Hug, High-Five, Window Wave
A goodbye ritual for the first day of kindergarten: hug, high-five, wave at the window. Pick-up time, a big hug again!
Play a 30-second sample
Listen in full
- SpotifyComing soon
- YouTubeComing soon
- Apple MusicComing soon
What this song is about
Hug, High-Five, Window Wave is a song for the first day of nursery, preschool or kindergarten, and for every drop-off after it. It gives children and grown-ups a short goodbye ritual they can repeat every morning: a hug, a high-five, and a wave through the window. A predictable goodbye that always ends the same way is one of the most common pieces of advice for separation worries, and it beats sneaking out.
The verses walk through a real day, from hanging up your coat on the hook with your name to painting, snack, story and rest, so the day ahead feels familiar before it starts. The second verse names the feeling, "Tummy full of butterflies?", and teaches a slow belly breath to settle it. In the bridge, the Dragon is new too and nervous, until someone takes its hand and they play a game. Every chorus ends with the promise children need to hear: pick-up time, a big hug again. In the video, the same grown-up really does come back.
Sung and danced with the Dragon, our mascot who learns new things alongside children.
Learn the moves
Each step shows when it first comes up in the song. Every move works standing or sitting down.
Hug, high-five, then a wave through the window. (0:13 in the video) Step 1: Hug, high-five, window wave
First at 0:13
Hug with one arm round each other, high-five with open hands, then wave at the window.
Little heart, I can be brave. (0:18 in the video) Step 2: Little heart, I can be brave
First at 0:18
Put a hand on your heart and lift your chin.
Step 3: Hang up your coat
First at 0:37
Find the hook with your name, hang your coat and bag: plop!
Breathe in slow, and out like a sigh. (1:16 in the video) Step 4: Breathe away the butterflies
First at 1:15
Hands on your tummy. Breathe in slowly, "Mmm", then out like a sigh, "Haaa".
Friends can start with one small hi. (1:27 in the video) Step 5: One small hi
First at 1:26
Give a tiny wave to someone new. Friends can start with one small "hi!"
Pick-up time: a big hug again. (2:26 in the video) Step 6: Pick-up time!
First at 2:25
Open your arms wide for the big hug at the end of the day.
Lyrics
The words as sung. The bits in brackets are the echoes to shout back.
Chorus
Hug, high-five, window wave!Little heart, I can be brave,Paint and play and lunch and sing,Pick-up time, a big hug again!
Verse 1
Here's a hook with my name on top,Hang my coat and my bag, (plop!)Lots of faces, big and small,Teacher smiles and waves to all.
Chorus
Hug, high-five, window wave!Little heart, I can be brave,Paint and play and lunch and sing,Pick-up time, a big hug again!
Verse 2
Tummy full of butterflies? (Flutter, flutter)Breathe in slow... (Mmm) and out like a sigh... (Haaa)It's okay to feel a little shy,Friends can start with one small "hi!" (Hi!)
Verse 3
Blocks and painting, sand and songs,Snack and story, the day rolls on,Inside, outside, run and rest,Look what I made! (Wow!) I did my best!
Bridge
The little dragon's new here too,Little puffs, (puff, puff) what to do?Take a hand and play a game,Now he knows everybody's name!
Final Chorus
Hug, high-five, window wave!Little heart, I can be brave,Paint and play and lunch and sing,Pick-up time, a big hug again!
Outro
Pick-up hug is on its way. (Always!)Hug, high-five... window wave.
For grown-ups
Childcare guidance on separation tends to agree on a few things: keep the goodbye short and the same every day, always say goodbye rather than slipping away, name the feeling, and come back when you said you would.
- Practise the hug, high-five and wave at home before the first day.
- Talk through the day in order (coat, play, snack, story, pick-up) so it feels familiar.
- A slow belly breath is a simple tool children can use on their own.
Questions parents ask
How can a song help with separation anxiety at drop-off?
It gives you a short, predictable goodbye ritual to repeat every day (hug, high-five, window wave) and ends with the promise that pick-up time always comes.
What age is it for?
Ages 3 to 6, for starting nursery, preschool, kindergarten or school, and for any drop-off that feels hard.
What does the song teach about feelings?
It names "butterflies in the tummy", says it is okay to feel shy, and teaches a slow breath in and out to feel calmer.
Music and vocals made with AI. Lyrics, moves and animation by our team, with AI tools. Words and moves are original to Dragon Kids Land.
More songs like this
Ages 2–6Hello With My Elbow
Hello with my elbow! Hello with my toe! A circle-time hello song that starts silly and ends sitting calmly.
Play a 31-second sample
Ages 2–6Soapy Count to Twenty
Palms, backs, thumbs and fingertips, then count to twenty while you scrub. A handwashing song that times the scrub for you.
Play a 27-second sample
Ages 2–6Find It, Put It Home
Who can find something red? A tidy-up song with a colour hunt and a FREEZE in every chorus.
Play a 29-second sample
Stories to read next
Classic tales on the same theme, retold for reading aloud.
The Ugly Duckling
A large grey bird hatches in a duckyard and is bitten, pecked and pushed about until he leaves. He survives a marsh, a very opinionated cat and hen, and a winter that nearly kills him. At the end he flies at a flock of swans expecting to be killed for daring to come near, and they welcome him, and only then does he look down and see what he is.
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack is sent to sell the last cow and comes home with five beans. His mother throws them out of the window. In the morning there is a beanstalk going up through the clouds, and Jack, who has never once thought a thing through, starts climbing.