Receptive language, Expressive language, Awareness of differences in sounds
A young infant listens to a song while being gently rocked in a caregiver’s arms.
None
Be Prepared: Be familiar with the lyrics and tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”
[Hold the infant in your arms with his/her head well supported in the bend of your arm, ensuring the infant can clearly see you. Smile and make eye contact.]
I have a song to sing with you! We will move a little bit while I sing our song.
Our song is about a boat going down a stream. You can listen to me sing the words. We can move together during the song.
[Make eye contact with the infant and sing the song slowly. Gently rock your body back and forth or from side to side with the infant securely in your arms.
Watch the infant’s reactions. Rock slower, or not at all, if the infant shows signs of distress.
After one round of the song, pause and describe the infant’s reactions. Example: “You are smiling and cooing! I think you like listening and moving to this song.”
If the infant remains engaged, repeat the song once or twice with rocking movement.]
[Describe what happened. Example: “I sang a song about a boat. You listened to the words of the song. You smiled when we swayed back and forth. Thank you for letting me sing with you!”]
Receptive language, Expressive language, Awareness of differences in sounds
An infant listens to a song while being gently rocked in a caregiver’s arms or rocking alongside a caregiver.
None
Invite an infant to sit close to you or on your lap for a song. Explain that you are going to sing a song and we can move our bodies to the song. The song is about a boat floating on water. Demonstrate moving your upper body from side to side. Example: “Sometimes floating on water can feel like this.”
With one arm around an infant sitting next to you or both arms around an infant sitting on your lap, sing one round of the song slowly while gently swaying your upper body. Watch the infant’s reactions carefully and move slower or stop if the infant shows distress. After one round of the song with movement, pause and describe the infant’s reactions. Example: “You are moving your head back and forth. I think you want to sing the song again!”
If the infant remains engaged, invite him/her to participate in a second round of the song. An infant sitting next to you might like to sway his/her body independently, without your arm around him/her. Sing the song again and gently sway your upper body, encouraging an infant sitting next to you to follow along. Infants may want to repeat the song and movement several times.
Recognize the infant’s participation in the experience. Example: “You smiled while I sang our song. We moved our bodies from side to side. Thank you for helping me have fun with our song!”
The activity options encourage a responsive and enjoyable song experience with an infant. In addition to hearing words and a tune, the infant experiences a corresponding body movement that will require some muscle accommodations. Most infants will enjoy the experience and likely ask for a repeat. Many infants may be familiar with the song, but may not have had the experience of body movements paired with the words.
Pay attention to an infant’s muscle tension during the activity. Tightened muscles may mean the infant is not comfortable with the body movement. Reduce or stop your swaying actions, as suggested in activity plans. The song has benefit without the body movement.
Most infants will not have a mental image of a boat moving on water or understand most of the words in the song. The lyrics include phrases that make sense mostly to adults, such as “life is but a dream.” The activity can be meaningful to an infant at a more general level, helping develop awareness of the concept of a song having words and a tune and sometimes movement of part of our body.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: two large boxes or laundry baskets
Place the boxes in an open area for infants to explore during floor time. Sing songs that incorporate boxes, such as pretending the box is a bus and singing “Wheels on the Bus.” Infants who can crawl or walk may enjoy climbing in and out of the boxes, crawling or walking around the boxes, or putting toys in and taking toys out. Describe infants’ actions with the boxes.
Materials Needed: several toy boats, water table
Older children will connect with the boat and rowing elements of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Invite older toddlers and preschool-age children to gently sway their bodies back and forth during the song. Older children may sing some of the familiar words with you. After the song, invite several older children to explore the toy boats in the water table. You may wish to softly sing the song while the children play.
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