Bedtime Stories: Making Hawker Food Even Yummier With Music, Movement And Play  

There is nothing like the topic of hawker food to bond all Singaporeans, and it seems you can do the same too with your child with the story Sing a Song of Hawker Food by local authors Lianne Ong and Janice Khoo.

Think of this book as one big innovative literary remix. It marries the familiar refrains of nursery rhymes with mentions of some of the nation’s favourite dishes. Can you imagine Humpty Dumpty enjoying kaya toast? Or Mary indulging in ice kachang? This is one book that you might enjoy as much as your children do.  

The best part is, parents can easily amplify the teachable elements in this book through music and movement, and even beyond the storytelling session. And you can learn exactly how on the latest episode of the podcast series Book Monsters – Bedtime Stories, with Kiss92’S Joshua Simon and Natasha, an educator with The Eton Academy and an EtonHouse Community Fund Volunteer. The series is supported by the Singapore Women’s Weekly.

Hear Joshua's reading of Sing a Song of Hawker Food with Natasha’s advice here:

Prepare to jam with the kids (04:03 to 04:41)

Bust out your child’s hand drum, old rattlers or any musical instrument you can get your hands on, and get them grooving to tunes like Row, Row, Row Your Boat and Humpty Dumpty as all of you sing the story. “Singing and using a musical instrument trains a child’s multi-tasking skills and helps younger children develop their motor skills,” says Natasha. 

No matter if you don’t have any instruments lying around. Simply clapping to the rhythm and doing simple actions help too. For example, you can lead your child in mimicking the rolling out of prata dough for a fun and active element, she suggests. 

Put your masak masak to good use (07:01 to 07:42)

“Dramatic play is an excellent way to extend the story into real life experience. It nurtures creative and abstract thinking and evolves in such a natural and spontaneous way,” says Natasha. And it’s not that hard to set it up with a few simple props and the power of imagination. 

You and your child can pretend to set up a hawker stall selling a hawker dish you like. Together you can design the menu, set prices, and list the ingredients. You can dress up your stall with a couple of pots and pans and spices. Bonus: you can even teach your child how to count money and do budgeting through play. 

Budding lyricists at work (05:28 to 06:24)

The words in A Song of Hawker Food are amusing when set to the tunes that everyone is familiar with. Tapping on the creativity already exemplified in the book, you can get your child to create new lyrics sung to his or her favourite nursery rhyme. “It can be about anything they like, such as their favourite food, bedtime routine or even their hobby,” Natasha suggests.

Looking behind the scenes (02:35 to 03:21)

This story can be a springboard for discussions on hawkers’ daily routines or the history of local dishes, and foster a child’s curiosity and critical thinking skills. If your kiddo is up for it, he or she can even consider interviewing a hawker in the neighbourhood to know what goes into the making of a great dish.

You can catch new episodes of the podcast series Book Monsters – Bedtime Stories every Thursday on Google Podcasts, Spotify or Awedio.