Fine motor development
Toddlers ring a bell as part of listening to words in songs.
Bells—1 per toddler and caregiver
Be Prepared: This activity assumes toddlers have had prior experience in manipulating a bell. If toddlers have had limited or no experience in moving a bell, provide guided (not open-ended) time for playful bell exploration in which you describe toddlers’ bell movements and sounds plus offer demonstrations of ringing a bell, if necessary. Be familiar with the words and tune of “Frère Jacques/Are You Sleeping?” by looking at Internet resources or asking a coworker. Also, practice singing the “Ring, Ring, Ring Our Bells” song included in the activity plan.
[Ring a bell as you invite toddlers to join you in ringing bells.]
Here are bells.
[Give each toddler one bell.]
I rang my bell while I was inviting you to join me to ring bells. Soon all of us will be able to ring our bells.
We can make a good bell sound by holding on to the handle of the bell.
Let’s all point to the handle of our bell.
[Point to your bell’s handle. Encourage toddlers to point to handles on their bells.]
Now look at how I am holding my bell. Please hold your bell the same way.
[Demonstrate how to hold the bell by the handle with one hand. Draw attention to your hand that is not holding the bell. Encourage toddlers to hold the handles of their bells with one hand.]
Let’s take turns shaking our bell two or three times. Remember, we hold our bell with one hand and shake. I will ring my bell first.
[Ring your bell twice. Place the bell well in front of you so your bell action is a demonstration for toddlers. Encourage toddlers, one at a time, to ring their bells several times each.]
Our bell makes a cool sound when we hold the handle of the bell.
Let’s ring our bells to a song I will sing. We need to listen carefully to the words of the song. The words will tell us what to do.
We will shake our bells when the words say “ring, ring, ring our bells.” We will stop moving our bells when the song says to stop ringing our bells. Remember, we use our ears to listen carefully.
[Sing the following “Ring, Ring, Ring Our Bells” song. Encourage toddlers to ring their bells. (Tune: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)
Ring, ring, ring our bells.
Ring and ring our bells.
Ring, ring, ring our bells,
[pause]
And now we’re going to stop.
Positively acknowledge toddlers’ efforts. Emphasize that we rang our bells when the song said to “ring, ring, ring our bells” and we worked hard to stop ringing our bells when the song said “And now we’re going to stop.”]
I want to sing one more song. We can ring our bells to the song.
The song is about a boy named Brother John. He hears a bell in the morning. The ringing bell helps Brother John wake up in the morning.
We can ring our bells together through the song.
We stop ringing our bells when the song stops.
Let’s start ringing our bells to wake up sleepy Brother John.
[Sing “Frère Jacques/Are You Sleeping?” once. Encourage toddlers to ring their bells with the music.]
We rang our bells to a song about bells. We stopped ringing our bells when the song stopped.
The bell helps Brother John wake up in the morning. Today I think Brother John is very, very sleepy. Let’s ring our bells louder so Brother John wakes up!
[Sing “Frère Jacques/Are You Sleeping?” again. Encourage toddlers to ring their bells with the song you sing.]
We listened to songs that helped us ring our bells. We know how to ring our bells by moving our hands. Do you think we rang our bells loud enough to wake up Brother John?
This activity introduces the idea of moving an object as part of listening to a song. At this age, toddlers cannot be expected to ring their bells in unison or to produce a particular rhythm. Still, the activity offers experiences in combining music and movement in a guided (versus fully open-ended) arrangement. The start and stop actions probably will be uneven across toddlers. In addition to developmental differences in self-regulation skills, it can be difficult to hear words to a song when many bells are ringing. The second song does not include the word “stop”; the ending of the song is the signal to stop shaking bells.
Some toddlers may find the sounds of many bells to be overstimulating. They may prefer an adaptation of the activity for a one-to-one arrangement or with one other toddler only.
Extra support
Enrichment
Fine motor development
Toddlers practice starting and stopping ringing a bell as part of listening to words in a song.
