MAKING CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN MOVEMENT AND
MUSIC FOR YOUNG
CHILDREN
By Alicia K. Mue lle r
Alicia K. Mueller is associate professor of music education at Towson University in Towson, Maryland. E-Mail: aamueller@towson.edu.
hildren love to move and dance from a very
C young age! During these early years they have
no inhibitions and their creative juices seem to
flow endlessly. All it takes is hearing almost any
style of music, and they immediately begin to
move and dance. If the child is still an infant, he might
bob his head up and down, clap, or maybe even move his
entire body rhythmically, indicating the aural sensation
felt from the music. If the child is a toddler, age two or
three, she might move her entire body immediately to
the gradations of the music, stepping, hopping, jumping,
and running back and forth, with her arms moving ener-
getically to the music, possibly even singing along with
the music. The preschool-age child might respond to
music by demonstrating more defined and structured,
yet still imaginative and improvised movements to the
music—movements that might display a more sequen-
tial, yet dramatic presentation of ideas. Infants, toddlers,
and preschoolers, with the exuberance of joy shining on
their smiling faces, have the innate ability and the need
to move to music. As the young child gets older, the
movement gestures and responses will be more con-
trolled, yet still very carefree. Basic psychomotor skills
become more refined, but the developing child will still
carry with him the creative and exciting aura that can
only be observed in young children.
Teachers, caregivers, and parents are all responsible for nur-
turing these young children, providing them with stimulating
environments filled with receptive, perceptive, and conceptual
learning opportunities. Young children learn by doing, and
this active participation inherently involves movement. Com-
G M T S P R I N G 2 0 0 3
bined with music, movement can serve as a valuable means
through which children can develop physically, cognitively,
and emotionally.
The Role of Music in Brain Development
The role music plays in the education of young children is
the focus of much discussion in education today. A child who
grows up surrounded by music is influenced by this environ-
ment. Recent studies show that even very young children can
learn music, especially if they are involved in active physical
participation. The implications of the music and brain
research, conducted by such researchers as John Flohr, Daniel
Miller, and Roger DeBeus (2000), as well as Donald Hodges
(2000a), are that music may have an impact on brain activity
in very young infants; therefore, music may foster increased
learning abilities in young children. This research points out
that the first three years in a child’s life are a time when music
can be used to stimulate the development of nerve connections
between brain cells necessary for optimal cognitive develop-
ment. Hodges states that “the musical brain consists of exten-
sive neural systems involving widely distributed, but locally
specialized regions of the brain.” (2000b, p. 20) These include
cognitive, affective, and motor components. In the motor
component, for example, he states “the connection between
music and movement is fundamental to both expressive and
receptive modes”(2000b, p. 21). This further supports the
notion that young children will inherently express themselves,
and music, through movement—tactile, kinesthetic experi-
ences.
Active Music Experiences for Young Children
Music educators who work with young children and
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infants, like Gordon (1998), have found that the earlier and
more varied a child’s music experiences, the greater the
prospects for growth and development. According to Ella
Wilcox, “It is the doing, in addition to the listening, that offers
the greatest positive benefit in all aspects of learning, especially
in music …. The more a child participates, the more wonder
and learning he or she experiences” (2000). Physical involve-
ment in music making, therefore, is one of the easiest ways for
young children to respond to music. An infant bouncing to
the rhythm of music, a toddler moving up or down to indicate
the melodic direction of music, or a preschooler demonstrating
the musical form by marching during the A section and creat-
ing imaginary shapes during the B section, are early indications
of children’s understanding of music. Because of the nature of
young, developing children, it appears that the more a child
actively participates in musical experiences, the more learning
he or she is prone to experience. Moving and dancing to
music, vocalizing and singing, playing instruments, and experi-
menting with materials that make sound are activities that
contribut to optimal cognitive learning in young children.
