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Happy and We Know It: A Song and Action Adventure

Materials Needed

By the end of this lesson, the learner (child) will:

Observe and show engagement with the song and actions.
Attempt to imitate at least one simple physical action (like clapping or tapping).
Associate the word "happy" with positive expressions (smiling, laughing) and actions.

Success is measured by the child's engagement and attempts, not perfection. Look for:

Get Attention: Sit face-to-face with your child on the floor. Make a big, happy, exaggerated smile. Say in a cheerful, sing-song voice, "Happy! Are you happy?"
Introduce the Goal: Gently take their hands and clap them together a couple of times. Say, "Clap, clap, clap! We are going to sing and be happy!"

This follows an 'I do, We do, You do' model, repeated for each verse. The key is repetition and joyful energy.

I Do (Modeling):
- Sing the first verse clearly and with a big smile, while doing the actions yourself. Make your claps obvious and fun.
- Song: "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands! (Clap! Clap!)"
- Talking Point: "Mommy/Daddy is happy! Clap! Clap!"
We Do (Guided Practice):
- Sing the verse again. This time, gently take your child’s hands and help them clap along to the rhythm.
- Song: "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands! (Help child clap, Clap! Clap!)"
- Talking Point: "You clap hands! Good job! Clap, clap, clap!"
You Do (Independent Attempt):
- Sing the verse one more time, but this time hold your hands up in a clapping position and invite them to clap on their own. Don't guide their hands unless they seem to want help.
- Celebrate ANY attempt they make, even just wiggling their fingers.
- Talking Point: "Your turn! Can you clap? Yay! Good trying!"

I Do (Modeling):
- Sit with your legs out and stomp your feet on the floor. Make the sound noticeable but not scary.
- Song: "If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet! (Stomp! Stomp!)"
- Talking Point: "Stomp feet! Boom, boom!"
We Do (Guided Practice):
- Sing again while gently holding your child’s ankles or feet and helping them tap or "stomp" on the floor.
- Song: "If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet! (Help child stomp, Stomp! Stomp!)"
- Talking Point: "Your feet go stomp, stomp! So fun!"
You Do (Independent Attempt):
- Sing again, tapping your own feet and looking expectantly at their feet. Encourage them to kick or move their legs.
- Talking Point: "You stomp your feet! Kick, kick, kick! Yay!"

I Do (Modeling):
- Throw your hands up in the air with excitement.
- Song: "If you're happy and you know it, shout 'Hooray!' (Hoo-ray!)"
- Talking Point: "Hooray! So happy!" (Use a gentle, happy "shout," not a loud one).
We Do (Guided Practice):
- Sing again and gently lift your child’s arms up in the air as you say "Hooray!" Give them a little tickle under the arms to make it fun.
- Talking Point: "Up go your arms! Big stretch! Hooray!"
You Do (Independent Attempt):
- Sing one last time, throwing your own arms up and encouraging them to lift theirs.
- Celebrate any vocalization or arm movement.
- Talking Point: "You say hooray? Ahhh! Yay! You are happy!"

Final Recap: Sing the whole song one more time, doing all three actions together. Encourage your child to join in any way they can.
Reinforce Learning: Give your child a big hug and a smile. Say, "We were so happy! We clapped, we stomped, and we said 'Hooray!'"
Cool-Down: End with a calm, happy cuddle. You can say, "All done with our happy song. Time for a hug."

Formative (During Lesson): Observe your child’s reactions. Are they smiling? Watching you? Trying to move? This is your assessment. If they seem fussy or uninterested, stop and try again later. The goal is positive association.
Summative (End of Lesson): After the song, smile and say, "Show me happy!" and clap your hands. See if they respond with a smile or any attempt to clap. Any positive reaction is a successful outcome.
Feedback: All feedback for a 1-year-old should be positive physical and verbal reinforcement. Use smiles, hugs, tickles, and praise like "Good job!" and "Yay!" for any and all attempts.

For Younger or Less Mobile Learners: Focus on actions they can do easily. Lay them on their back and help them kick their feet. Use hand-over-hand for clapping. Focus more on your facial expressions and tone of voice.
For More Advanced or Older Learners (18mo+):
- Introduce new verses: "pat your head," "touch your nose," "turn around."
- Introduce a prop: Give them a shaker or rattle to shake instead of clapping.
- Use a mirror: Do the actions in front of a mirror so they can see themselves being "happy."
- Encourage vocalization: Pause before saying "Hooray!" to see if they will make a sound.
Group Setting (Classroom/Daycare): Have children sit in a circle. The educator can move around the circle, providing hand-over-hand help to different children during the "We Do" phase. Use lots of group energy and praise.