Middle School Rhythmic And Spatial Skills
What middle school lessons are meant to teach musical-rhythmic skills?
Instruction in the arts and music continues into middle-school with music lessons teaching musical-rhythmic skills, but we also start seeing specializations with the children themselves. Some are in the chorus, some play in the marching band and there are kids who join the drill team. Also at that point there is not direct instruction from the middle-school, but indirectly there is a lot of contemporary music around which the children begin to share with each other, they begin to learn and emulate some of those sounds and rhythms that they hear, again improving musical-rhythmic skills.
How can I help my middle school-age child learn musical-rhythmic skills?
A lot of children continue to take music lessons into middle school and many of them start music lessons. Very popular these days are keyboard and guitars, readily available at department stores, which many children do want to learn how to play, and express interest in. If we're musical ourselves, we can help our children and show them things that we know. Of course, we have to remember that to build up any skill, it takes repetition and practice. That's really the best lesson of all: to show the children that they may not be able to do something today, but if they keep at it they'll be able to do it tomorrow.
What middle school lessons are meant to teach visual-spatial skills?
In middle school, we continue with art lessons and art appreciation experiences to improve visual-spacial skills. But also, in math classes and algebra classes, particularly geometry, we start to have the children create these objects on their own. They begin drawing using protractors, rulers and compasses, so that the visual-spatial skills become skills that are useful in many facets of life, not just in artistic expression.
How can I tell if my middle school-age child is having trouble with visual-spatial skills?
Middle school children who are struggling with visual-spatial skills may be struggling in the aspects of their math program, e.g. graphing coordinates, creating geometric shapes accurately, etc. Children who may be struggling with visual-spatial skills may still be having trouble getting around the neighborhood, city or town, understanding the surface streets and being able to use maps and follow directions.
How can I help my middle school-age child learn visual-spatial skills?
I think that one of the very best things parents can do with middle school children with regard to visual-spatial difficulties, is to read maps with them, to work on map skills and direction skills; understanding scale, distance, time elapsed and space. This can be done particularly on road trips or any travel that the family takes: where they're going, what direction they're going, how high they'll be flying. I think all of this needs to be shared with children, rather than have them as passive bystanders.
What middle school lessons are meant to teach bodily-kinesthetic skills?
In middle school we continue to teach bodily-kinesthetic skills in PE classes, also known as physical education classes, but also in a lot of extra curricular activities. Drill team, dance and drama are other ways that the middle school serves to help children improve their bodily and kinesthetic skills.
How can I tell if my middle school-age child is having trouble with bodily-kinesthetic skills?
Middle school children who are having trouble with bodily-kinesthetic skills may show clumsiness around the home by walking and bumping into objects that are in the way. They may not take up the right amount of space in social situations, or they'll slouch or throw their body out there for others to trip over as well. A reluctance to participate in physical activities suggests trouble with bodily-kinesthetic skills. If a child is struggling with going out and about, walking somewhere or taking a trip to the mall, this may be indicative that the child is struggling with bodily-kinesthetic abilities.
How can I help my middle school-age child learn bodily-kinesthetic skills?
Well I think once again we can model good skills for our children. We can model gracefulness when we walk. We can model being active and getting out. We can encourage our kids to get out with us rather than take the car around the block just to go to the market. We might walk there and we might have them walk with us and we might encourage them to be active with us. Not all children are going to be talented in coordination, but, certainly the will become more aware of their bodies and space if we encourage them to get up and out and about.
