Music.
Good
For Reading.
“It is music and dancing that make me at peace with the World"
-Nelson Mandela
Article by Barbara Rando for the National Association of Educators of Young Children explaining how creating musical rap rhythms can help young children develop print concepts AND rhythm awareness.
From Livestrong.com, a set of ideas from the book, 101 More Music Games for Children: New Fun and Learning with Rhythm and Song by Jerry Storms.
Book suggestion. Preschool Songs and Fingerplays: Building Language Experience Through Rhythm and Movement (2006) by Kim Cernek. Creative Teaching Press.
My Little Bookcase compilation of books filled with music and Rhythm.
Music for Rhythm & Meter Awareness.
Huss et al. (2011) noted that children of all cultures spontaneously participate in beat and meter activities like jumping rope, bouncing balls, and dancing, suggesting these activities help structure the brain and are essential for development. Huss et al. found that proficiency in musical meter tasks was very strongly associated with literacy and was a strong predictor of reading and spelling development. In music education, meter is the speed or pulse groupings, rhythm is the way that words or sounds lay on top of the beat, the pulse or heartbeat of music. In popular culture, these terms are often used interchangably. Rap, games, rhythmic books, and songs can all help train a child in rhythm awareness. This book sample might help you get started! (101 Rhythm Instrument Activities for Young Children).
Using Music and Rhythm to Help with Grammar
My Little Bookcase librarian blog's list of books filled with music and rhythm.
NPR Report on using music and rhythm for language development.
Lesson idea to develop preschool language development skills through rhythms.