There is lots of information scattered across the internet to do with the brain and how it is split into two – the right and the left.
The right controls our ability to work out logical things our left is our creativity, imagination etc.
When I come across these little tests on Facebook as to whether I’m left / right brained it always intrigues me to have a go and most of the time I come out as being pretty equal – I guess this is because of being involved in music and having some musical training.
So I was intrigued to come across various articles titled “crossing the midline”
What is the midline?
If you can imagine a line running straight down the centre of your body from head to toe slitting you into two halves that is basically your midline. There is a lot of information suggesting that performing exercises that cross over the midline e.g right elbow to left knee can help connect your left brain to your right brain helping us to function and perform tasks better.
One that intrigued me recently was a post on a professional singing Facebook page. Someone had suggested doing these crossing the midline exercises to help people sing in tune and had found that for whatever reason it worked! There is evidence to suggest it helps develop literacy skills in children or those with development difficulties. Being able to use both sides of our body simultaneously is a much needed skill and relatively simple to encourage.
There has also been a lot about this with young children and thinking about what we do naturally in music training I wondered how many of my songs and activities actually encouraged the “crossing the midline”
During this song I get the children to run a train up a plank. For me this is about teaching musical phrasing but it also covers crossing the midline. The children start with the train on the right and move it up the ramp across their body and to the left and then swap hands and go back down.
Big black train, big black train going up the mountain
Big black train, big black train going down again
Cobbler, Cobbler is one of my favourite songs to sing. We can do lots of things with it – tapping shoes together, using claves etc. First I show that we can tap our shoes to the pulse children use their opposite hand to opposite foot (e.g right hand left foot) as they are sitting and “hammer” on their shoe. This helps teach pulse (and also rhythm) but is also an exercise for crossing the midline. You can do this with babies by sitting them on your knee and touching their right hand to left foot and vice versa.
Cobbler, Cobbler mend my shoe
Get it done by half past two
Half past two is much too late
Get it done by half past eight
Soft Kitten
Soft Kitten, warm kitten
Little ball of fur
Lazy kitten, pretty kitten
Purr, purr, purr
I love this rhyme it is extremely calming for young babies and children. You can encourage toddlers to stroke their arm using their opposite hand pretending they are stroking a cat. This encourages the crossing of the midline and also helps them feel pulse.
You could also use a cat puppet either a hand puppet or finger puppet. Encourage your child to put the puppet on using their other hand. They can then stroke the puppet.
Passing games in a circle
Games where children pass an object around the circle are a great way of crossing the midline making children pass across their body to the next person. Two games I love to use are Cherry Pie (for age 3 upwards) and Starlight Starbright. Both games involving passing and also encourage confidence, anticipation of ending, singing solo and imagination!
I I me oh my
How I love my (cherry) pie
Sitting in a circle pass a ball (it could be another object) around the circle to the pulse (beat) of the song. At the end of the song the child with the ball gets to choose the next flavour of pie (chicken, apple, spider and so on – let their imagination go wild).
I have a lovely big shiny star that the children pass around whilst singing:
Starlight Starbright
First star I see tonight
Wish I may wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight
(name) what’s your wish?
I wish I had a dog
Of course there are many, many more that I use in my classes! Choosing songs and activities are carefully thought out not only for musical development but also the development of the whole child. Singing is so beneficial for children’s development needs if you would like to find out more get in contact.
Comentarios