Unit 7 DB: Learning Math through Music and Movement Activities in Early Childhood

It is the same for young children—they learn by doing. They are immensely active and energetic. Movement activities are natural avenues for this energy. Reaching, jumping, balancing, and hopping are experiences that teach children how to understand and negotiate the world.

Physical movement is the young child’s first means of nonverbal communication. Closing his or her eyes, crying, shaking—a nonverbal infant very clearly communicates a need for attention! Physical movements provide one of the most important avenues through which children form impressions about themselves and their environment.

Anyone entering a preschool classroom cannot help but be aware of children’s constant activity and movement. In fact, movement is valuable at any age to combat lethargy and spark an interest in our environment. We know children’s physical and motor development influences, and is influenced by, all other aspects of development: cognitive, language, social, and emotional. Even so, early childhood teachers too often believe that children’s motor skills will develop on their own. Therefore, they do not consciously plan for motor skill development as they do for other areas. This chapter addresses the importance of motor skill development and provides some guidelines for adults working with young children.

· After two months of practice, a group of children performs a choreographed dance for an audience of parents. Why isn’t this considered creative movement?

1. The dance is not a personal expression of mood.

2. An audience is observing it.

3. The children are dancing in a group.

4. The dance is accompanied by music.

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Benefits of Creative Movement

LO 2

  Creative movement is a joyful experience for children. And in this joyful experience, children are benefiting in sensory awareness, social development, body awareness, concentration, and personal development.

16-2aSensory Awareness

Children perceive the world though their senses. All senses are engaged when children explore different aspects of movement. The kinesthetic sense increases as children literally feel the shapes and actions their bodies are making. Visually, children respond to the images they see as well as the images they create. The auditory sense is stimulated as children respond to sounds (and music) they make or hear. Tactile experiences such as running with bare feet, performing specific floor movements, or swirling a scarf heighten children’s awareness of their sense of touch. Such full sensory awareness experiences lead to a greater understanding of themselves and their surroundings. It strengthens children’s imaginative powers and increases their ability to experience life with greater meaning.

16-2bSocial Development

16-2dConcentration

Children grow in self-control as they learn to concentrate and focus. Children must learn what it feels like to concentrate. When children learn what focusing feels like, it can be a frame of reference for other activities where concentration is more difficult to achieve. Concentration is essential for learning in the classroom.

16-2ePersonal Development

As children engage in creative movement activities, they are developing such personal traits as respect, self-esteem, and purpose. Experiences in creative movement help children respect the working space of others as they learn about “personal space” and “shared space.” Children also learn to recognize, appreciate, and respect differences in the people with whom they come into contact. Children learn and respect the fact that all bodies come in various sizes and shapes. They also learn to respect these differences in their peers.

Self-esteem is the greatest benefit from incorporating creative movement into your curriculum. As children learn more and develop new skills, their self-esteem increases. A child’s self-esteem is also enhanced through participation in creative movement activities where her or his contributions are acknowledged and valued.

Creative movement can teach children to become more aware of themselves, sensitive to others, and actively conscious of the world they share. They can find meaning and exhilaration in activities that nourish rather than harm them. Creative movement provides an opportunity for all children, regardless of age, special needs, or developmental stage, to interact with each other, release energy, and have fun.

Other curricular activities can emerge from a creative movement experience. For example, reading time can involve looking at books related to dance and children making connections to their own movement experiences. Creative movement activities can also lead to children expressing emotions from their movement experience in drawings, paintings, and music activities. Children can be encouraged to explore new and creative uses of familiar objects such as dress-up clothes, balls, hoops, or free-flowing fabrics in their creative movement experiences. Creative movement also may encourage children to use familiar objects in new, creative, and imaginative ways that in turn facilitate their abstract thinking of the physical world.

Did You Get It?

· The creative movement of swaying like a flower in the wind is most beneficial to

1. social development.

2. the development of concentration.

3. personal development.

4. the development of sensory awareness.

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Guidelines for Planning Creative Movement Activities to Meet Young Children’s Needs

LO 3

16-3aPreschool Creative Movement

Movement activities will be more successful when the children understand how to work cooperatively in a given space. Beginning individual movement activities generally start with children working in their own spaces, interacting only occasionally. Even after children are functioning well in the entire space, using it wisely and creatively and showing respect for one another, movement in self-space is always useful for warm-up activities. Warm-up activities are designed to free the children and stimulate their involvement in creative movement activities.

