Name: Jingle Jangle Time
Script: One of the most popular JJMT activities is the “Kitchen Instruments” which uses household instruments such as juice bottles, wooden spoons, yogurt cups, etc.
Step-by-step Directions:
- Play recorded music and empty a duffel bag full of these “instruments” on to the floor.
- Pick up a juice bottle and a wooden spoon and begin tapping along to the beat. Children and adults who hear the music will come over to see what is going on. The children instinctively pick up their own instruments and start tapping along to the rhythm also.
- Give each person a warm welcome, but give no instructions whatsoever.
- After a short while, put down your juice bottle, pick up two plastic lids and begin gently banging them together. Your audience will follow your example and begin trying out different “instrument” combinations. The recorded music can lasted for 3-4 minutes, so it gives plenty of time for people to come and join the circle.
- Then, introduce yourself and make a brief comment about early literacy and the connection to keeping time along with music. Mention the correlation between musical rhythms and reading rhythms, explaining that household items can be used as instruments, comment that children need to move when learning and tie the activity in with the importance of early literacy, encouraging parents to replicate it at home.
- Play one more song with the free-style musical instrument playing, and then collect the household instruments and hand out egg shakers.
- Play another recorded song (such as “I Know a Chicken” by Laurie Berkner that has a slow beat in the verses but a fast one in the chorus) and encourage everyone to participate in the call-and-response song while shaking their shakers along with the tempo.
- During the songs, ask children’s names and give a personal hello to each participant.
- Do a few more shaker songs together and then collect the shakers.
- Hand out scarves and sing scarf songs. Collect the scarves as part of your good-bye song.
Name: Jingle Jangle Music Time II
Script: In this alternative recipe, the kitchen instruments are used at the end, rather than at the beginning of the program!
- Before beginning your program, choose a lively rhythmic piece of music. (for example, a John Philip Sousa March, a preschool song with a steady beat or something you might like, such as “Love, Love Me Do” by the Beatles.
- Dump out some instruments, bells, sticks, or tambourines on the mat in Tot Trails.
- Turn on the music and begin to play to the beat. Families will begin to approach, children will turn to watch and some will come over and begin playing.
The MUSIC ITSELF is the drawing card!
- As children watch, invite them to come and play. For children who seem wary or shy, make eye contact and you can say, “You may play too.”
- It often helps to say to a Dad or Mom, “If you begin to play, the child will feel more comfortable to join in.”
- After the first or second song, add more instruments and vary the rhythm. Parents love singing and playing along to Bob Marley’s “Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright.”
- In between playing recorded songs, add familiar rhymes like, “Eensy Weensy Spider” or “Hickory Dickory Dock.” Simply recite these together with everyone or recite them while clapping together or playing instruments along to the vocal rhythm. This provides a pleasant break from the recorded music and encourages the parents to speak or sing along with you.
- Jingle Jangle Music Time usually ends with the KITCHEN INSTRUMENTS which consist of clean and empty juice bottles, pie tins, cardboard oatmeal drums, plastic plates, plastic lids, wooden spoons, and spice bottles filled with uncooked lima beans, sealed with hot glue. This is the most fun and a good finale.
Say something like, “You can do this at home. Yes?” (Port Discovery has had more positive written comments on the kitchen band than any other activity from families.)
* Basically if you enjoy yourself, relax and actually play around, you will be successful and unstressed. ENJOY THIS PRECIOUS TIME WITH THE FOLKS.
** Also, watch the children and IMITATE WHAT THEY DO. This is so validating for the child and in modeling reinforcement for the parents and it shows the parents that you are noticing how wonderful their children are. tres importante !