When teaching young learners English in an EFL or ESL environment, I love doing circle time songs. A circle time song is a song you sing and act out while walking in a circle with your students. With this in mind I created the new Pirate Ship Action and Counting Song. More below the video:
Counting and Moving
The idea of this song is very simple: Let’s count numbers while moving in a circle and doing some fun actions. The pirate ship part is an extra layer of fun! We’re not just walking and singing, we’re having an adventure!
How to Teach:
Target Vocabulary: pirate ship, pirate, numbers 1-10, plank, beach, crocodile, treasure, open, gold coins. (If you are not sure about some of this vocabulary, please watch the video. Also, check out the video thumbnail for the following vocabulary: pirate, plank, beach, treasure, 1,2 ,3.)
You can let the students watch the video one time, and have them act along with it. Or, draw some pictures on the board, or use flashcards to show the different parts of the ship, beach, etc.
After the students are familiar with the vocabulary, you can teach the song without the video if you like. Try getting your students in a circle, and singing the song. You can either do this a cappella (without background music) or using the song only. Your students will have a lot of fun getting their energy out and doing all of the actions. Give it a try, and happy singing!
The song Pirate Ship Action and Counting Song is available on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming services.
