A perfect first-day icebreaker — no explanation needed, just jump in and let kids take over with their own ideas.
The words in brackets change each time — first the teacher suggests body parts, then students make their own suggestions.
Change and Change is one of those rare songs that requires zero setup. There's no game to explain, no rules to establish, no props to distribute. You just start singing it and the kids follow along — placing one hand on one body part and the other hand somewhere else, then switching on "change and change."
After a couple of rounds with teacher-suggested body parts, you open it up to student suggestions. This is where the song comes alive. Kids love proposing ridiculous combinations, and the improvisation element means the activity can run as long as the energy lasts — or wrap up in under two minutes if you need a quick transition.
Just start singing. No explanation is needed before you begin — the physical actions make the song self-explanatory from the first phrase. Jumping right in without preamble is actually more effective than explaining, and models the kind of engaged, confident teaching that sets the tone for the year.
Open it up to student suggestions after a few rounds. Once the class has the pattern, ask "who has an idea?" and let students suggest body part combinations. They'll quickly start proposing funny or surprising combinations — one hand on your nose and the other on your foot, one hand on the ground and the other in the air, and so on.
Wait until late in the year for PreK 3-year-olds. The coordination required to place two hands on two different body parts simultaneously can be challenging for younger PreK students at the start of the year. By spring, they'll love it — but it may be frustrating in September.
One hand on your head, the other on your tummy
One hand on your nose, the other on your foot
One hand on the ground, the other in the air
One hand on your shoulder, the other on your knee
Because it requires no prior knowledge, no materials, and no explanation. Every student can participate immediately and successfully from the very first round. It also signals from day one that music class is a place where student ideas are welcomed and used.
It's completely flexible. You can wrap it up after three or four rounds, or let it run for five or ten minutes if the energy is good and students keep generating ideas. Because each round is short and the suggestions keep changing, it doesn't feel repetitive the way many motion songs do.
Yes — Kindergarteners handle it well right from the start of the year. The PreK caveat applies primarily to 3-year-olds, who may find the two-hands-on-two-places coordination tricky until later in the year.
The real problem
Every teacher knows this feeling. You find a song, try it on Monday, and something goes sideways — the kids don't engage, you're not sure how to introduce it, the lesson loses momentum. It's not that the song was wrong. You just didn't have a clear picture of how it actually goes.
That's what makes The Singing Classroom different. Every song in the library — including this one — has a full video of Deborah teaching it with real students. You don't have to guess how to introduce it, how to structure the activity, or how to handle the tricky moments. You watch it. Then you teach it.
150+ songs. Every one demonstrated. No more hoping it works — you already know it will.
Watch Deborah teach this first-day icebreaker. Change and Change is just one of 150+ songs in the complete Singing Classroom library — every one with full video demonstration, teaching guide, and animated game instructions.
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