Child-Centered Movement Activities in a Carefully
Planned Environment
The best way that teachers can meet the developmental needs
of young children is by setting up a curriculum that incorporates
child-centered activities in a teacher-supported environment,
keeping in mind that for young children, their play is their
work. Creating a developmentally and age-appropriate mix of
individual, small-group, and large-group experiences will con-
tribute to optimal music learning, as well as to the development
of the whole child. Large-group experiences, for example, should
include some type of “music circle time” where the children are
led in structured activities that build musical perceptions and
skills, such as through rhythmic movement. Involving children
in action songs involving identification of body parts lends itself
to beat-keeping activities with their bodies. “Head and Shoul-
ders,” for younger children, and “Looby Loo,” for older chil-
dren, are good songs for these activities. These types of songs
can be modified for various developmental ages of young chil-
dren, with rhythm and movement, as well as identification of
body parts, guiding the activities. Children can later choose to
use those songs as they work independently in a child-centered
activity. Child-centered activities can also take place in carefully
planned music play centers (Andress 1998), where children
select how they will interact with, play with, and make music. It
is in these music centers that movement activities can open the
world of music for young children.
The Use of Creative and Structured Movement
Regardless of the curriculum, young children should be
given the opportunity to express themselves through move-
ment, whether it is creative or structured. Creating musical
environments so that children have the freedom to test their
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ideas will also contribute to a greater awareness and under-
standing of music. Parameters set within these musical envi-
ronments can give children opportunities to use their imagina-
tions as they move and sing in improvised activities. Children
can be guided in structured activities as they experience move-
ment elements such as locomotor/nonlocomotor movements
and shared/personal space. Infants, held by caregivers, can be
stimulated in tactile activities such as touching, rocking, pat-
ting, and bouncing. A toddler can be guided in movement
experiences also involving tactile activities, but incorporating
imitative and repetitive play, visual modeling (Andress 1998),
and eventually creative, spontaneous movement. The move-
ments displayed by preschoolers become more controlled,
accurate, and stylized, yet still personally creative. The teacher
is able to lead more structured activities, such as circle games
and simple dances, but the creative imaginations of children of
this age continue to thrive and develop.
The Role of Active Music Participation in a Child’s
Development
When working with the developing child, keep in mind
that movement serves as a natural connector to many areas of
development that are nurtured in music learning environ-
ments. Young children learn through all their senses, which
contributes to their developing awareness of the world. Provid-
ing multisensory music experiences (i.e., tactile/kinesthetic,
aural, visual, verbal), therefore, appeals to their cognition. In
addition, young children, in their innocent view of the world,
have no boundaries. Thus creative and spontaneous possibili-
ties will be displayed in their daily responses and reactions to
music. Being exposed to active music making contributes to
the well-rounded education of the young child. A child who
actively reacts to music experiences growth in his overall devel-
opment. This could be especially noticeable in the following
areas:
• Feelings and emotions
• Relationships (family and friends)
• Self-esteem and self-confidence
• Intellectual and cognitive skills
• Communication and verbal skills
• Social interaction skills
• Coordination and movement skills (gross and fine motor)
• Daily and transition activities and experiences
Movement Activities for the Young Child
Since movement is basic to teaching music to young chil-
dren, it should be included in every activity that is planned for
a young child. The following activities are suggestions that
have been successful with children during the early childhood
years. They can be modified for various developmental levels.
“Head and Shoulders”
• Resource: Pamela C. Beall and Susan H. Nipp. Wee Sing
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Children’s Songs and Fingerplay (Los Angeles:
Price/Stern/Sloan Publishers, Inc., 1984), 46.
• Selected Activities. Use song to reinforce body part
understanding and location. Encourage children to identify
and point to the body parts as the song is sung. Incorporate
rhythmic tempo by first singing the song slowly, then, increase
the tempo with each repetition of song. Expand the correlating
body part movements to include creative movements.
“Clap Your Hands”
• Resource: Barbara Andress. Music for Young Children
(Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998),
96.
• Selected Activities. Have children clap hands to the
rhythmic beat of the A section, followed by creatively moving
with scarves during the B section. Encourage children to select
new body percussion movements to replace the hand clapping.
“Hickory Dickory Dock”
• Resource: Peggy D. Bennett and Douglas R.
Bartholomew. Songworks I: Singing in the Education of Chil-
dren (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1997), 171.
