Ten Little Native Americans

Last week in therapy I began using Thanksgiving as a theme in some of my AVT sessions. My little listeners enjoy the song, Ten Little Indians while it may not be considered politically correct it is a wonderful repetitive song that I have used for countless years. We sing and shout, "Woo woo woo, Woo woo woo" which is great for early sound awareness and imitation.

Together, we take the Native Indian boys and girls in and out of the teepee which is a catalyst for many listening and spoken language activities and goals.

One little, two little, three little Indians

Four little, five little, six little Indians

Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians

Ten little Indian boys/girls.

Sing With Me Thanksgiving Listen | Sing | Play

Sing With Me - Thanksgiving includes 10 language-rich songs for children with and without hearing loss. Music and singing are fabulous tools for coaching parents and caregivers while helping lay the foundation for listening and spoken language.

Music and singing is a fabulous tool for coaching parents and caregivers while helping lay the foundation for listening and spoken language. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to sing, sing and sing some more even if they can't carry a tune. For some, this comes naturally. For others, including music and singing in daily routines and activities is challenging.

Make music part of each day. Children love hearing the sound of their loved ones voices and the time spent together. Be playful, silly, and have fun together! Sing traditional songs, nursery and action rhymes like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “The Wheels on the Bus”. Make up songs like "Good Morning To You" to a familiar tune like the (Happy Birthday). Sing popular songs, seasonal songs, Sunday school songs and songs from the family's heart language.

These Thanksgiving songs expose children to new words and concepts that build language and the foundation for learning to read. Songs and music provide opportunities for children to improve auditory skills, memory for words and builds vocabulary. Music helps children perceive speech sounds accurately and develop clear speech with natural melody and inflection.

What's Included?

10 Thanksgiving Songs For Children

• 8.5 x 5.5-inch songs sheets for printing

• Full-size versions of the song sheets for use in teletherapy or in-person sharing.

• Printable finger puppets and props

• Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) tips to encourage auditory learning.

Listen & Move to the Music

Listen & Move is a tried and true musical activity to include in your auditory verbal therapy in face to face sessions, in telepractice or for families at home. It’s a no-prep, effective listening and language learning activity so give and try!

I’ve been a long time fan of incorporating Greg & Steve's music in auditory verbal sessions. The songs are language rich, educational and motivating. The Listen & Move song from theWe All Live Together, Vol-2 album is exceptional for babies to listen and move to along with their parents or caregivers. Preschoolers and early elementary aged children can build skills in

• listening and attention

• following directions

• auditory memory and recall

• musical appreciation.

In the linked YouTube video, there are no images, so Listen and Move! is played through hearing alone. Kids listen to the words and the tempo that match actions to follow along. Allowing children to hear the music without pictures or using props provides ear contact before eye contact which is critical to growing a child’s brain for auditory skills. 

How to Play:

1. Play the video, listen to the music and follow the directions to WALK, GALLOP, TIPTOE, RUN, SKATE and HOP.

2. The second verse is the same music but without the words or directions.

3. This time the kids listen to the musical elements of pitch, rhythm, phrase, cadence and use their auditory memory and recall to dance and move to the sounds they hear and identify. Each action’s musical sounds are distinctive such as tiptoeing versus skating.

4. Expand this activity by targeting vocabulary and talking together about topics like, Who gallops? Why would someone tip-toe? Types of skates and so on. 

5. Follow up with a story. Check out a list of the best kids books about movement and motion by Bookroo: The Children's Book Experts.

   Gallop! A Scanimation Picture Book  by Seder, R. B. (2007) is wonderful for babies and toddlers and encourages listeners to gallop, swing, run, and jump like a variety of different animals.

   Have fun!