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This little activity came from my time in Japan. The little children in my classes loved it! Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is always a hit with children around the world. It’s made even better when you add some extra zing into it! We’ve made some great stars for the kids to twirl around with while singing. Give it a try and see how much more fun it is at every age!
This is how I made our Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars
I’ve cut star shapes out of foil-backed paper. But you can use any colored paper if you can’t find the foil kind. It took me months to come across this at the time, but now it’s quite easy to find.
I also cut out pieces of light cardboard using the same template and glued the stars to cardboard to give them extra firmness. I affixed 2 random colors back to back on the end of a chopstick using a combination of double-sided tape and glue.
I then covered them with sticky-backed plastic for extra durability. Not a lot of work for the months of fun they will be used.
I have made a few of these to give the children a variety of colors to choose from.
I ask, “Which color would you like/prefer today?” The really wee ones can point to the star they would like and I’ll tell them the color they have chosen. If the child is a little older, like Tristan, he will specify his color preference, “I’d like blue today”.
Now comes the fun. If it’s a darker day and the lights are on, I’ll turn them off to enhance the atmosphere. Then we move about the room twirling the chopstick between our palms to make the star ‘twinkle’ while singing the nursery rhyme:
Twinkle twinkle little star.
How I wonder what you are?
Up above the world so high.
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle twinkle little star.
How I wonder what you are?
These Twinkle stars can also be used as ‘pointers’ when using wall charts for a bit of added fun. They also come in handy for dressing up as a wizard, witch, or fairy.
To bring more fun into your daily rhythms, try a nursery-rhyme themed snack: Hickory Dickory Clock, or Little Miss Muffet? Happy singing!
What is your favorite nursery rhyme?
What pretty stars and nice active learning and singing! You even have fine motor (spinning the stars) included with gross motor and language development. Very engaging fun! Carolyn
Great idea! I love anything that has to do with singing with little ones! I need to find some colored foil to make some stars of our own!
Tonya
The foil was the hardest part for me to find here, but eventually the £1 shop had some in. My first one I made with some metallic cardstock from a craft shop. They’re great fun! What are your favourite songs?
Oh! Great and simple idea! I wonder if you paint the foil if it would work the same as colored foil?