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����ý Teach > School Radio > EYFS > Listen and Play > Traditional Tales

Cat Sandion has more songs, rhymes and listening games to join in with and today the story is ‘Sleeping Beauty.’

Suggestions for classroom use

Listening game:

The listening game focuses on baby sounds. The individual sounds are: baby giggling; babbling; crying; gurgling.

Rhyme time: 'Rock-a-Bye, Baby'

Rock-a-bye, baby,
On the tree top,
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall,
Down will come baby,
Cradle, and all.

Help the children to join in and ‘rock their babies’ gently.

For subsequent hearings you can introduce additional actions and action rhymes, which are very useful for developing hand-eye coordination and the muscles of the fingers.

Line 1: cradling baby movements
Line 2: point up to sky
Line 3: wave fingers to indicate wind
Line 4: as line 1
Line 5: snapping motion with hands
Line 6: both hands move down together
Line 7: cradling baby movements

Story time: 'Sleeping Beauty'

Once upon a sleepy time… Use pictures or real items to introduce Sleeping Beauty and help the children sequence and remember - a baby doll, selection of baby clothes and resources such as a bottle, blanket and various items such as crown, wand If possible. Use these items later when retelling and sequencing the story.

Final song: 'Rock the Royal Baby' (tune ‘Bobby Shafto’)

A Royal Baby in a cradle,
Rock the cradle when you’re able,
Royal Baby in a cradle,
Rock the Royal Baby (hold arms as though rocking a baby)

The Royal Baby’s fast asleep,
We can’t hear a Royal peep
The Royal Baby’s fast asleep (hold finger to lips to indicate quiet)
Rock the Royal Baby

The Royal Baby’s waking now,
All the special guests will bow,
The Royal Baby’s waking now, (rub eyes to indicate waking)
Rock the Royal Baby

The wicked fairy cast her spell,
The Royal Baby couldn’t tell,
The wicked fairy cast her spell, (wave hands to cast a spell)
Rock the Royal Baby

The Royal Baby in the cradle,
Rock the cradle when you’re able,
The Royal Baby in the cradle,
Rock the Royal Baby (hold arms as though rocking a baby)

Children can also clap to this song or, more sedately, tap out the rhythm on their knees, using alternate hands.

Follow-up ideas:

• Discuss bedtime routines for dolls, etc. in the home corner and encourage children to put them to bed.
• Make a bedtime frieze with pictures of all the things children do before going to bed.
• Ask the children to make a collection of good bedtime stories for borrowing.
• If possible, use the topic to encourage parents to read bedtime stories rather than allowing children to watch a video before sleep.

See the Teachers' Notes (pdf) below for more suggestions.

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