“All the Little Fish Are Swimming in the Water”
As a Special Instructor, I like to create plans that are adaptable to each child and easy for me to remember. My favorite way to do this is to use familiar children’s songs with actions.
I plan activities (loosely) ahead of time for Early Intervention sessions. An easy way for me to both 1) not get bored and 2) keep track of progress is to repeat one particular action song that we stick to for a month. This month it is the Little Fish Song, “All the Little Fish Are Swimming in the Water.”
An action song can be modified in so many ways that you can sing it all day to 5 different kiddos, and each kiddo gets a different experience. Additional communication, cognitive and social goals can be targeted in an action song if you work it right.
All the little fish are
swimming in the water,
swimming in the water,
swimming in the water.
All the little fish are swimming in the water,
bubble…
bubble …
bubble …
bubble…
SPLASH!
Early Intervention Strategies for Little Fish Song
Action song using baby signs
When working with little ones, I like to use either the fish sign or the hands together, wiggling back and forth. Either of these is good, but be sure to be consistent.
For the bubble part, I use the bubble sign and then clap hands together dramatically above your head for the splash.
Singing action songs like this gives you an opportunity to model words as well as gestures.
Make It a Whole Body Movement Activity
If I am working with a child who has a hard time being still with me (engagement), I will hold his hands if he’s willing and make the action song a wiggly, whole-body movement, rough-and-tumble type of play activity.
Playful Obstacles –Arm Fences
If hand-holding is not ok, I’ll build an arm fence around him and do “a dance” that way. I know this is hard to describe. This article mentions the arm fence and explains it better.
“Interact playfully, but obstructively, as needed. When the child is avoiding interaction, the play partner needs to position him/herself between the child and the object that the child wants. The play partner wants to encourage the child to interact with him/her. For example, the adult might hide the child’s car in one’s hand so the child is inspired to search for it, or build a little fence around the child with one’s arms so that he/she needs to duck under, push up, or say, “out” in order to return to moving around the room. It should be noted that .playfully obstructive. does not mean intruding upon the child.s sensitivities to the point of the child breaking down into a tantrum or meltdown.”
Source: Floor Time: An Emotional Developmental Approach to Play Therapy for Children Impacted by Developmental and/or Affective Disorders: An Interview Conducted by Ellen Lacter, Ph.D. and Esther B. Hess, Ph.D., Pediatric Psychologist and Senior Clinician for Stanley Greenspan, M.D.
(Published by the Association for Play Therapy December 2004)
Using arms as fences is a way to create an obstacle or obstruction in a playful way, facilitating a social interaction that wasn’t there before.
Use a Picture or an Object to Communicate
Pair a small toy or a picture card with songs, and it can be a communication tool, too.
I like to use picture cards to prompt action songs, but if a child isn’t there yet, I’ll use a toy as a prompt. My goal is that the fish song is so much fun that the activity will get associated with bringing me the toy fish or the picture of a fish as if to say, “Play the fish song routine with me, please!” Of course, I would model those words for them right before we play the fish song routine together. Over and over again because, you know, repetition.
The picture cards from http://www.babysignlanguage.com are beautiful and would work as a picture cue or prompt to request a song.
Get Their Attention with a big “SPLASH” with vocal play
Experiment with silly ways of building anticipation with the “bubble, bubble, bubble…” and then a contrasting “SPLASH!”
- (low, low, low, HIGH)
- (bu bu bu bu bu bu (motor sound) SWISHHHHHHH)
- bubble….(long pause)…..bubble…..(long pause)….bubble….(long pause…waiting even longer) ….SPLASH!
- whisper, whisper, whisper, shout!
….to name just a few.
Using action songs is my favorite way of keeping early intervention sessions fresh but consistent. All The Little Fish is an easy song that provides many adaptable options. Have fun!
All Things Early Intervention 