Feb 12, 2013
Kids love music and rhythm. If you play music at home, you'll observe the young move to the rhythm without even realizing they are doing it. It's fun!
If you run a school for young children, make sure music is part of the programme. You could have a musical session after indoor playtime, when children are ready to exercise their vocal cords as well as their bodies.
Music involves movement, so make sure you have adequate space. You could push the furniture to a side to create space. If you can arrange to play music outdoors, that's even better. To start the session, arrange all children in a circle and sing your favourite songs. In addition to repeating the songs that your children already know, introduce new ones regularly.
Proceed to movement. 3-4 year olds should be able to respond to rhythm or beat while clapping if an adult is leading. 4-5 year old children should be able to respond to rhythm with body movements like jumping, swaying. Older children who are 5-6 years should have no problem responding to music with simple dance steps. Keeping their age group in minds, provide a beat and get children to clap or move (jump, march, walk, skip etc.) accordingly. Vary the beat so that they move slowly or fast according to your directions.
Get creative with rhythmic movements. You could ask children to mimic animal movements to a drum beat - for instance, galloping like a horse or hopping like a bunny. Ensure they vary their speed according to the rhythm. Use a drum to provide the beat - or if you don't have one, you could just use a bell or even a metal spoon and container to achieve the same. The idea is just to provide the rhythm for kids to follow.
Action songs provide both music as well as opportunity for rhythmic movement. For instance, if children sing "Here we go round the mulberry bush" they could not just move in a circle but also perform actions such as brushing their teeth, combing hair etc. as per the dictates of the song.
To end the session, have the children sit in their circle again and sing some soothing, quiet songs. Once in a while, just play music and them enjoy a free style dancing session! There's nothing as liberating (for adults too!!) as swaying to music.
While all of the above was intended for a pre-school setting, parents with small children can follow exactly the same at home. Participate in the activity with your child, or get some children from the neighbourhood together and then have a musical session as a group. As far as possible, plan activities that involve the use of the whole body. This can include making a "train" and then moving to the "choo-choo" rhythm. They will enjoy it thoroughly.
