While this song was first collected in the united states, it likely has Scottish origins. It’s a traditional song that can be played as a game to help kids move to a beat.

Tommy Thumb is a fun action song with many variations. Sometimes it is simply a rhyme, sometimes it has a completely different tune, and sometimes the lyrics are extended where all the fingers are named, including Tommy Thumb, Peter Pointer, Toby Tall Man, Ruby Ring, and Baby Small. This version, however, was an instant hit with the preschoolers I taught.

Alison’s camel is a traditional children’s song that is easy to sing because it only has three pitches and is repetitive. It is also a counting song that can help little ones practice their counting. Sometimes it is song as Alice the Camel, or Sally the Camel.

I’m glad you made it to my site! As a music educator, I know the important role that music plays in children’s lives. I felt inspired to create a way for parents, teachers, and care givers to learn songs and activities to share with the children in their lives- even if they aren’t musicians themselves.

Last Summer, I was asked to train Montessori preschool teachers how to incorporate music in their classrooms. The training covered a lot of material, including children’s songs. Lots of children’s songs. Most of the teachers did not know how to read music, so a stack of sheet music would not have helped them. So I decided to record some videos to help them learn songs and use them in the classroom.

Then I thought… if these videos can help them, maybe they can help parents, teachers, babysitters, church leaders, caregivers, and anyone else interested in making children’s lives more musical. I hope you enjoy them and get a lot out of them, but most of all, I hope they get more adults singing to kids!