When teaching “Hot Cross Buns” to beginner recorder groups – well, any beginner woodwind groups, try changing the words to

“Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns, THREE-a-penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns”

It’s just that if the fingering is “1 2 3,  1 2 3,  3333 2222 11111, 1 2 3” then the changed words fit the fingering. I’ve found that the children are far more likely to play a “G” on the third line if they sing “3”, rather than repeat the fingering of the first and second lines.

Just a thought – try it and see.