Bee Songs and Activities for Music Class

There are SO many great songs for with bees for kids that aren’t smushing them up. Somehow with the bee population struggling, I don’t want to encourage it. So let’s chat about some of the best bee-themed songs and activities for Kindergarten that don’t make smashing bees a new pastime.

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Bee Bee Bumble Bee

This is a classic chant that is probably the best known of the bunch.

Folk Song Analysis
4/4: ta, ti-ti
Form: abbb

The game I play for this involves a bee puppet. Students stand in a circle with one student, “the bee”, on the outside (with the puppet). The ‘bee’ taps the beat on the shoulders of each student in the circle. The student tapped on the word “out” is the new bee.

Burnie Bee

Folk Song Analysis
4/4: ta, ti-ti
Tone set: msl
Form: aabb

Game or dance directions.
Burnie Bee means “ladybird”is a name for the ladybird (ladybug). The chant is said to a ladybird perched on a child’s finger, after which the child blows gently on the insect and it flies away.

Busy Buzzy Bee

Folk Song Analysis
4/4: ta, ti-ti
Tone set: drmfsl (great for teaching la without the last phrase)
Form: aaab

Added bonus – helping students sing that HUGE jump of a sixth from Do to La

Game Formation: Children are spaced randomly within the room. Each child is assigned as a bee or a tree.

Action: Trees stand and bees fly around during singing of song. At the word “don’” in the song, bees stand in front of a tree and shake a finger at the tree. Partners trade places and game begins again.
Variation: Class forms several small circles and holds hands in windows. Remaining children move freely in and out of arches. When wood block sounds, arches go down. Trapped children become part of the circle and game begins again.
Extension: Bring your partner into the middle with you.

Here is the Beehive

This is a fun finger play and a great way to expose younger students to more than sol-mi or sol-mi-la songs. This one has some nice I chord patterns ascending and descending

Folk Song Analysis
4/4: ta, ti-ti, ta rest
Tone set: dmsl
Form: aabc

Action:
Phrase 1: Form a beehive with hands
Phrase 2: Wiggle fingers in beehive
Phrase 3: Fly fingers in hair
Phrase 4: Reach for a bee as you sing each number and then buzz hands behind back.

Variation: Form a human beehive, with five bees in the center. Bees fly out during counting phrase.

A few more….

This ADORABLE Busy Bee Ring Game from Let Kids Play Music.
Movement to Flight of the Bumblebee – a great way to talk about beat vs. rhythm!
One of my favorite kids books, Buzzy the Bumblebee. While this book doesn’t have a specific musical tie in, I’ve used it to create a performance by putting songs in between pages that fit with what was going on in the story, but it could also be used as a tie in to end a lesson with bee songs. It’s got a great message of believing in yourself.

Puppets

Everyone loves a good puppet and with so many bee songs, investing in a bee puppet at least gives the opportunity to bring it out for more than one song. Here are a few cute ones!

Finger Puppets – A 12 pack so several students can have one at a time.