Moving to music helps to develop young children's fine and gross motor skills, sense of rhythm and spatial awareness. Use these ideas to encourage children to move to different types of music, such as pop, classical, Latin American, Indian and jazz.
Streamers and feathers
Silk and chiffon scarves are ideal for children to twirl and wave as they move around the room to music. Ask parents to donate old scarves or buy them from second-hand shops. Wash them and store them in a bag or box, ready for children to use when they wish.
Streamers are easy for children to hold and can provide lots of fun as they march and dance around the room waving the streamers as they go. You can make streamers from the lids of plastic containers, such as those used for margarine, coleslaw or potato salad. Ask the staff at your local supermarket delicatessen if they can provide some.
To make the streamers:
* Bend the lids in half and cut out the centres using a sharp scissors.
* Cut pieces of fabric or plastic carrier bags into narrow strips about 40cm long and feed the strips through the holes in the lids.
* Tie the strips together so that the knot won't slip through the hole.
Alternatively, use 'scrunchies' or other ponytail bands to make streamers that the children can slip comfortably over their wrists. Cut pieces of ribbon or tulle into strips and tie as many of them as you want to the bands. Make two bands for each child in your group.
Feathers provide another interesting means through which children can respond to music. Make available a bag of coloured feathers, and encourage the children to keep a feather in the air by blowing it while the music is playing. When the music stops, the children can stop blowing. At the end of the session, throw the whole bag of feathers in the air, divide the children into groups and ask each group to gather a different colour of feather.
Musical variations
Try some of these non-competitive alternatives to musical chairs: Named chairs
Make a name card for each child in your group. (Younger children may benefit from a sticker or picture being placed on their name card to help them recognise their card). Set up the chairs as in a normal game of musical chairs but with a chair for each child. Attach one child's name card to each of the chairs with Blu-tack. Play the music and let the children move around the chairs. When the music stops, the children should keep moving around the chairs until they find the chair with their name on it. Move the names after each time the music stops.
Carpet squares
Ask your local carpet shop to give you some sample carpet squares - make sure you get at least one for each child. Place the squares in a circle and ask each child to sit on a square as the squares are laid out. When the music starts, the children start walking around the circle of squares. When the music stops, they find a square to sit down on. Explain that each time the music starts again, you will remove one carpet square. When the music stops and they cannot find an empty square, they need to share someone else's space. See how many children can fit comfortably on one carpet square.
Large hoops
You could play the same kind of game with large hoops rather than carpet squares, with the children squeezing into the hoops each time the music stops and another hoop is removed. Continue until there is only one hoop left. The children should work together to make sure all of their friends get in the hoop when the music stops.
Musical games
Musical hugs
Ask the children to move around to the music. When the music stops, call out a number. The children should then get into groups comprising that number of children and hug each other. Repeat the process.
Animal movements
Play a recording of classical music that imitates animal sounds, such as 'Carnival of the Animals' by Saint-Saens or 'Peter and the Wolf' by Prokofiev. Encourage the children to lie on the floor and listen to the music. After about a minute, turn the volume of the music down and sing: Sleeping, sleeping, all the children are sleeping, But when they wake up, they'll be (a kangaroo, for example).
All the children should get up and move to the music pretending to be kangaroos. Strike a tambourine to signal that they should go back to 'sleep' and continue this pattern by turning the volume down, singing the song and adding the name of a different animal.