Idea: Extended version of “Apples And Bananas”

Dad of a 4-year-old here, who’s been out of the teaching field for about 7 years but had an idea for the elementary-and-below teachers out there. (I never taught that age group myself, but it would be the age to do this for.)

I know that Super Simple English and related channels with kids’ songs are popular, and I can appreciate what the good old “I like to eat, eat, eat” song does… for kids who are native speakers. It doesn’t introduce any sounds that aren’t already in the kids’ language of Japanese, though.(エイ、イー、アイ、オウ、ウー)

What would actually help them is to throw in all the **short** vowel sounds, to sow seeds for recognizing that /i/ and /ei/ and /ɪ/ and /ɛ/ are different, and /æ/ versus /ɑ/ versus /ʌ/. I would also throw in the /ʊ/ sound in book. Hell, I would also make a verse about “LLPLLS AND BANLLNLLS” and one about “erples and banerrnerrs.”

Idk if anyone out there is musical enough to be doing self-led songs with the kids, but you’d absolutely be doing the lord’s work.

by lifelongmoteki