Howard Gardener, a Harvard professor who studied children and wrote about their development and learning styles, found that many children have a musical learning style, meaning that they absorb concepts and express themselves well through activities integrating sound, rhythm and movement.
Types
There are many types of activities that support musical learning styles. Counting, rhyming, clapping, marching, chanting, singing, doing gymnastics and playing movement games are typical activities.
Features
Most song and dance learning activities involve loose teacher guidance so that the children can express themselves more fully. Repetitions with variations, such as repeating a phrase but changing a key word, or adding claps, snaps and stomps to a rhythm, are common.
Misconceptions
Some people misinterpret Gardner's theories to mean that some children are musical learners and others are visual, kinesthetic, interpersonal or intrapersonal learners. In fact, all children benefit and learn from song and dance.
Significance
Song and dance activities in the early childhood classroom stimulate learners. It boosts auditory comprehension and kinesthetic skills and is a form of pre-literacy.
Considerations
While nursery rhymes, clapping games and the Hokey Pokey are all great fodder for musical learners, you can branch out by playing classical music, teaching international dances and integrating foreign language stories into the curriculum.
Tags: express themselves, learning styles, musical learners, musical learning, song dance