Many people think about learning the alphabet, counting and recognizing shapes when envisioning early childhood education. While those are all very important for children to learn, music and dance can be helpful as well. Incorporating music and movement into early childhood education can help young children with development, social interaction and language growth.
许多人都展望儿童早期教育能开发儿童学习字母、计算和识别形状等能力，并且他们认 为那些对于孩子学习都很重要。其实音乐和舞蹈也是很有帮助的。将音乐和运动纳入儿 童早期教育可以帮助孩子们更好的发展、增进社会交往和语言发展。
Early Childhood 儿童早期教育
Early childhood education, for children 8 years of age and younger, is the beginning of a student's academic experience. This is an important time of learning and brain development for children in preparation for the rest of their education. Playing music and moving to a beat provides stimulating experiences for young children and fosters learning at home or in the classroom. Parents and early childhood teachers can incorporate music and movement into daily routines.
儿童早期教育，是提供给八岁以前的儿童，是成为学生求学阶段开始之前所必经的阶 段。而且这是他们在接受人生中其他教育之前，最重要的学习和大脑发育的最佳准备时 间。无论是发生在家里或课堂中，演奏音乐和跟着精准的节拍移动都为幼儿提供了刺激 性体验。家长和早期教育教师都可以把音乐和运动融入到日常生活中。
Brain Development 对大脑发展
According to the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, 85 percent of brain development occurs by the time a child reaches 3 years. As children grow, they need to learn specific activities that are important for development. For example, very young children begin to scoot and crawl for movement and while these activities are part of eventually learning to walk, they are also essential for brain development. Additionally, patterned activities at home or in the preschool classroom, such as clapping to music or jumping in time to a beat stimulate brain function and help the brain to organize thoughts and behaviors.
根据儿童早期音乐和运动协会研究发现，85%的大脑发育会在孩子3岁前发生。随着孩 子的成长，他们所学习特定的活动对大脑发展而言是非常重要的。例如，幼儿开始快速 行走和爬行这类活动，都是促使他们最终学会走路的一部分，而这些对他们的大脑发育 至关重要。此外，无论在家里或在幼儿园课堂活动中的律动，如：跟着音乐拍手或跟着 节奏精准地跳动，这些都是刺激大脑的功能和帮助大脑组织的思维与行为。
Language 对语言发展
Language has its own tempo; speaking a language fluently involves regular pauses, stops and starts in appropriate places. For example, most people do not speak in a constant, running diatribe of words; rather they insert pauses between phrases, they use accents and they increase or decrease the overall speed of speech. Music has a tempo and teaching young children songs that have rhythms and beats or learning to march in time to a tune can help students to learn the rhythm of speaking and improve their communication skills.
语言也是有特定的速度，比如流利的会话是包括有规律的暂停、停止、和在适当的地方 开始。例如，大多数人都不会连续不断地讲话，也不会无休止地谩骂。反而是语句之间 有适当的停顿，他们会使用重音来增加或减少总体的演讲速度。同理，音乐也是有速度 的，就是为了教会幼儿理解歌曲的节奏和节拍，及找准音调。这些都帮助他们学习掌握 说话的节奏和提高他们的沟通技巧。
Types 活动类型
Several different types of music and movement activities can be incorporated into early childhood education. Teaching songs, such as the “ABCs” or “If You’re Happy and You Know It” while clapping or tapping along can teach rhythm and cadence while learning new words. Songs that involve action and hand gestures that follow the music teach children not only the meaning of some new words, but also to move and sing at the same time. Other types of activities for use in the classroom could be dancing with streamers or scarves, playing small musical instruments, singing songs in rounds, singing while cleaning up, marching to the beat or imitating animals. Not only can this be beneficial academically, it also keeps children moving, which is good for their little bodies.
几种不同类型的音乐和运动活动可以纳入儿童早期教育中。教学歌曲，如“字母歌” 或 “如果感到开心你就拍拍手”这样的歌曲，它们会使得孩子通过拍手或拍打来学会歌曲中 的新词的同时了解到什么是抑扬顿挫。歌曲是包含动作与手势的，所以教授音乐时，我们不仅教孩子一些词语的意思，同时也教会他们如何移动和歌唱。其他一些课堂上的活 动类型有，舞动飘带或纱巾来跳舞、演奏一些小乐器、轮唱、收拾玩具的时候唱歌、跟着节奏踏步游戏或模仿动物。这些活动在理论上来讲，都是对儿童有益的，同时也激发 了孩子的运动，这将有利于他们的小身体发育。