Music and Movement

  • Home
  • Music and Movement

Music and Movement

Some of us might explicitly remember that Lori (lullaby) that our mother or grandmother used to sing to us when we were kids, listening to that piece of music automatically brings a smile to our faces (even as adults), do you know the reason, Why? I remember my mother singing “mere ghar aayi ek nanhi pari” to me and I used to enjoy it even in my teens because it had the warmth of my mother’s voice, it instantly converts any place into my safe zone and it was engrained as a happy memory in my brain wiring. Similarly, in every preschool, rhymes are taught with actions, in every household, we see infants and toddlers playing with kitchen utensils there are several reasons behind it; sounds, vocab building, movement, feeling of joy, etc.

Children learn through their senses and it’s very vital that these senses are stimulated at right time with the right stimulations. Music may play an important role in meeting a child’s educational needs as it provides a means of self-expression, giving the child an outlet for feelings and emotions. Music, aside from being a source of enjoyment, is also a means of communication with others (Suthers and Niland, 2007). Music lets them explore multi-sensory experiences altogether. Even for adults, music means an escape route from the monotonous life, and similarly, including music generally (or musical activities/ rhymes) in your daily routine with your infant/ toddler will help in their overall development. In addition to motor skills, music helps in the development of spatial space and balance.

Some go-to activities that you can do with your children/toddlers can be;

  • Singing during daily routines (e.g. this is the way we brush our teeth)
  • Playing games like Jellybean (wiggling, lying and shaking, jumping) with music.
  • Playing musical instruments
  • Doing karaoke kind of fun on weekends as family activities (above age 4)