More Sensory Play for Your Baby!
Parenting Tip: Tap into your child’s senses – Smell, touch, look, listen & taste to learn! Why? Repetition strengthens the brain. So more sensory play brings opportunities to fine-tune sensory pathways they need to perceive and comprehend the world around them. How? Get wet! Watch a video about playing in the rain, then …
Read More
Value of Repetition for Toddlers!
Parenting Tip: Say ‘Yes’ when your child asks ‘can we do it again?’ Just do it! Why? We all appreciate predictability. Repetition provides comfort and stability. Repetition helps your child learn and remember, strengthens new brain connections. So when asked to repeat – say Yes! Repetition leads to mastery – like practicing on an …
Read More
Preschoolers and Crescendo/Decrescendo
Parenting Tip: Get louder & quieter with your preschooler! Why? As children experience and listen for tempo (fast or slow?), dynamics (loud or soft?), and melodies (up or down, high or low?), they are developing the critical skill of being able to distinguish between sounds – an ability that is absolutely vital to reading. …
Read More
Toddlers Love to Go Aaaaand STOP!
Parenting Tip: Play ‘stop & go’ and ‘fast & slow’ games, with your toddler! Why? 'Control of the body is the first kind of control children have over themselves, and is the first step toward the development of internal control, or 'self-discipline.' Activities that encourage the child to focus, listen, then react through movement, …
Read More
Sorting & Categorizing Sounds with Preschoolers
Parenting Tip: Create sound effects for a song – like the Mud Puddle Dance! Why? Sorting and categorizing sounds strengthens listening acuity and the ability to hear and understand. In addition to fostering your child's budding musicianship skills, this leads to better phonemic awareness and boosts reading abilities. How? Discover fun indoor activities …
Read More
Rhythmic Awareness, Note Values, and Preschoolers
Parenting Tip: Make rhythmic weather sounds with your preschooler! Why? Music leads children to experience patterns through movement, listening, and playing instruments. Rhythm patterns are combinations of long and short sounds and silences. For example, in a Kindermusik class, educators may lead the class to “step, step, step, stop” or “ta, ta, ta, rest” …
Read More
Vocal Fun for Little Singers!
Parenting Tip: Sing echo songs, with your toddler Why? Simple echo songs help children improve their ability to produce certain sounds, increase phrase length, and improve auditory attention and memory. Echoing simple songs, in a limited range, gives children opportunities to match pitch, and practice using their high, light, head voice, in a fun, …
Read More
Babies, Music, Patterns and Predictability
Parenting Tip: Notice and explore patterns, with baby Why? Moving directionally & changing directions in dance helps children understand that their bodies can move in one direction, then another. Doing this in a predictable pattern prevents them from getting frustrated or disoriented. Repeating the pattern enough time to internalize it helps them grasp the …
Read More
Musical Rituals & Routines for Babies
SP (Music & Math – Rituals & Routines) Parenting Tip: Create a new ‘I Love You’ ritual, with baby Why? Daily rituals & routines give your toddler a sense of comforting self-control, by allowing her to anticipate what will happen next. I Love You Rituals optimize your child’s brain for success at school and …
Read More
Emotional Development and Your Toddler
Parenting Tip: Sing, dance, and bond with your toddler Why? Emotions have a tremendous impact on learning. Children learn more readily and easily when they feel calm and happy. Learning with, and from, a beloved adult provides an even stronger learning environment. Simple activities, such as rocking together, help to create a sense of …
Read More