Action Song: NCERT Class 2 English Poem (Raindrops Chapter 1)

etmantra20 Jul 20206 min read

Action Song is made for moving. Children clap, stamp and turn as they sing, and they learn action words by doing them.

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From the NCERT English book Raindrops for Class 2, chapter 1. NCERT’s newer Class 2 book is Mridang, but many schools still teach Raindrops.

Watch: Action Song

Play the video three or four times. The first time, just listen. Then point at the pictures, and from the third time, say the lines along with the video. Short, repeated listening is how CALP builds a child’s English.

What your child learns

Action words: ring, clap, wave, stamp, turn
Body words: hand, feet
Following simple spoken instructions in English
Singing in rhythm with claps

What the poem is about

This poem is a song with actions. Each verse gives an action to do: ring the bell, wave your hand, stamp your feet and turn around. After each action, everyone claps again and again.

Every verse ends by asking you to sing along today. The song is cheerful and full of energy, and its repeated lines make it easy for young children to join in.

New words, with Hindi meanings

ring: to make a bell sound (हिंदी: बजाना)
bell: a metal thing that rings (हिंदी: घंटी)
clap: to hit your hands together to make a sound (हिंदी: ताली बजाना)
wave: to move your hand from side to side (हिंदी: हाथ हिलाना)
stamp: to put your foot down hard (हिंदी: पैर पटकना)
feet: more than one foot (हिंदी: पैर)
turn around: to move your body so you face the other way (हिंदी: घूम जाना)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

What do you do after every action?
What do you do with your feet?
Which action makes you face the other way?
Which action from the song do you like best?

Answers for parents

You clap, clap, clap.
You stamp your feet.
Turn around.
For example: I like stamping my feet best because it makes a loud sound.

Grammar corner: Action words (verbs)

Action words tell us what to do. In this song, ring, wave, stamp, turn and clap are all action words. When we start a sentence with an action word, it becomes an instruction.

Wave your hand at your friend.
Clap three times and sit down.
Stamp your feet like a big elephant.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: ___ your hand and clap clap clap.
Match the action to the body part: wave, stamp (a. feet, b. hand).
Say aloud a new line for the song with your own action word.

Answers: 1. Wave · 2. wave – b, stamp – a · 3. Sample: Jump up high and clap clap clap.

Try this

Sing the song and do the actions together. Then speed it up and slow it down. For an extra game, say an action without singing, and your child must do it and then clap three times.

Tip for parents

Give an action in Hindi first, "ताली बजाओ", then the same in English, "Clap your hands", and do it together. Soon say only the English and let your child show you. If your child mixes, like "हाथ wave करो", praise it and say the English line back.

Questions parents ask

What actions are in Action Song?

Ring the bell, wave your hand, stamp your feet and turn around, with clapping after each one.

What is Action Song about?

It is a song that asks children to do an action, clap, and sing along today. Each verse has a new action.

Which NCERT book has Action Song?

It is Chapter 1 of NCERT's older Raindrops book for Class 2. The newer NCERT English books are Mridang for Class 1–2 and Santoor for Class 3–5.

Learn every Class 2 lesson with CALP

Every lesson of Mridang, NCERT’s new book, with read-along videos, new words with Hindi meanings, and listen-and-say practice with a score, made for young children with a parent nearby. ₹999 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →