Songs, Games, and Dances

for Children

complied with panache from myriad authoritative sources by

Michael Johnson
Contents
1. Snail, Snail 2
2. My Aunt Came Back 3
3. Bow, Wow, Wow 4
4. Shake Them ‘Simmons Down 5
6. Paige’s Train 6
7. Dr. Foster Went To Glouchester 7
8. See Saw 8
9. Hey, Hey, Look At Me 9
10. Up From The Kitchen 10
11. John Kanaka 11
12. Oats And Beans And Barley 12
13. Let Us Chase The Squirrel 13
15. Senuwa 14
16. Bluebird, Bluebird 15
17. Resource List 16
 Snail, Snail
(a traditional playground game from Cornwall, England)

GAME: Children form a circle with all hands joined except the “leader” and the “end”. As the children sing
the song, the “leader” winds the circle inward in a clockwise direction until all players are scrunched up
together. The “leader” then winds the players counterclockwise, unwinding the circle.

2
My Aunt Came Back

3
 Bow, Wow, Wow

GAME: Players stand in a circle facing the middle. As they sing, the perform the following actions:

1. “Bow, wow, wow” Stamp 3 times.

2.“whose dog art thou?” Partners turn left, extend an index finger, and pat their pointing finger hand on
their other hand, which is open in front of them, palm upward.
3. “little Tommy Tucker’s dog” Partners clasp hands and rotate, switching places.
4. “Bow, wow, wow” Partners face left to a new partner and repeat finger pointing motion.

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 Shake Them 'Simmons Down

The following verses provide calls for the dance:

2. Circle right, do oh, do oh (3x)
3. Circle left…
4. Boys to the center…
5. Girls to the center…
6. Round your partner… (first right, then left)
7. Round your corner…(first right, then left)
8. Promenade all…(and back to place)
9. Swing your corner, do oh, do oh (keep new partner and begin again)

Dance formation is a circle, either of partners or not as desired.

The action follows the text. At every refrain, "Shake them 'simmons down", players make it
back to their place and shake their whole bodies starting with their arms up high and moving
down toward the floor.

Locke, Eleanoir G. Sail Away: 155 American Folk Songs to Sing, Read and Play. (Corrected ed.)
n.p.: Boosey & Hawkes, 1989, p. 25

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 Paige’s Train
(folk song from North Carolina)

2. Paige’s train goes so slow.

Takes so long to get to Buffalo

GAME: Players sit in circle patting their knees to the tempo. All sing the first verse quickly and the
second verse slowly. Leader then elicits from each player which tempo they liked better, slow or fast,
at which point everyone performs the song again at that player’s favorite tempo.

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 Dr. Foster Went To Glouchester

GAME: Players stand in a circle with hands joined. One player, Dr. Foster, walks around the circle
carrying an umbrella. At the end of the chant, Dr. Foster hands the umbrella to a new person, who
becomes Dr. Foster.

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 See Saw

GAME: Players stand in a circle with hands joined. One player, Dr. Foster, walks around the circle
carrying an umbrella. At the end of the chant, Dr. Foster hands the umbrella to a new person, who
becomes Dr. Foster.

8
 Hey, Hey, Look At Me


GAME: One player stands in the center of the circle doing a motion, which the others imitate.

9
 Up From The Kitchen
African-American Game Song

2 j
LEADER GROUP

&b 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Up from the kit - chen. Shoo - li - loo!

b j
LEADER GROUP

3
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
With a hand full of bis - cuits. Shoo li loo!

b r j
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
6
Oh, Miss Ma - ry, Shoo li loo!

b r j ..
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰
9
Fly a - way home now. Shoo - li - loo!

GAME: Children form a seated circle, facing center, leaving a gap in the circle between any
two players.The caller begins the song by patting a steady beat on her knees and singing the call.
The rest of the circle responds with "Shooliloo!" On the words "Oh, Miss Mary." The caller
substitutes the name of a person in the circle. That person, on the words "Fly away home
now", must get up and "fly" over to the gap in the circle and occupy it by the time the rest
of the group sings "Shooliloo!" The game begins again either with the caller substituting
a new name, or with the player whose name was substitued on the first round singing the call.

