What's a fun song I could teach preschoolers?

I applied at a preschool today, and in order to see if I would be a good teacher, they want me to teach the kids a song on Monday. I decided to use my ukulele, but I don't know what song to teach them. It would be good if it was interactive, a song with motions or something, but as I'll be playing the ukulele I wouldn't be able to do most motions with them. Does anyone have any ideas?

yeah i got a good activity that i use with preps but for me to explain is going to take a bit

but here is goes
get two puppets or something i often just use a pen and kazoo or something, and engage the children by saying i have two friends that would really like to meet you and show you a dance, but they are shy, they get afraid when children make loud noises, so i ask them to sit quietly keeping my little friends behind my back, i aks if they are ready and when they are settled i will introduce mr kazoo and mr pen, or whatever else i got, i then show them the dance they like to do but i make it commical by making the pen and kazoo skip over my face into my eyes or mouth, that usually always gets a laugh and gets them engaged

so the song goes

now im going to run along and skip along the way
wait for me im coming to i really want to play (X2)
hello hello and now we do a dance
hello hello and now we do a dance (x2)

so the first line
now im going to run along and skip along the way, one instrument goes somewhere along my body usually up over the face to the top of my head
then the second line: wait for me im coming too i really want to play the other instruemtns follows.
then this is repeated as the instruments head somewhere else acors my body.
then with the chorus
they face each other and one instrument goes hello by bowing to the other and then the next hellp the other instruments bows then they do a little dance and that get repeated

after i have demonstrated the little dance
i teach them the song
i sing

now im going to run along and skip along they way
and then get the children to sing wait for me im coming to i really want to play
they will need to practice this a number of times and slowly

then we practice the hello section you sig hello they sing hello and we all sing now we do a dance etc

once they got the idea of the song then you play the game, but they have to sing as well make that important as singing the song is the goal, the WALT (what are we learning today)
so they stand still until it is their time to sing, you wiht your ukulele you skip off to a place in the room away from the children singing your part, then they come skipping to you singing their part, and then you do that again
and you face them and sing hello and they reply, and then you spin around as you say now we do a dance

and thats it
if they are really good they can then get into partners and play the game with their partner.

so the song
is
C F C
Now im going to run along and skip along the way
F C G7 C
wait for me im coming to i really want to play

(times two)

C F C
hello, hello and now we do a dance
C F G7 C
hello, hello and now we do a dance

if it was this time next week i would have some video of the children performing this as this week i will be filming the juniors doing this activity for our wikispace

but anyway i am very sick at the moment an dont have a great deal of energy otherwise i would record it, if you like the idea i will see how i feel tomorrow
best of luck

its all about how you deliver, and perform make it funny, and entertaining for them, dont be afraid to look like a fool, infront of other adults as the children will really get alot from it
i have been doing this activity with the young ones for the last 6 years and they always enjoy it
its part of my program for the prep kids

VS

ahh s** the chords were meant to be sitting above the words they change on but they all got out of skewed when i submitted the post

i will go and record it for you

well i dont have the energyt o record it but this link will show you the book page that explains it, and maye you coudl look for the song they use and learn it on uke its those chords i said anyway

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=mMplDshjXmYC&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=lynn+kleiner+skip+along+the+way&source=bl&ots=CjOKNf242C&sig=poR1JddTN29FFqQQUF1z73xZtr8&hl=en&ei=L9SRS8jZJIzk7AOHvJnTCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Wow! Thank you so much. That's such a good idea. I don't know whether or not I'll be able to do it this time because I'm not sure what the rules are in this preschool about the kids running around the different areas, but I'll try. If not, I'll definitely do it another time because it sounds like a lot of fun and it would be great to get the kids moving around.

surf lol
C Am F and ummmmm uhhhh this one 0121 0 = g string

This is very old, but cute & fun, with animal sounds etc......

The Little White Duck

There's a little white duck (quack)
Sitting in the water.
A little white duck (quack)
Doing what he oughter.
He took a bite of a lily pad,
Flapped his wings and he said,
"I'm glad I'm a little white duck,
Sitting in the water."
Quack, Quack, Quack............

Lyrics here:

http://www.gardenofsong.com/whiteduck.html

Burl Ives video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y57RWhz76y8

I work with preschoolers... Here's some of the songs you could try

BINGO
Eency Weency Spider
If you're happy and you know it
This old Man
Twinkle Twinkle little Star

elephant town. they'll love it.

hawaiianmusiclover06 said:

I work with preschoolers... Here's some of the songs you could try

BINGO
Eency Weency Spider
If you're happy and you know it
This old Man
Twinkle Twinkle little Star

Click to expand...

Great suggestions. What age are you working with. Preschool can be 4 yrs down to new borns. But I think of 3 to 4 year olds.
The more we get together is a good one. My pre-k kids loved singing that song. Find out what the theme is and try to find a song that is child-friendly and age appropiate. Remember the younger they are, the less words you need.

If you want actions you could try "The Hokey Pokey" if you know it. I usually see it used more at wedding dances but kids would like it too. I am, of course, assuming you are familiar with it - You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your right hand in and you shake it all about, you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, that's what it's all about. Then repeat using different body parts and end with "whole self in - whole self out" Best of all it's only 2 chords.

the52blues said:

If you want actions you could try "The Hokey Pokey" if you know it. I usually see it used more at wedding dances but kids would like it too. I am, of course, assuming you are familiar with it - You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your right hand in and you shake it all about, you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, that's what it's all about. Then repeat using different body parts and end with "whole self in - whole self out" Best of all it's only 2 chords.

Click to expand...

and kids love it. I modify the lyrics when we put our noses in. I sing you put your nose in you put your nose out you put your nose in and you shake your snot out. Kids get a big laugh and ewwww out of that.