Musical instruments like maracas, tambourines, shakers, and bells are more than just fun toys for young children—they are powerful learning tools that support a child’s development in many areas. At Boogie Beat Music and Movement we know how these simple, hand-held percussion instruments play a key role in helping children build essential skills while also supporting their creativity and self-expression. Here’s why these instruments are so important for early childhood development and why they are a big part of our sessions:
Building Motor Skills
When children shake maracas or ring bells in our sessions, they are engaging in physical movements that help develop their fine and gross motor skills. Grasping and moving small instruments strengthens their hand muscles and improves coordination, while larger arm movements with tambourines or shakers help develop gross motor control. These movements are essential for everyday tasks such as holding a pencil, dressing, or playing sports as they grow so great to get them exploring with these in our sessions from a young age.
Encouraging Rhythm and Timing
Playing with percussion instruments teaches children about rhythm, beat, and timing. Whether they are shaking a maraca in time to our Boogie Beat shake or tapping a tambourine to a beat, children are beginning to understand how rhythm works. This enhances their musical abilities and also supports their language development as they are key elements in speech patterns and phonological awareness.
Developing Listening and Concentration
When children are playing with the bells and shakers in our sessions, they listen carefully to the sounds they create. This helps to sharpen their auditory skills and teaches them to focus on specific sounds. This type of attentive listening supports them as they grow and learn in other areas such as following directions in school or listening during conversations.
Boosting Sensory Development
Instruments like shakers, bells, and tambourines offer children a multisensory experience. We have over 60 instruments for the children to choose from and it might mean that they can feel the vibration of a tambourine, hear the jingle of bells, and see the movement of the beads inside a maraca. Engaging the children with these multiple senses helps young children build stronger sensory pathways, which is essential for their overall sensory development and understanding of the world around them.
Promoting Social Interaction
Musical instruments are a great way for children to engage with others. In Boogie Beat sessions children can shake maracas or jingle bells together, learning about cooperation, turn-taking, and social interaction. These activities also help children develop a sense of teamwork, as they synchronise their playing with others or participate in group songs and dances.
Fostering Emotional Expression
For young children who are still developing language skills, percussion instruments provide a valuable outlet for emotional expression. Shaking a tambourine or jingling bells can be a way for children to release energy, express happiness, or soothe themselves. These instruments give children a non-verbal way to communicate their feelings, building emotional awareness and self-regulation.
Conclusion
Maracas, tambourines, shakers, and bells may seem a simple prop to have in our sessions, but they play a crucial role in early childhood development. These instruments help children build motor skills, enhance their cognitive and sensory development, promote social interaction, and foster emotional expression. Most importantly, they make learning fun, encouraging children to explore the world of music and rhythm with joy and creativity and we love that our Boogie Beat sessions can support children in this way.
Book onto a session here
5. What are your top tips for navigating the legal side of things?
My advice would be to ask a family member or friend to look through the contract and documents with you. I was very lucky that a close friend of my runs their own franchise business (different to Boogie Beat) so it really helped going through the documents with them.
6. What advice would you offer to anyone thinking about joining a franchise?
It can be so hard to start up a business from scratch, which is why I will always recommend going down the route of joining a franchise. There is always someone at the end of a message or phone which is so helpful, particularly in the early days of business. Being self employed can at times be a rather lonely position to be in, however I’ve never felt like that with Boogie Beat. We are a really close knit team, who regularly keep in contact with each other, so it doesn’t feel like I’m ever alone. I have learnt so much over the past 4 years and from this I have been able to run a successful business in my area. The support I have received over the years is incredible, and HQ are always looking for new ways to improve and develop our businesses further. It’s such a wonderful franchise to be a part of and I honestly don’t believe I would be in this position now if it wasn’t for Boogie Beat. I feel very proud to be a Boogie Beat franchise owner and I look forward to many more years of dancing and singing with Giggles the Boogie Beat Monkey!
Find out more about our franchise and about joining our team by visiting our franchise page