Music and Movement Breaks

We know that it can be challenging to sit still for long periods of time. That's why in Autahi, we've been exploring different ways to wiggle, stretch, stomp and sing with lots of musical movement breaks!

Music & movement have been very popular in Autahi this term. We have enjoyed exploring new songs and new musical instruments, as well as learning dances and ways to move our bodies. All this music and movement is also helping us with our learning, as having short opportunities to burn off our energy and have a little fun, mean that we can sustain our focus in the long term. 

Going for a little run in the morning is a great way to wake up our bodies and our brains, but sometimes, the weather doesn't play ball and we have to find other ways to energize ourselves. We have found that dancing has been a really great way to get us ready for learning, while still having fun! You may have heard us talking about milkshakes, waffles, pizza and broken eggs - despite sounding a bit random, this has been one of our favourite songs to boogie to!

For the times when our energy is through the roof and we need help to return to our learning brains, we have been exploring yoga poses and breathing techniques.  Poses like downward dog and spinal twists, paired with rainbow breathing, have worked a treat for helping us to calm our bodies and brains so that we are ready for learning. 

You can try any of these music and movement breaks at home - ask your tamaiti to share them with you!