“Zapatito Blanco” is one of my favorites for practicing quarter rest, but when I posted about it on instagram, many hadn’t heard of it. Well then I’ll share it with you. 🙂 One of the changes at my school this year is the addition of Spanish class for all grade levels, and it has been so beneficial for the kids. When I introduced this chant to my first graders for practicing quarter rest, they were so excited to apply their new Spanish language skills.
THE CHANT
translation: ” little white shoe, little blue shoe, tell me how old are you?”
THE GAME
The game is very similar to “Bubblegum, bubblegum in a dish,” if you’re familiar. Kids put their feet in the center of the circle, and one person taps the beat, from shoe to shoe around the circle. The child whose foot is tapped on “tú” says how old they are. Then, the tapper continues tapping shoes around the circle as the group counts to the child’s age. If a child’s foot is the last one tapped when counting the age, they put that foot out of the circle. Whoever has the last foot- or two- in the circle, wins the game.
I found a video demonstration of the game on Youtube, though the players are singing rather than using their speaking voices.
INTRODUCING THE GAME
When I introduce the game, the whole class makes a large circle with their feet in the middle. I begin as the tapper as we play the game, but after a few rounds, I ask for a volunteer to take my place. Once the students have seen how the game works (probably the next class period), they can get into smaller groups of approximately five to try out the game. If some of your students know this game, or are more familiar with the Spanish language, try to place these students in separate groups so that they can help lead their peers.
In the picture above, one of my bilingual students did the tapping, and helped her group to play the game correctly. A student who is usually very quiet was able to shine as a leader of her group, and it melted my teacher heart. One of the many important reasons for incorporating multicultural music in your classroom is for moments like this: moments when that one student can be a culture bearer to their classmates. If you’d like to incorporate more Spanish language music, here’s another post. What are your favorite songs, chants, or dances from other cultures that you use with your students? I’d love to add more!
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