Before the movement activities begin, everyone finds his or her own space. Young children may enjoy using imaginative labels such as “your own igloos, space ships, tepees, nests,” usually something that specifically ties in with the rest of the lesson. Getting every part of the body moving is always a good way to begin. Children start by moving just one part and add others as side-coached by the teacher until everything is in motion (fingers, then hands, and so on). This simple activity can be done with different sequencing (beginning with toes, for example), or sitting or lying down rather than standing, or expending different amounts of energy, or changing the tempo.

– Years: Observation

© 2015 Cengage Learning

1. Using the basic guidelines for using music to introduce creative movement presented in this chapter, which of these guidelines are evident in this video? Give specific examples in your answer.

2. What specific additional guidelines would you add to enhance the children’s creative movement experience?

3. How would you adapt this music/movement activity in the video for use in an early childhood classroom?

The use of space is one way in which the teacher helps the children control their behaviors during movement activities. In addition, she will want to develop some kind of signal with which she can get their attention, begin and end activities, and generally serve as a means for instant communication with the children. Some teachers use the light switch for such control, flicking it on and off to get total group attention. One advantage of the light control is that it is quiet and does not break into creative movements as much as some other kinds of signals. A disadvantage is that it eliminates the use of the room light for purposes other than drama–sensory effect and heightens certain dramatic situations.

Holding up an arm or showing a “quiet” sign of some kind is also unobtrusive but may not work when children are very deeply involved in their activity. A simple and easy-to-remember signal with a rhythm instrument works well for most teachers and children. A couple of beats on a drum or a few shakes of a tambourine gets attention.

16-3bCreative Movement in the Elementary Classroom

Most elementary teachers find it harder than kindergarten and preschool teachers to incorporate creative movement activities into their curriculum. The use of movement in the elementary classroom can be challenging. By their very nature, creative movements are unstructured. Too often, this type of activity can become chaotic and uncontrollable. The following suggestions may help you manage creative movement activities in the elementary classroom.

Define expectations.

Let students know that you expect them to work and behave with the discipline of a dancer. Movement time is a time to focus and work with the body. Be clear that you expect the students to use and remember the “space bubble,” that is, one’s personal space.

Prepare the room.

Because a gym or large space may not be available, the movement activity may have to take place in the regular classroom. Establish a routine for preparing the space. For example, put all the desks to the sides of the room and back in place at the end of the activity. Have the children rehearse and memorize the procedure. Although this may take some extra effort, this is time well spent in the smooth beginnings and endings of movement activities.

Cues.

The more auditory and visual cues you can provide for students, the better. Try to use a variety of visual cues and sounds. For example, you can use handclaps, a tambourine, a drum, an electronic keyboard, or any other number of percussive instruments. The command “Freeze!” is very effective in stopping a student immediately.

Spatial arrangements.

Use different patterns in class. Have students arrange themselves in various patterns such as lines, circles, dispersed patterns, groups, sitting, or standing.

Working with partners.

Either pick partners for students or let them choose their own. Younger children may have more difficulty picking their own partners. Tell students that they are expected to work productively with their partners. If students are not working well together, change their partners. Review all of the rules of an activity before the students start working with their partners.

Time limits.

To help keep students on task, set time limits. It is especially important to give time limits when students are working with partners or in a group.

When you speak about a student’s work, use movement vocabulary. For example, “I see Mario in a low twisted shape” or “I see Clancy in a high curved shape that reminds me of the wind.” Be generous with praise and use thoughtful corrections.

Remember that creative movement is a language and a physical skill that requires practice. Be patient. With time and instruction, students will become adept at using movement to communicate ideas and concepts (Griffiths, 2009).

16-3cOutdoor Creative Movement Activities

More and more, early childhood professionals recognize the potential of the outdoors as a classroom extension and time outdoors as an opportunity to promote children’s development. They maintain that outdoor space should be used not only for the enhancement of physical skills but also for the development of children’s social, emotional, creative, and cognitive abilities (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2000; Essa, 2010; Gordon & Browne, 2010).

The teacher’s role in supporting outdoor play is play leader—someone who interacts with children by asking leading questions and providing guidance for certain skills, such as cooperating and taking turns. The play leader’s role is critical because static playgrounds, with traditional swings and slides and their typical uses, do not always stimulate children’s physical, cognitive, or creative development.

