Songs about opposites for preschoolers
Activity: Sing Together: “The Opposite Song”: Resources for Early Learning
Standards
MA Standards
Speaking and Listening/SL.PK.MA.1a: Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (e.g., taking turns in talking, listening to peers, waiting to speak until another person is finished talking, asking questions and waiting for an answer, gaining the floor in appropriate ways).
Head Start Outcomes
Social Emotional Development/Self-Regulation: Follows simple rules, routines, and directions.
Logic and Reasoning/Reasoning and Problem Solving: Classifies, compares, and contrasts objects, events, and experiences.
Language Development/Receptive Language: Attends to language during conversations, songs, stories, or other learning experiences.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Language 1: Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (taking turns in talking; listening to peers; waiting until someone is finished; asking questions and waiting for an answer; gaining the floor in appropriate ways).
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 12: Listen to, recite, sing, and dramatize a variety of age-appropriate literature.
Sing Together: “The Opposite Song”
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Phonological Awareness (Rhythm, Rhyme, and Repetition), Vocabulary (Opposites)
Remind children that in the book The Ugly Vegetables, the little girl thought the other gardens were beautiful but she felt her garden was ugly. Explain that the words beautiful and ugly mean two completely different things. Say, They are opposite words.
- Give a few more examples of opposite words. Say The opposite of the word yes is no. The opposite of the word up is down. Ask, What do you think the opposite of the word hot is? (cold) What about the opposite of the word happy? (sad)
- When you feel children have grasped the concept of opposite words, tell them you are going to teach them a song about opposites.
Sing “The Opposite Song” for children. As you sing the second and third verses, say the first word in each opposite pair, then start the next line and cue children to supply the opposite word. For example, you say stop/children say go. Repeat with yes/no, fast/slow, low/high, hi/bye, and wet/dry.
The Opposite Song
(sung to the tune of “Do You Know The Muffin Man?”)
Oh, do you know some opposites,
Some opposites,
Some opposites?
Oh, do you know some opposites?
Opposites are fun.
If I say stop, then you say go.
If I say yes, then you say no.
If I say fast, then you say slow.
Oh, opposites are fun.
If I say low, then you say high.
If I say hi, (wave hand), then you say bye.
If I say wet, then you say dry.
Oh, opposites are fun.
Take It Further: Encourage children to think of other opposites to include in the song. Other opposites might include dark/light, day/night, left/right, young/old, bought/sold, hot/cold, low/high, sell/buy, ground/sky.
Storytime with Miss Jennifer: Preschool: Opposites
Action Rhyme: “Show Me Something Big”
Show me something big (stretch arms out sideways)
Show me something small (cup hands together)
Spin in a circle but try not to fall
Clap your hands, stomp your feet
Shake your arms, then take a seat
Introduction: I defined opposites as things that are "exactly different" (thanks, Katie, for that succinct way of putting it) and we brainstormed some examples.
Book: Opposites! by Tad Carpenter
Call Back Rhyme: “I Say Fast”
I say fast and you say….
SLOW!
Fast! Slow! Fast! Slow!
I say up and you say…DOWN!
Up! Down! Up! Down!
I say loud and you say…QUIET!
Loud! Quiet! Loud! Quiet!
I say clean and you say…DIRTY!
Clean! Dirty! Clean! Dirty!
I say happy and you say… SAD!
Happy! Sad! Happy! Sad!
I say big and you say…SMALL!
Big! Small! Big! Small!
Action Rhyme: “This is Big”
This is big big big (hold arms out to side)
This is small small small (cup hands together)
This is short short short (hold hands with palms facing each other)
This is tall tall tall (reach one hand above head)
This is fast fast fast (circle fists quickly)
This is slow slow slow (circle fists slowly)
This is yes yes yes (nod)
This is no no no (shake head)
(Credit: Mel's Desk)
Book: Big Cat, Small Cat by Ami Rubinger
Action Rhyme: “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”
The itsy bitsy spider
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain
and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun
and dried up all the rain.
And the itsy bitsy spider
climbed up the spout again!
Did you know that Itsy has a brother? He’s called the Great Big Hairy Spider.
Action Rhyme: “The Great Big Hairy Spider”
(use deep voice and exaggerated movements)
The great big hairy spider
climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain
and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun
and dried up all the rain.
And the great big hairy spider
climbed up the spout again!
Shaker Song: “Egg Shakers Up”
Egg shakers up, (shakers above head)
And egg shakers down, (shakers on the floor)
Egg shakers dancing all around the town. (move shakers back and forth)
Dance them on your shoulders
Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knee
And tuck them into bed (fold shaker inside hands, under head)
Shaker Song: “Shake Your Shakers in the Air”
(to the tune of: Old MacDonald Had a Farm)
Shake your shaker in the air, shake it in the air.
With a shake-shake here and shake-shake there,
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker in the air, shake it in the air.
Shake your shaker way down low, shake it way down low.
With a shake-shake here and a shake-shake there,
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker way down low, shake it way down low.
Shake your shaker way up high, shake it way up high.
With a shake-shake here and a shake-shake there,
Here a shake, there a shake, everywhere a shake-shake.
Shake your shaker way up high, shake it way up high.
Call Back:
I say up and you say…DOWN!
Up! Down! Up! Down!
Action Rhyme: “Roly Poly”
Roly poly, (roll hands)
Roly poly,
Up, up, up, (point hands up)
Up, up, up!
Roly poly, (roll hands)
Roly poly,
Down, down, down, (point hands down)
Down, down, down!
