Step inside a Harwell School preschool classroom, and you’ll find 3- to 5-year-olds swaying, clapping, and laughing along with Finnegan The Dragon, our lively music-and-movement curriculum. But Finnegan’s tunes aren’t just fun—they’re part of Harwell’s mission to give every child a brain-boosting start.

A 2024 study published in the Early Childhood Education Journal explored how rhythm-focused music education can nurture early literacy and working memory in 6- to 8-year-olds. The researchers found something exciting: students who started behind in reading made bigger gains when their music lessons emphasized rhythm through percussion, body movement, and interactive beats. While the study focused on primary schoolers, it adds to a growing body of research suggesting that rhythm and movement activities are powerful tools for supporting literacy development—even in younger children.

That’s where Finnegan The Dragon shines at Harwell. Designed to engage our preschoolers with joyful, rhythm-rich songs and playful movement, Finnegan taps into the same skills researchers link to literacy growth: timing, beat awareness, and coordination. Imagine a 4-year-old stomping like a dragon or clapping to a catchy chorus—behind the giggles, they’re practicing essential skills for recognizing patterns, holding sounds in memory, and preparing their brains for future reading.

While the research didn’t study preschool-aged children or specific programs like Finnegan, it builds on similar studies showing rhythm perception and production are closely tied to pre-literacy skills in younger kids. At Harwell, we embrace this evidence by weaving rhythm into playful learning, giving every child a joyful head start.

And it’s not just about music class. Our teachers use Finnegan’s rhythms to support focus and engagement throughout the day—adding a steady beat while transitioning to circle time, or encouraging a shy child to join in with a clap or stomp. Every beat helps build not just musicality, but the focus and memory that lay the foundation for literacy.

Perhaps most exciting is what this could mean for children who need an extra boost. The study showed rhythm-based learning especially benefits kids who start behind in reading, helping close gaps that might otherwise widen over time. At Harwell, we believe every child deserves that chance to shine. By making rhythm and movement part of their daily experience, we’re building confidence, coordination, and cognitive skills—one joyful beat at a time.

We’re thrilled to bring families into the fun, too! Our Finnegan The Dragon curriculum extends beyond the classroom with home-access options, so parents can enjoy those playful songs and movements together. Every tap, clap, and stomp is more than play—it’s part of our commitment to nurture growing minds with research-informed joy.

So next time you hear music coming from a Harwell classroom, know that it’s not just a song—it’s science in motion, helping our preschoolers step into their brightest futures. Got a Finnegan moment to share from home? Tag us with #HarwellStars and keep the rhythm rocking across our community!

Sources:

Ahokas, J.R., Saarikallio, S., Welch, G. et al. Rhythm and Reading: Connecting the Training of Musical Rhythm to the Development of Literacy Skills. Early Childhood Educ J 53, 999–1012 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01654-4

Finnegan The Dragon: https://finneganthedragon.com/