Aren’t jellyfish fascinating marine creatures? They have unique bodies made up of a bell-shaped umbrella and long tentacles that dangle beneath them. These tentacles are covered in stinging cells called nematocysts, which help the jellyfish catch their prey. Did you know that jellyfish don't have a brain or a heart? Instead, they have a simple nerve net that helps them sense their surroundings. Some jellyfish are transparent, while others come in vibrant colors like blue, pink, and yellow. If you ever see a jellyfish at the beach, remember to admire them from a safe distance, as their tentacles can sometimes give a sting that may feel uncomfortable. Ouch!
Speaking of jellyfish, I want to share with you the perfect summer song and finger play for toddlers and preschoolers; my song Jellyfish, Jellyfish.
There is something about this song that I can’t fully explain why kids just really LOVE this song. I have a guess: any time I use the words ooey and gooey, any time there are interesting hand motions, any time there are big and small and itty bitty movements, there’s no doubt that kids are just going to make that song their favorite.
Here are the lyrics:
Jellyfish, Jellyfish swimmin’ in the the ocean
Moving their tentacles in a wiggly motion
They’re ooey and gooey and look fun to touch
But STAY AWAY, they don’t like people much!
[with tiny hand motions]
We’ve got an itty bitty jellyfish swimming’ in the ocean
Moving it’s tentacles in a wiggly motion
It’s ooey and gooey and looks fun to touch
But STAY AWAY, they don’t like people much!
[with big hand motions]
We’ve got a great big jellyfish swimming’ in the ocean
Moving it’s tentacles in a wiggly motion
It’s ooey and gooey and looks fun to touch
But STAY AWAY, they don’t like people much!
Something to consider when you’re introducing a song like this is that, even though this song sounds and is very simple, there’s a lot going on for a developing brain to process.
The first time that you sing the song with kids, they might just be mirroring your movements and you might not get much of an “excited” reaction to this song. I have totally brought songs like this before to kids, tried it one week and thought “oh they don’t really like it.” When in reality, they just needed to process all the different layers of it. When I brought the song the following week, I started seeing some reactions that let me know their brains were processing it over the course of the week.
Every kid is different in how their brain is going to process things. Think about it: when you listen to music, you are probably processing either the music first or the lyrics or the rhythm, and many other components of the song.
When it comes to kids and a song/finger play like Jellyfish, Jellyfish, kids are watching your very interesting movements, too. So, they are engaging in visual processing, as well as processing the lyrics, the music itself, the rhythm, the musical structure, the associated concepts and information (what’s a jellyfish?, learning about the ocean, what are tentacles?, you can’t touch jellyfish, etc.). They’re processing all of this different information, and that’s what makes music so globally incredible for kids (but we need to give them time to process it!)
Jellyfish, Jellyfish is one of the many songs (500+ and counting!) that live inside our membership for early childhood music therapists and music educators; the Music For Kiddos Community.
Did you know I also create new preschool and kindergarten lesson plans every month for the Music For Kiddos Community members? If you liked this song, you will LOVE my library of more than 500 early childhood music resources, including lesson plans with original songs and visuals. The Community welcomes new members twice a year. Learn more about it and sign up for the waitlist HERE.
