Today’s pirates are going to use a treasure that’s buried deep inside–their voices! The tune is Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes. The last line of each verse can be adapted for lots of different pirate actions. Let the kids think of some, too.
Pirates sail on the deep blue sea, deep blue sea, deep blue sea.
Pirates sail on the deep blue sea. Swab the deck.
Pirates sail on the deep blue sea, deep blue sea, deep blue sea.
Pirates sail on the deep blue sea. Bury some treasure.
Pirates sail on the deep blue sea, deep blue sea, deep blue sea.
Pirates sail on the deep blue sea. Hoist the Jolly Roger.
Pirates sail on the deep blue sea, deep blue sea, deep blue sea.
Pirates sail on the deep blue sea. Walk the plank.
Songs are an effective tool for various skills including auditory memory, careful listening, vocabulary, rhythm, patterning, language, voice expression and more. Singing can help kids practice patience when having to wait or give them something to do rather than be bored. It’s a good strategy to use for self-regulation and can be calming or energizing. Open up the treasure trunk and let your voices shine.
Any more suggestions for some pirate song actions?
I love a parade-even in the rain. So do kids. A great activity for any day is to have a parade at home. Find some dress up clothes, some batons or instruments and march all around the yard or the house. Two disposable pie plates make cymbals by taping some spools to their centers. Plastic ice cream pails with lids can be used as drums. If there’s a handle on the pail, it can be attached to a belt so both hands will be able to play. To make shakers, just about any small plastic container will work with a few things inside to make noise…er, sound. Surprisingly, erasers make a fairly loud sound and are easy to pick up if the lid pops off the container.