Why are music and movement so important?
It meets the needs of the whole child: physically, socially, emotionally, cognitively, creatively, and in the area of language. It helps integrate and enrich the early childhood curriculum. Physically – when moving to music, children are involved in physical activities – stretching, bending, reaching, jumping, crawling, and leaping, to name a few. Small muscle, fine motor control and eye-hand coordination are being developed as musical instruments are being played. Socially – young children are singing and dancing with others. This develops important social skills such as taking turns, cooperating and sharing musical instruments Emotionally, an acceptance of how children sing and move encourages their self-acceptance and promotes positive self-esteem. They are also able to communicate their feelings. Music can have a calming effect on an upset child and present an outlet for feelings of irritation or anger. Cognitively – music helps children develop concepts of fast-slow, high-low, col
