How Movement and Sound Support Classroom Engagement
Educational and Fun Activities
Written by Emily Carter
5 May 2025
🕓14 min
In today’s educational climate, teachers are asked to do more than ever. With packed curriculums, diverse learning needs, and rising expectations for attainment, the modern classroom must become a place where children not only absorb information—but actively engage with it. For many educators across Croydon and South London, this shift means rethinking traditional, static classroom environments.
Two often-underestimated tools in this transformation are movement and sound. While historically classrooms have emphasised silence and stillness as markers of attention, research—and real classroom experience—suggests the opposite may be true. Movement and sound, when thoughtfully integrated, can significantly boost student focus, memory, and enthusiasm for learning.
This blog explores how these sensory strategies can support engagement across all age groups and abilities, and how Croydon schools can embrace them to improve outcomes and enjoyment alike.
1: Why Movement Matters for Young Learners
Children are not built to sit still for long. From early years to upper primary, their brains crave motion. Movement doesn’t just help release physical energy; it also supports cognitive development. When children move, they’re stimulating the vestibular system, enhancing spatial awareness, and strengthening their ability to focus.
Activities like jumping, stretching, and even rhythmic dancing can act as physical anchors for memory. For example, using body movements to represent different parts of a life cycle, or clapping in rhythm to times tables, helps embed these concepts in muscle memory.
Croydon educators implementing short “brain breaks” or kinesthetic learning stations often report better attention spans, improved transitions between tasks, and more engagement during challenging lessons. And for children with additional needs, such as ADHD or autism, movement-based learning isn’t just helpful—it’s essential for inclusion. The integration doesn’t need to be dramatic. Even light movement woven into classroom routines—like hand gestures during storytelling, or standing to answer a maths challenge—can help pupils stay present and energised.
2: Sound as a Learning Tool, Not a Distraction
Sound is a double-edged sword in the classroom. When uncontrolled or chaotic, it can overstimulate. But when curated and purposeful, it becomes a deeply powerful tool for communication and learning. Music, rhythm, and voice modulation are incredibly effective at guiding attention. For example, using background instrumental music during focused tasks can help create a sense of calm and block external distractions. Likewise, incorporating call-and-response chants, rhyming, or musical transitions can help signal routines and expectations—particularly useful in early years and KS1.
More importantly, sound supports language development. Young children learn to speak, read, and write through sound patterns. Phonics, storytelling, poetry, and oral repetition all rely on auditory processing. Science shows that rhythm and melody actually reinforce language structures in the brain, aiding in memory retention and vocabulary acquisition.
Croydon teachers using musical storytelling or sound-rich science experiments (like sound wave demonstrations or sensory-based workshops) often see pupils not just absorbing the content but talking about it long after the lesson has ended. Sound gives learning an emotional resonance—and emotional memory is one of the strongest kinds we have.
3: The Multisensory Magic of Movement + Sound Combined
Where movement and sound meet, magic happens. That’s because the brain processes multisensory input more efficiently than single-sense information. Think of how songs help us remember the alphabet, or how dancing to lyrics reinforces comprehension. When both movement and sound are activated in a learning experience, multiple parts of the brain engage simultaneously—boosting both short-term engagement and long-term retention.
In Croydon science workshops and enrichment clubs, these principles come to life. Children might chant the names of planets while jumping in orbit paths or learn about sound waves by physically “becoming” vibrating particles. These experiences are fun, memorable, and deeply educational.
Such multisensory approaches are particularly beneficial for children who struggle with traditional teaching methods. Children who are neurodiverse, bilingual, or simply more active by nature often find their voice and confidence through these expressive, physical learning styles.
By supporting more than one learning modality, these strategies build inclusivity into the heart of the classroom. They remove the barriers that come with rigid, one-size-fits-all instruction and instead offer a flexible, child-centred approach to knowledge.
4: Classroom Culture That Embraces Energy and Expression
For these methods to work consistently, they need to be part of classroom culture—not just occasional novelty. When students understand that movement and sound are part of learning rather than a break from it, they feel safe expressing themselves, asking questions, and exploring ideas more freely In Croydon schools that prioritise expressive learning environments, teachers report stronger student-teacher relationships, better peer collaboration, and greater academic resilience. Classrooms become joyful, energetic, and inclusive spaces.
And crucially, teachers themselves feel more creative and connected. Planning lessons that involve movement and sound may require more upfront thought—but they also make teaching more dynamic and rewarding. They encourage teachers to experiment, respond to the needs of their class, and celebrate individuality.
This isn’t about turning classrooms into chaos—it’s about structured, purposeful expression. When done well, these strategies improve behaviour, boost motivation, and foster a love for learning that lasts well beyond the school gate.
5: The Future of Learning is Active and Auditory
As we look toward the future of primary education—especially in diverse, vibrant areas like Croydon—the importance of accessible, engaging learning environments will only grow. The pandemic underscored how vital it is for children to feel emotionally and physically involved in their learning, and movement and sound are key to that.
Teachers are already exploring more holistic teaching methods: cross-curricular projects, outdoor learning, sensory-based science workshops, and creative arts integration. These innovations are not just for enrichment—they’re essential ingredients for a 21st-century education.
Parents and educators alike are recognising that success isn’t measured solely by quiet, still test-taking. It’s reflected in children who are curious, expressive, confident, and joyful learners.
By embracing movement and sound, Croydon schools are not only enhancing classroom engagement—they’re nurturing future thinkers who feel empowered to learn in their own way.
Conclusion
Learning isn’t meant to be silent and still. It’s meant to be a full-body, full-senses experience that sparks joy, wonder, and confidence. Movement and sound are not distractions—they’re bridges. They help students cross from confusion to clarity, from boredom to brilliance. Whether you're a Croydon teacher planning your next science unit, or a parent looking for engaging after-school clubs, remember this: children learn best when they move, hear, feel, and connect. Let’s build classrooms and communities that honour that truth.
Want to bring movement and sound into your school in a meaningful way? Explore our interactive science workshops, sensory learning clubs, and CPD sessions designed for Croydon schools.
📞 Get in touch to book a free consultation and discover how we can help you make classroom learning more active, inclusive, and unforgettable.
Let’s make learning something every child can hear, feel, and love.
