The Role of #Physical Movement | #Rhythm and #Learning
The Role of Physical Movement | Rhythm and Learning
‘Research shows a link between cognitive development and movement, meaning children need opportunities to move so they can learn. Rolling, crawling, skipping, and jumping, along with a variety of other movement activities, build the brain during the first years of a child's life.’ (Jacqueline Amor-Zitzelberger, 2020)
With this in mind, I have taken one of my rhymes and added actions that can be modified for 0-5-year-olds. This will enable you to see how rhyme and rhythm can be used, to promote the use of the movements and rhythm that enable successful brain and language development for infants. Set aside a little time each day, join in, model the actions, have fun.
The Great, Big, Bad, Old Fox
(To Traditional tune – The Grand Old Duke of York)
With simple actions
The great, big, bad, old fox had eaten seven hens.
Crawling across floor making munching sounds
Duck pushed them out into the chicken pen,
Waddling across floor using shooing actions with arms
But they ran away again.
Running across floor
When they were in, they were in,
Sitting on floor, legs open, hands motioning inside of legs
And when they were out, they were out,
Sitting on floor, legs open, hands motioning outside of legs
But when they were only half way in,
They were neither in nor out.
Sitting on floor, legs open, hands motioning inside and outside of legs
www.wizzyswords.co.uk - The Home of Nursery Rhymes for Today's Infants