Goals: Turn taking and waiting

Materials: A variety of instruments (I used 6-8 for my groups), Song sheet/social story HERE!

Tune: Tiny Tim

Lyrics: There was a little froggy sitting on a long, doing little froggy things he had no care at all, he fell into the water and bumped his little head, and when he got back up well this is what he said he said play play play play little froggy play play play play little froggy play play play and now it’s time for bed.

How to play: Assign an instrument to a word in the song and when it is song that person holding that instrument plays. Everyone must wait until it is their turn and until the end when everyone can play together! Then, every switches instruments and has to listen to the new word that goes with their instrument.

Goals: Imitation and following direction

Materials: I use scarves to provide another level of sensory stimulation but just using the movements work too

Tune: Farmer in the Dell

Lyrics: Oh I have an apple seed (scarf ball in hands) that I planted in the ground (put scarf on lap and pat), the sun came up (raise arms above head) and the rain came down (wiggle fingers like rain), so I slept all night (pretend to sleep) and woke up to see (wake up) my seed became a sprout (put scarf on finger)/ branch (put scarf on arm)/ leaf (wave scarf up and down)/ tree (put scarf on head)

How to play: Perform the actions in parenthesis during the song!

Goals: Counting and number identification

Materials: 10 apple visuals and a pie visual. I laminated my apples and wrote their numbers with dry erase marker

Tune: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Lyrics: I want to make an apple pie with my friends, only a yummy apple pie will do, I have one apple, that is not enough I need one more apple that will do

How to do: Distribute the visuals among the clients. Ask the clients what number comes next after the number in the song. After they answer, have the clients identify who has that number and tape it to a clipboard, white board, or velcro the visuals and put them on a felt board. Replace the underlined number in the lyrics with the current number of apples and continue until the clients get to 10!

Goals: Imitation and follow directions

Materials: Rhythm sticks

Tune: Dem Bones

Lyrics: Tap your sticks tap your sticks tap your two sticks, tap your sticks tap your sticks tap your two sticks, tap your sticks tap your sticks tap your two sticks, tap your two sticks

How to do: I replace the lyrics with different movements such as: Tap your two feet, tap your two knees, tap your two shoulders, tap your two ears, Rub your sticks, tap fast, tap slow, etc.

Goals: Shape identification

Tune: A Bushel and A Peck

Lyrics: Shapes, shapes, shapes, I’m looking for a shape, I’m looking for a shape to put on our pumpkin’s face, shapes shapes shapes, I’m looking for a shape, I’m looking for a ___ (shape or description of shape)

How to do: Distribute the shape visuals to the clients and sing the song. Whoever has the shape that was described in the song can put their shape on the pumpkin to eventually make a face

I hope you enjoy these interventions for your next fall lesson plan!

Best, Amber Castellano, Toneworks Music Therapy Intern