Welcome to the New Site
Are you sitting down? Yes? Then you might want to stand up and MOVE- or at least get your students up and moving more! I know YOU work all day, dancing, singing, talking, creating, managing, and at the end of the day just want to SIT or LIE down. But, keep reading to get the why and how of movement for your classes. This post is going to give you some innovative creative movement activities to use with the Stretchy Bands and Connect-a-Stretchy Bands.
We know YOU want to do more creative movement in your lessons- So we’ve come up with some concrete-easy and FREE ways to help you SUCCEED!
The series is concentrating on using different ways of implementing creative movement in your classroom. The Connect-A-Stretchy Band is quickly becoming one of my favorite tools because it is easy to use and can be used in so many different types of activities.
One of the reasons I love the products at Bear Paw Creek is because of their philosophy about music education. Here’s a quote from their blog.
“At Bear Paw Creek, we understand the importance of music and movement for developing healthy minds and bodies of all ages. Music stimulates both sides of the brain, lifts our spirits and makes tedious activities seem fun. Incorporating motion with music brings along all the excellent physical and emotional benefits of exercise, strengthening our muscles and improving coordination.”
You can get a STRETCHY BAND HERE
Did you know that creative movement is the TOP solution to activating your students interest, helping them transition to music class and engaging them as learners.
That’s why you want to invest in movement props and activities.
Honestly, that’s why I’m writing about some innovative Creative Movement Activities with Connect-A-Stretchy Bands.
1- Movement gives kids opportunities to use large muscles to move and play games.
2- Movement Activities give kids social interaction opportunities.
3- Cross body movement gives the brain and body a chance to work together.
4- Dancing, Moving, Actions, give kids opportunities to burn off stress.
5- Movement opportunities help kids strength and confidence in the body and encourage an active lifestyle.
6- Moving helps kids develop balance.
7- Help kids find joy in moving the body.
8- Help kids to use fine motor muscles.
Creative movement is more than “Brain breaks”.
They need learning opportunities that connect and use all senses.
They also need opportunities to use their bodies to express feelings and ideas.
And YOU- Teachers need strategies to keep students engaged and learning.
You can now purchase the Stretchy Band Songs and Activity Bundle from the Sing Play Create Teachers Pay Teachers Store.
Get your students moving and learning with the upbeat songs and activities in this Stretchy Band Bundle! Professionally animated videos that your students will LOVE!
You’ll find 5 songs with colorful VIDEOS, presentations, teaching ideas and activity directions along with 65 Movement Posters and 16 additional activities to easily implement Stretchy Band activities into your lessons, activities and curriculum.
Build classroom community, teach concepts, move little bodies using one fun resource!
The songs and activities are best for ages 4-10.
Use to create smaller circle groups for games, folk dances and game songs like:
Use in all of your activities that use a line or circle for students to follow a leader like:
The Bands are perfect for your choir, class and school team building activities. Great discussion starters to ask questions like:
Use them to start a discussion on why everyone is important?
The bands can be used for creative movement activities. To read more about creative movement activities FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE INTRO ARTICLE ON CREATIVE MOVEMENT and get your FREE RESOURCE to plan your creative movement activities.
The music from “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint Saens is perfect for creative movement activities. Not only can you use the “teach a music concept” activities, but students can express movement through music and activate their creativity at the same time.
The new resource also includes activities for the “Carnival of the Animals”, including some worksheets for students to connect the movement activities to music and their experiences.
It’s also perfect to use for easy games on those snow, reward and “I’ve lost my voice” days.
Why not play Freeze dance with students sitting around the band, several students dancing in the middle. Students bounce the band on the beat.
When the music stops- everyone stops. The dancing students choose new dancers and then join everyone else around the circle.
Wow! All students engaged and keeping hands busy.
Set up your classroom stations or centers using the smaller segments to define the activities. You’ll want to grab these FREE STATION CARDS found in the RESOURCE LIBRARY. You can SUBSCRIBE RIGHT HERE.
Stations provide the students with diverse learning opportunities in one class time. They also give the teacher an opportunity to work with small groups to practice or assess skills.
Use the stretchy ands to define the space around the station activities, or to be one of the stations.
How about using the bands to teach music concepts? Here’s some easy ways to teach core curriculum lessons with Connect-A-Stretchy Bands.
The Connect-a-Stretchy Band can be used in your classroom to teach, include and activate all students for better engagement. Perfect for inclusion activities, the Connect-a-Stretchy Band provides opportunities for students to experience whole body movement and work on spatial concepts. Helps students to see and understand how to stay in place, learn boundaries, and a to function in a defined space. These types of activities help special needs students feel safe by touching and holding the band.
Incorporating sensory experiences in lessons specifically helps special needs and kinesthetic learners.
The new “Stretchy Band and Connect-a-Stretchy Band Activities Set” has some great ways to help students with special needs.
Students can experience sitting, standing, by feeling safe while holding onto the stretchy bands.
Transition activities can be used to welcome students to class, introduce or prepare a concept, segue from one part of a lesson to another, exit students from class, or as stand-alone activities. Transitions can last from three minutes to ten minutes.
Instead of having the class come into the room and find their regular places, have the bands on the floor ready for students to pick up and use., or use the activity as a reward for great behavior during class.
Have music playing or turn on music so that students begin moving immediately upon entering the room.
Or, use the activity to close class to transition to another subject.
Just choose music that will help prepare students for the concept or idea that you will be teaching that day. Ask students to “show” the concept. Perfect for music concepts and friendship, team building, sharing lessons.
Inside the new resource you’ll find 5 VIDEOS with adorable graphics using animals and kids to help students use the stretchy band including this one that’s on the Sing Play Create YouTube channel.
I’m here to motivate you to do more creative movement in your lessons and SUCCEED by using the Connect-a-Stretchy Bands.
I’m hoping that this article gives you some Innovative Creative Movement Activities with Connect-A-Stretchy Bands.
Looking for resources now? I’ve put links to some of my favorite resources on the TEACHER LIFE PAGE.
Please share this post with your teacher friends!
Q
Hi there! I’m Sandra, one of the authors behind Sing Play Create. My goal is to provide teachers with interactive resources and activities to improve the effectiveness of their teaching and enhance student learning.
© 2022 Sing Play Create. All Rights Reserved.
13 Responses
I love my stretchy band from Bear Paw Creek. And while I haven’t used it a great deal in my classroom, my students love it, too. Thank you for all of these amazing ideas! It will certainly expand my use of this tool.
Pam Tehuiotoa
That’s fantastic! They are fun to use whether teaching or playing!