Back to School · PreK–Grade 6

Back to School
Music Activities
That Make the First Week Unforgettable

Name games, community-building circle games, and first-week songs for every grade. Every one is demonstrated on video, so you walk into that first class completely confident.

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150+

Songs & games

PreK–6

Every grade

First

Week favorites

Video

Every activity

Where the year begins

What they remember is how the first class felt

In my own classroom, the first week was never about rules or seating charts. It was about getting everyone singing and playing together before anyone had time to decide whether they wanted to be there. Children work that out very quickly, and they work it out from what you do, not from what you tell them.

These are the songs I reached for every September. They work on day one, with a class you have never met, with no warm-up and nothing the students need to know in advance. I demonstrate each one on video, so you can watch it through once and walk in knowing exactly how it goes.

More about me and how I teach →

"Good music teaching is not about music. It's about creating joy, humor, and love in the classroom. Music is simply the way to get there."

Deborah Skydell Pasternack

Founder · The Singing Classroom

What makes a great first-week activity

Five things every back-to-school music activity needs

Everyone in, straight away

Nobody should have to sit through an explanation first. If the song is the right one, children are making music inside the first minute, before anyone has time to feel self-conscious.

Nobody put on the spot

Whole-class circle games where everyone plays at once. The first week is not the time to ask a child you have just met to sing on their own.

Lively, but still yours

Active enough that children want in, structured enough that you stay in charge of the room. Getting both at once is the whole trick of the first week.

A real song, not a novelty

Every one of these is worth knowing in its own right. I want children leaving that first class having actually sung something, not just having played a game.

Right for the grade

What delights a kindergartener will insult a fifth grader. Every song here is matched to the grade that can actually meet it.

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Watch three of them before you decide anything

These three are open to everyone. Each is taught the whole way through, exactly the way every other song in the library is taught. Watch one, take it into class this week, and see whether the way I teach suits you before you pay for anything.

Oh, Row the Rattlin' Bog

Grades K–3 · Cumulative song

A cumulative Irish folk song that hooks a class in the first verse and holds them as the verses pile up. One of the best first-week songs I know for the younger grades, and it needs nothing but a poster.

Rhythm

You will need

Poster

Lyrics, score and full teaching notes →

Apple Tree

Grades K–2 · Circle game

A clean circle game with a passing element. Easy to learn, musically genuine, and the natural way to make the circle your working formation for the rest of the year.

Rhythm

You will need

Bunny animations

Lyrics, score and full teaching notes →

Bobo Ski Watten Taten

Grades 4–6 · Hand clap game

The one your upper elementary students may already know. It has been played on the east coast for at least thirty years, so do not be surprised if they leap up and perform it perfectly the moment you start. The clapping pattern is far easier to learn from the animation than from the score.

Rhythm

Syncopa

You will need

Bunny animations

Lyrics, score and full teaching notes →

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The other 150+ songs are taught exactly like these three

Browse by grade

First-week activities for every grade you teach

A sample of what I would teach in the first weeks. Every song comes with a teaching video, the score, and notes on how to run it. The three above are free to watch; the rest come with a subscription.

With the youngest children I want everyone feeling seen and safe before I ask them to learn anything at all. Gentle, welcoming, and easy to join.

All Around The Buttercup

PreK–K

Name game · Day 1

The single best first-day-of-school song for PreK and K. Every child hears their name sung by the whole class, so music class immediately signals that every child belongs here.

Bounce One Bounce Two

PreK–K

Immediate engagement

A ball-bouncing game that works with zero prior musical knowledge. Children are giggling and playing within 60 seconds, exactly the energy you want on day one.

A Quiet Little Mouse

PreK–1

Settling · Listening

A song for settling young children into focused listening. Perfect for the transition moments in first-week lessons when you need to gently bring the energy down.

Come Through The Sawmill

PreK–1

Arch game · Community

An arch game where everyone participates and nobody waits. Perfect for early in the year when you're still learning names and building trust with a new class.

Five Little Ducks

PreK–1

First week favorite

A counting and play-acting song that even the most hesitant PreK child will follow along with. The narrative structure makes it easy for new students from day one.

Miss Polly Had a Dolly

PreK–1

Drama · Welcoming

A beloved nursery song that PreK students often already know from home. Starting with something familiar signals immediately that music class is a safe and joyful place.

Energetic and social. There is enough structure in these that you can set your expectations for the year while the class is genuinely having a good time.

Bate Bate Chocolate

K–3

Partner game · First week

A Spanish-language partner clap game that students take to immediately. By the end of the first class they're chanting it, and they'll be asking for it again next week.

Apple Tree

K–2

Circle game · Steady beat

A clean, simple circle game with a passing element. Perfect for the first week. Easy to learn, musically genuine, and a natural way to establish the circle as your primary formation.

