How to Set Up Your Music and Movement Preschool Center

Young children learn best through play, and that often includes some type of music and/or movement. When children are actively engaged and moving during learning, they tend to learn faster and remember what they learned more easily. Through music and movement experiences your preschoolers will develop larger vocabularies, build fine motor skills, improve working memory, and boost math skills. Of course, they will also strengthen their social and emotional skills as they explore music and movement together, too.

Setting up your preschool music and movement center will open your preschoolers up to so many possibilities. They will be able to listen to and create music that they can move to! They can even create their own instruments, if given the proper materials. How you set up your music and movement preschool center should make the materials easily accessible both for you to teach with, but also for your preschoolers to explore freely. Here are some tips.

MAKE SURE THERE IS PLENTY OF SPACE

Your preschoolers will need ample space to explore the music and movement center freely. They love to move their bodies and dance around as they listen to and play music. If you have enough space for a tumbling mat or two, this can really enhance the types of movements your preschoolers can participate in. You will also want to carefully consider where in your classroom would be the ideal spot for such a busy, and often loud, center. You would not want it right next to your reading and listening area, or any other quiet spaces.

PROVIDE A VARIETY OF MATERIALS

The music and movement center is so much more than just a few instruments for your preschoolers to explore. You can include different types of instruments, color coded sheet music, movement props, and so much more. The materials you provide your preschoolers in the music and movement center should encourage exploration and creativity. Here are some examples of what you can include in your preschool music and movement center:

• Percussion instruments
• Echo microphones
• Scarves
• Color coded sheet music
• Books
• Parachute
• Bean bags
• Xylophone
• Wireless Bluetooth speaker
• Vinyl spot-markers
• Simple materials for creating instruments
• Tumbling mat

KEEP IT ORGANIZED

Organization is key to having a clean and smoothly running preschool classroom. When the music and movement center is kept organized it is much easier for your preschoolers to take good care of the materials, ensuring that they stand the test of time. Make sure that everything within the center is well labeled, including the place in which they should be stored. All of the egg shakers should be in a basket with a picture label and the words, “egg shakers” and then placed on a shelf with the same label on it. If all of the materials are organized in this way, your preschoolers will have no trouble caring for the materials appropriately.

The music and movement center in your preschool classroom can quickly become a favorite if you set it up well. Your preschoolers will have no idea how much they are learning, because they will be having so much fun! Of course, have fun engaging in music and movement activities with your preschoolers too.