19.05.2020
Let’s clap, jump and dance to music
“Koniki” (Little Horses)
Today we invite children and parents to play along to the Polish song “Koniki” from the album “Śpiewanki pokazywanki” published by Muzyczny Domek.
You can find the song here:
Here are a few ways to act out the song with movement. The song is about little horses running, stamping their hooves to the music, stamping with one leg and then the other, jumping, and finally setting off on their way with a loud “Wioooo!” (the Polish “giddy-up”).
Workout for legs and feet – sit on chairs, the parent facing the child:
- horses running to the rhythm – stamp your feet alternately,
- one leg stamping – stamp with one foot only,
- the other leg stamping – change feet and stamp with the other one,
- the horse jumping – jump, lifting both feet at the same time,
- setting off on the way – slap your thighs with both hands twice,
- “Wioooo!” – stamp quickly and alternately like a galloping horse and call out “Wioooo!”.
Workout for arms and hands:
- horses running to the rhythm – slap your thighs alternately,
- one leg stamping – tap your right thigh rhythmically with your right hand,
- the other leg stamping – tap your left thigh rhythmically with your left hand,
- the horse jumping – tap both thighs with both hands at the same time,
- setting off on the way – slap your thighs with both hands twice,
- “Wioooo!” – slap your thighs quickly and alternately while calling out “Wioooo!”.
Let’s get the whole body moving. Stand in pairs facing each other and hold the child’s hands:
- horses running to the rhythm – gallop sideways, bringing one foot next to the other,
- one leg stamping – stop and stamp with one foot,
- the other leg stamping – stamp with the other foot,
- the horse jumping – jump with both feet,
- setting off on the way – slowly slap your thighs twice,
- “Wioooo!” – slap your thighs quickly and alternately, or run quickly in any direction.
Image source: https://pixabay.com/pl/vectors/rocker-ko%C5%84-na-biegunach-ko%C5%84-zabawka-161936/
If you like, you can add some variety to the games with the song:
- Side steps and gallop – start slowly with side steps (first move one foot to the side, then bring the other foot next to it), then speed up into a gallop.
- If you have a rug at home, stand on its edge (heels on the floor, toes on the rug). Slowly move your feet in one direction, bringing one foot to the other. The parent goes first and the child follows. Make sure the feet move sideways, at a right angle to the edge of the rug. If this is difficult for the child, stand in front of them and hold their hands so that they can watch the adult’s movements as in a mirror. Support the steps with the words “step out – step together”. Make sure the child does not cross their legs.
If you don’t have a rug, you can use a thin mattress, a blanket or a piece of string – make sure they are firmly fixed and do not slide during the activity.
- Practise the movements of the song separately. We suggest the March from Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker”:
To the music, do one after another: alternate stamping, stamping with one foot, slow side steps, galloping, and so on. Start each new way of moving and support the child with words and by showing them.
16.04.2020
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To warm up, we invite you to a music and movement game with sticks.
Each player needs 2 sticks. You can use xylophone beaters, chopsticks or pencils. Any rhythmic tune will do as background music.
So let’s start! 😊
- Walking with the sticks – march in time to the music, holding the sticks in your hands.
- Playing rhythms – while marching, tap the sticks together rhythmically.
- STOP
- “My turn” – hold your arms with the sticks wide apart and listen to the rhythm played by the leader.
- “Your turn” – play the rhythm you have just heard on your sticks.
- “My turn” – listen again without playing.
- “Your turn” – play the next rhythm you heard, and so on.
Start the game again from the beginning, marching in the other direction.
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If you’d like to make some more music, we suggest a game to the Polish song “Ładnie gram” (I play nicely) from the album Nasze Muzyczne Przedszkole.
For this game you will need children’s instruments (a rattle or a small drum) or home-made ones. You can also use objects that make sounds, e.g. a balloon or a ball that you tap with a stick or your hand, or two blocks or two spoons that you knock together.
Two or more people can play. They sit facing each other or in a circle. The first player holds the instrument and plays it along with the song, which is about playing nicely and then handing the instrument over to someone else. At the end of the song, the player passes the instrument to the next person and you sing the song again. Swap roles as many times as you like.
After a few rounds you can change the instrument or sound-making object. Those who are not playing at the moment can, for example, clap or tap their thighs with both hands at the same time or alternately in rhythm with the song.
This game helps children learn to wait for their turn and to share or swap toys with another person. It also develops turn-taking in communication, building the skills needed for dialogue.
You can find the song “Ładnie gram” here:
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And now let’s turn our hands and fingers into musical instruments and play along to a rhyme (in Polish):
Illustration from: K. Sąsiadek, “Zabawy paluszkowe”, Media Rodzina, Poznań 2005, pp. 16–17
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