Play idea: Music - Waiata

https://education.govt.nz/early-childhood/teaching-and-learning/learning-tools-and-resources/play-ideas/music/

Children are born into a world of sound and movement. Music helps their intellectual, imaginative, emotional, social and cultural growth.

Music is enjoyable, soothing and assists in the development of listening skills, concentration, coordination, cooperation, communication and memory, as well as being a valuable resource for creativity. It is important to value children’s desires to repeat activities as this is one way children practise being musical and gain control of musical forms.

Music can help children to:

• express feelings through voice and body
• develop rhythm and harmony
• be creative and have fun
• recognise and enjoy sounds, instruments and different music
• value their own cultural music knowledge and participate in the music of other cultures.

Te Whāriki

Music supports learning across all strands of Te Whāriki. In particular, children’s developing musicality is supported in the Communication strand, where they discover and develop different ways to be creative and expressive. They make music, sing songs − including songs of their own − and can keep a steady beat through speech, chants, dances and movement to rhythm. They discover that music, dance and drama can amuse, delight, comfort, illuminate, inform and excite.

Music is a useful activity to encourage children to participate and to feel comfortable with the routines of the ECE service. This is part of the Belonging and Contribution strands.