## Music & Movement The Music & Movement activity may include singing, dancing, taking part in fingerplays, playing musical instruments, and other activities, singly or in combination. These activities give children opportunities to learn a variety of skills in an active, social manner. They may take place one to one with individual children or in groups of any size. Children at the Growing level enjoy music activities, benefit from language-rich experiences associated with music activities, and need many opportunities to move throughout the day, so the activities in this routine may support children’s development in most areas. The AEPS-3 Growing level of Music & Movement uses skills from seven developmental areas. ### Concurrent Skills The following concurrent skills are AEPS-3 skills that can be easily embedded and taught during regular occurrences of Music & Movement. #### FINE MOTOR Growing Skills **B 1** Activates object with finger **B 2** Rotates wrist to manipulate object **B 3** Manipulates object with two hands, each performing different action ##### Embedded Learning Opportunities * Uses one finger to play toy piano * Shakes tambourine by rotating wrist * Holds guitar with one hand while strumming with other #### GROSS MOTOR Growing Skills **B 3** Walks avoiding people, furniture, or objects **B 3.1** Walks without support **B 4.3** Gets up and down from low structure **B 5.2** Walks fast **B 6** Jumps forward **B 6.1** Jumps up and down in place ##### Embedded Learning Opportunities * Produces variety of gross motor movements while dancing to song (“The Freeze,” “If You’re Happy and You Know It”) --- #### ADAPTIVE Growing Skills **D 1** Takes independent action to alleviate distress, discomfort, and pain **D 1.1** Communicates internal distress, discomfort, or pain to adult ##### Embedded Learning Opportunities * Waits for adult to operate music player or radio when wanting to listen to music or dance #### SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL Growing Skills **A 3** Participates in familiar social routines with caregivers **A 3.1** Initiates next step of familiar social routine **A 3.2** Follows familiar social routines with familiar adults **B 2** Uses appropriate strategies to manage emotional states **B 2.1** Responds appropriately to soothing by peer **B 3.1** Explains or shows others how to do tasks mastered **B 3.2** Shares accomplishment with familiar caregiver **C 1** Maintains interaction with peer **C 1.1** Initiates social behavior toward peer **C 1.2** Responds appropriately to peer social behavior **C 3.3** Shares or exchanges objects **D 1** Interacts appropriately with others during small-group activities **D 1.1** Interacts appropriately with materials during small-group activities **D 1.2** Responds appropriately to directions during small-group activities **D 1.3** Remains with group during small-group activities **D 2** Interacts appropriately with others during large-group activities **D 2.1** Interacts appropriately with materials during large-group activities **D 2.2** Responds appropriately to directions during large-group activities **D 2.3** Remains with group during large-group activities **D 4** Resolves conflicts using negotiation **D 4.1** Uses strategies to resolve conflicts **D 4.2** Claims and defends possessions **E 2.1** Meets behavioral expectations in familiar environments **E 2.2** Adjusts behavior based on feedback from others or environment **E 3.1** Seeks adult permission when appropriate **E 3.2** Follows established social rules in familiar environments ##### Embedded Learning Opportunities * Cleans up for circle time or for music and movement upon hearing cleanup song * Responds to peer or adult during greeting song * Stops banging drum when adult says “Freeze” * Covers ears if environment gets too loud * Remains with group and dances * Gets tissue if they sneeze during activity * Stops poking peer when peer says “Stop!” * Says “Mine!” when peer takes instrument from them * Asks “Can I do it?” when time to turn off music player at end of activity --- #### SOCIAL-COMMUNICATION Growing Skills **B 2** Locates common objects, people, or events **B 3** Follows multistep directions without contextual cues **B 3.1** Follows multistep directions with contextual cues **B 3.2** Follows one-step direction without contextual cues **B 3.3** Follows one-step direction with contextual cues **C 1** Produces multiple-word sentences to communicate **C 1.1** Uses two-word utterances **C 1.2** Uses 50 single words, signs, or symbols **C 2** Uses plural pronouns to indicate subjects, objects, and possession in multiple-word sentences **C 2.1** Uses irregular plural nouns in multiple-word sentences **C 2.2** Uses regular plural nouns **C 3.2** Uses regular past tense of common verbs **C 3.3** Uses *to be* verbs ##### Embedded Learning Opportunities **D 2** Provides and seeks information while conversing using words, phrases, or sentences * Finds instrument and sits down in spot when directed * Returns greeting during welcome song * Complies when adult directs “Come to circle and sit on your spot” * Says “I want to dance to the Chicken Dance!” * Asks adult to sing favorite song #### COGNITIVE Growing Skills **B 1** Imitates novel coordinated motor actions **B 2** Imitates novel words **B 3.1** Relates recent events without contextual cues **B 3.2** Relates recent events with contextual cues **B 3.3** Relates events immediately after they occur **C 2** Recognizes symbols **C 2.1** Uses object to represent another object **C 3.3** Discriminates between objects or people using common attributes **C 4** Uses early conceptual comparisons **C 4.1** Identifies common concepts **C 4.2** Identifies concrete concepts **D 3.1** Evaluates common solutions to solve problems or reach goals **E 3.2** Manipulates materials to cause change ##### Embedded Learning Opportunities * Imitates new motor actions while dancing (Chicken Dance, Hokey Pokey) * Demonstrates song learned at child care to adult at home * Recognizes stop sign when adult holds it up during “Stop and Go” song * Hits drum hard and then softly to hear difference in sound #### LITERACY Growing Skills **B 1.2** Participates in repetitive verbal play ##### Embedded Learning Opportunities * Sings “Where is Thumbkin?” song with adult --- ### UNIVERSAL STRATEGIES These are best practices for ALL young children, with attention to meeting learning outcomes within daily routines and activities of family life and early childhood classrooms while promoting positive adult–child relationships and peer interactions. At the Growing level, children’s increased cognitive, social-communication, and motor skills allow them to advance from being guided through music and movement opportunities