If I Listen with My Heart -- Pre-reader help

As I have been teaching "If I Listen With My Heart," I've used a word chart. The problem with this is that it's great for readers but you loose the non-readers. To help with this potential problem, I cut out 12 hearts about as big as my hand, in two different colors (it really doesn't matter the colors, just make sure you use just two colors). I wrote "listen" one color and "heart" on the other color. I then taped a tongue depressor (or Popsicle stick) on the back. Just before we started singing the song, I gave a heart to 12 "non-readers" And told them to listen for the word on their heart and hold it up high when they heard it. The older children were glad to help. What a difference it made for busy 3, 4 and 5 year-olds! It was a great way to keep everyone focused! If some children didn't get a turn, those the had a heart gave their heart to someone who hadn't had a turn the next time we sang the song or the next verse.