Teach-Early-Years-14.1

Children are ready to move on to building simple rhythms when they are around three years old. Some indicators for rhythm readiness include: Using words for everyday objects, people, or actions Saying two-, three- or four-word sentences Matching everyday sounds to animals and objects Making sounds matched to animals or objects Clapping a steady beat to music Listening and joining in with simple stories and songs RHYTHMIC PLAY IDEAS Here are some instant rhythmic play ideas that were a big hit with Patience and her friends. The children loved these games because they were simple and repetitive. They were highly engaged and picked up an awareness of the patterns in language fast! Follow-the-leader to music – using rhythmic sequences of movements including stamping, waving, jumping or clapping. Tapping names – using a drum to tap the “beats” or syllables matched to the children. We used this at circle time or as part of daily routines. mental models of patterned language have not been developed enough through repeated, playful language practice. Playful rhythmic games, stories, and songs can be a way of capturing the interest of more reluctant readers, too. I’ve consistently observed a strong link between those who experience success with early reading and the repetitive language and literacy experiences they’ve engaged with before school. BUILDING A SENSE OF RHYTHM Rhythmic play begins with babies! Clapping along to the beat of any song, any time, anywhere, is super easy and costs nothing. All rhythmic activities build on clapping or stamping a steady beat, so setting a strong foundation like this is key. Copying clapping patterns – using toys to create simple sequences to clap along to. For example, car, trac-tor, car, trac-tor, car, trac-tor or digg-er, digg-er, am-bu-lance, digg-er, digg-er, am-bu-lance . KEY MILESTONES As children engage in rhythmic play activities, they become more “tuned in” to the patterns of language. You will see them grow in confidence, developing their own rhythmic patterns as they play. Like all aspects of child development, hearing, copying, repeating, and making rhythmic patterns develops step by step over time. Look out for whether the children can… Step 1: Join in with clapping, stamping, or tapping a steady beat as they join in with rhythmic stories, rhymes or songs. Step 2: Repeat and continue a rhythmic pattern by clapping or using an instrument. Step 3: Clap the “beats” in their own names and familiar words. THE IMPACT Patience was a great illustration of how rhythmic play builds memory, vocabulary, and an early awareness of syllables as “chunks” of sound. These were all areas where she made huge progress developmentally, which meant that she was “school ready” when the time came for her to move on. FIVE TIPS FOR RHYTHMIC PLAY 1 Introduce rhythm by clapping a steady beat with babies. 2 Regularly move rhythmically to music with two- and three-year-olds. 3 Read simple books with patterned language and repeated phrases. 4 Use children’s names and everyday objects to introduce “beats” in words. 5 Play clapping games and learn patterned rhymes off by heart. Teachearlyyears.com 27