Grow Up Great
Note: Before beginning the lesson, place a rubber spot on the floor for each child, making sure they have plenty of space for movement (see Lesson Tips).
Incorporating movement into the daily routine helps to improve alertness, attention, and motivation. As children are moving throughout shared space, they learn spatial concepts, build motor skills, and learn social skills for working together. Movement provides an outlet for emotional self-expression in a safe and nonthreatening environment.
These lessons are aligned with the Common Core State Standards ("CCSS"). The CCSS provide a consistent, clear understanding of the concepts and skills children are expected to learn and guide teachers to provide their students with opportunities to gain these important skills and foundational knowledge.**
Incorporating movement into the daily routine helps to improve alertness, attention, and motivation. As children are moving throughout shared space, they learn spatial concepts, build motor skills, and learn social skills for working together. Movement provides an outlet for emotional self-expression in a safe and nonthreatening environment.
Movement activities provide varied opportunities for theme-related lessons. In a transportation theme, children can be prompted to move like different types of vehicles. Vehicles used for transportation can include cars, trucks, trains, airplanes, or boats, and all of these vehicles move differently. Children can be challenged by engaging their critical thinking skills to solve problems while moving from place to place.
- Suggested music selections include Dream Machine, Mark Farina #3 (airplane), and Row Your Boat, The Backyardigans #5 (boats).
- Important rules of dance lessons:
a. Listen to the teacher; wait to move and stop movement when the teacher tells you.
b. Keep your body safe while moving.
c. Stay in your own self-space.
- Steps of the warm-up:
a. Breathing – Take several deep breaths in and out slowly.
b. Touch – Using gentle energy, tap/tickle your skin all over the body (arms, shoulders, belly, legs, etc.). Then, using stronger energy, squeeze all over your body to wake up your skin and senses.
c. Get Moving – Do several movements that will get the blood flowing. Some examples might be jumping, running in place with high knees, swinging arms or kicking legs, and jumping with legs crossed and then with legs open.
- Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
- The Pigeon Loves Things That Go! by Mo Willems
- Richard Scarry’s Hop Aboard! Here We Go! by Richard Scarry
While we believe that the books and resources recommended may be of value to you, keep in mind that these are suggestions only and you must do your own due diligence to determine whether the materials are appropriate and suitable for your use. PNC has no sponsorship or endorsement agreement with the authors or publishers of the materials listed.
There are currently no Common Core Standards for pre-k, but these lessons are aligned as closely as possible to capture the requirements and meet the goals of Common Core Standards. However, these lessons were neither reviewed or approved by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices or the Council of Chief State School Officers, which together are the owners and developers of the Common Core State Standards.
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