Submitted by Teresa Wright, Tennessee
Idea posted May 22, 2007
I use my beanie babies, especially the little ones from fast-food kid meals, to help my preschool and kindergarten children to keep and move to a steady beat. As music plays, they bounce their "beat buddy" in their hand. I like to have them mirror me by bouncing their beanie wherever I bounce mine (i.e., on their knees, toe, head, etc.). I move the "beat buddy" around to keep their attention. I also try to cross the mid-line as much as possible, using knee-to-knee or shoulder-to-shoulder movement. They love this, and even my special ed. preschool has been very successful using the "beat buddies."
At a workshop I attended last summer, a statement was made that children who have trouble keeping a steady beat will have trouble learning to read. Therefore, I have been really working on keeping a steady beat with all of my younger classes.