Following a structural, rhythmic beat, rhythm is music’s central organizing structure. Rhythmic movement activities can help instill organizational skills in your students in a fun, multi-sensorial, experiential way.
Rhythm is infectious. Start a simple hand-clapping rhythm and watch your students mirror you. Let them add their feet and watch their interest pique.
Rhythm is unifying too. Everybody can participate and literally “feel the beat.”
Rhythmic movement and activities are great for keeping transition times efficient and stress-free. I’ve used chants, songs, marches, hand-claps and drums to transition from one activity to another.
It’s a great way to help children move from one environment to the other. Sensory seeking behavior – which we often see during these moments is reduced because children are exercising vision, hearing, tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular senses.
5 simple movement activities to help promote organization
1. Use rhythmic activities whenever possible – it’s organizing
2. Make rhythm instruments and use them in a class parade
3. Learn and recite the alphabet to a specific rhythm
4. Use rhythm when teaching simple math skills like addition – let children clap or stamp out sums.
5. Move to poetry that rhymes.