Nov 26, 2010

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Christmas is a great time of year to pass on musical legacies with your children! Pick your favorite carol this year and make a point to play or sing it every day. Help your children learn the chorus. Remember, it doesn’t have to be beautiful, it just has to be you. Take the time to talk to your child about the meaning of the song you chose, and why it is important to you. Once children connect that song with you, they will think of you every time they hear it. Not just this year, but for the rest of their lives!

Apr 23, 2010

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The toddlers in our classes respond very enthusiastically to this sweet, soothing rhyme.

Five little birds without any home,   (Raise the fingers on one hand)
Five little trees in a row.                        (Raise the fingers on the other hand)
“Come build your nests in our
branches tall,                                             (Interlace the fingers to form a nest)
And we’ll rock you to and fro!”           (Rock the nest gently)

Apr 13, 2010

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To reinforce the language of music, play some echo games with your child! Sing two or three note patterns, and have them try to echo your sound. Echo back to your children sounds they make to you. This not only reinforces the importance of what they are “saying”, but also helps them to become aware of the sounds their voice is creating.
With older children you can create longer and more complicated patterns. Do you remember the game “Simon” from the 80′s? Make up a sound game in a similar way and see how far your older child can go!

Apr 5, 2010

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A lot of mid-line activities are connected to brain development. Reading in particular seems to be particularly connected with the area of our brain where we skip and crawl. This makes sense, because the two sides of our body are doing two different things concurrently.

  • If your baby was precocious and skipped crawling, take some time to get on the floor with them and play puppy, baby or commando. Reinforcing this skill will help make some brain connections they may have missed.
  • If your older child is struggling with reading, taking a skipping break may help! Children often learn to skip around the same time reading clicks for them.
  • Check how your child is doing with their mid-line connection. Place five items on the floor in a line in front of them. Try having them touch each one with the same hand. If they try to switch hands in the middle, their mid-line connection may not be there yet. If they can easily go from one end to the other with one hand (usually around age 4), that critical connection has been made!

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