Music
encourages creativity in children
Music makes transitions easier: Getting children to move from one activity to another is easy when you sing a song. For example, sing to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell," "It's time to go to lunch," and you'll see that the children will get ready much faster. Keep making up verses. "Let's pick up the toys… Now let's wash our hands," etc. Music encourages creativity in children: A fun game to play with children is changing the words to familiar songs. It is a wonderful way to develop the creative process. Remember in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll how the words of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" were changed to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat?" Choose a song that your child knows well. Some familiar songs are: "Old Macdonald," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "Skip to My Lou." You can sing, "Old Macdonald had a supermarket," and sing about all the items in the supermarket. Make up a sound to go with the food (e.g. orange juice: slurp, slurp). Music is a great way to teach children with special needs: Music is a fun way to teach all children, including children who have special learning needs. Music experiences can be an effective way to stimulate speech development, provide organization for cognitive and motor development, and create a meaningful environment for socialization.
Music and movement go together: Children naturally respond to music by moving and being active. Music helps children learn about rhythm and develop motor coordination. Group dances like the Hokey Pokey help children learn about their body parts ("you put your right foot in," "you put your left hand in…"), sense of direction (turning around, going left and right, moving back and forth), and rhythm patterns (clapping to the beat). Music relieves stress: Stress can be relieved with songs, chants, ?nger plays, and moving to music. Singing together creates a feeling of safety and makes learning in a classroom much easier.
Music Is for Life Recently, a teacher came to me following a seminar and said, "Miss Jackie, my Grandpa always said to me 'you can sing till you die.' In the golden years, you may not be able to jog around the park, but you can sing or play an instrument. Music is a gift you can give your child that will last a lifetime. (Culled from importance of music by Jackie silberg)
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