Here are a couple of examples taken from the songs activities for Hetty and the Lion:

Listen and Clap

Tell the children you will play a song about Hetty and the lion, and they are to clap whenever they hear “lion” or “Hetty.” Then, play the music and demonstrate while they watch and copy. Next, play it again, gradually fading out your prompts until the children can do it alone. You may repeat this in another lesson, but having the children clap on the word “would,” which occurs in almost every line.

Repeat the Words Game

Demonstrate this game first with two students. Half of the children stand on one side of the room, and half stand on the other. Position pupils in pairs opposite each other. Next, ask the first half, “Lion, would you like some apples?” These children run across to their other half opposite and repeat this; “Lion, would you like some apples?” and then run back to their original place. 

The teacher now says to the other half, “Oh yes, Hetty, oh yes, I would.” These children now run across to their partner, repeat the line and run back to their original spot. Although this is challenging for three-year-olds, it is feasible if you have been teaching them for a term or two. However, it is far too ambitious for an early lesson. 

Acting out the song

It’s best to use real or plastic fruits, but pictures will do. You’ll need apples, bananas, and pears. Divide the class into Hetty’s and lions. The Hetty’s advance across the room to the lions offering first an apple and then a pear. Each lion takes an apple and pretends to devour it! Next, all the Hetty’s sing their words together, followed by the lions. Girls will have to be Hetty, while girls and boys can be lions. On the other hand, if you don’t teach girls, change the name to Henry.

More games

You will find many more games, such as Listen Up, Q and A Game, Chase round the Circle, and London Bridge, in the songs activity book included with the album.

In all, there are 26 activities ideal for using with songs, whether it’s to focus on the vocabulary, practise specific phrases, use the music as backing to another language game, sing along to, or act out the events in the song.