How do you teach the Itsy Bitsy Spider to a preschool class?
Teach the story first, then the hands, then the words. Ten minutes of circle time is enough: show a water spout, sing slowly with big actions, and repeat with one change each round.
A 10-minute plan
Minutes 1 and 2: show a picture of a drainpipe, or pour water through a tube into a tray. Ask where the water goes.
Minutes 3 to 5: sing slowly with big actions: climb, rain, sun, climb. Sing it again and stop before “spout”, “out” and “rain” so the class can shout the word.
Minutes 6 to 8: change the spider. Sing a great big spider with a deep voice and huge arms, then a teeny tiny spider with a squeak and two fingers.
Minutes 9 and 10: draw four quick pictures on the board: spider climbing, rain, sun, spider climbing. Mix them up and ask the class to fix the order.
What it practices
Listening for rhymes, like spout and out. Telling a story in order, with a first, next and last. Hand skills, especially for children ready to try the classic finger-to-thumb climb. And joining in with a group, which is often the hardest part at this age.
For children who hang back
Don’t single them out. Many children watch for days and then join in once it feels familiar. If a child dislikes spiders, let the class pick a different creature for one round, and the song still works.