It’s definitely feeling like fall here in central Illinois, even before the new season has officially arrived. Typically we’re still experiencing summer weather late into September, but this past weekend was perfect for long sleeves, pumpkin patch visits, and fire pits.
Each year, I fine-tune my seasonal repertoire both by writing new songs AND retooling older ones. I’ve spent most of this month getting my fall arsenal of songs ready, and today I’m sharing a round-up of 7 autumnal favorites.
These songs address a variety of goal areas in addition to focusing on the fall season — you should know by now that most of my songs are multitaskers ;)
1. “A is for Apple”
Apples are the quintessential fall fruit (other than pumpkins), in my opinion. I wrote “A is for Apple” with the plan to use apple shakers along with it, though you could certainly substitute with any kind of shaker. When I sing this song in a group setting, I have children take turns playing and then passing the shaker to their neighbor.
It’s a great way to establish group cohesiveness, since we sing each child’s name as he or she is shaking. We also concentrate on the letter A and the sound it makes, which is repeated throughout the chorus.
2. “All About Autumn”
Many of my students aren’t familiar with the word “autumn” or don’t know that it’s another name for fall, which is why I felt inspired to write “All About Autumn”.
All the important facts and happenings during this colorful season are included in the lyrics, though there is room for customization if you want to tailor it to your students with birthdays, school holidays, special events, and more.
3. “Fall Into Fall”
The changing of seasons can be a big adjustment for children, so I think it’s important to address each new season through music. “Fall Into Fall” is a fun play on words that introduces some of the hallmarks of this particular season.
“Fall Into Fall” provides opportunities to increase knowledge related to the fall season, improve articulation of the “f” sound, and improve object identification through the use of visuals.
4. “Falling Falling From the Trees”
You can’t have a round-up of fall songs and not include one about the colors we see during the fall months! “Falling Falling from the Trees” is comprised of a simple repeating chorus, alternated with verses about each color of leaf you might see during this vibrant season.
This song pairs beautifully with scarves or fabric leaves, or you could incorporate a little art project and let your students create their own colorful leaves to manipulate as they sing.
5. “Five Leaves Waving”
I like to include at least one counting song in every early childhood class or music therapy session, and “Five Leaves Waving” is one of my favorites for fall! I use laminated, fabric, or sometimes even real leaves so that children can experience 1:1 correspondence as they count.
As children master the skill of counting up to and down from 5, I like to present them with an even bigger challenge by increasing the number of leaves in the song.
6. “Pick a Pumpkin”
Here’s that other fall fruit I mentioned earlier. Visiting the pumpkin patch to choose a pumpkin is an iconic fall experience that inspired the song “Pick a Pumpkin”.
The lyrics detail the process of picking a pumpkin, and then bringing it home to turn it into a jack-o-lantern, as so many of us do. This song encourages movement and singing along, since the words are simple and repetitive.
7. “The October Song”
Since September is nearly over, use this song to help prepare for the upcoming month. “The October Song” highlights the special things that happen during these 31 days, so it’s an excellent addition to calendar time.
This song can also serve as a conversation starter when discussing the fall season; ask them to share their favorite things about October (which, if they are anything like my own students and children, most likely include Halloween!).
What are your go-to songs for ushering in this seasonal transition? I would love to add some fresh ones to my list! Check out my entire collection of fall-themed songs right here.
