by Kathy Stemke

Created on: February 11, 2009

All of us have enjoyed dancing around the living room to music when no was looking. These are uninhibited moments in response to music. In fact, moving to the beat of the music is an innate quality found in all human beings. Infants and toddlers bounce to the music without any instruction at all. We need to provide children with a safe environment to explore and learn all they can about how their bodies can move to music.

MUSIC APPRECIATION AND EXPRESSION

Improvising movement to music is a natural way for children to express themselves. This release of emotional tension can help to calm children and improve their mood. Depending on the music, it can invigorate or soothe the emotions. Exposing children to a wide variety of music at an early age will increase their appreciation of music.

Because classical music generally evokes strong emotions you could use Beethoven's "5th Symphony" to inspire anger, or Rimsky-Korsakov's, "The Flight of the Bubble Bee" to inspire excitement.

Making and using simple instruments in exploration of various musical styles will add to the experience. For instance, a homemade drum will add to the fun when moving to Native American music.

INCREASED SELF-ESTEEM

Because there are no wrong reactions in movement exploration, it will build self-esteem. If children hear their name mentioned with an affirming compliment, they will gain the courage to explore even more.

CREATIVITY

Giving children the opportunity to explore and expand their movement vocabulary will increase their creativity. These activities will bring out quick and slow, heavy and light, strong and gentle, as well as tense and relaxed movements. As kids experience different combinations of movement and a variety of themes, their own movement ideas will emerge.

In the "Fastland/Slowland" activity one side of the room is for quick movements and the other side of the room is for slow movements. Children cross over to the other side when they hear a signal like a drum beat or a whistle.

"Abracadabra" is an activity that teaches the difference between heavy and light movements. Kids push an imaginary refrigerator. When you say, "Abracadabra" the refrigerator is suddenly on wheels, or the children stomp through the woods like Tyrannosaurus Rex then turn into a ballet dancer.

FINE AND GROSS MOTOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Movement exploration helps develop both fine and gross motor skills. "Move this Way" is an activity that inspires practice in locomotor skills. Prepare a set of large word cards

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