Body Part Songs “Head and Shoulders, Knees and
Toes” helps young children not only to identify body parts, but to feel more or- ganized in their own bodies, more “at home” in them. I also use the songs “Bod- ies 1-2-3” by Peter and Ellen Allard (un- less specified, all recordings mentioned in this article are available on music-pur- chasing sites), in which children wiggle various body parts; “Con Mi Dedito” as performed by “Grupo Encanto,” a very easy Spanish song that encourages chil- dren to nod “yes” or shake “no” with their fingers, feet and heads; and for fours and fives, “The Body Part Game” by Greg and Steve. In this song, children touch body parts to other body parts (“touch your knee to your ankle,” etc.), ending with “Touch your toes to your nose.” “The Body Part Game” helps children increase body awareness and flexibility. They also find it absolutely hilarious.
Bachelor of Arts in Music Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Double Major
Bachelor of Music Education Bachelor of Music in Performance
For Open House and Audition dates, go to:
www.gettysburg.edu/sunderman
www.gettysburg.edu/sunderman Young children, like all of us, are drawn to music, especially Songs To Develop Large Motor Skills Movement songs using large motor skills benefit physical
development, body awareness, coordination, and awareness of boundaries, or the ability to move without bumping into others or otherwise inhibiting their ability to move. (With young chil- dren, this is an ongoing process!) My students love these songs: “Come On Everybody,” by Frank Leto, which also involves re- membering a sequence of motions; “Put Your Hands Up in the Air” by Hap Palmer, a lovely tune that’s sung at a leisurely pace, with movements easy enough even for toddlers; and “The Mon- key Dance” by the Wiggles, an exuberant celebration of jungle animals which includes plenty of jumping!
Songs To Develop Small Motor Skills
It’s so important for young children to have many opportu- nities to practice small skills, as they begin to use their hands for zipping, pouring, buttoning, tying shoes, writing, using scissors, and many other tasks. Some of my favorite songs to help develop small motor skills include: “Two Little Blackbirds” as performed on the Music Together “Triangle Collection CD, a classic fin- gerplay with a sweet folk-song sound; “Slippery Fish” by Char- lotte Diamond, a very funny song with a surprise ending children love; and Raffi’s “Little White Duck,” in which hands get to flap, swim, crawl, and wiggle as children portray various animals.
OCTOBER 2014 43
very rhythmic music. Keeping the beat in music is a natural, age- appropriate way for them to regulate and organize their move- ments. It’s a lot easier and more pleasant for teachers to lead music and movement activities than to be correcting children’s disruptive or inappropriate movements all day. And it’s certainly a lot more fun for the children we’re teaching!
Abby Connors is an early childhood music educator, au-
thor, and presenter. Her newest book of music activities, “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” will be published in 2015 by Gryphon House. Visit Abby’s website,
musicforyoungchildren.wordpress.com for more activities and articles on early childhood music education.
References
Bullard, Julie. Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight. New York: Pearson, 2010.
Hodges, D. (2006). The development of the musical brain. In McPherson (Ed.), The Child as Musician, 51-68. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
& TEMPO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76