Music and Movement

Music and Movement

So, I am a big believer in physical activity, especially in the morning. We know that kids love to MOVE, so for 20 minutes each morning (and this does seem to be the magic number; 15 minutes isn't enough and 30 minutes is too long) I lead a combination of calisthenics, yoga, aerobics, and free dance. Most of the time, I feel like I look like an absolute fool, but I enjoy it and the kids do, too. As a bonus, it helps wake me up and get me ready for the day, and I get to count it as cardio, because by the end I am sweating!


My first tip for movement time in the morning is to GET OTHER ADULTS INVOLVED. If children see other caregivers sitting there, bored, then they will be bored. If they see that everyone is focused and enjoying physical activity, they will want to do the same.


My second tip is to find a space with very few distractions. If there is a way to crawl in, on, or under a piece of furniture, the kids will find it. If there is a crayon, a piece of paper, or an empty cup around, it will be picked up and thrown. If you have a way to clear your movement space of EVERYTHING, do so.


My third tip is to make yourself an awesome mixed CD, or a playlist if your music player allows you to plug in your mp3 player. This saves you the few seconds it takes to switch CDs or search for songs on Youtube, which can really add up (these are same few seconds it can take for one of your little friends to get distracted).


Here is part of my morning routine. I tried to be specific, but, basically, I use simple calisthenics and movement in time to the songs. Almost anything will work. I usually try to do about 20 minutes with the kids in the mornings, which is about 4-5 songs.

Rock and Roll Part II by Gary Glitter


There aren’t any lyrics to this song except “Hey,” so it’s a little hard to describe. Sorry!


We start by stretching our arms up as high as we can, then putting our hands on our hips, then dropping down to the floor, trying not to bend our knees, then put our hands on our hips again, and start again. We do that slowly a few times, stretching as far as we can up and down, making sure we have space between ourselves and other friends. When the chorus comes, I ask, “Are you ready to go fast?” then we all chant, “Up, middle, down, middle, up, middle, down, middle, etc.” to the beat.


When the chorus is over, we stretch our arms out to the side “like airplanes” and lean to one side, dropping one hand to knee level and looking up at the ceiling where our other hand is pointing. Then we stand up in “airplane” position, then lean to the other side. Do this slowly, getting a good stretch, then, again, at the chorus, “go fast” and chant, “Side, airplane, side, airplane, side, etc.”


The next section of the song, we step and kick forward, low to the ground. We usually say, “Step, kick, step, kick” to help keep the beat.


When the music slows down again, we stand up straight and tall with our hands down at our sides, then jump our feet out and throw our hands up. We hold that for a few seconds, then snap our feet together, and repeat. When the music speeds up, so do the jumping jacks. Do as many jumping jacks as you can until the song fades out.

Move It, Move It by Sascha Baron Cohen (Madagascar)


During the first chorus, I get the kids amped up, ready to go, and when the first loud “MOVE IT” is heard, we march, trying to get high knees and big swinging arms.


(Next, King Julian tells the listener to “move your body nice, and sweet, and sexy,” which is not super appropriate for toddlers, so I always try to talk over him J) We step from side to side during the verse, sometimes swinging our arms, sometimes clapping, sometimes saying “step- touch” to keep on the beat.


The next chorus, we take two steps to the right, dragging our left foot behind us, then two steps to the left, dragging our right foot behind us, all the while counting “one, two.” If your kids are able, you might want to try a grapevine here instead.


At the next bridge, we practice kicking forward and backwards, or sometimes we march, then run in place as fast as we can, then slow down to a walk. This goes on for a little while, then we start to dance downwards, lower and lower, until we are “dancing” on the floor.


When King Julian starts talking, telling a story, we start to dance back up, waving our hands, getting higher and higher, waving our hands more frantically, until he says “Jungle Boogie,” then we JUMP up and down until the song is over.

YMCA by The Village People


This is our arm warm up. We start the song off by clapping to the beat, and when the verses start we SWIM with our arms. The first verse we do freestyle, using both arms, like we are pulling something towards us. At the chorus, we clap, then sing, “It’s fun to swim at the Y-M-C-A,” doing the classic YMCA hand motions, then clap again.


For the second and third verses, I switch up swimming style to include the backstroke, where we make big backwards circles with our arms, one at the time; the froggy swim (breaststroke), where we draw big circles with our arms in front of us at chest height; and the butterfly, where we make huge circles with our arms at our sides. I have seen an alternative to the breaststroke where you put both arms to the sides like wings and swing them in front of you, crossing one over the other, then swinging them back out. Really any swimming style will work, as long as the kids are moving and having fun!


The Freeze by Greg and Steve


Simple and fun, kids dance any way they want to until the music stops, then they FREEZE. This lets the kids be creative, and they will learn the pattern of the song so they know when to freeze, unlike musical chairs or other freezing games.

The Chicken Dance


Hopefully everyone knows this one. I help guide the kids by saying “Clap your beaks!” (open and shut your hands while holding them at shoulder level), “Flap your wings!” (raise and lower your elbows with your hands in your armpits), and “Shake your tailfeather” (swing your wings back and forth and shake your tush, then clap four times). I think this repeats four times, then there is a little music break where we “fly the coop” playing Follow the Leader or just moving about the room, flapping our elbows. The fourth round of the song slows down a lot, so we slow our movements, too, then get faster and faster and faster until the song ends.

I will definitely be following this with more movement and dance ideas, but these are some of the songs the kids like the most. No worries if you are not the world's greatest dancer, your enthusiasm for physical fitness will be contagious!