Teacher goes viral for her wholesome 'Chinese Dumpling Song'
“I view making music for children to be truly radical, beautiful work.”

Katie Norregaard in one of her TikTok videos
On her TikTok profile, Katie Norregaard (aka Miss Katie Sings) describes her brand as “if Mr. Rogers and AOC had a kid.” And it’s 100% accurate. The teaching artist has been going viral lately for her kid-friendly tunes that encourage kids to learn about other cultures, speak up for their values and be the best humans they can be.
@misskatiesings Reply to @typebteacher the internet gave me this brand one year ago and I haven’t looked back 🎶 ❤️ #fyp #misterrogers #preschool #aoc #teachertok ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) - 山口夕依
Let’s face it, some kid’s songs are a tad abrasive with their cutesiness, to put it politely. A certain ditty about a shark pup comes to mind. Norregaard manages to bypass any empty saccharine-ness while still remaining incredibly sweet. The effortless warmth of her voice certainly helps with that. Again, she’s got that Mister Rogers vibe down to a tee.
“Miss Katie” has a treasure trove full of fun creations, such as her jazz version of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider,” but it’s her “Chinese Dumpling Song" that’s completely taking over the internet.The “Chinese Dumpling Song” is all about how to—you guessed it—make a dumpling, which Miss Katie sings with her students in Mandarin. As you can see in the video, the kids absolutely love singing it.
@misskatiesings #answer to @spidermark790 love that students get excited about this song from my childhood! 🥟 #fyp #wholesome #aapi #preschool #kindergarten #teachertok #kidsmusic #momsoftiktok #parentsoftiktok #aapiheritagemonth ♬ original sound - Miss Katie Sings | kids music
Norregaard told TODAY that the song is normally accompanied by a little toy dumpling to visually explain what would go inside, depending on the culture. Her aim is to instill the importance of appreciating diversity through the two languages we can all understand: music and food.
The song has racked up nearly 90,000 views and an outpouring of well-deserved internet love.
Below is a video of Norregaard singing the song along with her mother, who makes all the gestures in her hand … just like when Norregaard was a child learning the song for the first time.
@misskatiesings Chinese dumping song with my mom! 🥟 #aapi #songsforkids #preschool #wholesome #fyp #dumplings #multilingual #kindergarten #teachertok ♬ original sound - Miss Katie Sings | kids music
The overwhelmingly positive response to the “Chinese Dumpling Song" (both from kids and adults alike) was a huge surprise to Norregaard.
She told TODAY, “I didn’t expect that first off that all the students in my class would enjoy it already. But that then it would find a place publicly in the world where so many people were connecting with it." She added that it instilled “even more confidence and appreciation” within herself for her heritage.
In her quest to “pursue music and mindful kids’ content full-time,” Norregaard has songs about more than just food, although there are a lot of those. Every topic can become a tune—from history, to wellness, to politics.
For example, in the video below, Norregaard teaches kids about protesting. Or as she puts it, “when a group of people come together to say ‘there’s a big problem and something needs to change.’”
@misskatiesings Activism for kids 🖤 🎶 #fyp #foryou #preschool #kindergarten #socialjustice #consciousparenting #activism #teachertok #blm #edutainment #elementary ♬ original sound - Miss Katie Sings | kids music
In the following video, she breaks down the history of Indigenous People’s Day.
@misskatiesings A brief start! // #indigenousday #indigenouspeoplesday #fyp #preschool #kindergarten #teachertok #consciousparenting #foryou #teachersoftiktok ♬ original sound - Miss Katie Sings | kids music
Seriously, where was this when I was in school?
Her videos are often very interactive with student-led activities, like this breathing exercise:
@misskatiesings After some running around, a student helped us all calm down ✨ //#preschool #teachertok #wholesome #fyp #mindfulkids #gentleparenting #kindergarten #musicforkids ♬ original sound - Miss Katie Sings | kids music
She even has videos for parents, helping them to shape more open, productive conversations with their kiddos. In this one, she discusses the importance of telling children the mistakes of grown-ups so that they can “reimagine a better world.”
@misskatiesings Reply to @skata66 Kids can help us reimagine a better way. ✨ #fyp #preschool #kindergarten #foryou #teachertok #consciousparenting #teachersoftiktok ♬ original sound - Miss Katie Sings | kids music
On her website, Norregaard writes, “I view making music for children to be truly radical, beautiful work.” That sentiment is evident; the amount of love she puts into what she does is truly remarkable. Her sense of purpose is what makes “Miss Katie Sings” so special. Norregaard is providing kids with vital tools to build connections, manage their feelings and better understand the world … making it a better place in the process.
If you’d like to hear even more from Miss Katie Sings, you can follow her on TikTok, Instagram and Patreon.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."