Oh Row the Rattlin' Bog

PreK–3

Cumulative · Immediately engaging

A cumulative Irish folk song that hooks students in the first verse and keeps them completely absorbed as the verses grow. One of the best first-week songs for this age group.

A Ship A-Sailing

K–2

Circle movement · Community

A circle and movement game from England. The skipping and movement element gets students physically active immediately, and the circle formation naturally builds community.

Lemonade Crunchy Ice

K–4

Student-led · Energizing

A play-acting game where student teams decide what to perform. Immediately gives students ownership and agency in music class, which is powerful for establishing the right tone from week one.

All Around The Buttercup

PreK–2

Name game

Works for grade 1 and 2 as well as PreK. Still one of the best ways to start the year because every child hears their name and feels acknowledged in the first class.

Enough challenge for the children who had you last year, easy enough to welcome the ones who did not. The middle grades need both at once.

Alabama Gal

K–6

Folk dance · First week

A longways set dance that spans the entire grade range. Students who were in your class last year love seeing it again; new students are quickly swept up in the energy of the group.

Come And Pass The Sticks Around

K–4

Steady beat · Community

Rhythm sticks passed on the beat in a circle. The social accountability of keeping the beat for the whole group is a natural, positive way to re-establish music class expectations.

Lemonade Crunchy Ice

K–4

Student-led · Energizing

One of the best first-week games for grades 3–4 because it immediately hands control to students. They love the agency, and you immediately see who your natural leaders are.

Bounce One Bounce Two

PreK–6

Circle game · All grades

A ball-bouncing circle game that genuinely works at every grade. The accelerando is irresistible, and 3rd and 4th graders are just as delighted as kindergarteners.

Jump In Jump Out

Grades 2–6

Movement response

A movement activity where students respond to phrase structure physically. High energy, completely inclusive, and a natural way to re-establish listening skills after the summer break.

A Capital Ship

Grades 3–5

Sea chantey · Multiple verses

A sea chantey that builds across multiple verses. Perfect for a first-week lesson where you want something substantial and musically interesting, not just a warmup game.

This is the hardest group to win over in September. Nothing here feels childish. That is the whole test, and every song in this tab passes it.

Bobo Ski Waten Taten

Grades 4–6

Partner clap · Cool factor

The back-to-school game for upper elementary. Students who think they're too old for singing games inevitably get drawn in, and by the end of the class they're competing to see who can keep up.

Four White Horses

Grades 4–6

Caribbean · Syncopation

A Caribbean hand-clap game with a syncopated feel that 5th and 6th graders connect with immediately. The rhythm feels genuinely cool, which is exactly what you need in the first week of 6th grade music.

Alabama Gal

K–6

Folk dance · All grades

A longways set dance that 5th and 6th graders can handle with real sophistication. Students who've been in your class for years show the new students how it's done. Instant community building.

Lemonade Crunchy Ice

K–4

Student-led · Competition

Upper elementary students are highly competitive by nature. This game channels that energy beautifully. The team element is immediately engaging and the guessing creates genuine suspense.

Bim Bum

Grades 3–6

Body percussion

A body-percussion song that 5th and 6th graders find genuinely satisfying. Not childish, not easy, but something they can master quickly and feel proud of.

Flow Gently Sweet Afton

Grades 4–6

Scottish · Groups of four

A beautiful Scottish song with a groups-of-four movement. Genuinely challenging for upper elementary, the kind of opening activity that sets the tone for a year of serious music-making.

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Every song above, plus 150+ more · or see the whole library

Questions

About back-to-school music activities

The full library has 150+ songs and singing games, many of which work particularly well for the back-to-school period. The songs highlighted on this page are specifically chosen for the first weeks of school. They are name games, community-building circle games, and activities that establish your classroom culture from day one. A subscription gives you access to all of them.

Yes. Most music teachers see multiple grades in a day. The library is organized by grade level so you can find age-appropriate activities for each class quickly. Some songs like Alabama Gal and Bounce One Bounce Two work across a wide grade range, so you can teach the same song to different grades without it feeling repetitive. The video shows you how the teaching approach changes by grade.

For a new teacher at a new school, the first priority is getting students making music together quickly, before you worry about curriculum or concepts. Start with All Around The Buttercup for PreK–2 (it teaches you all their names while they make music together), Bate Bate Chocolate for grades 1–3 (immediately engaging with no prior knowledge required), and Bobo Ski Waten Taten for grades 4–6 (enough challenge to earn their respect). The teaching videos will show you exactly how to handle each class.

The monthly plan is $22.95/month. The annual plan is $199.95/year ($16.66/month). Most teachers who join before back-to-school choose annual since the library is most valuable from August through June. The 7-day free trial gives you complete access from day one. You can cancel any time before the trial ends without being charged.