For the past few years I have had target songs for each month that I embed into our family routines. My kids have loved having fresh new songs to learn and I love the variety/ consistency.
In just the past couple of months I have added in a family goal. Usually it is something I feel we have been struggling with as parents and kids. I try to make it a one word goal (usually like a value) and have an activity and a song attached. While this hasn’t fixed issues forever, it has given my family a focus.
This month’s goal is PERSEVERANCE! Seems like a hard word for littles. It probably is. But we are going with it.
The way I plan to define perseverance is not giving up on a hard task! We have had troubles with this lately. My 2 year old went from wanting to do everything herself to more of ‘NO YOU DO IT’. Or just flat out unpredictability. My 4 year old has a desire to do hard tasks, but lacks the will power to keep trying and work through her frustrations. We hear a lot of whining, and “I can’ts.” While I want to be empathetic as we are learning something new, I also tend to lose my patience quickly. When I lose my patience and am not being the mom I want to be, my typical strategy is “Create a System”.
I plan to read a book about persistence this month, use the word a lot in our every day conversation, have lots of discussions, and even a little song. Obviously.
Our other songs usually follow the season or holiday of the month. I also include a few religious songs. We are a very religious family and belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A lot of our songs will be religious and focus on Christ or a value to help us become like Christ!
March Family Goal: Perseverance
March Family Songs
- Tell Me the Stories of Jesus
- 5 Little Clovers
- Lucky Leprechaun
- I Think I Can
Lyrics for the Songs below!
Tell Me the Stories of Jesus
Simple religious song used to spark interest in kids to remember stories of Jesus. I love to ask them their favorite story or have them retell a recent story we have recently read.
Tell me the stories of Jesus,
I love to hear.
Things I would ask him to tell me,
If he were here.
Scenes by the wayside,
Tales of the Sea
Stories of Jesus,
Tell them to me.
word: W.H. Parker music: Frederic A. Challinor
5 Little Clover Leaves
Tune: 5 Green and Speckled Frogs
Counting song about clovers. Print clovers on green paper or use clover cutouts and count down from 5.
Five green little clover leaves,
Sitting in a meadow green,
Soaking up the bright warm sunshine.
Along comes a hungry cow,
Looking for his breakfast chow,
Munches on one green clover leaf. Oh no!
Lucky Leprechaun
tune: Fre’re Jacques
Easy made up song about a silly little leprechaun!
Lucky Leprechaun, Lucky Leprechaun
Where can you be? Where can you be?
Hiding in the tall grass, underneath a clover,
There you’ll see, there you’ll see.
Lucky Leprechaun, Lucky Leprechaun
Where can you be, where can you be?
Look into the barn yard, sitting by a horse shoe,
There you’ll see. There you’ll see.
Lucky leprechaun, lucky leprechaun,
Where can you be, where can you be?
Up high in a rainbow, slide down to a pot of gold,
There you’ll see, there you’ll see.
I Think I Can
tune: Yankee Doodle
This is a little song to supplement our perseverance goal and goes with the fun little book: A Little Engine That Could. I can’t find the source, but its a Cub Scout song of some sort.
I met an engine on a hill
All hot and broken-hearted,
And this is what she said to me,
As up the hill she started.
I think I can, I think I can,
At any rate, I’ll try.
I think I can, I think I can,
At any rate, I’ll try.
She reached the top, and looking back to
Where she stood and doubted,
She started on the downward track
And this is what he shouted:
I thought I could, I thought I could,
I never should have doubted!
I thought I could, I thought I could,
I never should have doubted!
I plan to share these songs and a of these any activities and application with these songs throughout the month and on my Instagram account. Follow along!