Caitie is sharing tips for using the preschool song “The Ants Go Marching #2” in the classroom and at home for lots of fun learning with little ones. She has lots of great ideas! And she’ll lead us through the song using gestures – an excellent way to introduce a song to children. “The Ants Go Marching #2” is great for practicing counting and features a whole new set of rhymes that are all about food!
Try these ideas in the classroom or at home!
- This version has lots of silly rhymes all about food. Try playing this song before or after mealtime, or in the background as students eat.
- It is also a great song for a food theme and to introduce different food vocabulary. Try pairing it with other Super Simple Songs about food like Are You Hungry? and My Yellow Car.
- You can also try pairing this song with the Super Simple Song Do You Like Broccoli Ice Cream? In that song, we ask students to decide if a food is yummy or yucky. You can do the same thing with the second version of The Ants Go Marching. Try singing this song without the music. After each verse ask your students if the food in the verse is yummy or yucky. For example, the ants go marching five by five, the little one eats a pumpkin pie. Yummy or yucky? Yummy!
- Try singing this song while counting on your fingers, or by using The Ants Go Marching flashcards.
- This is a great song to get up and move to! You can march in spot or march around the room!
- You can also have fun singing this song while seated by tapping your hands on your legs like you’re marching.
- If you are marching around the room, try giving your students tambourines or shakers to play as they move to the beat.
- Try drawing pictures of all the food featured in this song, or find photos of them. You’ll need: a juicy plum, apple juice, tea, an ear of corn, pumpkin pie, potato chips, a watermelon, chocolate cake, and a sour lime, then pair those drawings or pictures with the number they rhyme best with. Have your student pair them up or work together as a group to pair them on the board. Then listen to the song to check your work and make sure they are all paired correctly!
- Try singing the song past the number 10 and come up with new rhymes, too!
More resources for this song (1)