Play equipment associated with activities performed in one prescribed way limits children’s natural, imaginative play. A child is unlikely to look at the jungle gym and decide to pretend to be clothes hanging on the line to dry; but a play leader can suggest such a creative movement activity. The children benefit from adult assistance in discovering more creative movement possibilities.

If a teacher brings a portable CD or MP3 player outdoors, the children can play Statues, creatively moving on the equipment until the music is paused and then “freezing” until the music begins again. Look for unusual ways children can use the playground space and static playground equipment. Use the open areas of the playground for large group creative movement activities that are inconvenient or impossible to do indoors. Suggest games such as Follow the Leader, which is more challenging, fun, and appealing when there is a lot of space to explore and obstacles such as trees and jungle gyms that have an impact on the course taken. If the playground has a low balance beam (four inches off the ground), suggest creative ways the children can travel on it—tightrope walkers, gymnasts, butterflies, inchworms, cats stalking their prey, or elephants. Have the children think up their own creative movements as well.

Adults who enrich children’s outdoor experiences offer new opportunities for children to express themselves creatively, stretch their imaginations, and be continuously challenged. Teachers who interact with children on the playground can make the outdoors an extension of the indoors and encourage creative movement learning in both environments (Pica, 2011).

16-3dTransitions and Creative Movement Activities

Using creative movements during transitions is an excellent group management technique. Whenever young children move from activity to activity in transitional times, they often lose their focus and may even get a bit confused and disruptive. The following strategies may help children move more easily from one activity to another.

· Have children pretend they and their classmates are cars in a train, with you as the engine. Assign one child to be the caboose—to turn off the lights and close the door.

· Turn your jump rope into a dragon, worm, caterpillar, or other animal by attaching a head at one end of the rope and a tail at the other end. Have children make the body and legs by holding onto the rope with one hand and walking down the hall and out to the playground.

· Have children imagine they are tired puppies, yawning, stretching, and rolling on the floor. Direct them to lie very still. (Suggested for the beginning of rest time.)

· Construct a “feel” box or bag or a “look” box or bag. Place an item in the bag or box that will suggest the next activity or topic for each child to feel or look at.

· To help children quiet down between activities, clap a rhythm for them to copy. Start by clapping loudly, and then gradually clap more softly until your hands are resting in your lap.

· Have children pretend to be a bowl of gelatin and shake all over.

· Have children pretend to lock their lips and put the key in a pocket.

· Show children how to put on “magic” ears for listening.

· Have children do two things at once. Examples: tap heads and rub stomachs, clap hands and stand on one foot, snap their fingers and nod heads, and so on.

· Have children march in place as they count by , , or , recite the ABCs, say the multiplication tables, and so on.

· When children transition to their chairs, have them pretend to swim like a fish, prance like a horse, hop like bunny, move like a turtle, walk like an elephant, and the like.

· With older children, have children choose a partner. Have one student slowly print a current spelling word on his or her partner’s back. The partner guesses which word was printed. Have them take turns doing this.

16-3eGuidelines for Using Music and Poetry to Stimulate Creative Movement Activities

Let us now consider how music and poetry can encourage children’s creative movement in the classroom.

Music.

· Have children face a partner and do a “mirror dance” with their hands and arms. Challenge partners to do a mirror dance with their feet and legs and then with different facial expressions.

· Have children hold hands with a partner and skip, slide, leap, and gallop until they hear a signal. Then they should find a new partner and continue to move to the music.

· Direct children to move the same way their partner moves until they hear the signal, and then move in a different way.

· Pair children with partners. Ask: “What interesting body shapes can you and your partner make together? Can the two of you create an interesting design in the space you share? Practice until you and your partner can make three different designs to music.”

This general approach can be adapted to movement with dolls and puppets; movement of specific parts of the body, such as hands, feet, or toes; and movement in different kinds of space or groups. The imaginations of the children and the teacher are the only limits.

Older children may begin to be a bit self-conscious and need other suggestions to encourage their creative movements. They often enjoy working in small groups for this reason. A small-group activity involving mirror movements, copying, and shadowing is appropriate for older children. For example, working together in groups of three or more, children perform movements matching the leader of the group. The leader leads the group in a sequence of movements that the rest of the group copies as closely as possible. A second member takes over as leader, moving in a different sequence. Then, the third member leads the group in yet another sequence of movements. In this type of activity, the group’s size helps students overcome the fear of the “whole class looking at me.” It is also easier for children of this age to participate in a group when they know everyone else will be participating along with them in the activity. See the end of this chapter for more creative movement activities for older children.

