Last month, we talked about how music is good for your brain. Here are some more activities for you and your kids to take part in more movement and music!
Dance Scarves:
You can use silk neck scarves or make your own scarves. To make your own, visit a fabric store and purchase nylon or other lightweight fabric in the colors you like. Nylon is the best material because it does not need to be hemmed. It is also light in weight and floats well when you toss it into the air. Cut the fabric in 18-22” squares for preschool age children.
Here are some of our favorite activities you can do with your dance scarves:
- Play music and dance using the scarves to express yourself.
- Play follow the leader as parent gives one or two-step directions such as “Put the scarf on your head!”
- Throw the scarf up in the air when your child tells you “Go!”
- The scarves can be tied around a wrist or ankle and motivate your child to move that specific body part.
- Play Hokey Pokey with the scarves tied on your body.
- Tie the scarves through a belt loop and show your child how to do the “Chicken Dance”.
- Play peek-a-boo.
- Play Ring Around the Rosie or Row Your Boat while you and your child hold hands by holding scarves.
- There are many Hap Palmer songs that go well with scarf play such as Magic Scarf, Colors in Motion and Toss It High and Let It Fly.
- Vocabulary: color words, up, down, go, ready set go, wave, shake, hide, around, under, through, body parts, fast, slow, throw, jump.
Rock and Roll Freeze:
Play some favorite music and dance any way you want. When the music stops, freeze like a statue. Add variety to your dancing by finding all the ways you can to move (jump, twist, turn, wiggle, swing, sway, etc.) and by changing level and direction. This activity encourages listening for the pause in the music. Encourage your child to use the words stop, go, and freeze. Variation: when the music stops, tell your child to do something such as touch the door or find the apple.
Songs & Poems
Little Peter Rabbit
(put on rabbit ears and a paper fly taped to your nose)
Little Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose. Little Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose. Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose. So he flicked it and it flew away. (pull fly off and pretend its flying.)
Little Mary Rabbit has a fly upon her nose. (Use your child’s name.)
Gotta shake, shake, shake my sillies out Shake, shake, shake my sillies out Shake, shake, shake my sillies out And wiggle my waggles away
I gotta clap, clap, clap my crazies out Clap, clap, clap my crazies out Clap, clap, clap my crazies out And wiggle my waggles away
I gotta jump, jump, jump my jiggles out
Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out Jump, jump, jump my jiggles out And wiggle my waggles away
Jog, jog, jog my jitters out, jog, jog, jog my jitters out, And wiggle my waggles away
Stretch, stretch, stretch out strechies out, Stretch, stretch, stretch out strechies out, And wiggle my waggles away
I gotta yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out Yawn, yawn, yawn my sleepies out And wiggle my waggles away
Kites (This can be acted out)
Five little kites flying high in the sky
Said “Hi” to the cloud as it passed by.
Said “Hi” to the bird, Said “Hi” to the sun,
Said “Hi” to the airplane – oh, what fun!
Then whish went the wind
And they all took a dive:
One…Two…Three…Four…Five!