Happy and You Know It...Remix! - Video
This video features an active version of the childhood favorite: “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” This activity is used as a part of the “Fun with Fitness” Active Play Lesson in the ChildcareAlive! Curriculum, but can easily be used as a stand-alone activity any time you want to increase active play in your program.
This activity is used to teach children that playing hard is the same thing as exercise - meaning they should have fun while exercising! The song does not require a lot of space, and can even be done as a part of circle time. Vary the activity by singing at different speeds, and remember to ask children how this activity makes them feel (hot, sweaty, thirsty, tired, etc). Teach children that feeling this way is good in small doses because it means that we are playing hard, which helps bodies to grow bigger and stronger.
Note: The song that is used at the end of this activity is track #17 on the CD titled: “Smart Moves 2: Preschool – 1st Grade.” This CD is available for purchase from a variety of websites (see Options for Purchasing Resources section of ChildcareAlive! Curriculum for more details). You can also sing this song without music, but remember to speed up the tempo the second time around to show children how much faster their hearts beat when they move their bodies faster.
Feel free to add different movements to this song after you’ve tried this version a few times.