One practice popular in Waldorf circles is fingerplay. Nearly everyone is familiar with "Itsy Bitsy Spider," probably the most famous example of a finger play for young children. Fingerplay allows children to bring the verse they are singing in to their bodies through movement, making it a more visceral and meaningful experience for them. Using "Itsy Bitsy Spider" as an example, imagine the possibilities for creating a finger play using the following verse:
Little brown seeds so small and round
Are sleeping quietly under ground.
Down come the raindrops--sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle.
Out comes the rainbow--twinkle, twinkle, twinkle.
Little brown seeds way down below,
Up through the earth they grow, grow, grow.
Little green leaves come one by one.
They hold up their heads and look at the sun.
Gardening requires patience, not something young children tend to have in abundance. While they are waiting for their seedlings to sprout, preschool teachers can help their students make the farm-to-table connection by singing a thoughtful meal or snack-time blessing. Try singing this with any melody you like: "Blessings on the blossom, blessings on the root, blessings on the leaves and stems, blessings on our food."
Young children love to play dancing and clapping games, and call-and-response or question-and-answer songs are a wonderful accompaniment. For example, in the song “Dandelion, Yellow as Gold,” teachers could sing “O Dandelion, yellow as gold,/ what do you do all day?” and the children would answer “I just wait here in the tall green grass till the children come to play.” The song continues with the question “O Dandelion, yellow as gold, what do you do all night?” and the delightful response follows: “I wait and wait till the cool dews fall, and my hair grows long and white.”
Another Waldorf idea, which may be unfamiliar to those outside the tradition, is learning through imitation. Rather than approaching a craft such as painting or knitting as an instructor, Waldorf teachers joyfully engage in such activities on their own while the children are playing. In this way, the children see the adult actively engaged, and will naturally seek to imitate this behavior later. It is no different with music. With this in mind, it is not always necessary to choose material that a young child will be able to sing and memorize immediately. Songs such as "The Harvest in the Fields" use beautiful language, and children will benefit from hearing them sung, even if they don't participate directly.