Encouraging healthy habits in children is essential for their overall well-being, and what better way to instill these habits than through the power of music and engaging activities? In this blog post, we'll explore a variety of songs and music activities tailored for early childhood that center around the theme of promoting healthy habits. From catchy tunes that highlight the importance of daily routines to energetic songs that encourage physical activity, and from melodies celebrating nutritious food choices to music that helps kids manage emotions — let's dive into musical and creative ways to inspire healthy habits in little learners.
Healthy Habits for Kids
Before delving into the music, let's outline some essential healthy habits for young children. These habits serve as the foundation for health and well-being and can be reinforced through engaging songs and activities. Some key habits include:
Eating nutritious foods and maintaining a balanced diet.
Engaging in regular physical activity.
Getting a good night’s sleep.
Practicing good hygiene, such as washing hands regularly and brushing teeth.
Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
Managing emotions through activities like deep breathing and mindfulness exercises.
Building positive relationships and friendships.
Now, my favourite, pairing each of these habits with a corresponding song or activity that reinforces the concept:
Nutrition
I Eat a Rainbow Every Day (KCLS Library): This song encourages children to name nutritious foods in various colors, emphasizing how eating a rainbow of colorful nutritious foods is good for us.
Apples and Bananas: A classic song that celebrates the goodness of fruits and plays with sounds, adding a silly touch that kids love.
Fruit Salad Salsa by Laurie Berkner: A fun song about making a fruit salad where kids get to move and dance as they pretend to be the fruit inside the bowl.
Physical Activity
My Energy by Laurie Berkner: A movement song where kids get to express their energy in different ways. Before playing this song, we can discuss how healthy habits like eating good food and getting a good sleep give us the energy we need to learn, move, and play.
Heartbeat by Laura Doherty: This song highlights the different ways we can move our bodies to get our hearts pumping to stay healthy and energized.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Are You Sleeping: Reinforce the importance of a good sleep with this classic song. Children will enjoy pretending to sleep and then waking up after the bells ring, “Ding dang dong”.
I like to follow this one up with the song “Wake Up Toes” to encourage movement, wakefulness, and body awareness.
Daily Routines for Good Hygiene
Washing My Hands by Nancy Kopman: This catchy tune makes handwashing fun!
Brush Your Teeth by Raffi: A cheerful song where children can pretend to brush their teeth while making a fun rhythmic sound throughout.
Staying Hydrated
Drinking Up the Water: A simple song to sing about drinking water to reinforce the importance of staying hydrated and healthy. We can also add that drinking water is good for the health of our teeth too.
Managing Emotions
Take a Breath by Raffi: This self-regulation song encourages deep breathing and calming techniques to help children manage big emotions.
Friends and Family
The More We Get Together: Another classic song that celebrates the joy of friendship and the importance of spending time with loved ones.
Healthy Habits Singable Book Recommendation
"Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" picture book adapts the classic song to highlight different ways we can take care of ourselves to help our bodies grow. It’s a personal favourite of mine and really sums up many of the healthy habits that we’ve been discussing. This book also offers opportunities for kids to interact, and many pages lend themselves to movement and actions.
By incorporating these songs and activities into lessons of health, caregivers and educators can help instill healthy habits in children from a young age. Let the power of music inspire and motivate our little learners to lead happy, healthy lives!
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