Sesame Street Music: Make a game with music at your Sesame Street party

Music soothes the savage beast, right? (Actually, it's savage breast, but work with me here.) So it ought to work wonders on a gaggle of toddlers! I'm working up a series here with different songs and ways you can use that particular song to reinforce a theme or introduce a game at your Sesame Street birthday party.

Let's start with what has to be one of the catchiest remakes for Sesame Street – "I've Got a New Way to Walk" by Destiny's Child. I've never heard the original, but this version just is stuck in my head. I've got the video right here, so you can take a listen while you read the rest of this post. Just click the arrow to get it started.



So what can we do with this particular song? One idea is to use this song to play a version of Red Light, Green Light where you start and stop the music. You could have them "walk walk" while the song is going, then either hold still or run when the music stops. Or encourage the kids to develop their own new walks to do during the song. (Grown-ups can do a version of the Ministry of Silly Walks and participate.)

If you have slightly older children, you could even use this song for a version of musical chairs or turn "Duck Duck Goose" into "Walk Walk Run" after you've done the music game.

Best of all, once you've introduced this song, you can then control some of the chaos by reminding the kids to "walk walk" and encourage them to use their silly walks as they move around the party. This particular song is great for getting them up and moving in a variety of ways for a Sesame Street birthday.