Beat, Rhythm and Rhyme More Than Just Fun!

Nursery Rhymes and songs have always been an important part of early childhood, but in recent years we have begun to realise that they are about more than just fun! It is through music and rhymes that children develop the appreciation of beat and rhythm that is essential for effective learning. A childs experience of steady beat begins in the womb as they tune in to the sound of their mothers heart beat. Then as they are rocked, patted and burped to a regular rhythm a sense of steady beat begins to form, which is very important. Recent studies clearly indicate that a child with good mastery of steady beat is much more likely to do well at school than one who lacks this basic coordination. The ability to maintain a steady beat is a powerful indicator for later academic success! Steady beat underlies our ability to pick up the patterns of sound in language, and unless children can do this effectively they cannot learn to read and write language. For literacy learning, one of the key skills is the ability to hear the sounds or beats within words. This is essential for later development in phonics. Songs and nursery rhymes can really help children with this skill. Its also possible that, at a later stage of education, understanding of punctuation and the ability to read with expression have their roots in early rhythm based activities. Research into brain development has also helped us to see why songs and rhymes are so important. The brain is divided into two hemispheres which favour different ways of processing information: The Left Side of the Brain
This side of the brain sees the detail in things

The Right Side of the Brain

This side of the brain sees the big picture

Verbal Logic Reading Mathematics Words Numbers Evaluating Structure

Non-verbal Spatial processing Music Symbolising Feelings Creativity Rhythm and rhyme Beat

In young children, the left side of the brain develops much more slowly than the right. However, until children have made enough connections between the two sides of the brain it is impossible to engage in formal learning. This is where songs and rhymes are SO helpful. If you look at the above list you will see that words are processed on the left side of the brain whilst music, rhythm and rhyme are processed on the right. Consequently, any time you sing or chant nursery rhymes with young children you are encouraging them to use both sides of the brain, and in so doing, developing the important integration between the two sides of the brain! So DO: Make sure that your children hear plenty of nursery rhymes and songs with a strong beat. Singing is excellent for helping young children with steady beat, as are rhymes and jingles that give you and the children lots of opportunities to have fun with language! Below are a few you may like to try out! Gorilla in the corner Gorilla in the corner Gorilla up a tree Gorilla jump down With a one, two, three! (Adapt this rhyme by using the children's names or changing the gorilla to different animals)

Shake, Wiggle and Make a Shape Shake your head and touch your toes, Wiggle your fingers and wiggle your nose. Wave your hands high in the air, Then make a shape like..... A great big bear! Repeat the rhyme inviting the children to choose a shape they would like to make. It doesn't necessarily have to rhyme!

Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, ooh-ah, ooh-ah! Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, all around. Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, ooh-ah, ooh-ah! Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, thumping on the ground. Once the children have learnt the basic rhyme they can then play around with it and substitute different animals and different ways of moving. Who is Knocking At My Door? Ten dirty dogs came knocking at my door, Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, knocking at my door, Ten dirty dogs came knocking at my door, Till I said, dirty dogs dont do it any more, So they didnt but then.. Repeat the rhyme substituting, for example, mucky monkeys, cool cats, grubby gorillas, slithering snakes etc.

Other Useful Activities: Ensure that the children have the opportunity to listen to a range of music from a variety of cultures. Play some music with a strong beat and encourage them to: 1. While sitting down, pat the beat out on their knees using both hands 2. While sitting down, pat the beat alternating hands 3. While sitting down, stamp the beat using feet alternatively 4. Walk or march to the beat while standing in one place 5. Walk or march to the beat in a forward direction 6. Walk or march to the beat in a backwards or sideways direction Make musical instruments. Get some chopsticks and paper plates. Turn the plates over and use them as drums. Use the chopsticks as drum sticks. Change the words to familiar songs, for example, Old MacDonald could have a supermarket instead of a farm.

 Make your own drum kit. Use old pots and pans and plastic containers and provide a variety of spoons and beaters with which the children can hit the containers. Move and Dance Together Sing action songs like, Heads shoulders knees and toes, The Okey Kokey, Here we go round the mulberry bush, Ring a ring a roses, The Grand Olde Duke of York, Row, row, row your boat, See-saw-Margery-Daw, etc. Play My turn, your turn. Point to yourself and say the words 'my turn' and then perform an action, e.g. clap your hands twice to a steady beat. Point to the children and say the words 'your turn.' They then repeat your action. Here again, once they get the hang of it, they can take the lead. Provide opportunities for the children to manipulate objects to music. E.g. sticks, scarves, old net curtains, soft balls and hoops etc. Tell traditional stories that include rhymes and jingles and encourage the children to join in when it's time for the jingle. E.g. The Billy Goat's Gruff. Each time a Billy Goat crosses the bridge they can sing, I'm a troll folldy roll, I'm a troll folldy roll, I'm a troll folldy roll and I'll eat you for my supper. When you tell the Gingerbread Man sing, Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man. Make a collection of picture books that tell stories in rhyme. The Key to Success The important thing is to do these things little and often, for children who are exposed to a rich diet of songs and rhymes will gain so much. Research into exactly how the brain works is still in its infancy, and until we know more about it, all we can do is to continue to do what we know intuitively is right. In so doing, we will be improving children's coordination, developing their auditory memory, listening and concentration skills. These skills are key skills for learning, and without them children will be at a real disadvantage, so devoting a little time each day to the development of steady beat, rhythm and rhyme has got to be a MUST...and what's more it's great fun! Resources for developing Beat Competency. For details of materials and resources go to: www.LawrenceEducational.com or phone 0121 344 3004 for a catalogue.