Wiggle, Giggle and Jam! The Magical Trifecta of Movement, Music and Thinking!

My daughter danced from the age of three.  She loved dancing.  In school, she wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about math. She especially hated high school algebra. Once while studying for a test, she complained, “If I were allowed to DANCE out these algebraic formulas, I would get an A on my test!”  She proceeded to translate one of her boring algebraic formulas into a beautiful sequence of modern dance movements.  I’m not sure how inspired her algebra teacher would have been. But her idea demonstrated how movement, music and thinking form a magical trifecta that enhances learning.  As an early childhood educator, that always stuck with me.

According to Howard Gardner, our musical intelligence is the first one we acquire and it’s the last one we lose.  It doesn’t matter if you are a gifted vocalist, instrumentalist or dancer—or if you can’t carry a tune and have two left feet.  Music is a big part of our expression of emotions and our freedom of spirit.  When we hear it, it’s almost impossible not to tap, snap, sway or wiggle.  It literally moves us.  When we expose children to music and immerse them in its many forms and genres, we are stimulating their social, emotional, intellectual and physical growth.  It enlarges the child’s world and gives opportunity for creativity, critical thinking and awakens the instinct to participate.

You’ve likely experienced “brain drain” when concentrating for an extended period of time.  I start to feel “brain drain” after being hunched over my computer for a while.  My mind wanders, I get distracted and unfocused and I often start snacking when I’m not hungry. A brisk walk outside to the beat of something from my pop mix playlist is a great way to recalibrate my thinking and energy.  When it comes to daily workouts, I often opt for Zumba, yoga, spin classes or other forms of guided exercise set to music.  The multi-sensory experience not only gets me moving… it engages me in listening, watching, imitating steps, patterns and sequences and experiencing the fun of learning with others. I try new ways to move to familiar lyrics or focus awareness of my breath with the help of soft, acoustic instrumentals.

The brain is stimulated by movement and young children in particular learn best when actively engaged. Through movement, children learn how their bodies move, gain spatial awareness, and increase control of things like position, directionality and force. Through exploring the body’s capacity to balance, spin, leap or bounce, children are developing flexibility, coordination, self-regulation and a willingness to take on challenges.  Combining music with movement targets and stimulates multiple sensory systems all at once as kids listen to create and move to different beats, rhythms, harmonies and words. It’s a marriage made in heaven.

Here are some helpful tips for incorporating music, movement and thinking into your classroom activities, extracurricular programs or even daily routines and activities at home with your children:

  • Remember that musical memory triggers muscle memory.  When you hear songs like “Y.M.C.A.” or “We Will Rock You” what does it make you think of or make your body want to do?  It’s hard to hear “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” without automatically doing those motions.  Young children respond best to music when they actively experience it.  Rocking, marching, tapping, clapping, dancing and moving to the beat comes naturally to them, so take their lead, join in and encourage kids to move.
  • Familiar songs are GOLDEN.  Change the words to familiar songs like “London Bridge”, “Happy Birthday”, or “Wheels On The Bus” to make transitions fun, to reinforce procedures and routines, to teach concepts or to energize an activity.  Add various ways of moving, tapping, clapping, air drawing or other movements to add that extra layer of learning and fun.
  • Language and literacy skill development is a key factor in music and movement.  Music, movement and language have many parallel elements:  beat, pattern, rhyme, repetition, rhythm, words, sounds, ideas, cadence and sequence.  Music is a universal language that our body understands.  So, whether transitioning to circle time or waiting on dinnertime, ward off impatient wiggles with a quick song or chant that incorporates something kids might be learning ie. rhyming words, beginning sounds, number recognition, colors, spelling words, etc.
  • Connect music and movement through children’s books.  Nothing brings a story to life more than movement.  Integrate music, movement and retelling by having kids add motions or act out familiar stories, songs, nursery rhymes or dictated stories. Try singing a book—- YES, the whole thing!  Choose books that have simple text and high repetition. Cumulative stories like There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly… reinforce working memory as children backward repeat words, phrases or movements.
  • Introduce musical instruments or props to encourage movement with music.  Instruments encourage young children to explore different types of sounds by striking, tapping, strumming or shaking.  Instruments strengthen eye-hand coordination, body awareness and help young children determine how much or how little force is needed to produce different sounds. Props like scarves, ribbons, streamers or dress-up clothes add to the cause and effect aspect of movement as children experiment with different ways to move.
  • Body percussion helps children become aware of their bodies as a sound source.  Guide the child in using his own body as an instrument in responding to music or chants with hand clapping, finger snapping, lap patting, tongue clicking, foot stomping or other movements that words in the song suggest.
  • Expose children to a variety of genres. Vet radio music, making sure that lyrics are child appropriate.  However, it is important to expose children to a variety of musical genres including classical, rock, big band, oldies, show tunes, country western and more.  Include music, rhythms and beats that represent a variety of cultures and languages.

So, remember adults… You can’t really TEACH children to enjoy music.  But they can certainly CATCH it from you.  Don’t get stuck thinking of it as performance.  Don’t be deterred because you don’t sing on key, play an instrument or can’t remember the words to cutesy children’s songs.  Just open the door and let music in.  Whether it’s Bach, The Beatles, Broadway musicals or Bev Boz, just let music in.  Pop in CDs, turn on the radio, stream some oldies or better yet… just start singing.  Whether it’s a lullaby, Jingle Bells, Oh, Susannah or You Are My Sunshine, just let music in.  Welcome music into your classroom, on car rides and when you go for a walk.  Choose music that complements naptime, clean up time, bath time or playtime.  Think of music as an open door to movement, thinking, learning, creative expression and joy.  Open that door every day in as many ways as possible.

References:

Murphy, L. (Rev. Edition 2016).  Lisa Murphy on Play:  The Foundation of Children’s Learning.  Redleaf Press.  St. Paul, MN.

Pica, R. (2013).  Experiences in Music and Movement:  Birth to Age Eight.  Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Inc.  Belmont, CA.