LSP1501 Assignment 8
(Portfolio) Memo (COMPLETE
ANSWERS) Due 5 September
2025
For assistance contact
Email:
, 1.1 Ways Toddlers Develop Musical Skills
According to researchers, toddlers develop their musical skills through two primary methods:
Active Engagement: This involves toddlers actively participating in musical activities,
such as singing, dancing, and playing simple instruments. This hands-on experience
helps them to internalize rhythm, pitch, and melody.
Exposure to Music: Regularly listening to a wide variety of music is crucial. Toddlers
learn by absorbing the sounds and patterns they hear around them, whether it's from
lullabies, nursery rhymes, or instrumental music. This passive exposure builds their
musical vocabulary and appreciation.
1.2 Music and Cross-Curricular Development
Music is a powerful tool for supporting the development of other learning areas in the
Foundation Phase. It provides a multi-sensory and engaging platform that makes abstract
concepts more concrete and memorable.
Numeracy 🔢
Music directly supports numeracy by teaching foundational concepts such as counting,
patterns, and sequencing.
Rhythm and Counting: When children clap or tap to a beat, they are counting. For
example, in a simple song with a 4/4 time signature, a teacher can ask students to clap
four times to the beat. This reinforces the concept of counting in a tangible way.
Patterns: Many songs and musical compositions are built on repetitive patterns, both in
melody and rhythm. Identifying and repeating these patterns helps children develop an
understanding of predictable sequences, a key skill in early mathematics. For instance, a
song might have a "long, short, short, long" rhythm pattern that students can identify and
replicate.
Grouping and Subtraction: In my experience, using songs about "five little ducks" or
"ten green bottles" is highly effective. As each duck or bottle "goes away," children
physically act out the subtraction, making the abstract concept of taking away a concrete,
memorable experience.
Literacy 📖
Music enhances literacy by improving phonological awareness, vocabulary, and memory.
Rhyme and Alliteration: Nursery rhymes and children's songs are rich with rhyming
and alliterative words. Singing these songs helps children to recognize and anticipate
rhyming sounds, which is a critical pre-reading skill. For example, the song "Twinkle,
Twinkle, Little Star" helps them hear the similarity in sounds between "star" and "are."
(Portfolio) Memo (COMPLETE
ANSWERS) Due 5 September
2025
For assistance contact
Email:
, 1.1 Ways Toddlers Develop Musical Skills
According to researchers, toddlers develop their musical skills through two primary methods:
Active Engagement: This involves toddlers actively participating in musical activities,
such as singing, dancing, and playing simple instruments. This hands-on experience
helps them to internalize rhythm, pitch, and melody.
Exposure to Music: Regularly listening to a wide variety of music is crucial. Toddlers
learn by absorbing the sounds and patterns they hear around them, whether it's from
lullabies, nursery rhymes, or instrumental music. This passive exposure builds their
musical vocabulary and appreciation.
1.2 Music and Cross-Curricular Development
Music is a powerful tool for supporting the development of other learning areas in the
Foundation Phase. It provides a multi-sensory and engaging platform that makes abstract
concepts more concrete and memorable.
Numeracy 🔢
Music directly supports numeracy by teaching foundational concepts such as counting,
patterns, and sequencing.
Rhythm and Counting: When children clap or tap to a beat, they are counting. For
example, in a simple song with a 4/4 time signature, a teacher can ask students to clap
four times to the beat. This reinforces the concept of counting in a tangible way.
Patterns: Many songs and musical compositions are built on repetitive patterns, both in
melody and rhythm. Identifying and repeating these patterns helps children develop an
understanding of predictable sequences, a key skill in early mathematics. For instance, a
song might have a "long, short, short, long" rhythm pattern that students can identify and
replicate.
Grouping and Subtraction: In my experience, using songs about "five little ducks" or
"ten green bottles" is highly effective. As each duck or bottle "goes away," children
physically act out the subtraction, making the abstract concept of taking away a concrete,
memorable experience.
Literacy 📖
Music enhances literacy by improving phonological awareness, vocabulary, and memory.
Rhyme and Alliteration: Nursery rhymes and children's songs are rich with rhyming
and alliterative words. Singing these songs helps children to recognize and anticipate
rhyming sounds, which is a critical pre-reading skill. For example, the song "Twinkle,
Twinkle, Little Star" helps them hear the similarity in sounds between "star" and "are."
