The kids are full of energy, but it’s the end of a long week/day/period, and you’re drained. Here are some silly, active songs that your kids can move to while you can take some time to enjoy their wiggles and giggles!

“The Sit Down, Stand Up” by Rick Goldin

“The Sit Down, Stand Up” by Rick Goldin is perfect for a group with energy to burn! It’s a funny song that asks kids to stand and sit for various reasons. Kids will sit and stand in a flurry until they are ready to collapse. Am I sitting and standing along with them? Heck no! I use a pop-up puppet to show sitting and standing. The audio in this video is low; sorry about that!

“Move Around” by Josh and the Jamtones

Another one for the kids that are bringing all the energy! With this one, kids move freely until they “fall down to the ground.” This happens over and over. The song also alternates between fast and slow tempos. If I’ve learned anything from my years of teaching Pre-K, it’s that they love falling to the floor.

“Boom Chicka Boom” by Ladybug Music

OMG, this is the “Boom Chicka Boom” but a ska version! Let’s time-travel to the late 90s and skank it up! First, you’re going to boom-chicka-rocka-chicka-boom, then you’ll jump, then twist, dance to a trumpet solo, then it’s back to boom chicka-ing.

“Wiggy Wiggles Freeze Dance” by Hap Palmer

Want to see your frenetic kids stand as still as a statue? Here’s one that’s so short and sweet, you could use it every day! It also has a slow-mo section.

Speaking of Freeze Dance…

If you haven’t checked out The Kiboomers’ Freeze Dance Songs for Learning album, they literally use the same tune to create dozens of songs for any occasion or theme. There’s Party Freeze Dance, Colors Freeze Dance, Animal Freeze Dance… chances are you can find what you’re looking for if you need something themed. Just search “The Kiboomers Freeze Dance.”

I used to play freeze dance for a minute or two every lesson just for fun. Here’s one with a shapes theme. I would draw the different shapes on the board, and while students drew shapes in the air, I would pass a pointer to a child to point to the shape on the board. It goes fast, so to get students used to moving, I would start by having one child point to several shapes before giving the pointer to someone new.

The shapes in order are, square, circle, triangle, rectangle, heart, and diamond. The first time through, I draw the shapes on the board in the order of the song. Then, in subsequent lessons, I’ll draw them out of order. This example is more controlled than their other versions, like “Party Freeze Dance,” but I wanted to share how I make the shapes version a little interactive.

If you want to incorporate some primary concepts, like musical opposites, into your lessons while allowing your wigglers to move around a bit, try my 4 Corners Primary games! They are a favorite with my kids. If you are looking for a fast-moving rhythm game for your upper elementary classes, definitely check out The Drum Beats For… . I’ve used these games with elementary and middle schoolers, and they loved playing!

Hope these ideas were helpful for those days when you aren’t able to move much, but your kids have ants in their pants!