“Going to the Zoo” is a favorite to sing with my kids on the way to the… drum roll… zoo! Not only does it promote literacy and creativity, it also peaks kids’ interest in animals. The chorus introduces the ‘-oo’ word family with rhymes: zoo, you, and too. The verses promotes word play and reading comprehension.

Lyrics: “Going to the Zoo,” is a great song for the memory challenged, because all you really need to learn is the first verse, chorus, and an example verse.

After that, it’s more fun and educational to just make up lyrics.

First Verse:

Mommy’s (or Daddy or Grandma or whomever) takin’ us to the zoo tomorrow,
zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow,
Mommy’s takin’ us to the zoo tomorrow,
where we can stay all day.

Chorus:

We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.
How about you, you, you?
You can come too, too, too
We’re going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.”

Personalizing “Going to the Zoo”: After the first verse, lyrics mention an animal and what they do: “Look at all the monkeys swingin' in the trees, swingin' in the trees, swingin' in the trees. Look at all the monkeys swingin' in the trees, we can stay all day.” The pattern promotes reading comprehension, because kids come to expect the verses to tell them one important and unique thing about an animal. They know the verse will answer the question, “What animal will I see at the zoo and what will it do?” To further promote their understanding and creativity, ask your kids that same question or which animal is their favorite to watch at the zoo and why.

Depending on their answers, you might sing about: crocodiles snappin’ their snouts (or I like to substitute the German translation schnauzer and Americanize it by adding an ‘s,’ so snappin’ their schnauzers) , giraffes stickin’ out their tongues, birds flyin’ all aroun’, or kangaroos jumpin’ all around.

As Kids Get Older: Typical recordings include commonly loved animals without mentioning their specific species, such as birds flyin’ rather than ostriches runnin’. Older kids may find it more fun and challenging to be more specific. Since the names may be longer, just cut out the words ‘look at all the’ to make room, sing two words on one note, or you may substitute “we can stay all day” with something about the animal. For instance, you might sing: “Tawny Frogmouth is waitin’ to fool you,” and instead of saying “we can stay all day,” you might substitute, “’cause he don’t sound like a bird,” or “cause he croaks just like a frog.” Note that in order to fit “’cause he don’t sound like a bird,” into the melody, you must sing ‘cause and he on the same note.

Redirection: Sometimes a child might become confused as to what an animal does. If for instance they say turtles stand up, you might sing the song with silly lyrics, for instance: Look at all the turtles walking on their toes. Suggesting the activity be even more extreme will help them remember it is just pretend. On the other hand, if a child says their favorite animal is the Kookaburra and they speak. Your child probably realizes something is unique about the way they sound. Just explain how famous they are for their speech sounding like a laugh and sing: Look at all the Kookaburras laughin’ in the trees.

Other Word Plays Using “Going to the Zoo”: You may also want to apply the words, “Going to the zoo,” to different places. If you want to stick to rhyming with the ‘-oo’ word family, you might sing: “Going to eat food,” “Going to the loo (for a laugh).” On the other hand, you might explore a new word group, such as ‘-op’: “Going to the shop, how’s about a top, you can drink pop, we’re going to the shop.” Though many songs for children rhyme, sticking to one word family for an entire chorus is rare. Though it is particularly helpful to do so, you may also stick to just rhyming. For instance, you may sing my version: “Going to the shop, You can buy pop, Let’s sing lot’s, We’re going to the shop.” Once you apply the song to a new location, it opens the lyrics up to a whole new world of word play, you could sing about: baggers collecting the carts, checkers collecting lots of money, grocers washing the fruit, gumballs tryin’ to please you, marketers hopin’ to sell lot’s (My favorite, because it leads to a conversation about being aware that grocery stores are designed to entice you to buy, but not necessarily the cheapest or healthiest foods).