Frameworks for Pre-K Lessons
Are you teaching Pre-K and looking for a bit of inspiration? Maybe you’re looking for a B-12 shot of inspiration for this unique age group! How might you frame your lesson with Preschoolers? This age group needs a lot of variety in what you present. Both singing and movement activities have essential roles in making music together.
When planning a lesson for Pre-K students, consider materials that are of traditional quality and come from folk repertoire. Nursery rhymes, songs, and short poems are a natural part of children’s lives; they are often familiar with and can relate to it. There is a rhythm that I believe helps with a young child’s language acquisition, even when they come from a multi-language background. Quality counts!
Looking for some other views? Check out the “First Lady of Children’s Music,” Ella Jenkins, and the ever-popular Raffi. Maybe you listened to these two performers when you were little. They are a great example of cultural and folk music used in early childhood settings. And so effectively so! Notice how the children are so responsive to both!
Kids need to move, and they love doing so with props! Honestly, in their minds, I think it’s all about the props. Movement activities include the reliable scarf, paper plates, puppets, streamers, bean bags, and more. John Feierabend’s series, Move It!, is a terrific example of how one can help students connect to the expressive qualities of music through movement. Feierabend’s approach uses quality music, often classical, as a cornerstone for aesthetic arts education.
Me? I may have certifications in Orff and Kodaly, and I’ve attended many of Feierabend’s First Steps in Music workshops, but like many teachers, I use all of it like a buffet. My Pre-K lessons consist of first a 15-minute mini-lesson that includes poems, nursery rhymes, short, simple song snippets, echo and call-and-response songs, mirroring movement activities, “piano stories,” and sing-alongs accompanied by guitar. Sometimes, I’ll include a storybook to tie into something musical. I’ll have students participate using a variety of early childhood unpitched percussion instruments, including desk bells and boomwhackers, puppets, and movement props.
I don’t necessarily get to all of this in 15 minutes, but it’s my framework. Then, based on the songs and activities we’ve just done and accumulated, I create centers for student exploration related to the mini-lesson(s).
And that’s a wrap (rap) of 30 minutes in Pre-K! Next week I’ll share how I create centers for PreK classes.