How can music support physical activity and fundamental movement skills in the early years? 

As society progresses, more activities are moving online. As a result, physical activity is becoming a hot topic for all ages, and even more so during times of restriction like lockdown. Long gone are the days for most families where children were turfed out of the house in the morning, only to be seen again once the streetlights come on in the evening. The increase in the population, ability to travel, and speed of information sharing have changed not only the way we now parent but they have also changed the types of skills that children may have been expected to develop outside of education settings, specifically, fundamental movement skills during physical activity.

Fundamental Movement Skills are defined as gross motor skills involving different body parts (Broomfield, 2011). These skills are not acquired automatically but are developed through explorative play. Musical activity is a form of play that is not only enjoyable, but non-competitive, allowing for free, non-judgemental exploration. The importance of developing these skills is that not only do children become more confident in physical activity including games and sports, but they are also more likely to maintain physical activity for life. The benefits of physical activity for life are far-ranging, including: improved lung capacity; improved heart health; increased cognition; reduced stress; reduced mental health conditions; reduced risk of injury.

Early years is the perfect time to introduce a love for movement. Stodden et al (2008) proposed that the better we think we perform, the more likely we are to stick at it. It has also been found that engaging in activities earlier in life increases the likelihood of returning to them later in life. Certainly this has been found to be true from adolescence: if we were not good at sport, or did not think we were good, or especially if we had not played a particular sport by adolescence, it would be unlikely that we would give it a go as an adult.

However, a recent study by He et al (2021) considered the relationship of perceived ability in preschool (3-4 years) aged children in Hong Kong. Approximately 150 children were given accelerometers, devices that measured physical activity, over 5 days each, and then tested for their ability to perform familiar fundamental movement skills. Interestingly, the study showed that preschool children had unrealistically high perceptions of their movement abilities due to immature cognitive abilities, so were not influenced at all by perceived ability. In fact, researchers found that children were more likely to engage in physical activity if they had more experience in fundamental movement skills. There are clearly additional differences that need to be accounted for including different cultural expectations, physical play opportunities, academic focussed ideals. However, the principle of increasing movement from the earliest years in a UK context is to be welcomed.

Fundamental movement skills can be split into body management skills, locomotor skills and object control skills. The song suggestions below not only create opportunities to introduce children to the physical activity skills, but do so in a musical way that will develop singing accuracy as well as the ability to recognise and match external rhythms.

Body Management Skills

E.g. balancing, rolling, landing, bending, stretching, twisting, turning, swinging, climbing

What Shall We Do When We All Go Out

What shall we do when we all go out
All go out, all go out
What shall we do when we all go out
When we all go out to play

Let’s all play on the see saw (bend knees up and down)
The see saw, the see saw …

Let’s all walk on the balance beam (walk along an imaginary line)
The balance beam, the balance beam …

Let’s all stretch and touch the sky (stretch in different directions)
Touch the sky, touch the sky …

Let’s all swing on the swings (run forwards and backwards as if on a swing)
The swings, the swing …

Let’s all play on the climbing frame (reach up with arms and legs on an imaginary frame)
The climbing frame, the climbing frame …