Blog Posts

Mr. Troll Singing Game

Denise Gagne

Game Directions:

Create some kind of a bridge. You could lay down two skipping ropes, you could use rubber dots, or or use painter’s tape to mark a bridge on the carpet.

Choose one child to be the troll. The troll is on one side of the bridge and the rest of the class is on the other side.

All the children sing the question: “Mr. Troll, Mr. Troll may we cross the bridge? May we cross to the other side?” The troll decides on a color and answers them “Only if you’re wearing yellow - if you’re not better run and hide.” If you want to use this game to practice color identification, you could put a number of colored objects in a paper bag and have the troll draw one out. The children wearing the chosen color cross the bridge and join the troll. The game continues until all children have crossed the bridge. This game is a lot of fun, yet involves no real competition or chaos!

Carmen Bryant, Kindergarten teacher, consultant and author, uses this game to have children learn colors, shapes, numbers or letters. If she’s using the game to teach shapes, she gives each child in the class one shape to hold. She gives the child who is the “troll” the shapes to pull out of the bag. The troll would sing, “Only if you have a square, if you don’t better run and hide.” The teacher can check that the children coming over the bridge are holding a square (not a circle or a triangle) and assess if her students are correctly identifying the shapes.

If using the game to assess letter recognition, each child would be given a plastic letter. It’s better to use only 5-10 letters at a time rather than the entire alphabet. The child who is the “troll” is given the same 5-10 letters and pulls one out at a time. The teacher can check that the children coming over the bridge are holding the letter that was selected, so this becomes an informal assessment opportunity.

Teaching Process/Suggested Activities:

This game provides a wonderful opportunity to hear children sing alone. In “The Kodaly Method” Lois Choksy says “It is important to give children opportunities to sing alone, and with one or two others, as well as with the group.” Other suggestions for helping children to develop in-tune singing would include the following.

Teachers should model accurately for students in an appropriate range. Most of the repertoire for five year old children should be in a range above middle C. If the teacher is not able to sing in tune in this range, use a recording to model for the students.
A complete song should be sung to children before they are asked to sing it. If the teacher is not able to sing in tune, use a recording. Ask the children to pat a beat while they listen, or give them something specific to listen for in the song. If you’re singing the Mr. Troll song, you could ask children questions such as:
1. Who sings this song? (children and Mr. Troll)
2. What do the children want to do?
3. Who is going to give the children permission?
Use hand levels (not specific hand signs) to show the higher and lower pitches in a song. Use body movements to show the higher and lower levels along with the terms “higher” and “lower”. Some children may be confused thinking that “higher” means the same as “louder” and not fully understand if the terms only are used. The body scale can be used to show the levels of all the notes of the scale.
Clearly give a starting pitch when you are beginning a song. Sing, “One, two, ready, and...” before you begin a song in 4/4 time.
Sing to the children - not with them. After you have demonstrated how a song goes, sing a phrase and then listen as the children sing it back.
Tell the children to “listen louder than they sing.” Sometimes when a child sings more quietly, they pitch their voice more accurately.

Mr. Troll can be used in conjunction with the story of the Three Billygoats Gruff. In Musicplay for Kindergarten, March week 3, the story is given. When each of the billygoats in the story gets to the bridge, have them sing the question to the troll.

Also included in Musicplay for Kindergarten, March Week 3 is the Nannygoats rap which is a lot of fun for all your students - not just the kindergarten students. Danece Workman, K-5 music teacher in Red Deer, Alberta used the Nannygoats rap in a Fairytale program with her 5th grade students rapping and dramatizing the story.