Get Moving With Music and Movement

Music impacts mood and learning. One of the things I would do as a preschool teacher in the classroom, was allowing my students the opportunity to listen and dance to music before beginning our curriculum for the day. Kids could get their wiggles out, release any form of stress they were feeling and their brains were being primed for learning. Here are some ways to utilize music and movement in your home school environment to optimize an effective learning experience for your child.

1. Stop and Go Songs - Before beginning your school day, play stop and go games and music. This helps kids with following directions, language development,memory, recall, gross motor skills, and self-regulation. You can play the fun stop and go classic games such as red light, green light, follow the leader or Mother May I. Check out the links below for fun stop and go music on YouTube.

2. Follow Directions Songs - Listen and move songs help with memory, recall, following directions, and helps to develop focus as kids pay close attention for instructions on what to do next in a fun and playful way.

3. Background Music - Music sets the mood of the environment. While working in the classroom, I would play upbeat music in the background while kids played. When I wanted them to be quiet and relax, I would play music that was more soothing. Music is a great tool to create the mood you want displayed in your environment.

4. Music for Certain Task - I sang very often in the classroom. Kids were more opt to listen to me if I sang, "Push your chairs under the table and line up." vs me just saying it. Playing a fun clean up song is a fun, engaging and encouraging way to get your child to clean up their toys. Music and or rain and thundering sounds are great for sleeping. My class listened to a thunder storm at nap time and they slept like rocks. The sound was soothing to them and allowed them to relax and rest.

5. Calming Music - Soft music including jazz and meditation music with soft rain is a great way to create a calming environment. Play it on low during times when you need your child to be calm and more focused on the activity they are doing.

Stop and Go Music Links

Dance Freeze Song/ Scratch Garden - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1vdKfXlB_g

Animal Freeze/ Kiboomers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqz4z9aQRJY

The Freeze - Greg and Steve - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cPyX68uH3I

Party Freeze - Kiboomers -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UcZWXvgMZE