Learning The Song As A Child
I m gonna let it shine song that most children learn at preschool age from their Sunday school teacher. Children can clap, stomp their feet, and wiggle to this song. It is considered a classic, and can still be heard song in church by children today.
The Origins Of The Song
“This Little Light of Mine” is a gospel song that was written by Harry Dixon Loes in 1920. Although it was written for children, this song ended up being the anthem for the Civil Rights movement. How did that come about? A Civil Rights leader by the name of Fanny Lou Hamer, was arrested for trying to register to vote. As Hamer was being detained, she started singing this song. It caught on among the black Civil Rights leaders, who would later sing it as they marched in peaceful protests, for the rights and protections of their people. There is a beautiful lesson to be learned from this song.
The Song’s Meaning
What does “This Little Light” means. The song means to let your wonderful caring spirit come out for the world to see. It is a theme for holiness purposes. Christians are to show their loving hearts of compassion, and help others when needed. It means to let God have his way with you, and let his light shine through you. Children are learning that they can be a light to their own generation. They can do this by setting the example of obedience and other good traits that their peers are not adhering too. This is not bad for a meaningful song with minimal lyrics.
How Does This Song Help Children
By singing this song, children can understand that they do not need to be selfish. It is not all about them, but being nice one to another. This is where they can switch the lyrics of the song out for additional positive tones, and teach them love. You can tap into a preschoolers creative thinking process, and show them how to write song lyrics. By doing this, you are pulling out creativity that they never knew existed. You never know if that preschooler is going to be a song writer or musician one day. The topics that are explored are differences and to respect them, race, to show compassion, how to be the helpful person, and how to be good regardless of what someone else does.
Fostering Educational Experiences
Children can learn that oppression is not the answer. Just because someone looks different than you, does not mean you should hate them. Children can learn from this song that a light of love should always come from them. Teach them that it is always ok to share their toys, or anything else they have with other children regardless of skin color. We can use this song to help our children learn how to make changes in the world.