In today’s Clap for Classics episode, we step into a musical fairy tale adventure! Join Miss Elizabeth and Forte the Lion as we explore the playful finger rhyme Little Tommy Thumb and listen to a beautiful piece of music by the French composer Maurice Ravel from his enchanting Mother Goose Suite.

Through storytelling, movement, and listening, children will imagine themselves tiny like Tom Thumb as they wander through a mysterious forest and listen for the fluttering birds in Ravel’s music.

This episode is part of our Fairy Tales theme, where music and imagination come together to help children experience classical music in a fun and engaging way. Perfect for kids ages 2–8, families, and homeschoolers who love music, movement, and stories!

🎵 In This Episode

✨ Sing and play the classic finger rhyme Little Tommy Thumb

✨ Listen and move to “Tom Thumb” from Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite

✨ Imagine tiptoeing through a magical forest and listening for the birds who steal Tom Thumb’s breadcrumbs.

🎼 Featured Composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) Maurice Ravel was a French composer who loved to write music inspired by fairy tales and magical stories. His Mother Goose Suite was originally written for children and includes musical stories about enchanted gardens, sleeping princesses, and tiny adventurers like Tom Thumb.

🎶 Try This At Home While listening to the music, try one of these activities:

🌲 Tiptoe through the forest like Tom Thumb

🐦 Flap your arms like birds swooping down for breadcrumbs

🧱 Make a breadcrumb trail using blocks or paper pieces and follow it across the room

✨ Close your eyes and imagine you are tiny in a giant forest

Music becomes even more magical when kids move and imagine while they listen.

🚀 Want More Musical Adventures? This episode comes from our Fairy Tales course inside the Clap for Classics All Access Membership. Inside you'll find:

🎭 Musical fairy tale activities

🎶 Classical music listening guides

💃 Movement and dance activities

📚 Story-based music learning

🖨 Printable games and extension activities F

amilies can simply press play and enjoy, or explore deeper with the activities.

✨ You can try the membership here: 👉 www.ClapforClassics.com/join

💛 Loved This Episode? If this musical adventure made your day brighter, you can help more families discover classical music by:

⭐ Leaving a review

⭐ Sharing the episode with a friend

⭐ Subscribing so you don’t miss future episodes

Classical music used on this episode is licensed for our use by Classical.com

In this playful Clap for Classics! episode, Miss Elizabeth and Forte the Lion invite young listeners to move, sing, spin, and play through classic nursery rhymes and delightful classical music.

This episode is part of our Course Preview Season, where we share sample activities from our popular Rhymes & Games course—designed to help children learn musical concepts through joyful, low-pressure play.

Free Resource for This Episode: Enhance your listening experience with our Rhymes & Games Movement Pack, which includes:

• Lyrics to featured nursery rhymes
• Simple movement and rhythm ideas
• Tips for engaging with Bizet’s Children’s Games

👉 Download here: www.clapforclassics.com/episode76

Classical Music Spotlight

We listen to “The Top” from Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants (Children’s Games)—a charming set of short pieces inspired by toys and games. Children are invited to spin like a top, jump on musical accents, and “plop” to the ground when the music ends.

Nursery Rhymes We Play With:

Pease Porridge Hot – tap the beat, explore sound differences, and try a tricky rhythm challenge

Jack and Jill – act out the story with marching, tumbling, and creative movement

Want More Like This? These activities are just a taste of what’s inside our Rhymes & Games Course, available through the Clap for Classics! All Access Membership.

Inside All Access, you’ll find:

Short, engaging video lessons

Classical music listening guides

Printables and movement activities

Easy ways to make music part of everyday family life

Perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary kids—no musical background required.

🎉 Try All Our Music Courses for Just $1!

Start a 7-day trial and get instant access to 19 joyful, engaging music courses designed for kids ages 0–8. 👉 Click here to start your trial for just $1

🎵 Explore More from Clap for Classics! All Access Membership

Unlimited access to 19+ music courses, printables, and resources designed for kids ages 0–8.

👉 www.clapforclassics.com/join

The Four Seasons Curriculum

Explore Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with music, movement, art, and nature-themed lessons.

👉 www.clapforclassics.com/fourseasons

Submit a Joke for the Show!

Does your child have a great joke to share? We’d love to feature it in a future episode!

👉 www.speakpipe.com/ClapforClassics

The classical music in this episode is licensed for use through Classical.com, a fantastic resource for high-quality recordings.

Thank you for listening and making music with us! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Get ready to leap, twirl, tiptoe, and imagine as we step into the magical world of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker! In this special holiday episode, Ms. Elizabeth, Forte the Lion, and our wonderful guest Rosie (age 7!) lead your little ones through three favorite Nutcracker moments with music, movement, imagination, and lots of giggles.

Join me for our 6th Annual Nutcracker Challenge, beginning Monday, December 15th.
Each day, you'll receive a video from our Nutcracker course with simple, joyful ideas for extending the music and movement fun at home. On the final day, we’ll gather for a live Zoom class so we can make music and dance together!

👉 Sign up for this FREE challenge: www.clapforclassics.com/nutcracker2025

This is one of our most magical traditions—and I’d love to see you there! And if you know someone who might enjoy this challenge, will you send them the sign-up page so they can join us too! I appreciate the help in spreading the word!

Float into the gentle, dreamy world of flowers as we imagine tiny seeds sprouting, growing, and swaying in a colorful garden. Rosie helps us imagine how the dancers swirl like petals on the stage—and Forte becomes a very enthusiastic sunflower!

Inside our full Nutcracker course, we explore this piece with scarves, butterflies, bees, and a whole garden of movement fun.

Get ready to MOVE! This high-energy piece is full of big jumps, fast kicks, and lion-sized wiggles. Kids can jump, dance, march, or shake their whole bodies as the music speeds by.
Inside the course, this becomes our silly and energetic teddy bear trampoline routine—always a kid favorite!

Tiptoe like magical fairies and princes as you listen for the sparkling celeste. Freeze like a fairy statue! Float like snowflakes!
Rosie shares how dancers move on their tiptoes, and Forte… well… thinks his tail might be twinkling.

In the full course, we play a “pass the magic” fairy-wand game that little ones adore.

If your kids love this magical preview, you’ll enjoy the complete Nutcracker music course inside our All Access Membership!
We’re teaching the full Nutcracker inside All Access LIVE beginning next Thursday—we’d love to have you join the fun.

• Episode 60: The Nutcracker Party → https://www.clapforclassics.com/episode60
• Episode 61: Dance Along to Tchaikovsky → https://www.clapforclassics.com/episode61

Classical tracks used on this episode are licensed for our use by Classical.com