One of the reasons I wrote the Genki English songs was that although there are many songs that you can use for listening in class, there are very few that you can get your kids to actually sing in one lesson.

But that’s not to say you can’t use the Genki English songs for listening. As they are so easy they make great activities for beginners or slightly more advanced learners alike. For example:

Have the A4 picture cards at the back of the class, the kids have to race to the front as they hear each word and put them in order on the board.
Give each kid, or group, the minicards. Get them to cut them up then re-arrange them in order whilst listening to the song.

Give each kid one A4 card. They have to line up in the order of the song.
Simply get the kids to do the actions and gestures without singing.

The trick is not to over do the “just listening” activities. If all you are doing is listening, the genkiness will wear off after the first listen. But if the kids are actually doing something you can get a few more listens with all the energy intact.

Personally I prefer the big energy boost the CDs give after you’ve sung the song a cappella a few times, the surprise effect is like a triple cappuccino. Plus in most countries the kids are usually quite good at listening, but need much more work on speaking out.

But if you have the time and want to slow things down a touch, try some of the listening ideas above. Just about all the songs work like this, but the big granddaddy of them all is CD5’s Ordering Food song, especially if you play the marathon A-Z version!

( Thanks to everyone for reminding me of this in the forum)