Montessori Preschool Songs

Montessori is serious business, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun. I love songs and games as much as the kids I taught. (I might even enjoy them more than some of the kids, but don’t tell anyone.) Montessori preschool songs are so much more than fun: they are a great way to get everyone involved, help get the wiggles out, keep everyone’s attention on the task at hand, and so much more. Here are a couple of song ideas that were always a hit in my classroom.

The Ants Go Marching

This was, by far, one of their favorites. It was terrific for getting lots (and lots) of exercise. I would march around the playground or the rug in the classroom with the children forming a line behind me. We would march while we sang, making sure to stop abruptly every time we came to the word “STOP” in the song. We would make up hand motions for what the little ant was doing at that time. I remember several times while doing this on the playground I sang it with them 3 or 4 times all the way through. That is a loooong song! We would be exhausted at the end, but it was a fun way to get exercise. Here are the verses:

The ants go marching one by one.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching one by one.
Hoorah! Hoorah!
The ants go marching one by one;
The little one stops to suck his thumb,
And they all go marching down into the ground
To get out of the rain.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!

More verses here…

5 Little Ducks

Another song we had fun with was the 5 Little Ducks. Often we would use this song to dismiss the children from circle time to get their coats and line up to go outside. We would start by having 5 children sit in the middle of the circle, and I would dismiss them one by one as the ducks disappeared. It was great fun! The children got into it and would often request that we sing this at circle time.

Five little ducks (hold five fingers up)
Went out one day
Over the hills and far away
Mother duck said
“Quack, quack, quack, quack.”
But only four little ducks came back. (hold four fingers up)

More verses here…

More Ideas

One of my favorite resources for exposing kids to music from around the world was the book and CD Wee Sing Around the World. Their favorites were from Mexico, Argentina, and France.

A great resource to help get your kids moving is the CD We All Live Together 2. This is a little dated, but still fantastic. It has a lot of fun songs that encourage listening to the directions as well as moving your body. The track I used the most with my students was “Listen and Move.” The children first listen to the directions and the tempo of the music, then they just follow the tempo. Not only do you get some exercise and learn to follow directions, but you also learn a bit about music. Our Making Music Toolbox is another great resource to help children learn how to make music.

I hope these suggestions have been helpful. Do you have any stand-by songs or games that you love?

Teresa Hadsall, co-founder of Montessori By Mom, taught preschool for over 6 years and has a passion for the Montessori philosophy. She has taught in both traditional and play-based preschools and found herself searching for something more. When she found the Montessori philosophy, she knew this was the solution. Teresa received her AMS Montessori teaching credential from the Montessori Teacher Education Center in Sunnyvale, California. She is excited to share her knowledge of Montessori and passion for education through Montessori By Mom. She enjoys using the Montessori method with her own 3 children and loves to see the difference it has made in their education.