How to Teach Music & Movement to Young Children

by SARA IPATENCO Aug. 13, 2015



Many children enjoy listening and moving to music. Integrating some music and movement activities into the lives of young children can teach them new skills as well as help them to appreciate the arts. According to Jerry Storms, author of "101 Music Games for Children: Fun and Learning with Rhymes and Songs," interacting with music allows children to take a break from traditional learning and encourages them to think and learn in new and different ways. Playing games and doing a variety of activities along with music will help children master musical concepts and get some exercise at the same time.
Step 1

Play music and encourage children to dance freestyle. Use a variety of different types of music and show children some different ways to move to the music. Demonstrate ballet moves for slow music and air guitar for faster songs.
Step 2

Give children musical instruments and show them how to play them. Teach children how to march around the room in a parade or marching band formation as they play their instrument. Illustrate how to walk or march to a beat.

Step 3

Teach children songs and actions. Actions can add depth to a song and will motivate many children to participate in singing, write William M. Anderson and Joy E. Lawrence, authors of "Integrating Music into the Elementary Classroom." Make up actions to popular children's songs and invite children to make up their own as well.
Step 4

Show children how to chant in order to teach them the beat. Make up some chants and teach children to clap to the beat. Encourage children to stomp their feet, sway, wave their arms or march in place once they have mastered clapping to the beat.
Step 5

Play musical games that include movement. Try playing a game such as "Freeze Dance," which encourages children to dance until the music stops, when they are supposed to freeze, recommends Storms. Gather many different instruments and have each child try to imitate a sound an animal makes while acting out the animal. Invite the other children to guess what animal is being imitated.
Things You'll Need
Music CDs
Musical instruments
Tips
If you do not have access to instruments, try making some with your children. Try filling a coffee can with dried beans or using paper towel tubes as trumpets. Empty boxes and wooden spoons make good drums, writes Storms, as do dried gourds.
Warnings
When using musical instruments, make sure you teach children how to use them before allowing them to play so your instruments do not get broken, cautions Storms.

Music Progressions Rhythms

The free music progressions rhythms are below, but if you are searching for a reliable way of improving your students’ rhythm, please take a look at Rhythm Menagerie and Rhythm Manipulations today! Rhythm Menagerie is an exciting, reproducible resource that features fun activities to explore new rhythmic concepts. Rhythm Menagerie is much more than just a set of your typical clapping exercises!  Each unit showcases a unique animal and often incorporates some of the fun antics of that animal in the student’s activities. Students will learn about the crazy looking Tarsier, the beautiful Wingtipped Nightjar, the Jerboa Jumping Mouse, the Javan Flying Frog and much more!  This 92 page resource is guaranteed to be much more exciting than these select exercises!

Here is Rhythm Manipulations (the 2nd book in the series) in action:

Worksheets for Music Progressions Rhythms

Music Progressions is a comprehensive rhythm examination program developed by Kansas Music Teachers Association. You can find and even follow their curriculum on the Music Progressions page. Here are sample rhythms similar to the Music Progressions evaluation rhythms. These can help do a spot check close to examination time to help evaluate their readiness:

Level A Rhythms

Level 1 Rhythms

Level 2 Rhythms

Level 3 Rhythms

Music-Interactive-Notebook-Pages-Rhythms-Dynamics-Tempos-Articulations

Interactive Notbooks - Update 

UPDATE: Hello everyone! I have been at a new school with 

nearly3x the students! Eek! Interactive notebooks haven't been 

feasible here, so I haven't been keeping up with them I do have 

some of the things I've use available for free (see the links below)

and I'm working on uploading more!


https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Music-Interactive-Notebook-Pages-Rhythms-475383

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Music-Interactive-Notebook-Pages-Dynamics- 


Tempos-Articulations-424104

I know that a few of you are on the "interactive notebook" journey


with me. I haven't been "journey-ing" very well in October,

because, well, Halloween songs and activities are my absolute

favorite and my students and have been busy!


However, I'm hoping to get these updates into my students'


notebooks ASAP. Check them out!

