It’s almost Halloween! Last year in my daughter’s dance class, the children did a hilarious Halloween dance recital, complete with the Monster Mash. This inspired me to look up some of my favorite Halloween songs. And this year? Well, after watching silly movies on YouTube, my four-year-old has decided that she’s going to be a Purple People Eater.
If you’re holding a Halloween party for preschoolers, why not integrate a little bit of dancing? The Monster Mash is ideal for those funky dance moves you’ve been waiting to teach your little one. Have kids pound with different instruments and drums and bang their hands together to do the mash.
The Purple People Eater is perfect for a jam session with your preschooler. After all, he wants to get a job in a rock and roll band! Tambourines, little ukuleles, and slide whistles – who could ask for more? My daughter is being a purple people eater for Halloween this year. If you’re feeling inspired, put on some short-shorts and paint one big eye on your forehead, then rock on!
“The hip bone’s connected to the….” Dem Bones is a lesson in anatomy as well as a spooky Halloween song. Create a silly version with your preschooler. Choose another animal and detail how their body parts would connect. This is a good song to get you dancing and stretching.
Five little pumpkins is a classic Halloween rhyme, and it’s fairly simple to use a tambourine or homemade drums to accompany it. If you’re musically inclined, make up a song to go with the rhyme.
If you’re like me, you remember about half of the lyrics and the tunes to these songs. Here are some web sites that have audio clips for Halloween songs so that you can sing along in style:
Songs for Teaching has some modern Halloween favorites.
Kididdles has some classic Halloween songs.
Holding a Halloween party? The wonderful thing about seasonal songs and rhymes is that you can set them to just about any tune. Alternatively, make up silly pumpkin, black cat or spoooooky lyrics to common tunes like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain. This way, everyone remembers the tune and the adults and kids can all sing along.
What are your favorite Halloween tunes? Have you made up any spooky songs that you’d like to share?