How To Teach Super Simple Songs

How To Teach Over The Deep Blue Sea

How do I teach the “Over The Deep Blue Sea” song to preschoolers? Here’s a video of Caitie sharing some easy-to-follow activity ideas on how to teach this original kids song from Super Simple Songs.


Try some of these ideas in the classroom or at home!

  • This song is a great one to get little ones up and moving. Have your students sit in a circle as they move their bodies forward and backwards and their arms up and down, or have them standing up and making bigger movements with their whole bodies, forward, backward, up, down, this way, that way.
  • This is a great song to introduce different kinds of weather. If your students are new to this vocabulary, trying using weather flashcards as you sing.
  • It’s also a great song to introduce and review directional vocabulary. Words and phrases like, this way, that way, forward, backward, up and down, and over. Have your students follow you as you say each word. “This way!” “Forward!” “Down!” “That way!” They can either sit or stand while they do this. If they are sitting, have them lean with their bodies and do up and down with their arms.
  • You can also do this as a game of Simon Says. Once your students are good at the game, try making purposeful mistakes for an extra challenge and see if they can do as you say, not as you do.
  • Role play this song by making a part of your classroom a boat, and choosing one student to be the captain. The captain invites students onto the boat one at a time, singing the song, and doing the action. Each students can sing about a different kind of weather as they climb aboard!
  • This is a great song to sing during a water unit about sea creatures or oceans. If you have a water table, play the song and have students act out the movements using a toy boat. This is also great interactive play for bath time!
  • Try our Popsicle Stick Pirates craft, and move your handmade pirates along to the song.

More resources for this song (1)