Music & Movement Go Together: "We All Fall Down"!

Carolyn 9:54 AM

MUSIC GAMES: "WE ALL FALL DOWN!"

Why do young children love games that incorporate falling down and getting back up?

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from Carolyn's Archives

These photos show "The Carousel Game" in Summer Music Camp: Up and down then we all fall down!

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from Carolyn's Archives

"Rat-a-tat-tat" building the carousel back up again!

Foundations of Learning from the Kindermusik International curriculum, offers one answer to the question of why children love falling down games so much:

As young toddlers have the physical experience of falling down and then getting back up, a significant emotional event occurs as well. They are encountering and overcoming a fear of imbalance, and are developing confidence in their physical skills. From, The Emotional Life of the Toddler, by Alicia F. Lieberman, we learn: "Bodily movements often carry strong psychological meanings. With young children in particular, motion conveys emotion more powerfully than words. In the second year of life, motion is centered on the achievement of balance, and the risk of losing this balance becomes a central concern. Physical balance stands as a symbol for emotional balance in child play as well as in adult imagery."

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from Carolyn's Archives

Throughout early childhood, children continue to enjoy "falling down" games. Even older children love to incorporate "falling down and jumping back up" into pretend play. One of the favorite games in the 3-5 year old curriculum from Kindermusik is the song about the jack-in-the-box:

(The children start out by crouching down inside their pretend boxes and the adult begins by winding up the pretend crank on the boxes)

The Jack-in-the-box jumps up (children jump up)

The Jack-in-the-box goes flop (children fall down)

The Jack-in-the-box goes round and round (children stand again and wobble around)

The lid goes down with a plop! (children fall down again)

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from Carolyn's Archives

There are so many motions that help children continue to develop a sense of balance and self confidence. Here is a list of ways to move from Kindermusik's Movement Chart. A wonderful benefit is the vocabulary development that comes from using these fun words.

walk
sway
swing
tiptoe
run
leap
skip

bounce
crawl
nod
lean
slide
shake
hop
clap
gallop
Add some great descriptive words like:
fast/slow
high/low/in the middle
between/below/above
zigzag/curved/straight
on balance/off balance
alone/connected
sharply/smoothly

If you run out of fun movements here are some interesting ideas:
slither
march
lunge
waddle
twist
dodge
melt