In every MAD Academy class for our walkers and above, there is a dedicated section designed to cultivate your child’s beat competency. Step! is an exciting and fun introduction to musical notation and rhythm and is taught with the help of four friendly animals - Polly Penguin and her three friends, Harry Horse, Milly Monkey, and Trevor Tortoise. Each of them has their own unique rhythm and special way of moving which illustrate four basic musical notations.

Being able to spot and keep a beat is really important for children’s development. Clapping along or moving in time to music engages both sides of the brain and gets both hemispheres working together which is fantastic for mental development. Feeling a steady rhythm is necessary for nearly all coordinated movement such as walking, running, drawing and even cutting with scissors and so is very helpful for children as they begin to master these basic skills. Perhaps more surprisingly an ability to feel a rhythm is crucial to learning the pattern of language, and therefore to reading and writing. Research has even shown that children who are able to beat a steady rhythm actually do better at school in all their subjects than those who have poor ‘beat competency’. 

Each week your child will meet Polly Penguin and have a hilarious time pretending to be her penguin friends, waddling around the room in time to Polly’s special music. Then there are also Polly’s pals to play with. Harry Horse likes nothing more than galloping energetically to his music or perhaps jumping a fence or two, especially when you all join in. 

Milly Monkey is a groovy ape who spends all day swinging through the trees with her long arms, occasionally coming down to dance in her very own fun-ky monkey way! 

And he might be slow, but Trevor Tortoise is no less friendly, and loves it when you all plod along with him to his very own tune – he’ll even share his lettuce leaves with you! So come and meet the gang at your next MAD Academy class!

To find out more about the power of beat competency, click here>>>

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