‘I Follow my Dreams’ is a simple song full of hope, optimism, resilience and determination. It’s a perfect song for children to listen to (and hopefully sing, when it’s safe to do so) in the new year Follow your dreams no matter what life throws at you. ‘I’m never going to let them get away’, sings the narrator of the song. ‘When troubles come along, I’m going to face them day after day’. The song stresses the need to follow your dreams, not someone else’s: ‘I know what’s good for me’, sings the spirited and assertive protagonist. So, as the song says, open up your arms and embrace your dreams. Hold them in your heart where they belong.

Simple song to help learn the colours of the rainbow. The lyric sheet is included as part of the resource. The song is simple enough for young children to perform. Get them to make rainbow arches with their arms during the chorus.

Everybody’s body is different. It’s true! Celebrate your difference with this lively, fun song all about the bits of the body. Grab your knees - give them a squeeze! Touch your chin - give me a grin! That’s the idea. This is a great song to get children moving and doing actions. Raise the energy levels! Ask the children if that are any parts of the body that do not have a name. See if they can make their own body rhymes (knees/squeeze. chin/grin, etc).

‘When I’m Older’ is all about hoping, wishing, growing up and having birthdays. Ultimately, it’s about looking to the future with optimism. It’s a list song that details what the narrator wants to happen ‘when I’m older’. It works just as well for the child as it does for the adult. What do the children in your life want to do when they are older? It starts sensible: ‘I’m gonna reach up and turn on the light’. It gets a bit wilder as it goes on: ‘I’m gonna go to work with my robot friends. Take a trip ‘round the Moon again. Climb up Big Ben’. The music is upbeat, danceable, mid-‘60s Motown.

‘Home Again (Refugee Song)’ was written in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to the news reports about millions of people escaping to other countries. The song is sung by a mother to her child. In just a few words, ‘Home Again’ asks the question – how can you return home when your home either does not exist anymore or is just a temporary stay in a new country? The music is soothing. The gently pulsing rhythm is calming and meditative. My hope is that you will find this song a useful way to raise the topic of population displacement with children. If you work with refugee children, I hope it will help them understand that, whatever they might have been through, there is always a possibility to build a new home in a new place. The song has three main chords and can easily be transcribed to suit your children’s voices.

Great song to help learn the colours of the rainbow. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Violet! Resource contains the lyric video plus a separate lyric sheet.

This rocking and rolling Halloween song will get you singing, dancing and doing the actions! Perfect for schools! Nothing scary here. Just some cool witches ready to turn you into a frog, or a bat or a worm. Watch out! Here are the words so get singing. I wish I was a witch. I wish I was a witch. With a big tall hat and a cute black cat. And a big broomstick. I wish I was a witch. One swish of my cloak is gonna make you croak. When I wave my wand you’ll be in my pond. When I tap on a log you’ll turn into a frog. I wish I was a witch … We got spells and potions. We’ve got two-for-one promotions. We got a cauldron too to make a thick green stew And when you drink some of that you’ll turn into a bat We got a bad reputation, but witches are a wonderful creation. Sisters gotta stick together. If men laugh we say ‘whatever’ I’m gonna make you squirm. Turn you into a worm. I wish I was a witch. I wish I was a witch. I wish I was a witch.

Great song to help learn the names of the days of the week. The song also explains the origins of the names of the days (in English). One of them is named after THOR! The last part of the song is a test to see if children can remember the seven days. They start dropping off and the children have to fill them in by shouting them out. Lyrics are embedded in the video. Lyrics sheet is included

Enjoy this bouncy sing-along song with a wistful twist. Perfect for New Year Celebrations all around the world, Chinese New Year (1 Feb) for example. Helps children to think back and remember the things that happened last year. … and to look forward to the future. It’s got a very easy sing-along chorus. Make up your own dance moves! The words are on the screen.

Every day of the week you will learn an exciting thing about being a pirate. Get ready to do the actions and sing along. Oh, and don’t forget to dance like a pirate! Perfect for sea-themed activity for younger children. Simple enough to teach it for a performance. Great as a mood-changer or to raise the energy level in the classroom.

‘Seven days of the week’: Song to learn the days and the origins of their names Catchy song for children. Lyric video plus lyric sheet. The second half of the song is a challenge for children to fill in the blanks as the days of the week disappear. Enjoy this and my many other TES resources.

A rock’n’soul, riff-tastic, body-movin’, mind-expandin’ song that draws on one of Ken Robinson’s big themes - IMAGINATION! Warning: This song contains useful information designed to fire the imagination of children. As the great Ken Robinson told us, imagination is the key to creativity which is the key to creating new ways of living and of being. This song gets kids to think big about who they might want to be and how they might want to live. Powerful stuff! And, guess what? The song is full of imaginative images that were sent to me by the fans of my band, Johnny and the Raindrops. I just linked them all together with some cool music. There is also an eye-popping video that shows you (and the children) all of the things that were imagined. Search ‘Imagination’ on the Johnny and the Raindrops’ YouTube channel. Enjoy!

Catchy, upbeat, danceable, singable song for children to learn about shrinking bee populations, the danger of pesticides to bees, and the impact that losing bees will have on humans. Lyric sheet included.

Time is a notoriously difficult concept for children to grasp. This simple and fun song will help them to learn about quarter past, half past, quarter to and o'clock. Words are included on the sheet.

A fun and interactive song that can be played whilst children tidy up the classroom. With a call and response section and a funky danceable rhythm, this song is well designed for class participation.

A fun and interactive song for practicing counting from 1 to 10 in English, French, Spanish and Hindi/Punjabi. The tune could be used to practice any language (Welsh for instance!).

‘Joey Chrome’s Guide to the Solar System’. This song is a great way to learn the names of the eight planets (Pluto is a dwarf planet I’ve been told) and get a little information about each one. This learning journey is guided by your very own friendly little alien, Joey Chrome. The resources contains an mp3 download, the words and the chords sheet

Fun, simple original fun song to help children learn a little about ‘Macbeth’. Perfect for Halloween! Make up some actions! Stir the cauldron! Be a witch - weird and strange! Contains some of Shakespeare’s original words. This pack contains: -mp3 of the vocal version -mp3 of an instrumental sing-along version -the lyric sheet -the chords -a lesson plan -a link to the video Check out my other Macbeth and ‘Shakespeare in Schools’ resources.

A joyful Christmas song full of the optimism that light brings to the darkness of winter. ‘Shine a light into every dark corner’ (sing along!). The song is secular, perfect for holiday celebrations across all religions and cultures. It has been sung in many countries around the world. In Germany, Australia, Canada, and in a tiny village in the North Pole. Share the hope that ‘Shine a light’ brings. Chords, sheet music, backing track versions with and without backing vocals are available on the Times Educational Supplement (TES) website.

Catchy Halloween song. Perfect for children of all ages. Sing along with the call-and-response choruses! Do the actions: hop like a frog, flap like a bat, squirm like a worm! Lyrics included.