This easy foldable can be used for logging "new rhythms". 

The rhythm is drawn in the middle. 

The flaps read: "real name", "word with same number of sounds", 

"number of sounds", "number of beats". You can see below how 


I answered these for "tika tika".





Here's another rhythm foldable - this one is cross-curricular.

Check-out how the kiddos have to identify the rhythm and then 

create a bar-graph:





Isn't it convenient that the lines on the music staff equal the

number of fingers on the human hand? :) I can't wait to add this

little picture in as we go over absolute pitch:






The foldables are for basic listening vocabulary words. I'm thinking

about introducing one type (say "tempo") per lesson, paired with 


interesting listening examples (I love Eric Chapelle's 

"A Tale of Two Cities" for loud vs. quiet - Half the class is the 

"loud city" and they stomp around the room with big movements, 


the other half is the "quiet city" and they tip-toe around with small

movements - lots of fun for any age). After we listen or move to 

some of the terms, the students can complete their notebook pages

(see below). The students can find the answers on various posters, 


anchor charts, etc. around the room.









a




Now, anytime we listen to a piece, the students can uses these

pages a reference. I think this will be very engaging because they'll 

get to flip into their own work, check out pictures, and read what 

they wrote as the definition.


I'm literally slapping myself for not thinking of these pages sooner. 

My 4th graders are going to an orchestral concert on Thursday, so

I've been very busy with them reviewing the instruments of the 

orchestra. We used a few charts in our notebooks already to log in

notes about each instrument, but, had I had these printables glued in

for them to use, I think their work would have been much better 

organized (and the pictures can't hurt either).

I'll definitely be using these with my 3rd and 5th graders.










I'd suggest teaching one family per lesson (I love to use SFS Kids

when teaching the instruments). 


Students can take notes under each flap and add extras (such as 


other family members, playing techniques, etc.)around the edges

of the foldable. Supplement their note-taking with discussions

and video-clips from YouTube.

How is playing basketball beneficial

Playing basketball can be very beneficial to kids. Here are 9 reasons why it is beneficial for kids to play basketball. Courtesy of Ballina Basketball Association.

1. Gives Complete Physical Exercise

Basketball is a brisk sport, involving a lot of running, jumping, dribbling the ball, passing it and shooting it. If your kid’s disinterest in playing sports is visible along with problems like dullness/ laziness or weight issues that are bothering you, then Basketball is a good option, as the continuous movements in the sport help reduce these issues.

2. Builds up Muscles

As this sport involves lot of swift movement and rigorous use of the entire body and muscles and limbs; it will help in toning the body and building muscles in the arms, thighs and calf areas. Your growing boys would so love the idea of flaunting some muscles; likewise, your girls will be very happy to tone their body.

3. Improves Height

For generations now, it has been said that basketball will make you grow taller. While it is the natural genes that determine the height of every person, a sport like basketball definitely aids growth. The main body movement, the frequency of movement and the act of jumping while playing the sport have scientifically shown evidence to aid growing children in improving their height.

4. Increases Accuracy &Precision

Shooting the ball into the hoop requires immense concentration, a good aim and great accuracy, all of which can be achieved through a lot of practice. Learning to target and building precision is a life-long skill that your child can benefit from.

5. Inculcates Self-Discipline

Just like every other sport, basketball has a number of rules to follow. In addition, if not followed, that will lead to penalties. Therefore, it is a good way for your child to appreciate the importance of following rules and developing competitive spirit while doing so.

6. Teaches Strategy

Every sport involves certain sure fire strategies to score and win. The dribbling and passing techniques and shooting tips make basketball a strategic game to play. This is again another essential skill your child can learn as a life lesson.

7. Instils Team Work

Basketball is a wonderful sport to learn to interact and operate in a team and jointly come up with winning plans and tactics. Working as a team while playing is the best way for them to appreciate and adopt team spirit.

8. Helps Make New Friends

We often hear our children saying, “I don’t have any friends”. This happens when the child resists from going out of home and getting involved in outdoor sports and activities. Being part a sports team, especially with a game like Basketball that requires a minimum of 5 players on each side, will automatically ensure that your child socializes well and make good friends along the way.

