School Games With Chants & Songs

A Tisket, A Tasket

• The children all sit down in a circle. Pick one player out of the group to get up and walk around the circle with a cloth in her hand. As she walks around the circle, she sings: "A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket, I sent a letter to my dear and on the way I dropped it, I dropped it, I dropped it, and on the way I dropped it." As she sings the final "dropped it," she drops the cloth into the lap of the player at her side. He then picks it up and has to chase her around the circle. If she gets to his spot before he tags her, he has to go around the circle and sing just as she did. Continue with this process for as long as you like.

If You're Happy and You Know It

• All the kids stand in a circle. The song always starts out in every verse with "If you're happy and you know it." In the first verse, sing "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands" twice. Then follow it with "If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it," then sing the part "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." Every time you sing a command, such as "clap your hands," all the children clap their hands. Other commands include "shout hurray," "stomp your feet" and "nod your head." You can add other commands of your own as the song goes on.

Mother May I?

• Select one child to play "Mother." She stands at one end of the play space and faces away. Line all the other kids up on the other side horizontally. One child asks Mother, "Mother, may I take [some number] of steps?" Mother says, "You may take [some number] of steps." The respondent then has to ask, "Mother, may I?" again, with Mother answering, "Yes, you may." If he fails to say "Mother, may I?" he loses his turn and has to return to the line. The kids all have turns for multiple rounds. The first player to come close enough to touch Mother wins and becomes the new Mother. Play for as long as you like.

Mr. Wolf

• Gather the children in a straight line so they stand side by side. Pick another child to play Mr. Wolf. He stands about 10 feet from the other students and faces away from them. All the children chant "What time is it, Mr. Wolf?" Mr. Wolf gives them a time such as "one o'clock" which prompts the children to take one step toward him. The kids keep asking Mr. Wolf what time it is until he senses them near; at which point, he turns around and yells, "Time for dinner!" and then chases them back to the line. Whomever he tags has to play Mr. Wolf for a round.