Thanks again, Connie for the great introduction yesterday. Now all of the educators in the reading audience are holding their breath as you share specifics. What insights & ideas do you have to share?
Tips for Teachers:
"Bringing creative movement into the classroom can actually help with classroom management! Through guided movement activities, children learn body control, balance, awareness of stopping and starting and how fast/slowly they are moving. They become more aware of their own personal space and also the shared space within which all the other children are moving. They are responding to verbal and visual cues, following instructions, contributing ideas in individual and group problem-solving tasks, taking turns, and developing a new form of self-expression.
Introduce movement little by little into your curriculum. You might want to start with a dance story: bring a favorite poem, story, book, or song to life through movement and music, with the children imagining they are moving like the different characters in the book. They might want to dance inanimate objects as well: the sun, the wind, an airplane, etc. It is exciting and surprising at how much movement there is in any book, if you look at it through that lens. One, Two, What Can I Do? is filled with dance story ideas."
Terrific. Do you have any suggestions for the "on-looker-child" the one who seems to observe from the side-lines?
"You can start with a very short activity, and add on to it each day. The book contains many short activities that require no materials, as well as longer themed ones that are designed around Debbie’s delightful songs, or one of her many lively instrumentals. The short activities are a great way to entice the reluctant child(ren) to join in, and repetition of the activity will also help to break the ice, as the children become familiar with it. Then you can gradually try longer activities, as the children become more comfortable with movement and the boundaries you have set for the children during these sessions."
All righty then! How about the opposite extreme? The child with LOTS of energy, enthusiasm, excitement? Suggestions??
Tips for Teachers:
"Bringing creative movement into the classroom can actually help with classroom management! Through guided movement activities, children learn body control, balance, awareness of stopping and starting and how fast/slowly they are moving. They become more aware of their own personal space and also the shared space within which all the other children are moving. They are responding to verbal and visual cues, following instructions, contributing ideas in individual and group problem-solving tasks, taking turns, and developing a new form of self-expression.
Introduce movement little by little into your curriculum. You might want to start with a dance story: bring a favorite poem, story, book, or song to life through movement and music, with the children imagining they are moving like the different characters in the book. They might want to dance inanimate objects as well: the sun, the wind, an airplane, etc. It is exciting and surprising at how much movement there is in any book, if you look at it through that lens. One, Two, What Can I Do? is filled with dance story ideas."
Terrific. Do you have any suggestions for the "on-looker-child" the one who seems to observe from the side-lines?
"You can start with a very short activity, and add on to it each day. The book contains many short activities that require no materials, as well as longer themed ones that are designed around Debbie’s delightful songs, or one of her many lively instrumentals. The short activities are a great way to entice the reluctant child(ren) to join in, and repetition of the activity will also help to break the ice, as the children become familiar with it. Then you can gradually try longer activities, as the children become more comfortable with movement and the boundaries you have set for the children during these sessions."
All righty then! How about the opposite extreme? The child with LOTS of energy, enthusiasm, excitement? Suggestions??
"You may have a few very energetic children, and wonder how to control that energy so that the class doesn’t become unruly. I understand that worry, and offer ideas that have worked for me:
Always have a cue that the children understand means “freeze!.” It can be a drum or tambourine, or a sharp clap of the hands. Combine this with a visual cue (holding up a stop sign, etc.) as well. If the children are having fun with the activity but do not follow your instructions, stop the activity and try it again another time, reminding the children about the cues and any other rules you have set (spatial boundaries, etc.) before you begin.
I often ask the high-energy children to be the leaders (Let’s all watch Jimmy jump as high as he can), which both engages them and interests the other children. In addition, the energetic children are often the ones that jump right in to try to solve a movement problem (How would you make your body into a twisty pretzel shape? or What would it be like to slide down a rainbow?) which then inspires the other children to try the activity."
Great ideas, Connie. Any concluding thoughts??
Always have a cue that the children understand means “freeze!.” It can be a drum or tambourine, or a sharp clap of the hands. Combine this with a visual cue (holding up a stop sign, etc.) as well. If the children are having fun with the activity but do not follow your instructions, stop the activity and try it again another time, reminding the children about the cues and any other rules you have set (spatial boundaries, etc.) before you begin.
I often ask the high-energy children to be the leaders (Let’s all watch Jimmy jump as high as he can), which both engages them and interests the other children. In addition, the energetic children are often the ones that jump right in to try to solve a movement problem (How would you make your body into a twisty pretzel shape? or What would it be like to slide down a rainbow?) which then inspires the other children to try the activity."
Great ideas, Connie. Any concluding thoughts??
"I would love to make these blog entries interactive. Readers, if you have any questions, ideas, or feedback for me, please send them along in the comment section and I will address them in my next installment.
My most important advice is: Keep on dancin’!"
Connie July 8, 2011
My most important advice is: Keep on dancin’!"
Connie July 8, 2011
Well there ya go!!! Please post your Connie questions in the comment box. As always all feedback is a complete thrill and totally encouraged.
Thanks for all the great tips! I work with a lot of teachers and I notice that some of them shy away from using movement and music in their classrooms because they feel "silly". If they have an assistant teacher or parent volunteers in the classroom they are embarrassed to do these types of things in front of them. What advice can you offer to teachers who struggle with this?
ReplyDeleteVanessa @pre-kpages.com
These are some great tips! Often, I see other teachers make transition times into "quiet times". What are some ways that teachers can incorporate movement into transitions that will aid with classroom management?
ReplyDeleteVanessa & Ayn..... thanks so much for stopping thru and giving Connie some new areas to explore. I know that each of your comments/questions hits the nail right on the head for classroom teachers.
ReplyDeleteI'll be certain that Connie sees your questions and I'll work hard to remember to alert you when we post her responses. Thanks for starting the discussion.
Do you think that creative movement can be done in a large group circle or should the children always have the freedom to move around the classroom? Does either approach make a difference?
ReplyDeleteI often use 'adult' music at dance time - meaning traditional dance music like 'The Twist' and 'YMCA' - do you think that this is a good idea to incorporate that along with traditional children's music like 'Sharon Lois and Bram'?
ReplyDeleteI also make up tunes to sing and move to - does that confuse the children if they don't know the words and can't sing along?
So far I see both as a positive experience!
Deborah & Leeanne!!! Thanks for popping through with your inquries. I will make sure that Connie gets your questions. I've asked her to respond to these comments over the coming month.
ReplyDeleteI am so appreciative of your support.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt is great to hear from readers who are interested in incorporating movement into the classroom. My hat (not quite as zany as Mim's hat!) is off to you. You are offering a valuable gift to the children in your care. Not only will they learn, they will be having fun, while staying active and engaged during the activities. I will answer your thoughtful comments in another blog post soon.
Best wishes and stay cool on these hot summer days,
Connie