Lesson 3: Listening for a “Wrong” Sound in Songs & Rhymes
Main Concept:
Children will learn to listen carefully to familiar songs and rhymes and notice when a word is changed.

Objectives:

• Strengthen auditory discrimination by identifying incorrect words in songs or rhymes.
• Develop early phonological awareness by recognizing when a word doesn’t fit. 
• Improve fine motor skills by practicing drawing circles.

Warm-Up Activity: Sing it Right

• Sing or recite a few familiar nursery rhymes or favorite songs with your child.
• Encourage them to join in and sing along.
• Focus on getting the words right (no tricks yet!)
• Ask simple questions:
  • “What song should we sing next?”
  • “What’s your favorite part of this rhyme?”
• A Few Recommended Songs & Rhymes: 
  • Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star 
  • Row, Row, Row Your Boat 
  • The Itsy-Bitsy Spider 
  • Baa, Baa, Black Sheep 
  • Mary Had a Little Lamb 
  • Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes 
  • Humpty Dumpty

Main Activity: Sing it Wrong

• Say or sing a short rhyme, but change one word (e.g., “Humpty Dumpty sat on a house” instead of “wall”).
• Ask the child, “Did something sound funny? What was wrong?”
• Encourage them to correct the rhyme and say it the right way.
• Try different levels of challenge:
• Swap a beginning sound (e.g., “Mary had a little bam” instead of “lamb”).
• Let the child make up their own “wrong” words and see if you can catch them!
• Note: The children must already know the rhymes or songs for this activity to be effective

Story Time with a Familiar Book

• Book Recommendation: A book which your child is very familiar
• As you read, change a word here and there (e.g., “Mister Horizontal loved to jump” instead of “run”).
• Ask the child, “Is that right?” and encourage them to correct you.

Prewriting: Vertical Lines and Horizontal Lines

• Work on drawing circles together. If your child prefers, you could also call them bubbles, balls, polka dots, etc.
• Encourage your child to start at the top and go to the left first since this is the way many letters are written.
• Activity Options:
  • Large Paper: Have children draw circles of different sizes using crayons or markers.
  • Sensory Tray: Let them trace circles in sand, salt, or rice.
  • Painting: Dip fingers or brushes in paint and make circle patterns.
  • Movement: Use a ribbon or scarf to make big circles in the air.

Extensions

Silly Puppet Game: Use a puppet or stuffed animal that sings songs incorrectly. Have the child “teach” the puppet the correct way.

Mondrian-Inspired Circle Art
Instead of using lines, this time, focus on circles! Have the child create a Mondrian-style piece with bold black lines but using circles instead of squares. They can fill the spaces with bright colors.