Little Bird
U.S.A.
HISTORY AND SONG NOTES
Little Bird, a folk song from the United States, most likely from the Appalachian region.
Little Bird is a beautiful group singing song, as the tune is catchy, and easy for young children to sing. It is also a wonderful way to introduce children to the concept of mixed meter, as the song shifts between 4/4 and 5/4 time. Click here to learn more about singing games.
Little Bird can also be used as a movement game. The children form a circle and hold hands, while one child (or more, depending on the size of your class), plays the role of the bird. The children in the circle raise their held hands, forming “windows” around the circle, and the bird takes turns to fly in and out of the windows. At the end of the song, “find molasses candy,” the children in the circle can let their arms drift down, expressing the cadence of the song. As an alternative to the circle, or if you have too few children to make a circle, the children can take turns to fly around the room as the bird, while the group sings for them. They then can return to their place on “find molasses candy.” Click here to read more about movement activities.