Poetry and prose.

For creative movement, poetry has rhythm as well as the power of language. It is not necessary to use rhyming verses at all times. In the beginning, poems that rhyme may help to start a feeling of pulse and rhythm. Poems should be chosen that fit the young child’s level of appreciation. By adult standards, they may be quite simple. They are often short, vivid, lively descriptions of animals or motion, but children should not be limited to these, as there are many books and collections available with a wider variety. The local library is the best resource for this. The American Library Association website is another good source for poetry books.

A suggested beginning may be to ask children to listen to a poem. After they have heard it, they may pick out their favorite characters in it. Discuss who these characters are and what they do. Read the poem a second time; suggest that children act out their characters as they listen to the poem. Anything goes—children may hop like bunnies, fly like planes, or do whatever they feel. (More suggestions are at the end of this chapter.) Encourage each child to move in his or her own way, and encourage as many variations as you see! As readings continue, more complex poems may be selected, containing a series of movements or simple plots. The same general idea can also be carried through with prose.

As children become more comfortable in acting out poetry read aloud, they may become more sensitive to the less obvious actions or emotions described by the poetry. When stories or poems that have several characters and more complex interaction are read, the entire selection should first be read for listening only. Then it can be discussed to get some idea of children’s understanding and appreciation. If the children are interested, several readings may be necessary.

Older children are able to sustain their interest for a longer period of time and enjoy the procedure of listening, picking out roles, and acting out what is read. They may also enjoy adding costumes and props to their creative movements.

16-3fArt and Creative Movement

Much of art is movement. Drawing, painting, and working with three-dimensional materials all involve movement. Lines and shapes are everywhere in art.

Creative movements can be planned so that they connect visual art with movement. The following are some suggestions to get you started.

Dance and art.

Children can dance a painting or paint the dances they create. The kinesthetic pleasure of dance can motivate children to want to move, and this need to express themselves can extend to scribbles, drawing, painting, and modeling.

Brain Research Says

Effects of Exercise on Brain Health and Cognition across the Lifespan

A group of researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reviewed findings from  recent research studies on the effects of exercise and strength training on the brains of humans ranging in age from young children to elderly adults in nonpathological populations. They focused on the relationship between physical activity and cognition and brain health.

Their review suggests that aerobic exercise is important for getting a head start during childhood on cognition abilities that are important throughout life. For example, physical inactivity is associated with poorer academic performance on standard neuropsychological tests, while exercise programs appear to improve memory, attention, and decision making (Voss et al., 2011). These effects extend to young adults and elderly adults, with solid evidence for aerobic training benefitting executive functions, including multitasking, planning, and increasing the volume of brain structures important for memory.

Exercise appears to change brain structure, prompting the growth of new nerve cells and blood vessels. It also increases the production of neurochemicals, such as BDNF and IGF-1, which promote growth, differentiation, survival, and repair of brain cells (Colcombe et al., 2006).

Research indicates that childhood physical inactivity, and subsequent reduced aerobic fitness, is associated with poorer academic achievement (Castelli, Buck, & Erwin, 2007; Chomitz et al., 2009) and lower performance on standard neuropsychological tests (Buck, Hillman, & Castelli, 2008; Sibley & Etnier, 2003). The majority of scientific literature supports a general benefit of aerobic fitness on childhood cognitive performance (Voss et al., 2011). One study found that  of aerobic exercise training improved executive function abilities in - to -year-old overweight children (DHHS, 2008).

In summary, the researchers found that cross-sectional and longitudinal studies support a positive association between aerobic fitness and enhanced performance in both the classroom and laboratory (Sibley & Etnier, 2003; Troiano et al., 2008). Furthermore, neuroimaging evidence supports a beneficial association between childhood aerobic fitness and improved brain function and structure. Thus, while all exercise might not provide the “easy fix” to enhance brain and cognition across the lifespan, ample evidence supports exercise as one of the most effective means available to improve mental and physical health (Voss et al., 2011).

Creative movement and sound collages.

Sounds of the body, city, nature, animals, machines, and children’s names can all suggest movement. Brainstorm a category with students, and then stretch it for movement possibilities. Encourage children to think of the shape, size, rhythm, energy, and vocal quality of the words. Break into small groups and ask each group to make a collage of sounds and movements. Groups can then plan a freeze-move-freeze dance and perform it. This activity could be followed by a visual art collage around the same topics danced.