Be Prepared: Use a mat or blanket that is large enough for several toddlers and you to sit on with bells. This outdoor activity may be used indoors if outdoor time is not possible.
Take a basket of bells outdoors. Invite several toddlers to sit on a mat or blanket with you. Sing the adjacent song (Tune: “ABCD”) with requests to start and to stop ringing bells. If you routinely use a hand sign for sleep with toddlers, offer it at the end of the song. Demonstrate how the bell takes a nap by covering it with both hands on your lap. The “take a nap” idea is new to this activity and offers an additional way for toddlers to think about making their bell “quiet.” Remind toddlers that when the song stops, the bells stop. Emphasize that we use our hand to ring our bell, to stop ringing our bell, and to put our bell in our lap. You may wish to describe or ask toddlers how the bells sound different when we ring them outside than when we ring the bells inside our room.
Ring and ring and ring and ring,
Ring our bells, as we sing.
We can play a happy noise.
It is fun for girls and boys.
Put your bells into your lap.
Time to stop, bell takes a nap.
This option offers additional practice in responding to a song’s request to stop ringing a bell. Consistent with the Option 1 guidance, toddlers cannot be expected to ring their bells in unison, and some are likely to continue ringing after the stop request. Part of the practice opportunity in this activity is listening to and understanding words. You may wish to omit the tune and simply say the words of the song, giving emphasis to the phrase “put your bells in your lap” and to the word “stop” and their appropriate actions. Drawing attention to how we use our hands to ring and stop ringing our bell supports toddlers’ early awareness of how we use different parts of our body.
Toddlers often have favorite songs they want to repeat. Repetition helps them learn the lyrics and the meaning of words in the song. If the toddlers learn the words to the song, intentionally leave a word out for them to sing. You might pretend to forget a word, or simply pause for the children to complete the phrase. Emphasize the meaning of missing words with gestures and facial expressions.
Extra support
Enrichment
Fine motor development, Gross motor development
Toddlers start and stop ringing a bell while listening to words of a song during a pretend ride on an imaginary bus.
Arrange small chairs in a double line, like bus seats. Invite toddlers to ride a pretend bus. Pass out imaginary bus tickets to each toddler. Give each toddler one bell when he/she is seated. Sit on a low chair to maintain eye contact with the toddlers. Sing the “Wheels on the Bus” song. Include the following verse: The bells on the bus go ding, ding, ding. Encourage toddlers to start ringing their bells. When the bus song stops, encourage toddlers to stop ringing their bells. Ask toddlers where they would like to go on the bus. Example: “OK! Let’s all ride the bus to the city/farm/zoo.” Describe the meaning of “ding” and emphasize how our hands can make our bells ring and stop ringing. Repeat the song if toddlers remain interested.
Toddlers have a natural desire to move. You may find it helpful to stop during the activity for toddlers to get off the bus and change seats. This promotes practice in controlling large motor movements. The primary challenge of this activity is to start and stop the bell while on the pretend bus with peers. There is value in the activity even though, at this age, the bus game will not be orderly. The pretend play context supports toddlers’ developing awareness of others and cooperative interactions. After the activity ends, toddlers may enjoy using the imaginary bus for continued pretend play. A line of chairs can also be used as a train on another day.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: basket, bells, shakers, Wheels on the Bus books, toy buses, people figures, paint, and markers
Provide a basket of bells so toddlers may continue to explore making sounds with their hands. Notice and describe when toddlers start and stop a bell sound. Show each toddler how to put the bells back in the basket. After toddlers have had sufficient time to explore bells, add shakers to the basket so toddlers can compare the sounds of shakers and bells. Rotate some new books into the book display. Arrange Wheels on the Bus books with toy buses and people figures. During a creative activity, sing with toddlers as they paint or use markers.
Materials Needed: bells and rattles
Gather toddlers, infants, and preschool children, making sure each has enough room to ring a bell. Infants will enjoy using rattles as part of making sounds with other children. Encourage toddlers and preschool-age children to listen to differences between one bell and all bells ringing. Sing familiar songs. Consider having older children sit together and pretend younger children are backup singers.
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