Repeat with Out & In; Fast & Slow
Action Rhyme: “Grand Old Duke of York”
Oh, the grand old Duke of York, (march)
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up to the top of the hill,
And he marched them down again.
And when they were up, they were up, (stretch up)
And when they were down, they were down, (bend knees)
And when they were only half-way up, (straighten up halfway)
They were neither up nor down. (stretch up...bend knees)
Book: Up and Down: a lift-the-flap book by Britta Teckentrup
Call Back:
I say loud and you say…QUIET!
Loud! Quiet! Loud! Quiet!
Song on Ukulele: “Loud and Quiet” by Caspar Babypants from the album Sing Along!
Listen to a sample on CDBaby (track 10).
We made lots of loud and quiet animal sounds.
Call Back:
I say clean and you say…DIRTY!
Clean! Dirty! Clean! Dirty!
Flannelboard Song: “Five Clean and Dirty Pigs”
(to the tune of "Five Green and Speckled Frogs")
Five pigs so squeaky clean
Cleanest you’ve ever seen
Wanted to go outside and play
Oink! Oink!
One jumped into the mud
Landed with a big THUD
Then there were four clean squeaky pigs.
Repeat, counting down.
Scarf Song: “One Bright Scarf”
One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow (hold in hand)
Wiggle it high (wiggle scarf above head)
Wiggle it low (wiggle scarf by knees)
Shake it fast (wiggle scarf quickly)
Shake it slow (wiggle scarf slowly)
Where did it go? (put it behind back, bring out empty hands)
Scarf Song: “Popcorn Kernels”
(to the tune of “Frere Jacques”)
Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels (wave scarf)
In the pot, in the pot (hide scarf inside cupped hands)
Shake them, shake them, shake them (shake cupped hands)
Shake them, shake them, shake them
Til they pop! Til they pop! (throw scarf into the air)
Book: Exactly the Opposite by Tana Hoban
This book of wordless photos allowed us to figure out the opposites in each picture.
Goodbye Song: “The More We Get Together”
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, the happier we'll be
'Cause your friends are my friends
And my friends are your friends
The more we get together, the happier we'll be
Craft, Manipulatives, Exploration:
Opposite Puppets
| This could be: boy, happy, short or straight hair. |
| And this could be: girl, sad, long or curly hair. |
This was a simple craft, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. Each child decorated two faces to be opposites in some way, then taped on a craft stick and used glue sticks to put the two sides together.
Playdough
Build a Zoo with blocks and toy animals
Today's storytime was inspired by the lovely folks at:
Storytime Katie
Literary Hoots
Bayviews - Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California
Never Shushed
Sunflower Storytime
The Wielded Pen - Children's Corner
Miss Meg's Storytime
Tompkins County (NY) Public Library
Mansfield/Richland County (OH) Public Library
Jbrary
Flannel Friday
Developing game “opposites”
Go to the contents
11.
11.2021
Speech development
Author: Marina Granovich 9000 9000 WHOSED WITHOUT DECISION and useful games like "Opposites". This game is perfect for on the road, waiting in line or just for a walk. The game "Opposites" develops not only the child's speech, enriching his vocabulary, but also thinking and logic.
Once, on the way to the kindergarten, my son and I were playing this game. And then I realized that we use the simplest and most commonly used words, and the child asks for more and more options. Therefore, I decided to compile a list of antonyms that will be useful to other mothers:
Day - night
North - south
Motherland - foreign land
Flowering - withering
Find - loss
Courage - cowardice
Fatigue - cheerfulness
Storm - calmness
Love - hatred
Cruelty - compassion
Modesty - arrogance
Organization - Disorder
Winter - Summer
gloomy - clear
Secret - obvious
Bright - dull
approximate - accurate
deceiving - true
Angry - friendly
Simple - complex
Quick - Higher
Fast fast - slow
Handsome - ugly
Rude - polite
Enter - exit
Be silent - speak
Take - put
Found - lost
Forgot - remembered
Dropped - raised
Lie down - get up
Get dressed - undress
Put up - quarrel
Lower - raise
Let go - catch
Help - interfere
Laugh - cry
Fly in - fly out
Close - open 9002 Laud 9002 Turn off - turn off – wake up
Soft – hard
Fresh – stale
Good – evil
Wide – narrow
Thin – thick
Straight – crooked
Short – long
Far – close
High - Low
Heavy - Light
Empty - Full
Light - Dark
Smart - Stupid
Win - Lose
Hot - Cold
Wet - Dry
Healthy - Sick
Sweet - Sour
Hit - First New 9002 - old
Young - old
Friendly - surly
Humble - proud
Fictitious - real
Greedy - generous
Outside - inside
Up - down
Smooth - rough
Buy - sell
Take - give
Rejoice - be sad
Move - stand
Winter - summer
Cheap - expensive
Big - small
Active - passive
Sorrow - joy
Poor - rich
White - black
Useful - useless
Slow 902 Future -2nd past - stormy
Everywhere - nowhere
Fun - boredom
War - peace
Q&A
Sunrise - sunset
Forward - back
Temporary - permanent
Always - never
Entry - exit
Yesterday - today
Deep - shallow
Stupid - smart
Dirty - clean
Thick - rare
Long ago - recently
Income - expense
Heat - cold
Woman - man
Alive - dead
Breakfast - dinner
Disappear - beginning
False - true
Possible - impossible
Wet - dry
Hope - despair
Left - right
Same - different
Rest - work
Negative - positive
Late - early
Marina Granovich
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