OLYMPIC THEMED SONGS FOR PRESCHOOLERS

The 2012 Summer Olympics will begin in London in just a few days. The two weeks of the Olympic Games provide a perfect opportunity to introduce preschoolers to these spectacular games.  Most young children do not know what the Olympics are - they haven't lived long enough to experience them!  But we can have fun with our students by incorporating an Olympics Theme into the curriculum.

There isn't a lot of preschool - appropriate music available with an Olympic Theme.  But here are a few that you can use:

The Olympic Games by Jack Hartmann
This song is written in a call and response format:  the teacher sings a phrase and the students sing it back.  Call and response songs help to teach critical listening skills and help develop musical independence.

Sports Dance by Jack Hartman
OK, it's not exactly Olympian in nature, but it is definitely sporty!  Let the lyrics guide you in creating simple dance moves with this song:  the baseball throw, the runner's stretch, the swimmer's crawl.  For a rainy day, when the kids can't go outside and play, this song can also provide some much needed exercise for the kids!

Bugler's Dream and Fanfare by John Williams
This is the song that is played during the opening ceremony and the lighting of the Olympic torch.  It's a long song, so I'm also going to give you a link to just the Bugler's Dream portion of the song, which is only 48 seconds long!

Running Race by Juice Music
A race with dad makes this a fun song to pretend to!