Dance a painting (older students).

Display a print and ask students to brainstorm all the shapes, movements, and emotions they can see in it. Direct attention to the foreground, middle ground, and background of the painting in subjects such as landscapes, seascapes, and still life. Divide children into small groups. Have each group decide a way to dance the painting, using a beginning-middle-end structure. The goal is not to merely pantomime but to think divergently: What movements came before this moment in the art? During this moment? After this moment? What is just outside the subject matter (for example, other people, movements)? After students prepare, they can take turns presenting. Background or mood music can be added.

Magic wand.

Artists that move.

Set up a station with art books or assign students to locate art that includes movement (for example, paintings by Matisse and Degas). Discuss how artists show movements through line, shape of body, and use of space.

Sculpture or architecture dances.

Display pieces of sculpture or pictures of buildings or furniture. Ask about space, curves, and movements and how each sculpture might move if it came to life. Ask students to show the size, energy, and flow of these pieces with their bodies.

Did You Get It?

· The developmentally appropriate purpose of a fourth-grade teacher who has her students move all the desks and chairs to the back of the classroom before starting creative movement activities is to

1. give the students a physical warm-up.

2. prevent the activity from turning into chaos.

3. comply with Board of Education requirements.

4. mark the beginning of the activity.

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Adapting Creative Movement Activities for Children with Special Needs

LO 4

  When involving children with special needs in movement activities, adapt the prompts and challenges to reflect their social, cognitive, and physical abilities. For example, if a child uses a wheelchair, be certain the space allows for free movement. Include prompts for the parts of the body the child can move. Even if a child is not verbally expressive, it’s important to include him in the discussion by making eye contact and affirming his accomplishments.

Creative movement activities can benefit children with special needs because they can participate at their own level of ability. For example, children who are physically challenged can move parts of their body to music or keep a beat by blinking their eyes. Props such as feathers, instruments, or scarves do not have to be held with the hands but can be placed or attached to an appropriate area of the child’s body or equipment. All children with special needs can feel a sense of belonging to a group and a sense of joy at being able to learn on a fundamental movement level. The necessary modifications are often simple; it is basically a matter of focusing on what the children can do as opposed to what they cannot. Large-motor activities are important for children with special needs because they help children gain in strength, endurance, and coordination. This section uses the term gross-motor movements in place of creative movements.

During gross movement experiences, it is important not to do too much for children with special needs. They need the chance to figure out how to get their bodies to do what they want them to do, to problem solve, and to make choices. Whenever possible, gross-motor movement should take place outside or in a large indoor area where there is ample space and children can move freely.

16-4aGeneral Suggestions

· Follow large-muscle activities with quiet activities to help children to calm and focus on other learning experiences.

· Be animated and energetic during movement activities. Children will be more motivated and focused.

· Use exercise videos or tapes with a child who is developmentally delayed. In these videos, the same movement and exercises are repeated, which gives the child an opportunity to practice and enables him to feel confident in his ability to keep up with the class.

· Encourage the child to participate in gross-motor activities for gradually longer periods.

· Always demonstrate the activity first.

· Allow children to watch a role model engage in the activity before attempting it themselves.

· Familiarize yourself with gross-motor developmental sequences. If the child’s gross-motor skills are at the  or -year level, she may be reluctant or unable to participate in gross-motor activities that have been designed for typically developing -year-old children.

Photo 16-6

Integrate gross-motor activities into the daily schedule.

Casper Holroyd

Think about it

Day-Care Centers and Children’s Physical Activity

Three-quarters of U.S. preschool children are in child care, and many are not achieving the required levels of physical activity. Daily physical activity is essential for motor and socioemotional development as well as the prevention of obesity. Little is known about the barriers to physical activity in child care.

This research study’s objective was to identify potential barriers to children’s physical activity in child-care centers. The research group consisted of  groups with  child-care providers ( African American) from  centers (inner-city, suburban, Head Start, Montessori) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Three coders independently analyzed verbatim transcripts for themes.

The results of this study identified three main barriers to children’s physical activity in child care:

· (1)

injury concerns;

· (2)

financial; and

· (3)

a focus on “academics.”

Stricter licensing codes intended to reduce children’s injuries on playgrounds caused playgrounds to be less physically challenging and interesting. In addition, some parents were concerned about potential injuries, which required staff to restrict playground play for their children.

