Join in on singing The Handcart Song (archives) with your Primary children with this fun and silly adaptation to correct. In this The Handcart Song Fix the Words activity you’ll cross out all of these silly words that don’t belong as you learn and teach the correct song lyrics!
The Handcart Song Fix the Words
Sing through The Handcart Song once, before introducing this activity.
Post the silly word poster up on the board. Tell them someone has messed up all the lyrics and that you need their help! Can they help you spot all the incorrect words?
Sing through the song silly one time, then invite a child to come up front and cross off 2 incorrect “silly” words. Next time you sing through the song, sing the correct words where the silly ones were cross out. Great detective work! Let’s see if we can find some more words to fix.
Continue to sing through the song and cross out all the incorrect words. You’ll get lots of singing repetition and have some fun while you talk about what the Pioneer’s journey was really like.
The Handcart Song Fix the Word Key:
• Pioneers = Buccaneers
• West = East
• Strong = Weak
• Test = Best
• Pushed = Pulled
• Oxen = Handcarts
• Day = Night
• Sang = Hummed
• Walk = Push
• Run = Pull
• Splashing = Marching
• Stream = Hill
• Cautiously = Merrily
• Meet = Reach
• Ohio = Valley-o
Extension Activities:
- For another way to use this activity, you can instead use the word blanks version and have the children help you write in the missing words. For an added challenge, skip singing the missing words and have them take their best guess. Can they remember the lyrics?
- If your group needs help spotting the wrong words or filling in the missing words, you can also post the word bank to help them hunt for where those words might have belonged in the song.
- To personalize this activity, you can fill in the mad libs chart. Each word goes in order from top to bottom into the word blanks. Sing or say your class mad lib version of the song.
For another fun Pioneer activity, head over to see this Westward Ho First Letters singing time activity!
The Handcart Song Fix the Words Printable Song Helps
This free in-post printable includes a 2-page lyrics chart for The Handcart Song with silly words that don’t belong.
This song has extended printables including a larger 4-page format, word blanks, and a mad lib! You’ll find these bonus files in The Handcart Song teaching packet in my shop.
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For another fun Pioneer day activity, head over to this Covered Wagons Song Picture Cards lesson plan!
What other fun ways will you use this fix the words singing time activity in your Primary room?
