Farm animal songs are one great and relaxed way to get children excited about learning. By letting them sing and use noises, their minds are stimulated in multiple ways. Memory and association skills are jumpstarted as well as word play. Try using methods that encourage children to enjoy education early on and it will more than likely stick with them.
The Roots
Farm animal songs and rhymes come from all countries as most places have some type of farm lands, and have been being sung since humans could make sounds. They are not localized to any one culture because of the great reasons they help with. Some have been altered with tweaks to fit the time period or place, but the goals are the same.
Examples
old macdonald had a farm
Five Little Ducks
Daisy, Daisy
Ba Ba Black Sheep
Trip to the Farm
Donkey, Donkey
Mary Had a Little Lamb
B-I-n-g-o
Five Little Chickens
Farmer in the Dell
Why Use Them
Farm animal songs have been used in teaching for a variety of reasons. They stimulate the children’s memory of animals and the sounds they each make, giving them sensory clues to learn quickly. The rhymes that contain animal noise indicate to children which one should properly go with each.
Ways to put into Practice
Besides simply singing the songs, try dressing up; pick the farmer to help the children learn about business, or choose an animal so they may see all of the details and have their minds begin to question the differences in each and why. You can question them as well so they may feel like what they are doing is being paid attention to when they can answer correctly. Pose deep thinking inquires like which animals could live beside each other, or eat the same food. Throw in actions and movements while discussing and singing, like claps that go with certain moments in each song or just what each animal may behave like. Listen to recordings of them or let them play with plastic or stuffed versions.
Teaching the Basics
One of the better reasons to use farm animal songs is that with the animal recognition, knowledge about food and crops is presented at the same time. It is very important that children learn where their food comes from and about how to grow it so they understand the keys of life. Further life lessons like how to treat them, which stems from bigger moral ideals, are introduced. You can pick which areas you want to focus on depending on the child’s age and maturity, but the applicable things seem to be endless.
If you want a fun, easy way to get children involved with learning, songs about farm animals and their life are one good way. Let them explore the world of what is around us and makes up the rest of the food chain to really grasp an overall picture. Practice a few with your child to see for yourself.