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| Stella Skinner |
| Useful Resources & Tips for
your setting |
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| Movement and Dance |
| • Movement and dance does not
need very much in the way of resources but one important
thing is space. Most early years settings have a dedicated
outside space divided up into areas that contain fixed
items, for example a sandpit, a garden or planting area
and shed for wheeled toys storage. While these are all
an important part of delivering the early years curriculum
it could be worth while thinking about the space carefully
before items are ‘fixed’ because an area can
sometimes be more versatile with a little more flexibility.
The following are some points that may influence your
decision. |
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| Advantages of empty space |
• It ensures the children focus
on the activity, as there is nothing else to distract
them.
The children are able to safely create big energetic movements
in a controlled area without the threat of hurting themselves
or others. |
| • Music can be played loudly
if appropriate. |
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| Disadvantages of an empty space |
| • A very large space can have
the opposite effect of dissipating the focus especially
with only a few children in it.This can be addressed by
cordoning off one area and then working the group in a
circle to direct the energy inwards. |
| • An empty space means that
the practitioner has to be really prepared with dance
ideas and use resources to stimulate the children. If
the children are not engaged in an activity they can cause
havoc by endlessly racing around which is a potentially
stressful and non-productive situation for a practitioner
to be in. It is also bad practice to get everyone warmed
up and then run out of ideas and have to ask them to sit
down again and get cold. |
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| Resources |
| • Small non-slip bath mats (Ikea)
are a brilliant idea as illustrated in many of the activity
examples because they provide the children with a place
to ‘be’ which also helps to focus their concentration. |
| • A range of beautiful materials
for stimulating movement. One tip is to sew a little sand
in a corner of a light piece of material, which will alter
the way it moves. |
| • Ribbons and scarves-these
can be hand held, tied on short sticks or sewn on to a
small hair scrunchie and then placed on a finger or wrist.
These can be used for a variety of large movement and
pattern explorations. |
| • Music is an important resource
and you need to set aside a significant amount of time
to listen to a selection and research your collection.
Choose tracks that really do what you want them to do,
for example, create an atmosphere, provide a heavy beat
or complex rhythm. Listen out for music and if you hear
something you like find out the name of the artist-this
may be on television, radio, in the cinema or out shopping. |
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| Some ideas to start from-please
check all lyrics before use. |
| • Electronic Dance Music. |
Mylo
The Chemical Brothers.
Lemon Jelly.
Orbital.
Fat Boy Slim |
| • Traditional World Music |
Regional UK Folk.
Blue Grass/American Folk.
Cuban Rhythms.
Flamenco Rhythms.
African /Indian Drumming/singing. |
| • Film Scores |
Disney/Pixel films.
Bollywood films.
Quentin Tarentino soundtracks. |
| • Compilation CD’s |
Music from adverts.
Music from films.
Music from television programmes.
Free CDs with papers |
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© Sage Publications Ltd.
