By Amadee Ricketts, author of Gentle Hands and Other Sing-Along Songs for Social-Emotional Learning
Here are some songs you can teach children to help them remember and understand the important issues of mask wearing and handwashing during the pandemic.
The Mask Song (to the tune of “Old MacDonald”)
I wear my mask when I go out,
Masks help keep us safe.
My mask loops right behind my ears,
And covers half my face.
With nose covered here,
And mouth covered there,
Here a mask, there a mask,
This is how I wear a mask.
I wear my mask when I go out.
Masks help keep us safe.
Note: It is easy to switch “when I go out” for more specific situations:
…when I’m at school
…when I’m with friends
…on the playground
The Handwashing Song (to the tune of “The Ants Go Marching”)
This is the way I wash my hands,
Hurrah, hurrah!
I add some water and soap and then,
Hurrah, hurrah!
I rub and scrub, both fingers and thumbs,
And tops and bottoms. Soon I’ll be done . . .
Then it’s time to rinse the soap down the drain,
Along with the germs, they won’t be seen again,
Goodbye to the germs.
Optional second verse:
This is the way I wash my hands,
Hurrah, hurrah!
I do it because I understand,
Hurrah, hurrah.
It’s such an important thing to do,
It’s healthy for me and it’s healthy for you.
When I rinse the soap down the drain,
Along with the germs, they won’t be seen again,
Goodbye to the germs.
Amadee Ricketts received her MLS degree from the College of St. Catherine and has been a librarian since 2002. She is currently the library director at the Cochise County Library District in Arizona. When not working or writing, she enjoys taking photos of insects and other tiny things. She lives with her husband, who is a photographer, and their cat.
Amadee is the author of Gentle Hands and Other Sing-Along Songs for Social-Emotional Learning.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or contact us. All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies.
© 2020 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved. The views expressed in this post represent the opinion of the author and not necessarily Free Spirit Publishing.