Any sort of change is difficult for children to deal with, even something as small as transitions from playtime to snacktime within the classroom. Interrupting children who are engrossed in play might very well be the start of an exhausting battle…and nobody wants that. 

Don’t fret though — there are tried and true methods for helping our little ones smoothly shift between activities, without disrupting the natural flow of the school day. Hint: Moshi is the key; it’s a fantastic tool for classroom management, specifically for signifying and kickstarting transitions, using one of the many music tracks in the app. 

Music creates a calming effect, captivating attention from the children without being abrasive. Incorporating Moshi for Educators into your classroom routine is a no-brainer (in our biased opinion) when looking for support facilitating the frequent activity changes throughout the school day.

The Power of Music

Ah, the magic of music. It has the ability to set a mood, evoke emotions, bring people together, communicate messages, and even teach. Using this to your advantage in the classroom can be the essential missing piece that spurs a positive classroom atmosphere and promotes peaceful, relaxed minds. 

According to research and studies conducted by author and former teacher, Eric Jensen, Ph.D., “Using music is an excellent way to influence or change the states of your students, to help with those transitions, or bring them back from a break and let them know it is time to start something new.”

Playing music is an effective and quick transitioning strategy, particularly ingenious in early childhood classrooms, where shifts throughout the day can be especially hard for such young kids to handle. Short songs can give direction to the classroom without making it feel like an unwelcome task. If there’s a fun song to go along with an activity switch, children are far less likely to stage an all-out revolution. 

These melodic clips can become a familiar signal to kids that it’s time to wrap up their current activity and prepare to move on to the next – effectively decreasing the amount of time that transitions usually take. Instead, they’ll be humming along, cleaning up, and getting into position for the upcoming task in no time.

How To Use Music

Avoid the chaos of transitions by making them more relaxed, habitual, and fun. Designate music to the main transitions that occur in your classroom, particularly the most troublesome changeovers, such as cleanup time, station switches or the culmination of recess.

Use the same music track for the same transition every day to avoid confusion, while further creating a sense of routine. Just as children want to have the same storybook read to them over and over (and over) again, the music you use in the classroom should stay consistent as kids crave the comfort that routine provides.

Know that while it might not work for every child at every transition, that’s okay. Most of the time, though, it will be highly effective.

Music To Try

Moshi has an impressive collection of transitional tracks specifically designed for use in the classroom. Weaving these into your schedule will help your classroom stay organized, prompting a more seamless way for the children to move from one activity to the next.

Uncle Scallop’s Mellow Music

Soothing and tropical, this track is perfect for keeping little ones calm.

Dandy Lion Symphony

Fill your classroom with a guitar inspired by the relaxing sounds of nature.

Beats by Blurp

Composed specifically with school in mind, it’s sure to still the chaos in any classroom.

Calming Mood Music

The title says it all – set the mood to calm immediately with this Moshi favorite.

Lauren Breedlove