SOURCE: Unknown. Transcribed by Michael Johnson, Spring 2008

10
 John Kanaka

(Clipper ship shanty: the Kanakas were a Polynesian people.)





GAME: Players stand in concentric circles facing partners and perform the following movements on
the words “John Kanakanaka Tulaiay.”

1. “John” Stamp foot.
2. “Kanaka-na-ka” Pat knees, alternating hands.
3. “Tu-lai…” Clap own hands.
4. “ay” Clap partners hands.

At the end of the song, the inner circle moves one partner to the left, and the outer circle moves
one partner to the right so that everyone has new partners.

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 Oats and Beans and Barley





GAME: Players stand in a circle with the “farmer” in the middle. The “farmer” imitates the actions
indicated in the song and then picks a new partner to be the “farmer” in the middle.

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 Let Us Chase The Squirrel

GAME: Children form a circle or scattered formation of "trees" (two children with hands
held) with one "squirrel" inside each tree. All of the left over squirrels have to live in the
"mud pit" in the middle of the circle or formation. At the beginning of the song, "trees" raise
their arms and all squirrels leave their trees and move around the outside of the circle while
the squirrels in the middle stay still in the mud pit. At the end of the song, "trees" drop their
arms and all squirrels find safety in a tree. The treeless squirrels try and steal a tree from the
middle of the mud pit. The squirrels left without a tree now have to go to the mud pit.

VARIATIONS:

1. There is no mud pit, but instead a squirrel outside the trees who is "it". When the song
begins, the "it" squirrel tries to tag the other squirrels as they run from the safety of their
trees.

2. Children join hands in a circle with only one "tree" (two children with joined hands raised
to form an arch. When the song begins, the circle moves through the arch created by the
tree. When the song ends, the children forming the "tree" drop their arms, and whichever
squirrels are trapped inside become part of the "tree" by joining hands and raising their arms,
thereby enlarging the tree. The game continues until everyone is part of the tree.

SOURCE: Kelly Foster Griffin, SWOKE workshop, October, 2008.

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 Senuwa
Liberian? Folksong

1 2

&b c œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙.
Sen - u - wa de - den - de sen - u - wa.

b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙.
3
Sen - u - wa de - den - de sen - u - wa.

b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
5
Sen - u - wa de - den de sen - u - wa de - den de

b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙.
7
sen - u - wa de - den - de sen - u - wa

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 Bluebird, Bluebird





GAME: Players stand in a circle with hands joined forming arches. One player, the “bluebird”,
weaves in and out of the arches. On the line “Pick a little partner” the “bluebird” chooses a partner
and the two weave through the arches together.

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 A Resource List of Kodály-Related Publications

Historical/Philosophical/Research Materials

Bacon, D. (1993). Hold Fast to Dreams: Writings Inspired by Zoltán Kodály. Kodály Center of America,
Wellesley, MA. ISBN: 0935432035.

Bónis, F., editor (1974). Selected Writings of Zoltán Kodály. Boosey and Hawkes. ASIN 0851620213 (out
of print).

Dobszay, L. (1992). After Kodály: Reflections on Music Education. Institute Kodály, Kecskemét. ISBN:
9637074333.

Eösze, L. (1987). Zoltán Kodály: His Life in Pictures and Documents. Olympic Marketing Corporation.
ASIN: 9997785169.

________. (1962). Zoltán Kodály: His Life and Work. Taplinger Publishing Co. ASIN 9631314146.

Herboly Koscár, I. (2002). Zoltán Kodály: Music Should Belong to Everyone: 120 Quotations from His
Writings and Speeches. International Kodály Society, Budapest, Hungary. ISBN: 9632045009.

Hein, M., editor (1992). The Legacy of Zoltán Kodály. International Kodály Society, Budapest, Hungary.

Houlahan, M. & Tacka, P. (1998). Zoltán Kodály: A Guide to Research. Garland Publishing. ISBN:
0815328532.

Lund, F. (1981). Research and Retrieval: Music Teacher’s Guide to Material Selection and Collection. Pro
Canto Press, Westborough, MA. ISBN: 0935751017.

Strong, A., editor (1992). Who Was Kodály? Sam Houston State University Press.

