Thursday, July 25, 2013

If You're a Kid.....

I think many elementary PE teacher's would agree, teaching kindergarten has it's challenges. Students this young are in the early stages of learning social skills, understanding their bodies, and developing communication skills. Playing music can help these developing skills and really get the kids movin' and groovin'! They (we), find the music to be motivating, fun, and encouraging.

My favorite songs to play are the ones where students have to listen to directions as they move.

Here is an example:

11 comments:

  1. Love this. This is something that classroom teachers could even use during a break time. I think it's better when they have an activity to do during those brain breaks too. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hey Christa,
      I don't know what grade you teach, but here is another video that I use from time to time as a warm-up for intermediate grades.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqr3qWaBFTg
      It's a little goofy, but the kids love it!
      Also, check out Adventure to Fitness - great for indoor recess!

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    2. This is great! Thank you. I'll definitely use it :)

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  2. Very cool. This is a really interesting way to get kids moving. It's great to see some new ideas in this area; I was never very excited about PE in school, but I've since seen the light and warmed up to the idea of exercise. If we can show kids some different ways to be active, we might be able to make a difference for them much earlier in their lives.

    Also, it's nice to hear some Garageband loops put to good use. I've spent more than my fair share of time listening to them in my students' compositions. :)

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    1. Hi Mike,
      I agree with you in that I never thought PE was "all that" - I love sports and being active, but didn't get much of a thrill in class. We definitely had what I call a "gym" teacher, who would just roll out the ball. Times have really changed! I think my past helps to keep me motivated as a teacher.
      -Casey

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  3. I think this is a great idea! I also agree that classroom teachers could benefit from this as well. Students are motivated by things they like, and music has a large influence on student life.

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    1. Hi Jenni - Check out my response above to Christa about some other great classroom ideas to get the students moving! -Casey

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  4. Fun way to get the kiddos moving! Thanks for sharing the links to other resources too. Music is a great motivator.

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  5. I agree with the others! This is really cool! I love to see innovative ways for getting students up and moving, especially in PE. I wish they had this kind of stuff in PE when I was little! :)

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  6. Casey,
    I really like the idea of adding music to help get kids moving. I think it also helps them to find rhythm for sequenced movements. I like to play music when my students enter the room. I think this gives them a sense of arrival, and, if I've picked the right music, it can give insight to my lessons.

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    1. I think that is why I am able to do many team taught lessons with the music teacher at my school because so much of curriculum overlaps. I love the idea of playing music when the kids enter the classroom! We used to have music playing in the hallway when the students arrived at school.

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