Music and Movement

By Peter Stewart

Life with music is a life well-lived! Ask any child—the three-year-old who hums while drawing, the seven-year-old invokes the Hallelujah Chorus after a passing a test, the ten-year old who makes bathing the dog more enjoyable with "Splish Splash."

We sing for fun, with learning as a bonus. Routines become more entertaining with music and rituals more easily remembered. Concepts (ABCs, numbers, colors) are more easily mastered. Music and movement can also help you and the children cope with being indoors during these winter months.

The Value of Movement

Movement helps children become aware of their bodies. If children can practice even one part of a finger play at a special part of a song (for example: hands above head on "out came the Sun" in "Incy Wincy Spider"), it helps them open up to new possibilities of movement.

Children are great at practicing. Just watch how many times they get up when they are practicing walking! They love to feel that they can master a movement or piece of choreography. Repetition is the key!

Ideas to Get You Started:

  1. If you want the children to sit and sing, then give the children an arrangement like sitting on a rug (or separate rug squares). This establishes two wonderful things: a ritual and a separate moving area.
  2. If you want the children to really rock and roll, then have them stand up and go! Have a ball!
  3. Let them experiment with their bodies. Use many different choices of music to dance to: loud and soft, high and low, fast and slow, march-like and fluid. Remember, loud means big movements and soft means small movements.
  4. Variation is good for them and for you! Sing and perform the finger play using three degrees of loudness (normal, loud, soft). Sing and perform the finger play using three different tempos (normal, fast, slow).
  5. Toddlers love the freeze game, where they freeze like statues when the music stops. This helps them to feel tenseness in their body when they freeze and looseness when they move.

Once you get started, I’m sure you will start to think up new ways to incorporate movement into your day. The children can help! Happy moving!

Peter Stewart has been singing with children for over 25 years and has recorded eight sing-along cassettes. For information on concerts, workshops and cassettes call 1-800-484-1346 ext. 2468.

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