Better Communication Together CIC

Top 10 Early Years Songs to Sign with Makaton

There has always been a lot of singing in our house.

I've sung and signed with Raph since he was little, and many of the songs on this list have been part of our lives for years. He's definitely had his favourites - and although he's an adult now, we still sing and sign many of them together today.

Later, when I ran my Sing, Sign and Storytime groups, I got to see which songs other children returned to again and again. Some were requested so often that there was simply no getting away with leaving them out!

I've also delivered Using Makaton with Singing workshops for many years, exploring how signing can be used alongside songs. But this isn't a list of songs from the workshop. These are my own ten favourites, chosen from years of singing and signing with Raph and with children in my groups.

And for me, singing with Makaton has never just been about learning the signs that go with a song.

Songs can create opportunities to choose, take turns, anticipate what comes next, explore concepts, make sounds, move, play and simply enjoy being together. Props, symbols, instruments, recorded sounds and actions can all give someone another way to join in.

And sometimes we don't sign at all.

So here are my ten favourite early years songs to sign, along with some of the ways I've used them over the years.

1. Old MacDonald Had a Farm

This was always a firm favourite at my Sing, Sign and Storytime groups - and probably my number one song for signing with young children.

One of the great things about Old MacDonald is that you can sing it in different ways. Keep it simple by singing about one animal at a time, or make it more challenging by adding each new animal and repeating the ones that came before, building memory and sequencing along the way.

And there are so many ways for children to join in. They can sign or say the animal, make the animal noise, point to a picture or symbol, or choose what comes next. We sometimes used recordable buttons with animal sounds on them too, so a child could join in by pressing the button at just the right moment.

Make it interactive

I used a dice with animal symbols on each side - roll the dice and that animal gets the next verse. Another favourite was putting animal symbols onto lolly sticks. Children could choose an animal and add it to our cardboard-box farm as we sang.

Animal masks, puppets, soft toys and farm animals all work brilliantly too. There are so many props available for this song – and many of them can be brought out again for other animal songs and stories.

Communication opportunities: choosing • turn-taking • anticipation • memory and sequencing • animals • joining in in different ways

2. The Wheels on the Bus

Everyone likes a bus! This is such a familiar song and its repetitive structure makes it easy to join in with. There are lots of opportunities for actions and signs, and you can add different people and events to create as many verses as you like.

Of course, that's also the problem with The Wheels on the Bus - it can go on and on and on!

I always included the Signing Hands version of a final verse where the bus goes to sleep. As well as being a lovely calm ending, it gave the children a clear signal that the song was finished. When an activity could otherwise continue indefinitely, having a predictable ending was really useful.

You can use a toy bus, pictures or symbols to choose who is going to be on the bus or what happens next. Children can also take turns choosing the next verse.

Communication opportunities: repetition • anticipation • choosing • turn-taking • people • actions • understanding when an activity is finishing

3. Sleeping Bunnies

Sleeping Bunnies is brilliant for anticipation, movement and playing with volume.

The sleeping part can be sung very softly as everyone lies down and pretends to sleep. Then comes that wonderful moment of anticipation as we wait for the bunnies to wake up - before suddenly changing to a much louder voice as everyone hops!

That contrast between quiet and loud, sleeping and waking, and still and moving gives children lots of clues about what is happening and what is coming next.

And you don't have to be able to sing or sign the whole song to take part. A child might lie down, make the sign for SLEEP, wait for the exciting bit, or simply join everyone else in hopping when the bunnies wake up.

Make it interactive

Really exaggerate the change in volume and pace. Give plenty of time for the quiet sleeping section and build the anticipation before the bunnies wake. Don't be afraid of a pause - waiting for that big moment is part of the fun.

Communication opportunities: anticipation • quiet and loud • sleep and wake • movement • joining in • waiting • copying actions

4. Ten Fat Sausages

This one has to be included because it was always one of Raph's favourites!

Ten Fat Sausages is a great maths song, with lots of repetition, counting and anticipation - especially waiting for that all-important BANG!

You can count the sausages down in twos or change the song and count them down one at a time. Ten can also be a lot when you're just beginning to understand number, so there's absolutely nothing wrong with starting with Five Fat Sausages instead.

Using props makes the counting much more meaningful. Start with the sausages where everyone can see them and physically take them away as the song progresses. It helps make the idea of one less or two less visible rather than relying on the words of the song alone.

And, of course, everyone can join in with the BANG! – whether that's through speech, a sign, an action or a sound.

Communication opportunities: counting • number • one/two less • anticipation • repetition • joining in • adapting an activity to the individual

5. Miss Polly Had a Dolly

Miss Polly Had a Dolly is really a tiny story set to music, which makes it lovely for sequencing. There's a beginning, a problem, something happens next, and then an ending.

