Preschool Songs With Actions and Movements

These preschool songs all have a rich tradition of actions and movements that go along with them, giving parents and teachers the chance to keep young kids moving!

It is difficult to keep preschool children sitting still for long periods of time, but many parents and daycare workers still want most play times to have some structure. These action preschooler songs are a great way to make that happen.

“A-Hunting We Will Go” Song Lyrics and Motions

The song goes like this:

A Hunting we will go, a hunting we will go,
Find a fox, put him in a box, and them we’ll let him go!

Children can ride around the room either on hobby horses, or by galloping (parents may need to demonstrate) and “hunt” the stuffed animals placed around the room. Let each child try to help the parent think of a rhyme for the last line that coordinates with the animal they have found.

Consider more verses with rhyming sounds by using other animals like “find a bear, put him in a chair” or “find a horse, and then course, we’ll simply let him go”, etc. This is a great way to not only work on animal identification, but also introduce important language concepts like rhyming.

“Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush” Song Lyrics and Movement

Not to be confused with another children’s song that features a mulberry bush, “All Around the Mulberry Bush” goes like this:

Verse 1 – Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush
Here we go round the mulberry bush, so early in the morning.
Verse 2 – This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes
This is way we wash our clothes, so early in the morning.
Verse 3 – This is the way we clap our hands, clap our hands, clap our hands
This is the way we clap our hands, so early in the morning.

The verses are easily exchanged for other action steps that parents want the children to learn to take. So feel free to adapt! Try singing “This is the way we hang our coats….”, “This is the way we brush our hair…” or even “This is the way we take our seats…” so that when the game is finished, all the preschoolers are seated back at their desks ready for the next activity.

“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” Song Lyrics and Movements

A favorite of kids and parents alike, this preschooler song is a great way to learn body parts in a fun, non-threatening manner.

The song goes like this:

Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes!

During the song, children touch each body part as they sing the words. Having the kids physically use their hands to touch the body parts, while saying and singing the words out loud, increases their retention and learning by incorporating aural, visual, kinesthetic and audio learning styles at once.

For fun, parents can get the kids to sing the song a little faster and even faster each time the song is repeated. This repetition is a fun way to help the kids memorize the song, as they will soon be racing along so quickly the words will barely be understandable!

Using action songs for preschoolers, whether at home or in a school situation, is a great way to emphasize the other learning activities going on around them.