grass

Adult: There was a hole         Children:         There was a hole
Down in the ground                            Down in the ground
The prettiest hole                                The prettiest hole
That you ever did see                          That you ever did see

Altogether:      And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grew all around and around
And the green grass grew all around

Adult: Now in that hole         Children:         Now in that hole
There was a tree                                 There was a tree
The prettiest tree                                The prettiest tree
That you ever did see                          That you ever did see

Altogether:      And the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grew all around and around
And the green grass grew all around

Adult: Now in that tree          Children:         Now in that tree
There was a nest                                 There was a nest
The prettiest nest                                The prettiest nest
That you ever did see                          That you ever did see

Altogether:      And the nest in the tree
And the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grew all around and around
And the green grass grew all around

Adult: Now in that nest         Children:         Now in that nest
There was an egg                                There was an egg
The prettiest egg                                 The prettiest egg
That you ever did see                          That you ever did see

Altogether:      And the egg in the nest
And the nest in the tree
And the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grew all around and around
And the green grass grew all around

Adult: Now in that egg          Children:         Now in that egg
There was a bird                                 There was a bird
The prettiest bird                                The prettiest bird
That you ever did see                          That you ever did see

Altogether:      And the bird in the egg
And the egg in the nest
And the nest in the tree
And the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grew all around and around
And the green grass grew all around

This song introduces sequencing, vocabulary and anticipation. The call-and-response format supports the children in retelling the story within the song – pictures can be helpful!