Language focus: Round and round, open and shut, beep beep, up and down, wheels, bus, door, wipers, horn, people, babies, mommies.

Classroom benefits: The Wheels on the Bus is a great, simple children's song (Read Devon's Blog for more on Wheels on the Bus) which we've made even simpler. The song teaches some very useful language while also encouraging children to let their imaginations loose and reassuring them that, in the end, Mommy will be there for them.

The Learn It version is great for very young students or students of any age learning the song for the first time. It has a very gentle place that allows parents and children to hear each word clearly and distinctly, and learn all of the gestures. The relaxed pace leaves time between verses for parents and teachers to praise the kids and prepare them for the next verse.

Preparation: Before singing the song, introduce a toy bus or a picture of a bus or a bus-themed picture book. Point out the wheels, the door, the wipers, etc. Now, seated in a circle, you are ready to introduce the song.

Lyrics and actions:

The wheels on the bus go round and round. (Move your hands and arms round and round in a circle.)
Round and round. Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round.

The door on the bus goes open and shut. (Clap your hands together on "shut" and open them on "open".)
Open and shut. Open and shut.
The door on the bus goes open and shut. Open and shut.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish. (Mimic the motion of windshield wipers with your hands and arms.)
Swish, swish, swish. Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish. Swish, swish, swish.

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep. (Pretend to be honking the horn on the steering wheel of a bus.)
Beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep.

The people on the bus go up and down. (If you are standing, stretch up and then squat down...if you are sitting, point up and then point down.)
Up and down. Up and down.
The people on the bus go up and down. Up and down.

The babies on the bus go wah wah wah. (Place your hands next to your eyes and pretend to cry.)
Wah, wah, wah. Wah, wah, wah.
The babies on the bus go wah wah wah. Wah, wah, wah.

The mommies on the bus go shhh shhh shhh. (Place your finger in front of your mouth as you make the shhh sounds.)
Shhh shhh shhh. Shhh shhh shhh.
The mommies on the bus go shhh shhh shhh. Shhh shhh shhh.

Activities

After the Learn It version you may want to go right into the Sing It version, read a Wheels on the Bus storybook, or try a bus role-play activity.