Szönyi, E. (1973). Kodály’s Principles in Practice: An Approach to Music Education through the Kodály
Method. Boosey & Hawkes.

Zemke, L. (1974). The Kodály Concept: Its History, Philosophy, and Development. Mark Foster. ISBN:
091665608X.

Musicianship

Bacon, D. (1978). 185 Unison Pentatonic Exercises. Kodály Center of America. ASIN: 9995393301.

Bertalotti, A. (1977). Solfeggi Cantati. Edizioni Suvini Zerboni, Milan.

Cser, L. (1997). Harmony and Musicianship with Solfège. Self-published (available through Silver Lake
College and Los Angeles City College).

Crowe, Edgar, editor (1961). The Folk Song Sight Singing Series. Oxford University Press.
Volumes I-VII (unison)
Volumes VIII-X (two-part)

Hartyányi, J., compiler (2002). An Ode for Music: 11 Analyses of Choral Compositions of Zoltán Kodály
(Book and CD). International Kodály Society, Budapest, Hungary. ISBN: 9632055017.

Hegyi, E. (1975/1979). Solfège According to the Kodály Concept, Vols. 1 & 2. Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical
Institute, Hungary. ISBN: 9630101181 (Volume I), 9633302749 (Volume II).

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Kodály, Z. Kodály Choral Library. Boosey & Hawkes
333 Reading Exercises
Pentatonic Music Vols. I - IV
Let Us Sing Correctly
Bicinia Hungarica Vols. I - IV
Fifteen Two-part Exercises
77 Two-part Exercises
66 Two-part Exercises
55 Two-part Exercises
44 Two-part Exercises
33 Two-part Exercises
22 Two-part Exercises
Tricinia: 29 progressive three-part songs
Epigrams: Nine songs for one or two voices
24 Little Canons on the Black Keys (out of print)

Molnar, A. (1955). Classical Canons without Text. Edito Musica Budapest.

Swank, J. (1995). Folk for Two. The Kodály Institute at Capital.

Williams, Mark. Bicinia Americana. Southern Music, San Antonio, TX.

Volume One (1972)
Volume Two (1988)

Folk Song Materials

Boshkoff, R. & Sorensen, K. (1995). Multicultural Songs, Games, and Dances. OAKE.

_______________________. The Sounds of Rounds and Canons. OAKE.

Brocklehurst, B. (1968). Pentatonic Songbook. Schott Music.

_____________. (1976). Second Pentatonic Songbook. Schott Music.

Choksy, L. & Brummit, D. (1987). 120 Singing Games and Dances for Elementary Schools. Prentice-Hall.
ISBN: 013635038001.

Erdei, I., Knowles, F., & Bacon, D. (2002). My Singing Bird: 150 Folk Songs from the Anglo-American,
English, Scottish, and Irish Traditions. The Kodály Center of America, Inc. ISBN: 0935432108.

Erdei, P. & Komlos, K. (1989). 150 American Folk Songs to Sing, Read, and Play (9th printing). Boosey &
Hawkes. ISBN: 0913932043.

Johnston, R. (1984). Folk Songs North America Sings. E.C. Kerby Ltd. ISBN: 0969183704.

Heath, C. (1984). The Song Garden. Vols. 1, 2, and 3. The Kodály Institute at Capital (student books).

Heath, C. (1984). The Song Garden Games and Activities Book. The Kodály Institute at Capital (teacher
resource).

Jones, B. & Lomax Hawes, B. (1987). Step it Down: Games, Plays, Song, and Stories from the Afro-
American Heritage. Brown Thrasher Books, The University of Georgia Press. ISBN: 0820309605.

Locke, E. (1988). Sail Away: 155 American Folk Songs to Sing, Read, and Play. Boosey & Hawkes.

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Lomax, A. (1960). The Folk Songs of North America. Doubleday, Garden City, NY.

Mathias, S. & Sunami, M. (1987). Songs and Games for Young Musicians. The Kodály Institute at
Capital.

Orozco, J. & Kleven, E. (1999). “De Colores” and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children. Dutton
Children’s Books.

Seeger, R. C. (1948). American Folk Songs for Children. Doubleday, Garden City, NY (out of print).

Tacka, P. & Taylor-Howell, S., editors. Sourwood Mountain: 28 North American & English Songs
Arranged for 2 Voices. OAKE.

