Move, Groove, and Grow: Building Friendship Skills and Emotional Competencies through Music, Movement, and Play
Description:
Now more than ever, educators need dynamic and engaging strategies to capture children’s attention while fostering essential skills. This interactive training session explores how music, movement, and play can be intentionally used to spark curiosity, build classroom connection, and support learning from the very first day—and throughout the entire year.
Participants will learn how to use playful activities to help children answer three foundational questions that lay the groundwork for establishing strong friendship skills and emotional competence:
Whose names are important to know at [name of place]?
What rules are important to know at [name of place]?
What can I do if I feel sad, scared, or angry at [name of place]?
By exploring and answering the three key questions with children and families, you’ll gain the insights needed to create essential classroom tools and visuals. These resources will support high-energy, engaging activities that continue to build friendship skills and emotional competence, while helping you weave these lessons into themes, activities, and routines throughout the year. Through hands-on music and movement experiences, attendees will explore strategies to:
Introduce, establish, and reinforce classroom rules and expectations in a developmentally appropriate way.
Encourage empathy, self-regulation, and social connection.
Support reluctant learners and promote engagement across a variety of classroom themes.
Sustain meaningful instruction with adaptable activities that evolve throughout the year.
The session includes video examples of lessons in action, discussion of successes and challenges, and a customizable menu of activities that participants can adapt and implement in their settings. Attendees will leave with practical tools, inspiration, and one actionable idea they’re excited to bring back to their classroom.
Join us for a joyful and insightful experience where play becomes powerful teaching, and music and movement serve as bridges for building strong relationships, setting clear expectations, and supporting social skills and emotional competence. Discover how to weave these foundations into everyday activities throughout the year, laying the groundwork for lifelong learning.