A song to support learning about familiar insects / bugs and all those little creatures we call minibeasts including for example spiders, bees, ants and worms. This fun action song encourages singing and creative movement and engages children instantly. It is used successfully with groups and individuals, develops language skills, inspires art and craft, and encourages a range of other learning and fun activities. A favourite for assemblies and other performances and has been a big hit at workshops and conferences too.
How this song links to learning ...and fun
For example the song is used to encourage opportunities to :-
Personal, social & emotional development
Talk about how minibeasts (bugs) are useful to us and about their different characteristics and abilities
Physical development
Perform: listen and respond to the movements described in the song - dance, mime and move in the style of different minibeasts
Communication and language
Learn and sing the words - join in with just the chorus to start with - make up new verses to go with the backing music only track
Literacy
Find and read other stories, songs and rhymes about minibeasts e.g. ‘incy wincy spider’ ... 'the ugly bug ball'. Look for pictures and other images
Mathematics
Look for, identify and count the different minibeasts that can be found in the garden, sort by size and count features such as legs
Understanding the World
Talk about where we find minibeasts – where they live, what they eat. Which ones are insects?
Expressive Arts & Design
Draw, name and label a ‘new‘ minibeast. Make a model of it using recycled materials - describe it's unique features
How this song links to topics and themes
- Action songs
- Antennae
- Ants
- Bees
- Beetles
- Bugs
- Caterpillars
- Centipedes
- Creatures
- Diversity
- Flies
- Flowers
- Flying
- Habitats
- Insects
- Marching
- Minibeasts
- Nature
- Spiders
- Teamwork
- Wildlife
- Worms
What practitioners say...
“We purchased the whole [Education Through Music] collection and use most of the CDs especially the Early Years Collection... As you know we have worn our original [CD] out so we have repurchased another one as the children so wanted Minibeasts.” (Little Folks Montessori)
“Used mini-beasts for assembly, good for special needs - they could do the actions and the repetition helped.”
“We have also incorporated some of the ET music songs into our music and movement programme. This class usually starts with “Watch those mini-beasts move”
(Playland International Pre-school [2-6 yr olds], Lesotho)
"The children loved the song and actions. Parents wanted the words so they could sing it at home."
"Another one is ‘minibeasts,’ again they all sing the words in the chorus - we do various actions with our hands up in the air like antenna from a minibeast whilst jumping/ hopping/marching in a circle/or jumping legs apart then legs together, then in the main part wriggling like a worm or crawling like a spider as the song says."
(Rainbow mini-gym aged 3+ to 8)