Bring out the Show Person!

Who has/hasn’t watched the Greatest Showman?  I’d love to hear your opinion of the film/soundtrack in the comments section below.

The soundtrack, in my opinion, is fantastic!  I get quite emotional listening to music so you can imagine how hard I found it to hold back the tears whilst watching and listening to the film. I was listening to the song ‘This is Me’, from the soundtrack, and it was this that prompted me to write this blog about how I help children express themselves.

How can you bring out the show people in your early years setting?

Choose some exciting music and, as long as the lyrics are suitable, let the children express themselves to the music.  Here are some examples of how I have used recorded music to bring out the show person!

‘Let it Go’ from Frozen

I give each child a scarf to move to the music.  The aim of the activity is for the children to move freely to the music with the scarf as stimulus.  As this song is well known to most young children they instantly recognise it when the music starts.

On one occasion I really saw the performer in one child; she was dancing and singing along to all the words.  No one was telling her what to do she was expressing herself and you could see the joy on her face as she performed.

In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg

The music is enough on its own to bring out the performer as it starts quiet and slow and gradually gets louder and faster.  The expression I see on the children’s faces as they move to the music is fantastic; such drama and excitement as the music builds. Brilliant to watch!

Singin’ in the Rain by Mint Royal

This activity involved a little of my input, just to ask the children to move stiffly like a robot rather than gliding around.  It was amazing how quickly the children took to moving this way.  Super robot moves of their own creating just by being asked to move in a different way. 

I got asked weeks later, can we do the robot moves again? It had made a real impact on the children.

What listening activity can you do to bring out the show person? 

Happy music making!