A Little Rhythm and Movement Goes a Long Way

I am in my second week of school with my first graders and have found myself using movement and music even more than before. I have always used rhyme and chants as a way to transition my students, catch their attention, or help them remember something. However, I have found that this year the use of music has captivated my students. As part of my back to school information, I send home a driver profile (I have a race car theme classroom). From that I am able to gleam information about my students from their parents and many parents mentioned that their children love music and/or dance. I started using songs to skip count and have found the students really have enjoyed this more than in years past. I also gave some of my students a "beat" to help them remember their lunch numbers or bus numbers (these are first graders) and as we head to the cafeteria and the buses I hear them repeating their special chants and it has worked. I know that there is a big portion of the students population and population in general that are visual learners, but this year I have found that my students really do move to a beat and by tuning into my auditory learners I am finding myself using new skills and resources and am keeping my students focused, on track, and engaged during the learning process.