Small operating margins of most child-care centers limited their ability to install abundant playground equipment. Child-care operators felt pressure from state mandates and parents to focus on academics at the expense of gross-motor play. Because children spend long hours in care and many lack a safe place to play near their homes, these barriers may limit the children’s only opportunity to engage in physical activity.

The researchers concluded that societal priorities for young children—safety and school readiness—may be hindering children’s physical development. In designing environments that optimally promote children’s health and development, child advocates should think holistically about potential unintended consequences of policies (Copeland et al., 2012).

(Copeland et al., 2012).

16-4cPhysical Impairments

· During movement activities in the classroom, it is fine to assist the child, but slow movements are best. Quick movements might increase muscle tightness.

· Avoid always giving the child physical assistance to move, and encourage the child to do what he or she can to move independently.

· The child with physical impairments who is walking may be able to do whatever the other children are doing but for a shorter time or shorter distance.

· Occasionally, the child with physical disabilities can play the role of “time keeper” or “music director” by turning the music on and off during a musical activity, but this should not be the child’s only role. It is important that the child also be part of the movement activity.

16-4dAttention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Behavioral Issues

Movement activities can be calming for children with hyperactivity and behavioral difficulties, but they can sometimes be overstimulating and disorganizing. Large-motor activities need to be structured with clear rules and expectations. Observe if the child is becoming overstimulated and redirect the child to an activity where he or she can become calm and regroup (Kaufmann & Ellis, 2007). You will find the following practices helpful as you deal with children with behavioral issues.

· Teach children how to manage their behavior in gross-motor activities. Children need to be taught that there is no pushing, that indoor voices should be used, and that equipment must be shared on occasion. Instruction in these skills will have to be given frequently until the child has mastered them and can remember them even in the excitement of the activity.

· Notice and give praise when the child is following the rules during gross-motor play (Kaufmann & Ellis, 2007).

· Some children who have AD/HD are highly sensitive to being touched and may perceive an innocent bump from another child as being a push. To avoid this, make sure that each child has enough space in movement activities. Define the child’s personal space during movement activities with hula hoops or rug squares.

· Make sure to maintain eye contact when giving instructions.

· Structure gross-motor activities to eliminate waiting.

· Keep activities short. A child may be able to participate for a few moments and then need to move on to some other kind of activity.

· If you aren’t offering a choice, give clear directions rather than posing a question. Don’t say, “Do you want to walk on the balance beam?” if you mean, “Walk on the balance beam” (Warren & Coaten, 2008).

16-4eVisual Impairments

Studies have shown that children with visual impairments tend to have poor levels of physical fitness (Petersen, 2008). These children will need lots of encouragement to move independently. When giving directions to the child who is visually impaired, be very clear and avoid vague words such as this, that, and over there (Warren & Coaten, 2008). Be careful not to encourage anxieties by being overprotective of the child with visual impairments. Describe the movement experience or play equipment before involving the child. Let the child explore the equipment with his or her hands before attempting to use it.

When giving directions to the child with visual impairments, use the child’s name to get the child’s attention and give him or her additional time to process directions and respond (Warren & Coaten, 2008). Tell the child what will be happening next, especially before physically assisting him or her through a movement experience. Instead of just naming objects, describe them for the child (Kaufmann & Ellis, 2007).

Did You Get It?

· During a creative dance activity in a preschool classroom, a wheelchair-bound student watches and moves his upper body along with the rhythm of the music. For meeting the needs of physically challenged students, this activity

1. is a failure because it precludes the child’s involvement.

2. is appropriate for this student.

3. meets the needs of most special needs children, but does not meet the needs of this student.

4. is developmentally inappropriate for the student.

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Summary

· 16-1Discuss the importance of creative movement activities for young children.

Young children learn by doing, and movement activities are a natural avenue for children’s learning. Movement activities contribute to the total development—physical, mental, social, and emotional—of young children. Movement activity is as vital for children as art and other subjects because in movement activities, young children acquire skills, knowledge, and attitudes that help them discover and understand their bodies and their physical abilities and limitations.

· 16-2List the benefits of creative movement activities.

Creative movement reflects the mood or inner state of an individual. Creative movement is a joyful experience for children. The benefits are sensory awareness, social development, body awareness, concentration, and personal development.

· 16-3Discuss guidelines for planning creative movement activities to meet young children’s needs.