Taylor-Howell, S., editor (1991). The Owl Sings: 22 Folksongs Arranged for 2 or 3 Voices. OAKE.

Trinka, J. (1996). The Little Black Bull and Other Folk Songs, Singing Games, and Play Parties for Kids of
All Ages, Vol. 4 (CD and Book), Folk Music Works. ISBN: 1-888895-41-1.

_______. (1989). John, the Rabbit and Other Folk Songs, Singing Games, and Play Parties for Kids of All
Ages, Vol. 3 (CD and Book). Folk Music Works.

_______. (1988). Bought Me a Cat and Other Folk Songs, Singing Games and Play Parties for Kids of All
Ages, Vol. 2 (CD and Book). Folk Music Works.

_______. (1987). My Little Rooster and Other Folk Songs, Singing Games, and Play Parties for Kids of All
Ages, Vol. 1 (CD and Book). Folk Music Works. (ISBN for the 4-volume set is 1-888895-04-7.)

Methodology

Choksy, L. (1999). The Kodály Method I and II (3rd Edition). Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

_________. (1988). The Kodály Method: Comprehensive Music Education from Infant to Adult. Prentice-
Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. ISBN: 0135168992.

_________. (1981). The Kodály Context: Creating an Environment for Musical Learning. Prentice-Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Daniel, K. Kodály Approach. Mark Foster Music Company, Champaign, IL (now distributed by Shawnee
Press).
Kodály in Kindergarten
Method Book I (1979)
Method Book II (1986), ISBN: 0916656209
Method Book III (1987), ISBN: 0916656225
Transparencies and Student Workbooks (I, II, and III) are also available

________. Kodály Approach. Self-published, Carbondale, IL (available by contacting

kszaszi@earthlink.net).
Method Book IV (2000)
Advanced Curriculum, Books V and VI (2002)

Dobszay, L. (trans. G. Virágh) (1999). The World of Sounds. The Kodály Institute at Capital.

Eisen, A. & Robertson, L. (1996). An American Methodology. Sneaky Snake Pub.

Epstein, M. & Rappaport, J. (2001). The Kodály Teaching Weave, Vol. II. Pro Canto Press, Westborough,
MA.

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Feierabend, J. (1995). Conversational Solfège (Levels I, II, and III). GIA Publications.

Forrai, K. (1998). Music in Preschool, Second Revised and Expanded Edition (translated and adapted by
Jean Sinor). James Ferguson Pty. Ltd. ISBN: 0958629706.

Herboly-Kocsár, I. (1984). Teaching of Polyphony, Harmony and Form in Elementary School. Zoltán
Kodály Pedagogical Institute, Hungary. ISBN: 9630157276.

Houlahan, M. & Tacka, P. (1995). Sound Thinking: Developing Musical Literacy, Vol. I and II. Boosey
and Hawkes. ISBN: 0913932531.

Mathias, S. & Sunami, M. (1987). My Beat and Rhythm Book (student workbook). The Kodály Institute at
Capital.

Mathias, S. & Sunami, M. (1987). My Melody Book (student workbook). The Kodály Institute at Capital.

Rappaport, J. (2001). The Kodály Teaching Weave, Vol. I. Pro Canto Press, Westborough, MA.

Rappaport, J. (1983). New Pathways to Art Music Listening: A Kodály Approach Appropriate for All Age
Levels. Pro Canto Press, Marlborough, MA.

Zemke, L. (1974). Kodály: 35 Lesson Plans and Folk Song Supplement. Kodály-Related Publications,
Manitowoc, WI.

Videos (available from OAKE)

“An Interview with Zoltán Kodály” (interviewed in 1966 by Dr. Ernö Daniel).

“Kodály Approach in Piano Teaching,” Katinka Daniel.

“Music Lessons” (A Ford Foundation film showing American Kodály teachers).

“The Kodály Concept in America” (implementation of a model K-6 program, taught by David John
Falconer).

“The Legacy of Zoltán Kodály” (four videotapes of exemplary Hungarian music instruction).
Volume I: Nursery School
Volume II: Grades 1-3
Volume III: Grades 4-5
Volume IV: Grades 7-8

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