Music is a wonderful thing for the sheer enjoyment of it, but it also has a tangible impact on how children learn and how they express themselves. It helps kids develop reasoning skills and learn that all important lesson that practice makes perfect. There are also added bonuses such as improving their memory skills and increasing their coordination. Put simply, music can unlock extra potential in kids and there are ways that every teacher can harness that in the classroom with limited musical knowledge themselves.
While the activity below is matched perfectly to our A-Sharp Music Rug, it’s also possible to adapt them for use with any circle
Learning Rhythms with Area Rugs
- Gather the instruments. You can use whatever you have in the classroom that makes a noise. Maracas, recorders, drumsticks (pencils). Kids could even clap their hands or make a funny noise when it’s their turn.
- Each student stands on a rhythmic symbol with their instrument.
- For the first round, the teacher is the conductor and demonstrates directing a steady beat while the kids play quarter notes together. One by one, the teacher goes through all the rhythms illustrated on the rug.
- Now the fun begins. The kids take turns conducting. The conductor can point at each student to begin their assigned rhythm. Each kid plays the rhythm they are standing on when directed, and they also stop when the conductor cuts them off. More than one kid can play at a time, of course.
- Rotate until every student has had a turn conducting and each student has had an opportunity to play each rhythm.
Hopefully, the children get silly, have fun, and learn a little bit about music in the process.