Using physical movement to support early reading
Children like to play games. Many of the games they play – especially those with songs, rhymes or actions – help them to practise early reading skills.
Learning songs and joining in are important foundations for the development of children’s early literacy skills. These experiences provide the building blocks for early reading development and encourage active participation.
In order to become effective readers, children first need to be ready to read. Factors that influence children’s readiness to read include:
- having an interest in becoming a reader
- listening carefully for meaning and follow and imitate sounds, practising fine motor control in hands and fingers
- developing spatial awareness and whole body coordination.
Games to support readiness for reading
Examples of games that support early reading readiness include the following:
- Listening and speaking skills:
- learning rhyming songs by heart (hearing and predicting rhyming words is a predictor of reading ability)
- clapping a rhythm, listening for syllables
- singing rhyming songs
- listening to an joining in with simple stories
- matching to words
- using cardboard boxes, etc. for imaginative play.
- Fine motor skills:
- hand/eye coordination
- finger rhymes
- table games with paper, scissors and glue
- outside play with stones, water and cutlery.
- Spatial awareness – whole body coordination:
- throwing a ball around a group during a rhyme
- making large actions to a rhyme or song
- running, jumping, dancing games.
- Classroom cooperation:
- clapping games in pairs and hearing syllables
- ‘follow my leader’-type games to support recall of information
- circle games, such as passing a toy around a group.
All of these games support children’s readiness for reading. Sally Goddard Blythe (2000) argues that even though learning takes place in the brain, it is a child’s motor skills that evidence the developing maturity of the body and brain relationship, expressed through movement, balance and posture. Reading is an oculo-motor skill: being able to track words on a page is connected to the motion of the eye. She argues that a child who is better coordinated has fewer learning problems. Incorporating physical movement and promoting coordination in lessons through games will support children as they begin to develop their early reading skills.
(You may like to read Sally Goddard Blythe’s article in full.)

Now read Case Study 3.3 and try the activity that follows.
Case Study 3.3: Songs and action rhymes
Innocent is an experienced early primary school teacher in Tanzania who has recently begun mentoring two new teachers, Sarah and Cornelia, in the new pre-primary unit that has opened at his school. He lives in Mbeya and his first language is Bemba, although he also speaks both English and KiSwahili. Innocent knows that, as new teachers, Sarah and Cornelia do not have a lot of confidence in working with pre-primary children.
He decides to focus on simple local games – especially the kind of games that have songs or rhymes attached to them – as a way to encourage both teachers and children to make the transition from speaking and listening to reading and writing. He knows that games are a good way of making learning fun and that the ability to hear and predict rhymes will develop children’s reading and writing skills.
One game involves getting all the children to stand up and to each find a little space for themselves (as they will need to do some bending over) and to then follow the actions of the teacher as she sings. As she names each part of the body, she touches it. So she taps her head with one hand, then she taps her shoulders with both hands, then her knees and then her toes with both hands and each time she sings the word.
Extract
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Two eyes, two ears, one mouth and one nose.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.
The children really enjoy playing this game and singing this song because it:
- focuses their attention and practises vocabulary
- contains rhyme and repetition
- helps physical coordination by practising bending, stretching and two-hand coordination
- helps children to remember ones and twos and matching pairs (ears, eyes, knees and shoulders).
Sarah and Cornelia follow up this song with others they know in Bemba and KiSwahili.
Activity 3.7: Professional staff development
How could you explain to a colleague why an activity like the one in Case Study 3.3 would be useful in supporting early readers? Look back over the last few pages and summarise your ideas about physical movement can support early reading in your study notebook.
Ask your Principal if you can host a ‘readiness for early reading’ staff meeting:
- Briefly explain what you have learnt about getting ready to read and the benefits of action rhymes and songs.
- Use the meeting to teach each other new songs.
- Make a collection of good action songs for early learners and make them into a big book for the staffroom.
- If you can access the internet, search for ‘Action rhymes for young African children’ for new ideas to try with your class.
As well as helping develop co-ordination and vocabulary, songs can help children develop phonological awareness.
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