Respond to the elements of pulse/beat, pitch, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, timbre and texture through movement, verbalisation, or musical participation

Do not shy away from using musical vocabulary with early years children. It is perfectly appropriate to talk about fast and slow, high and low, loud and quiet, and use words to describe timbre and texture. Children will respond to these terms and they will begin to use this vocabulary themselves, and if they don’t at this stage, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t absorbing the vocabulary and learning.

Observe when children tap or move to the pulse/beat spontaneously in sessions and move with them.

Select musical examples that demonstrate a really clear strong pulse/beat. 

Children can quite quickly learn to move to a pulse/beat, but transferring this to an instrument can be harder than we might expect. A young child may find it easier, and therefore have more success, playing the rhythm of the words or some of the repeated words than finding and playing the pulse/beat throughout.

With all of the activities here, adults should observe and interact as appropriate. Reinforce the child’s response through copying, then depending on the child, extend their learning with your suggestions (but don’t be surprised if they choose to continue to do their own thing!).

These rhymes are about storytelling, so remember to add drama. A pause before the quick mouse is very exciting!

Observe the natural speed of their movements and offer this rather than imposing a tempo upon them; young children move a lot faster than adults when they walk, for example. 

You may wish to introduce the concept of rhythm by inviting the children to explore the rhythm of words as part of singing games and other playful activities, e.g. own names, favourite fruit or food, cartoon characters etc. Encourage the children to vocalise the words as they clap.

It takes a long time and much practical experience for children to securely understand the difference between pulse/beat and rhythm. In reality, the words themselves don’t matter at this age. We must use and apply them correctly, but the children should do what they feel is right. If one chooses to pat the pulse/beat, say e.g. ‘Lovely patting the beat, let’s all try’. If another is tapping the rhythm with their spoon, say ‘I love that you are playing the rhythm of the words with your spoon, can I join in with you?’

Most young children will explore freely, but depending on prior experience, some may wait to be told what to do. In this case, model having a go, e.g. look at the instrument, shake it, shake it more, tap it – explore and ask the child to help you.

Praise all efforts. This is about timbre and texture; playing an accurate pulse/beat or rhythm is secondary.

Allow the children to just join in when they want to in the first instance; they do not need to wait politely for you to finish. Once recognised, play the song again for them all to join in. Then play it again and ask them to listen to how your instrument sounds.

If possible, have tuned percussion available, so that children can explore pitch independently. Always provide two beaters – young children will naturally use both hands.

Explore high and low sounds in contrast and then sliding between higher and lower. A teacher with a swanee whistle (or playing glissandi on any instrument) can be great fun, with children reaching up and crouching down to demonstrate the changes in pitch.

Encourage nursery/school staff to use their voices during play activities (e.g. with playdough, sewing, driving cars, or building blocks) modelling the sounds of gesture. For example, an adult may accompany the action of rolling playdough with smooth, legato singing, or the action of stacking building blocks with pitch rising and falling.