Description:

Self-regulation skills allow children to manage their energy, emotions, and attention. When children have effective self-regulation skills, they are better able to focus and engage in deep learning. It also helps them to control their response to stress in ways that are positive for our wellbeing and those around us.

Music provides opportunities for children to self-regulate their behaviour by making sounds that are fast/slow, high/low, loud/soft, starting/stopping. This means that through making music, children can direct their behaviour with more and more effectiveness.

Making natural and sustainable music shakers requires creativity and problem-solving as children make choices as to what goes into the bottle and how it will fit. You might like to add water to your shakers to create more movement and another element of sound.

Promote learning by:

• Encourage your child to sing songs that they know whilst shaking and moving the shaker to enhance their skills in beat, rhythm, tempo (speed) and dynamics (volume). Sing songs such as “A, B, C” or “I’m a little teapot” or “If you’re happy and you know it” in different ways.
• Use words to describe their movements with the shaker

1. Fast
2. Slow
3. Loud
4. Soft
5. High
6. Low
7. Starting
8. Stopping