Is your child getting ready for school in September?

 

During June and July, Primary schools would usually be running transitions group for parents and children starting with them in September. One of the main aims of these groups is to give parents tips for games and activities which they can practise with their children over the Summer.

Boogie Mites have supported many schools for many years across Hampshire, Surrey and London with music sessions as part of transition. The evidence indicates that practise of the music activities covered in Boogie Mites School Ready Programmes strengthens foundations for phonics and maths at school.

Boogie Mites provides an invaluable resource and an excellent way of engaging parents, in addition to improving outcomes for young children.  Boogie Mites meets the 7 Aspects of Letters and Sounds Phase 1 which provides rich pre reading skills. Children enter school with well below these skills so it is an important part of transition.

Sue Aspland, Head Teacher, Springfield  Infants School, Waterlooville, Hampshire.

This year, we’ve been producing music workshop videos during lockdown which will be broadcast for free, so that as many families as possible can get these musical benefits. We don’t want anyone to miss out on transition this year, so you can benefit from our music practice this Summer.

THE SCHOOL READY MATHS PROGRAMME

The Boogie Mites Maths Programme songs can be linked to early years learning Development Matters as follows:

NUMBERS

• Recite number names in sequence (Octavia, Little Ducky, I Love My Toes, Bo Peep)
• Count reliably up to 10 everyday objects (I Love My Toes, Bo Peep)
• Make comparisons between quantities eg ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘all gone’ (Little Ducky)
• Show an interest in representing numbers eg using fingers (Five little Fish, Swim Me Hearties, Little Ducky)
• Realise not only objects but anything can be counted eg steps, claps (Number 5 Jive)

SHAPE, SPACE AND MEASURES

• Use language such as ‘greater’ smaller’, ‘tall’, ‘long’……and order two or three items by length or height. (Noah’s Ark)
• Talk about, recognise and recreate simple patterns (I Can Hear an Echo)
• Use language such as ‘circle’ or sphere to describe shapes and solids, show awareness of similarities of shapes in the environment (It’s Summer Time)
• Use everyday words to describe position eg ‘under’, ‘over’, infront’ (Tap, Tap, Tap)

THE SCHOOL READY LITERACY PROGRAMME

The School Ready Literacy Programme includes 25 songs and activities covering all 7 Aspects of the National Strategy for Letters and Sounds Phase 1.

The Letters and Sounds National Strategy, Phase 1, based on the findings of the Rose Report 2006, recognises the important part that singing and music-making can play in developing foundations for literacy including sound processing skills to support syllable and phoneme awareness.

• Aspect 1: General sound discrimination – environmental sounds. To develop children’s listening skills and awareness of the sounds around them. ( Shakey Shakey, Choo Choo Choo)
• Aspect 2: General sound discrimination – instrumental sounds. To develop children’s awareness of instrumental sounds, patterns of sounds and timing. (Bangedy Bang Bang, Boogie Mites Marching Band)
• Aspect 3: General sound discrimination – body percussion. To develop an awareness of sounds and rhythm that can be made using the body. (Clap Clap Clap, One Man Band)
• Aspect 4: Rhythm and rhyme. To develop an awareness of rhythm and rhyme in speech. Play with words. (Five Little Fish, Let’s Tap a name, Tap Rap, Chocolate Cake, Grand Old Duke)
• Aspect 5: To understand alliteration and recognise initial sounds. (Come On everyone, Bean Bang Hello)
• Aspect 6: Voice sounds. To understand the differences in vocal sounds. To help children with their articulation and expression. (Crocodile, If You’re Happy, Jungles of Brazil)
• Aspect 7: Oral blending and segmenting. To help children to break down words into phonemes. (JACK)

Each aspect involves:

1. Tuning into sounds – listening and picking out sounds (auditory discrimination)
2. Listening and remembering sounds in the orders they are heard (auditory memory and sequencing)
3. Talking about sounds (developing vocabulary and understanding of language and speech).

 

Another bonus is: Boogie Mites songs are enjoyed as much by adults as by children and they provide a fun way to share learning together, bond and create memories at this vital stage before school.

For enquiries, contact Sue Newman, Boogie Mites director: [email protected] or call her on 023 92 817274