Animal Classification: the b.r.a.m.f. Song (PART OF A 10-SONG COLLECTION)

“''Excellent video and lovely clear information in the song. This makes for a very useful teaching tool for home learning. Thank you!'' ” - Eviklyn [Year 1 Teacher]

— reviewed resource from our original Year 1 collection via TES

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“This a fun way to help students remember some basic concepts. We all know the benefits of music in relation to learning. Thank you.” - Andrea C. [K-3 Teacher]

— Teachers Pay Teachers [Comment on our Year 1 Science Bundle]

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Incorporate inclusive teaching methods into your science lessons with this unique, multi-sensory resource.

This song is featured in our live school assemblies and interactive STEM workshops. Every booking includes full post-performance classroom activity sets mapped to the KS1 and K-1 science curriculum, giving your teachers ready-to-use resources to continue the learning in class.

Lyrics: Animal Classification (B.R.A.M.F.) Song

We are mammals, warm-blooded animals
Mammals are found everywhere
We give birth to live babies
And we've all got some hair

Frogs are amphibians, jumpy, slimy, slippery things
They breathe on land and in water too
Eggs to tadpoles and tadpoles to little frogs
As if they've got two lives

Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF
Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF

Cold-blooded vertebrates
That's what the reptiles are
They have dry skin
They're covered in scales
Komodo dragons and snakes and chameleons
And dinosaurs were reptiles too

Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF
Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF

Fish have gills, what do they use them for
They live in water, salty or sweet
Fish have scales and fins to help them swim
And glide through the waters deep

Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF
Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF

Which have I forgotten?
Which class of vertebrates
Ones which fly through the sky
Yes, birds are the other ones
Feathered, chirpy, tweety ones
It's feathers, that make them birds


Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF
Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF

Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF
Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF

Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF
Birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals and fish
BRAMF

Name on YouTube is The Animal Classification (B.R.A.M.F.) Song

Curriculum Alignment: England & US

National Curriculum of England
Core KS1 Focus: Year 1 Science

This song provides perfect and comprehensive coverage for the statutory objective under Animals, including humans, which requires children to identify and name a variety of common animals and classify them by observable characteristics. The lyrics explicitly introduce all five vertebrate classes (Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Mammals, Fish) and clearly describe their defining features (e.g., hair/warm-blooded for mammals, gills/fins for fish, scales/dry skin for reptiles).

Core KS2 Focus: Year 4 Science

Provides essential preparatory knowledge for the Year 4 statutory objective under Living things and their habitats to recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways, particularly into vertebrate and invertebrate groups. The song establishes all five major vertebrate groups, providing the necessary foundation for scientific classification.

Extension Value: Year 6 Classification

The song provides an early introduction to complex classification principles used in Year 6, such as defining characteristics (warm-blooded vs. cold-blooded) and life cycles (amphibians' metamorphosis from "eggs to tadpoles").

NGSS Standards (K–1 Focus)

The song is a superb tool for developing the concept of Biological Evolution and Diversity.

Core LS Focus: Kindergarten (K) & Grade 1 (G1)

Targeted Alignment (K-LS1-1 / G1-LS3-1): Directly supports the requirement for students to use observations to describe and identify animals and sort them into groups based on basic, inherited characteristics (e.g., feathers, scales, live young).

Extension Value: The song establishes the five major vertebrate classes, providing the fundamental vocabulary and characteristics needed for more detailed classification studies in Grade 2 and beyond.