DYNAMIC

PHYSICAL
EDUCATION
FOR ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL CHILDREN
Chapter 19
Rhythmic
Movement Skills

R O B E R T P A N G R A Z I
SIXTEENTH EDITION
PowerPoint® Lecture Slide Presentation prepared by Mary J. Sariscsany, California State University Northridge
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Rhythm
 Basis for music and dance
 All body movements tend to be rhythmic
 Rhythmic activities appropriate for younger
children

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Rhythmic Movement Skills
 Early experiences with functional and creative
movement
 Locomotor skills are inherently rhythmic
 Rhythm can enhance development of locomotor
skills
 An important component of children’s dance is
fundamental rhythms
 Begins with locomotor skills children already
possess

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Rhythm
 Rhythmic activities are a vehicle for expressive
movement
 Offer opportunities for broad participation
 Personalize responses to a movement
 Create unique rhythmic responses within song and
dances
 Rhythmic programs should be balanced

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Rhythm

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Developmental Level I
 Focus on creative rhythms and movement songs
 Simple folk dances and mixers
 Simple mixers help children find new partners and
move rhythmically
 Activities that require minimum instruction while
giving a positive experience

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Developmental Level II
 Folk and line dances that include combinations of
locomotor skills
 Marching, basic tinikling steps, and introductory
square dancing steps
 Emphasis mastering simple locomotor skills

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Developmental Level III
 More difficult steps
 Grapevine
 Schottische
 Polka
 Intermediate tinikling steps
 Two-step
 Students not comfortable moving with partners of
opposite sex

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Understanding Rhythmic Accompaniment
 Music has essential characteristics
 Tempo
 Speed of the music
 Can be constant or show gradual increase or
decrease

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Understanding Rhythmic Accompaniment
 Beat
 Underlying rhythm of the music
 Pulse of the music
 Even or uneven

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Understanding Rhythmic Accompaniment
 Measure
 Group of beats made by the regular occurrence
of a heavy accent
 Intensity
 Loud
 Soft
 Light
 Heavy
 Phrase
 Natural grouping of measures
 Usually eight underlying beats
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Sources of Rhythmic Accompaniment
 Children more likely to move to a rhythm that is
stimulating
 Skillful use of a drum or tambourine
 Primarily wrist action, not arm
 Build a collection of music as a school or
department

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Creative Rhythms
 Creativity should be part of all dance and
rhythmic activities
 Creativity is the goal
 Functional movement is secondary
 Emphasis is on process, not the movement
outcomes
 Careful guidance is necessary to increase self-
direction

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Creative Rhythms
Instructional Procedures
 Appropriate music or rhythmic background
 Analyze setting
 Listening is important
 Use action-directing statements
 Initial focus on selecting appropriate rhythmic
background
 Time to develop and try student’s ideas

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Expressive Movement
 Children can express moods and feelings
 Show reactions to colors and sounds through
improvisation
 Discuss qualities of a particular piece of music
 Ask children how it makes them feel

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Folk Dances
 A traditional dance of a particular culture
 Teaches an understanding of various cultures
 Build from basic dance steps
 Focus on the main skill(s) of the dance first and
sequence later

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Teaching New Dances Successfully
 Slow down the music
 If the dance is short, use whole-teaching approach
 Students in scattered formation
 Avoid use of partners
 Avoid left-right, clockwise-counterclockwise
 Perform a dance once or twice in a daily lesson
 Teach rhythm the same way as sports skills
 Dances with strong movements appeal to boys

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Modifying Rhythmic Activities
 Traditional music may not be appealing
 Use current music to motivate
 Change traditional dances into line dances

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Modifying Rhythmic Activities

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Arranging for Partners
 Dancing boy-girl is not necessary
 Use follow-the-leader
 Boys join hands in circle, girls step behind
 Girls in circle facing counterclockwise, boys in
outer circle facing clockwise
 Square dance
 Take first four couples from any of the above to
form a set
 Continue for all sets

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Formation for Folk Dances

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Formation for Folk Dances

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Dance Positions

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Dance Positions

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Dance Positions

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Dance Positions

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Dance Positions

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