• Selected Activities. Incorporate various types of body per-
cussion and movements showing the rhythm as the song is
sung. Transfer this “beat-keeping” activity to a C resonator
bell by encouraging individual children to tap the bell as the
song is sung. Integrate math counting skills by first counting
aloud, then counting and playing a woodblock the appropriate
number of times after the phrase, “the mouse struck one
(two/three).” Guide children without woodblocks in counting
using their fingers or a designated body percussion movement.
“I Went Walking”
• Resource: Sue Williams. I Went Walking (San Diego,
CA: Voyager Books, Harcourt Brace and Co., 1989) (chil-
dren’s book).
• Selected Activities. Read book to children. Discuss the
story line as it relates to math sequencing skills (i.e., the parade
of animals). Have children create “walking” movements for
each of the animals. Lead children in various kinesthetical
movement elements, such as locomotor/nonlocomotor and
shared/personal space, as the story is read, pausing when neces-
sary for appropriate movement responses. Invite children to
speak (rhythmically chant) any repetitive phrase. Select appro-
priate body percussion or rhythm instrument sounds to
accompany each animal’s walking. After the text, “What did
you see?” for each animal, add four beats to emphasize the
walking pattern. Language arts can be integrated with this
activity if children read the story as it unfolds, as well as partic-
ipate in the movement and music experiences. Additional cre-
ative dramatics can be incorporated with the story lines, possi-
bly tapping into children’s interpretations and/or extensions of
the stories. Lead the children in replacing the text lines with
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daily routines/classroom management, such as, “1, 2, 3 let’s
get in line. So we all can go outside!”
“Looby Loo”
• Resource: Peggy D. Bennett and Douglas R.
Bartholomew. Songworks I: Singing in the Education of Chil-
dren (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1997), 277.
• Selected Activities. Sing song while playing the correlated
singing game to reinforce the binary form (AB). Hold hands
and walk in a circle during the A section; do the word actions
during the B section. Encourage children to select new action
words as the game progresses.
“What Shall We Do When We All Go Out?”
• Resource. Shari Halpern. What Shall We Do When We
All Go Out? (New York: North-South Books Inc., 1995) (chil-
dren’s book).
• Selected Activities. Read book to children. Ask children
to identify the activities in the story when the children “all go
out.” Have children create movements to dramatize these
activities. After teaching song, transfer the singing to the story
line of the book by “singing” the book. Ask children to create
additional verses and dramatized movements to the form of
the story. Decide on specific verses to add age-appropriate
rhythm instruments for special sound effects. Lead children in
replacing the song text lines with “daily routines/classroom
management,” such as, “Let’s all come and wash our hands,
wash our hands, wash our hands. Let’s all come and wash our
hands, so we all can go to lunch!” or “Let us quickly clean the
room, clean the room, clean the room. Let us quickly clean the
room, at the end of the day!”
Exposure to a musical environment during the early child-
hood years can lead to lifelong enjoyment and understanding
of music. Active participation with music is the most expedi-
ent way for young children to learn it. Active music instruc-
tion may also provide other benefits including increased learn-
ing ability in young children—a theory music educators may
confirm through their observations. More research, however,
needs to be conducted to verify this theory. In the meantime,
active music making needs to be a part of the education of
every child, because teaching infants, toddlers, and preschool
children to develop an awareness and appreciation of music is
itself a high goal. Actively exposing young children to music
through movement remains a basic ingredient in teaching.
References
Andress, Barbara. 1998. Music for young children. Fort Worth, TX:
Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
Flohr, John W., Daniel C. Miller, and Roger DeBeus. 2000. EEG
studies with young children. Music Educators Journal 87(2):
28–32, 54.
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Gordon, Edwin E. 1998. Foreword to Music play: The early childhoo d Washington D.C., March 2000.
music curriculum guide for parents, teachers, and caregivers, edited by ———. 2000b. Implications of music and brain research. Music Edu-
Alison M. Reynolds, Wendy H. Valerio, Beth M. Bolton, Cynthia cators Journal (87)2: 17–22.
C. Taggert, and Edwin E. Gordon. Chicago: GIA Publications.
Wilcox, Ella. 2000. Straight talk about music and brain research. In
Hodges, Donald A. 2000a. Does music really make you smarter? Pre- Music makes the difference: Music, brain development, and learning.
sentation at the MENC National Biennial In-Service Conference, Reston, VA: MENC.

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