The First 10 Minutes: A Kindergarten Music Routine That Works

If you’ve spent any time with young children, you know just how much they thrive on structure and routine—and truthfully, so do I! While I’ve shared general music classroom routines before, today I’m diving into the specific opening routine I use with my kindergarten music classes. It’s taken me five years of trial, error, and fine-tuning to get it to a place that truly works—and I’m excited to share what that looks like now!

Make sure to watch out for freebies and song notation throughout this blog post, which will make it even easier to implement some of these routines in your classroom!​

Coming into the classroom
At the start of each music class, I meet my kindergarten students at the door, and we get right into it by singing “Come follow Me in a Line.” We walk around the classroom, keeping the steady beat on different parts of our bodies. I will keep singing this song until all students are in the classroom and keeping the beat with me. At the end of the song, we end up in a circle or sitting around the edge of the carpet. I do this with my students EVERY CLASS from the first day to the last day of kindergarten music. I also bring it back for the first month of grade 1 music because it is an easy way to get the students organized.  

Hello Songs 
Once we are settled in the classroom, we move on to our hello songs. I have three different ones that I will use. On some days, we will sing all three; on other days, we will sing one or two. It all depends on how rambunctious the class seems, as the whole point of this opening routine is to transition into music learning

Say Hello from your head to your toes
This is a song I found on Stephanie Leavell's Music for Kiddos. Check her out on YouTube! At the beginning of the year, I will play the video and have the students follow along, but as the year progresses, the students will sing the song, and I will accompany them. I do this because I have the students choose different body parts and how they will move those body parts to say hello. It’s a great opportunity for creative movement. 

Hello, and How are You
"Hello, and How are You?" is a song I picked up during my first student teaching placement. It gives students opportunities to practice their singing voice as a whole group, in small groups, and individually by singing the same line multiple times. 

• I start by singing “Hello Kindergarten, Hello Kindergarten. Hello, and how are you?”
• All of the class stands up and responds by singing “I’m fine, I’m fine, and I hope that you are too!”

After we have practiced this MULTIPLE TIMES, I will change who I am singing hello to.

• I start by singing “Hello, kids in blue clothes, Hello, kids in blue clothes. Hello, and how are you?”
• Then all the kids in blue clothes stand and respond by singing “I’m fine, I’m fine, and I hope that you are too!”
• You can continue doing this with any colour of clothing next

Some other categories that I have used are 

• Siblings- Hello, kids with brothers/ sisters/ only kids
• Foods- Hello, kids who like pizza/ watermelon/ noodles/ hot dogs/ ice cream
• Extracurriculars- Hello, kids who dance/ play soccer/ swim/ play baseball 
• Age- Hello 5 year olds/ 4 year olds/ 6 year olds 
• Pets- Hello, kids who have dogs/ cats/ fish

Full disclosure: this hello song does take them some time to figure out and sing independently, but it really helps them find their singing voices, and eventually they even request it!

Hello Hello
This is a hello song that is easy for students to learn and sing, but has progressive steps that extend its use while keeping them engaged. 
The song is sung: 

• “Hello, hello and how do you do? We’re in music class, and it’s good to see you.” For this first month of school, I have my kinder students echo-sing the poem. 

Then we add some actions.

• Hello: Wave with your right hand 
• Hello: Wave with your left hand 
• And how do you do: Pretend handshake with air
• We’re in music class, and it’s: Keep a steady beat on your legs 
• Good to see you: Clap hands together 

Next, we do the same actions, but this time we are in two lines. The students face each other and shake hands with the person across from them. When we first start doing this with partners, I tell the students who their handshake partner is. By the end of the year, we will add a partner clap at the end of the song and switch partners each time.

Drum Talk
After Hello Songs, we move to drum talk. Where the drum uses different rhythm patterns to “talk” to the students, and the students move in response to how the drum “talks” to them. When we first start doing this, I keep my students on a very short leash. I give them a designated area to move into, and if they act silly, they get no warnings before they are asked to sit out.  

Book
Following the drum talk, they usually have their wiggles out and are ready to start with some focused learning. I kick off this section of my lesson with a book. I personally don’t think we can read to students too much, so I read to my kindergarten students every single music class. I often choose a seasonal book or one that aligns with the theme of my lesson and units. 
Some of my top recommendations would be: 

• There Was an Old Lady Series 
  
• The If You Give a Series 
  
• Goodbye ________ Hello __________ books by Kenard Park 
  
• Abracadabra, it’s Spring, and Hocus Pocus, it’s Fall 
  
• Any Barefoot Book 
  
• Any book that is a song
  
• Nursery Rhyme Books ​
  

Monthly Poem
The monthly poem concludes our opening routine. This is also the newest addition to my kindergarten music routine. Each month, I teach the students a seasonal poem. These poems have created opportunities for 

• Echo speaking- which makes echo singing easier 
  
• Creative movement- students create movement to match each of the poems 
  
• Practicing beat and feeling rhythm
  
• Play instrument- sometimes poems create easy opportunities to add instruments, other times we will simply play the beat of the poem on different instruments. ​
  

Establishing a consistent and engaging opening routine has completely transformed the way my kindergarten music classes flow. Not only does it help students settle into a musical mindset, but it also lays the groundwork for so many important musical skills—from steady beat and creative movement to vocal exploration and rhythm. These routines are not just about classroom management—they’re about creating a joyful, welcoming space where students feel confident, seen, and ready to make music. If you’re looking to build or refresh your own routines, I hope this peek into mine has sparked some inspiration. And don’t forget to grab your free monthly poem resource to get started!

Enjoy! 
Jayna​