Jingle Bells
U.S.A.
HISTORY AND SONG NOTES
Jingle Bells is an American folksong, originally published as The One Horse Open Sleigh by James Lord Pierpont in 1857. This song is often associated with Christmas, although it does not contain any religious content or references, so is often used as a general winter or winter holiday song. This tune works well as a group movement game for young children, and also as a singing or instrument playing activity.
Additional Verses:
A day or two ago, I thought I'd take a ride,
And soon Miss Fanny Bright was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank, Misfortune seemed his lot.
He got into a drifted bank and then we got upsot.
A day or two ago, a story I must tell
I went out in the snow, and on my back I fell
Some friends were riding by, in a one-horse open sleigh
They laughed, and then they picked me up, and quickly sped away! Ah!
Group Circle Game
This game works well with preschool aged children, who are working on moving as a group with the music. For this to be achieved, it works well for the children to move in a circle; however, you can have them move in a line around the room if that works better for your space. The children can go “dashing” as the music suggests, with a jog or run, but they may also move in other ways that they enjoy: bouncing, marching, tiptoeing, etc. It works well to have the children to move around the room for each verse (“dashing through the snow” section), and then pause for a bounce for the chorus “Jingle Bells section.”
Singing and Instrument playing
The children may enjoy singing, or hearing you sing, the song while they play instruments as a group. Shakers and bells work particularly well with this song, enabling the children to play along with the beat and feel the meter. Click here to read more about group singing or instrument playing.