COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Heads, Bellies, Toes Ask the children to touch their heads, bellies, and toes, and then reverse the order as you call out the body parts. Begin with a slow, rhythmic chant that gently moves the children down and up. Once the children are experiencing success with this, reverse—and mix up— the order of body parts. Extending the Activity: Vary the tempo at which you call out the body parts, or start out slowly and gradually accelerate (the movement element of time). Add dramatic pauses— long and short—so the children are not sure when you will call out a body part (flow). When your toddlers are ready, play the more traditional Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, eventually varying the order of body parts and the tempo at which you call them out. Observation and Evaluation: Can the child identify body parts? Does the child demon- strate listening skills? Adding Equipment: Children can touch plastic cups, rhythm sticks, or beanbags to the body parts instead of their hands to provide practice manipulating an object. Curriculum Connectors: Body-part identification is an important introductory concept for young children, falling under the theme of “My Body” and the content area of science. Listening skills are a component of both language arts and music. 28 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL