Friday Notables - Wheels on the Bus

With every new group of toddlers, whether it is those that I have worked with in a dance studio or in a Montessori environment, one thing during music time remains consistent and that is everyone loves "Wheels on the Bus." Here are a few notes on what I think makes this song so attractive and hopefully you can use it to identify other songs you may want to teach your child.

• A double dose of repetition - there is the overarching "______ on the bus" and "all through the town" that frames the repetition of who/what is on the bus and their action - this makes the song easy to learn and remember
  
• Short verses - the verses are quick and move onto a new action each time holding a toddler's short attention span
• Simple actions - younger toddlers may not be able to sing yet, but they love being able to move to the music, in a way these movements are a child's way of signing the song
  

The song also helps a child learn sequence of events - most toddlers that I work with learn very quickly that the wheels go "round and round" at the beginning, after the babies go "wah, wah, wah" the mommies go "shhh, shhh, shhh" and at the end the horn goes "beep, beep, beep." Now this may not be how every version of "Wheels on the Bus" is ordered, but whatever version you use, stick with it for awhile to help your child develop that idea of sequence. The great thing about this song is that when your child gets a little older, you can begin to increase the complexity of the song by adding more verses and encourage your child's creativity by having him help write some verses of his own.