There are lots of different versions of this song, with slightly different words and actions, so use the version that works for you. In my version, the doctor is always a woman – a small update to the traditional lyrics!

The story also lends itself brilliantly to props and acting it out. A doll, toy telephone and doctor's bag can turn a very simple song into a little role-play activity. Children can phone the doctor, examine the poorly dolly, knock on the door or decide what she might need to feel better.

You can also pause at familiar points and give children the opportunity to anticipate what happens next.

Make it interactive

Try acting out the story as you sing, or use objects, pictures or symbols to represent the different parts. Once the song is familiar, put them in order and use them to retell the story afterwards.

Communication opportunities: sequencing • anticipation • pretend play • people • actions • understanding a simple story • retelling

6. Dingle Dangle Scarecrow

Dingle Dangle Scarecrow is a wonderfully physical song. Children can join in with their whole bodies - stretching, shaking and moving as the scarecrow comes to life.

There are several different verses available, so you can make the song as short or as long as suits your group. You can stick with a familiar favourite or gradually introduce additional verses as children get to know the song.

Like Sleeping Bunnies, it's also great for exploring changes in volume. Singing softly during the quieter parts and then getting louder when the scarecrow springs into action adds another layer of anticipation and fun.

The big movements make this a particularly accessible song. Joining in doesn't have to mean singing every word or making every sign – copying an action, changing your movement with the music or joining in with a favourite part are all ways to participate.

Make it interactive

Really exaggerate the contrasts: still and moving, quiet and loud, small movements and great big ones. A scarecrow prop, hat or simple dressing-up item can add to the fun too.

Communication opportunities: whole-body participation • copying • anticipation • quiet and loud • movement • action words • choosing different verses

7. Incy Wincy Spider

Incy Wincy Spider is short, repetitive and very visual, with actions that naturally help to tell the story as you sing.

It's also a lovely introduction to weather. We have the rain coming down and the sunshine coming out again, giving you an opportunity to explore weather words and concepts beyond the song itself.

And you don't have to stop with the traditional verse. There are other verses and variations available, so once children know the familiar version you can extend the song or introduce something new.

Make it interactive

Try adding a toy spider or make a simple drainpipe for Incy Wincy to climb. Weather pictures or symbols can extend the activity too – what's the weather like in the song, and what's the weather like today?

Communication opportunities: weather • rain and sun • up and down • sequencing • repetition • actions • anticipation

8. Row Row Row Your Boat

Row Row Row Your Boat is a lovely song for singing with someone rather than performing to them – and there are so many different verses you can use.

Sometimes I choose not to sign this one. Or, more accurately, Raph chooses! Instead, we hold hands and row backwards and forwards together. That pulling movement through the arms gives great sensory feedback and turns the song into a shared physical experience.

There are lots of additional verses, so you can keep going for as long as everyone is enjoying it. But we always finish with the crocodile verse – complete with a scream! Apart from being fun, it gives a familiar and very definite signal that the song has finished.

Communication opportunities: shared interaction • movement • anticipation • sensory feedback • repetition • choosing how to participate • recognising an ending

9. I Am the Music Man

I Am the Music Man gives children plenty of opportunities to make choices, make sounds and influence what happens next.

I used a basket of instruments so children could choose what we were going to play. The instrument they selected could determine the next part of the song, giving them a real reason to communicate a choice.

There's plenty of repetition, but there's also plenty of noise! Children can join in by signing or saying the instrument, choosing one from the basket, playing it, copying a rhythm or simply contributing to all those wonderful instrument sounds.

Make it interactive

Put a selection of instruments where everyone can see or reach them and let the children lead. You don't need a huge collection – a few contrasting instruments can give plenty of choices.

Communication opportunities: making choices • turn-taking • listening • sound • instruments • copying • cause and effect • leading the activity

10. I Can Sing a Rainbow

We actually call this one Sign a Rainbow

After all that hopping, banging, rowing and playing instruments, sometimes you need something a little calmer!

I Can Sing a Rainbow is a lovely opportunity to explore colour vocabulary, and adding something visual makes it even more accessible. I like using coloured ribbons or scarves that children can hold, wave or choose as we sing.

You can bring out each colour as it appears in the song, let children choose a colour, match colours together or simply enjoy watching and moving the scarves.

It's also a useful reminder that signing activities don't always need to be busy and energetic. A slower, calmer song can provide a change of pace while still offering lots of opportunities to communicate and participate.

Communication opportunities: colours • choosing • matching • looking and listening • movement • visual attention • calm shared interaction

About the author

Nic Pike is Director of Better Communication Together CIC and a Licensed Makaton Tutor and Tutor Training Facilitator. She writes about Makaton, accessible communication and inclusive practice, drawing on over 40 years' professional experience and lived experience as a parent of a Makaton user.

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