9. Boosts Confidence

Every time your child shoots the ball into the hoop, it will shoot up his self-confidence by leaps and bounds. Their confidence will greatly improve as they gain control over the ball and the strategy of the game, which will reflect in their overall personality.

Music as a Language: Victor Wooten at TEDxGabriolaIsland

https://youtu.be/2zvjW9arAZ0

TEDx Talks

Published on May 29, 2013

Subscribe 12M

Victor Wooten is an innovator, composer, arranger, producer, vocalist, and multiinstrumentalist. He has been called the greatest bass player in the world. He is a skilled naturalist and teacher, a published author, a magician, husband and father of four, and a five-time Grammy award winner.

In Music as a Language Wooten makes the case for learning music in the same way as we learned our first language, calling for a more natural, less academic approach. He makes the point that, as babies, we weren't taught our first language or corrected when we made a mistake. We didn't even know we were beginners and got to 'jam' with people much better than us. Wooten draws on his own musical education as an example of how taking this approach can deliver great results.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

The Super Fly, Backseat Family Band - by Handmade Instruments-Charlotte

ROAD TRIP, ROAD TRIP, ROAD TRIP! It feels like school just started, and already we’re packing up the truck and heading to the beach for fall break. Is there anything better than a good ol’ fashioned get-in-the-car-and-motor-across-the-USA-with-your-wild-bunch-of-kiddos family adventure? No way, blue jay!

But on a recent summer vacation, we noticed a troubling new trend: our backseat was eerily quiet. I mean radio silent! We had a precious few hours in the car, and we weren’t really spending the time together. Everyone was staring aimlessly out the window, napping, playing with their iPads and generally just not connecting. My husband and I made a pact to never allow this to happen again. So we got to work devising a plan to make family car time just that — family car time, a place to dream, laugh about the past and explore the future as a group.

And what kind of group is better than a rock group? We came up with the idea of making our own instruments so we could rock out in the car together.

What You Need




● 4 unused soup containers
● 2 rubber balloons
● 8 large straws
● Leftover sprinkles
● Scissors
● Tape

● 2 plastic whisks
● 2 plastic easter eggs
● Bungee cord
● Hole punch
● A band of tiny musicians ready to rock.

How To Make Soup Can Bongos

Take four unused soup containers and remove the bottoms. Cut the end off your rubber balloons and wrap each tightly over the top of the containers. Use your hole punch to create two holes in each container and connect them with the bungee cord. Use your fun and colorful tape to create a pattern along the bottom for that true bongo look.




That’s right folks, we’re packing hot handmade jams for this trip (and I’m not talking about the sweet strawberry recipe my grandmother makes). I’m going to show you how we turned ordinary household items into a full-fledged rock and roll situation. Follow the super-easy DIYs to ensure your next open road adventure is a wild success!

How To Make Sugar Shakers


We know you have a few containers of leftover sprinkles taking up precious space in your cabinet. Fill two plastic eggs with the sprinkles and place them inside your plastic whisks to create some super sweet sugar shakers. Now let the good times roll!

Being the crafty family that we are, we set out transforming just about everything in our kitchen cabinets into a spoon slapping, sugar shaking, soup can bongo playing pop band. Yes, I know that sounds like a big dang deal. Well, these instruments were crazy easy to make, and it turned into an incredible way for our family to plan our trip together.

How To Make Drinking Straw Flutes

Arrange straws in a line and cut them at varying lengths, with the longest straws on the left down to the shortest straws on the right. Tape the straws together, and BOOM — you’ve got some spectacular singing straws.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MUSIC

The

Soccer Drills

Get outside and practice your soccer skills with your kids. Stretch your legs and kick the ball around. Build strength and endurance while teaching your kids discipline and patience when it comes to maneuvering the ball around. Soccer is a great activity to play with your kids one on one. Its easy, fun, and cost effective. So, grab a ball, put on your sneakers, and get out there. Have fun and be safe.