According to researcher Howard Gardner, there are nine ways of being smart. Children are “natural” learners and learn best in ways that are “natural” to their innate learning style(s).
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences…
- Body Smart
- Music Smart
- Picture Smart
- Number Smart
- Word Smart
- People Smart
- Self Smart
- Nature Smart
- Existential Smart
It’s interesting to note that music lends itself to all ways of being smart when it comes to acquiring pre-reading skills in early childhood. Here are just a few examples of integrating “music smart” with “partner smarts” to make learning basic pre-reading skills interesting and fun.
Body and Music Smart
- Move body to form letter shapes to music.
- Jump rope to the alphabet song.
Music Smart
- Sing vowel sounds.
- Use lyrics to simple songs to find and circle letters.
Picture and Music Smart
- Illustrate and label pictures to a song.
- Create an adaptation songbook.
Number and Music Smart
- Count the number of bunnies in a song.
- Order events in a songbook.
Word and Music Smart
- Sing the “Word Family Song”.
- Find and circle words in a song or lyrical poem.
People and Music Smart
- Share and teach favorite songs with someone.
- Sing with a buddy.
Self and Music Smart
- Sing aloud to a stuffed animal friend.
- Listen to a rhyming songbook on CD.
Nature and Music Smart
- Text to real world connections. Name the living things you see outside? What songs do they remind you of?
- Sing and dance to “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” while circling a tree or bush.
Existential and Music Smart
- Find letter blends in the song “Giving”.
- SIng a friendship song. Brainstorm the ways to be a good friend.
Multiple styles can and should overlap in any learning activity but it should be noted that including music turns a not so interesting lesson into one that piques a child’s curiosity and attention span!
Sing-a-Song Learning K-3 
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