First Grade, First Grade

First Grade, First Grade, a fun song kindergarten children about to graduate to first grade can perform for parents at their leaving party, is sung to the tune of 'New York, New York'.

Recorded and made unforgettable by singer Frank Sinatra during 1979, the tune was, of course, written by Kander and Ebb. This team of writers produced a huge number of popular tunes from the 1960s onwards.

The lyrics for First Grade, First Grade were written by primary school teacher Sherri Hobbs, Texas (not to be confused with Sherri Hobbs, the Gospel singer). Sadly not widely known, this fact is highlighted as part of Kimi Sturgeon's (Stafford Primary School, 2012) rendition of the song.

First Grade, First Grade is great fun for performing children and watching adults alike, as this cute performance clearly shows. Often ending with a little dance or, as in the above example, hat-waving, this delightful little song is definitely a great way to celebrate graduation from kindergarten to first grade.

Teachers could even show their little students how to form a chorus line, link arms and then kick their legs high up into the air, while ending the song by singing 'La-la-lalala-la-la-lalala-la-la-lalala-la' before taking a bow.