This resource by Jackie Oates introduces practitioners in Early Years settings to traditional English folk songs and aims to promote a sense of belonging for young children. Each song comes with a set of actions or games to encourage learning, music notation, and accompanying audio files. There are also videos of some of the songs that can be used as a guide or to sing along with for in-person sessions.
It is common practice to update the words of folk songs as times, communities, and situations change – so do feel free to adapt them to suit the young people and context in which you teach. It is also common practice to change the key in which they are sung to suit voices and accompaniment. The beauty of folk songs is their flexibility and communal ownership, so enjoy making these your own!
Our Song is produced by the English Folk Dance and Song Society in collaboration with Hounslow Music Service and Croydon Music and Arts, and is funded by Youth Music.
Explore the resource
About the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Resource Bank
The Resource Bank collects together hundreds of practical materials for use in formal and informal teaching and learning contexts, in schools and also in community settings. All of the materials are free and downloadable. They make imaginative use of folk song, music, dance, drama and other arts.
The resources have developed out of innovative projects and initiatives run by the English Dance and Song Society Education team over the past decade or so. You can find resources suitable for your subject or setting by filtering by Topic, Key Stage and/or Audience.
The Resource Bank was developed through The Full English project with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
