We all know that The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a favorite because of the food. Kids love pointing out their favorite snacks like pickles, cake, cheese, and ice cream, and imagining the feast. It’s colorful, it’s silly, and it feels good.
That’s the idea behind this kind of listening work. We start with what feels good. We start with dessert first.
A few weeks ago, my nine-year-old daughter and I created a song called Caterpillar Lies. It began with her fear. What if the stories she had grown up hearing about change, transformation, and growing into something beautiful weren’t true? She came up with the concept, the emotional message, and many of the lyrics. I helped shape the structure and phrasing. Together, we worked line by line to match syllables, rhyme, and meaning. She reviewed every section and made sure it said what she wanted it to say. Now she listens to it regularly, plays it on the piano, and takes full ownership of the message.
As the first verse puts it:
“The book said feast, then nap, then fly.
But real life’s gross, and bugs still die.”
“Where’s my pickle? Where’s my ham?
All I got was mulch and jam.
Not jelly jam, I mean dirt-nap glue
And a leaf that smelled like beetle poo.”
This song is funny, sharp, and sometimes a little sad. But it is also one of the most powerful listening tools I have ever used. Children build listening comprehension as they process the metaphors and tone. They learn to detect syllables, rhyme, rhythm, and prosody. They practice separating vocals from music. They hear filtered speech and poetic nonsense. Then they connect it all to written lyrics and expressive performance. This is auditory training and reading support disguised as something personal and creative.
The chorus brings it home:
“Caterpillar lied to me
Said I’d grow up wild and free
But I melted down in a sack of goo
And nobody told me what bugs go through.”
To use this with your child or student, start by playing the song. Ask them what stands out, what they understand, and what they think the metaphors mean. Then go back and read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. What was promised in the book? Was it fair? Does it match real life?
Next, explore rhythm. Clap the beat. Count the syllables. Track the rhyme. Then choose another childhood book like Madeline, Curious George, or The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, and invite your child to rewrite it from their current point of view. If they want to turn it into a song, I’m happy to help.
For students who are Deaf or hard of hearing, this activity can be just as meaningful. They can read and interpret the lyrics, cue or sign them if they want, or express them through movement or poetic ASL classifiers. They can clap, tap, and visually track rhythm and beat patterns. If they use hearing technology, this can support timing and speech-in-noise processing. If not, they can still participate using visual and tactile rhythm.
If you want to enhance tactile access, consider tools like Woojer vests and straps, SubPac backpacks, or bone conduction headphones. A simple wooden soundboard made from a platform and a subwoofer can also help children feel the beat through their feet, hands, or body. This is similar to what some Deaf classrooms used years ago. Even placing a speaker on a tabletop and resting hands nearby can offer vibration feedback.
It is important to note that signed music is not universally embraced. Some Deaf adults enjoy interpreting songs in ASL. Others see it as performative or mismatched with cultural identity. If you are a teacher or therapist, make that decision based on your relationship with the student and their goals. Signed music is never required. Rhythm, metaphor, movement, and visual expression can stand on their own.
This isn’t just a feel-good project. It is language-rich, layered, and emotionally grounded. And it comes at a time when many children are struggling silently with sensory and language-based challenges.
Auditory processing disorder affects an estimated three to five percent of school-age children, though some researchers believe this number is higher when you account for overlapping diagnoses. Dyslexia affects at least ten to twenty percent of the population, and recent estimates suggest that the number may be even higher in certain learning environments. The overlap between these two conditions is significant. A 2021 review by Summe and McCoy described the relationship as a “neurological chicken or egg debate,” highlighting how auditory processing deficits often underlie reading challenges, especially in children who struggle with phonological decoding, sequencing, and speech in noise.
These challenges are often invisible. But they are real. And when we start with music, metaphor, and meaning, we reach parts of the brain that standard instruction may miss.
As the song reminds us:
“Some moths starve the day they hatch
No snack pack. No final match.
They flap and fall and blip—they’re gone.
No time for songs, no dance, no dawn.”
“And yet we still rise.
And this is what it means to rise.”
If you’d like to hear the full song or download the lyrics, you can listen here:
https://suno.com/song/0a32049d-f556-411b-9b76-996baed058cb
I have specific activities designed for this song and can help you adapt them to your child. I offer free consultation if you want to try it at home. If you’d like direct support or a custom song based on your child’s writing, we can create a plan together.
This is real-world auditory training.
And we start with dessert.
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References
Kraus, N., & White-Schwoch, T. (2015). Unraveling the biology of auditory learning: A cognitive–sensorimotor–reward framework. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(11), 642–654.
Moreno, S., & Bidelman, G. M. (2014). Examining neural plasticity and cognitive benefit through the unique lens of musical training. Hearing Research, 308, 84–97.
Parbery-Clark, A., Skoe, E., Lam, C., & Kraus, N. (2009). Musician enhancement for speech-in-noise. Ear and Hearing, 30(6), 653–661.
Summe, I., & McCoy, T. (2021). Dyslexia and auditory processing disorder: A neurological chicken or egg debate? Journal of Student Research, 10(2). https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/view/1513
Tierney, A., & Kraus, N. (2013). Music training for the development of reading skills. Progress in Brain Research, 207, 209–241.
