Skip-A-Doodle by Peter & Ellen Allard

This is a game by Peter and Ellen Allard from their Sing It! Say It! Stamp It! Sway It! song collection (volume one).  I have made some adaptations to their original.  Here is how I play it in my music classes.

Instructions: Form a circle, putting a single empty chair somewhere on the perimeter of the circle. Designate one child (let's her name is Mary Smith) as "it" and she sits in the chair, leaving her original spot on the floor vacant.  The teacher and group sing...

Mary Smith is her name.
Hello Mary Smith.
Sitting in the circle just a-playing this game.
Hello Mary Smith.

Now Mary skips around the circle while the teacher and group sing...

Hey skip-a-doodle, hey skip-a-day
Back to your seat Mary Smith.

Now the teacher can call on another person to be 'it' and the game repeats until everyone who wants a turn has had a turn.