During our weekly Tinkergarten Online Circle Time sessions, we sing, move and help kids warm up their bodies and minds for play. We also teach language and motor skills in the process—and we most definitely to have fun!
To follow is more about two of the rhymes we repeat each week to help you bring these rhymes into your home.
Warming Up Our Senses
Warming Up Our Senses can be enjoyed as a spoken rhyme and was designed to help kids learn the 7 senses we focus on at Tinkergarten.
Warming Up Our Senses (Lyrics and Movements)
Open our eyes to look around. [Place open hands around eyes.]
Tune our ears to catch some sounds. [Cup hands around your ears.]
Open noses, sniff smells in. [Wiggle nose and take a deep breath.]
Warm up hands—feel everything. [Rub hands together.]
Spin in circles, bending down. [Spin. Bend.]
Move our muscles, jump around. [Jump around!]
Open our mouths to take a taste… [Open mouth, and pause...]
When we know that tasting’s safe!
Where is the learning?
Whenever we sing a song or repeat a rhyme, especially one that involves body movement, we support various aspects of language development (e.g. vocabulary, rhyme, rhythm, imagination, etc.), mind-body connection and motor skills.
Warming Up Our Senses supports sensory learning in several ways:
- The rhyme is written to help attune kiddos to the body parts and body movements associated with each sense.
- When kids can have concrete experiences with each sense, they can learn about them in age-appropriate ways.
- It's a great warm-up! Just by repeating and moving through this rhyme, kids "warm up" their senses for whatever learning they are about to do.
- Families can continue to repeat the rhyme together to support sensory activation offline.
Come to Tinkergarten Song
A beloved part of Circle Time at any Tinkergarten class is our Come to Tinkergarten song. We designed the song to be a signal that a very special time together has started, to connect us all and to warm up our bodies, minds and hearts for play.
Lyrics and Movements
You can download a set of lyrics here, or scroll down to take a peek. And you can click here to download or listen to the song anytime online!
As you'll see, there are lyrics for a range of creatures to be sung and enjoyed while you move like that creature. Many of the best lyrics are not below, but are invented by kids, parents and Leaders on the fly! Wonder with your child what favorite creatures—real or imagined—could come to Tinkergarten, then wonder how they would move to get there. Sing your very own lyrics while you move for endless, creative fun!
Where's the learning?
We designed the Come to Tinkergarten song to develop the following skills, and to delight children and adults alike:
- Communication—When we repeat the rich rhymes and rhythmic language in the song, children develop key literacy skills and broaden their vocabulary.
- Empathy—When they pretend to be animals, children also develop a foundation for empathy.
- Imagination—Imagining that we are animals and creatures of all kinds, we help children to develop their capacity to pretend.
- Gross Motor Skills—Moving our arms, legs and trunks as we emulate creatures supports children in learning how to use and control their big muscles.
- Joy!—Tinkergarten Leaders sing and dance, infusing our classroom with the joy that stays with kids for life.