to taking part in them more independently. However, children still need adult assistance to learn new songs, movements, and vocabulary. Increasingly precise fine motor control gives children more ability to explore and manipulate items associated with this activity. Children at the Growing level are often interested in engaging with peers and new materials, such as by using musical instruments and noisemakers or making noises with their mouths. Social-communication skills are expanding rapidly at this time, so in this routine, learning through imitation, following simple commands, sharing interests or preferences, and asking questions all play major roles in children’s development. ### Interactions Following are some suggested interactions for the Growing level: * Expand children’s foundational music and movement skills by continuing to build on them. * Incorporate music and movement activities throughout daily routines (transitions, math, literacy, rest time, arrival and departure). * Embed music and movement activities into home routines (bath time, bedtime, playtime, travel time). * Encourage children’s creativity while making music time meaningful to them. * Invite them to dance freestyle to a variety of music. * Demonstrate different types of dances while encouraging them to create their own actions to songs. * Promote participation and other skills by continuing to add actions to songs. * Teach rhythm and beat by modeling chanting while children clap along. * Add new movements (marching, waving arms, stomping feet, swaying) once children have mastered clapping to a beat. ### Environment and Materials Following are some suggestions for environment and materials at the Growing level, in addition to the suggestion to embed music and movement into ongoing routines and activities: * Create a dedicated music area or music time that offers children opportunities to learn new instruments, new styles of music, and new vocabulary words associated with music and movement activities. * Preteach how to sing new songs or use new instruments. * Encourage children to experiment with instruments and movements (marching while beating a drum) to encourage them to explore and solve problems. * Use movement and music activities that encourage listening and following directions (“Freeze Dance”). * Provide children with a variety of musical instruments and encourage them to use instruments to imitate the sound of a specific animal. --- ### FOCUSED STRATEGIES These strategies are for teaching SOME children who are struggling with a component of a skill or whose development is stalled and who need extra help to catch up or keep up. The strategies include a variety of minor adaptations or modifications to daily routines, activities, and environments to meet targeted outcomes at home and in classrooms. * Allow children to participate in movement activities in a variety of different ways (do not expect them all to move in the same way). * Let a child observe as a way to remain involved if they are uncomfortable participating actively. * Let a child dance with an adult or hold hands with another child if this helps them feel more comfortable participating. * Repeat music and movement activities to make sure children have many opportunities with a particular activity. * Modify music and movement for children who have limited attention spans by choosing shorter activities and songs. * Pair children who are developmentally more advanced with those who are developmentally younger so they can serve as peer models during movement activities. * Incorporate children’s preferences when selecting music or other materials. * Let the child choose the instrument they would like to play, song they would like to sing, or movement they would like to do. * Choose new songs that relate to child-directed themes. * Teach children who cannot speak to use simple signs (more, all done) so they can communicate their preferences. * Learn to recognize children’s cues and preferences. * Pair sign language with spoken words for children who are nonverbal or who have hearing impairments. --- ### SPECIALIZED STRATEGIES These strategies for teaching the FEW children who need intensive supports include a variety of specialized, individualized, precise evidence-based strategies to meet children’s unique goals/outcomes: * For children who become easily overwhelmed by external stimuli, * Choose instruments and music that are calm and quiet. * Move the child to a different area of the room if stimuli become too overwhelming. * Let the child wear noise-reducing headphones. * For children who have specific positioning and mobility needs, * Provide seating with a secure base, hip support, and chest support so they can use their arms and hands to take part in movement activities and play musical instruments. * For children who have fine motor challenges, * Provide instruments or materials that have been modified to make them easier to grasp and manipulate (smaller or larger size than usual, with a built-up handle). * For children who have severe muscle spasticity, * Provide a technology device that allows them to participate (tablet with a touch screen app that makes it possible to “play an instrument”). * For children who have hearing impairments, * Pair music with visual cues (flashing lights, vibration). * For children who have visual impairments, * Use tangible items that relate to the song being sung. * Identify children’s priority skills and focus their learning goals on one or two specific skills. * Use hand-over-hand assistance to help children clap rhythm with music or learn a new musical instrument: * Use most to least prompting to fade hand-over-hand assistance. * Move physical prompting from hands, to wrists, to forearms. ### AEPS-3 Curriculum Resources (Appendix A) Appendix A in this volume contains numerous additional resources to supplement the AEPS-3 Curriculum. The first part of the appendix presents a list of general curriculum resources, and the second part provides lists of supplementary resources for each individual routine and activity. ### AEPS-3 Skills Matrix (Appendix B) The AEPS-3 Skills Matrix in Appendix B of this volume spotlights individual skills by showing functional application across all routines and activities. Each skills matrix (there are eight total, one for each of the test’s eight developmental areas) allows you to select individual AEPS-3 items for children who require an intensive focus on a few skills across routines and activities. For children who have difficulty learning new skills at the level of individual AEPS-3 items, the Foundation Steps (FS) provide an even more granular breakdown of component subskills that are either a sequence of developmental precursors or steps in task analyses.