One-to-One Correspondence

One-to-One correspondence is the ability to assign and understand that each number counted corresponds with an object. The development of this skill is the basis for understanding math. Finger counting helps children reinforce one-to-one correspondence skills because it is a concrete experience that is both physical and visual, so it easily demonstrates the relationship of numbers from 1 to 10 to objects, or sounds, being counted. Most children can count to 10 or even 20 by the time they are 2 or 3, but this is different than having an understanding that each number represents a quantity of objects or sounds. 'The foundation for children's mathematical development is established in the earliest years. Appropriate mathematical experiences challenge young children to explore ideas related to patterns, shapes, numbers, and space. Children learn math concepts through everyday activities: sorting, reasoning, recognizing patterns, singing motion songs, and using spatial visualization.' (National Council of Teachers of Math p. 8) We have quite the collection of songs in Kindermusik that include counting objects or sounds. It is the basis for learning and counting rhythm in music as well. The children are given opportunities to count and move to different timing in music, a 2 beat song, a 3 beat song, and so on. They are able to feel the steady beat, count the steady beat, and move their bodies! They love being so smart!!

Listening Skills

Good listening skills are becoming more and more important in our world. Sometimes it may seem that your children's talking skills are much more developed than their listening skills! It is important to remember that hearing and listening are quite different. Hearing is a process involving nerves and muscles that reach adult efficiency by age four or five. 'Listening is a learned behavior, a mental process that is concerned with hearing, attending, discriminating, understanding, and remembering. It can be improved with practice, isn't that comforting! Listening affects social interactions, one's level of functioning, and perhaps one's overall success in life.' (Jeanne M. Machado).

Listening is a social skill that must be practiced and is necessary for success in social functioning. You can be a part of this process by gentle leading your children in quiet, attentive listening activities. Show with your body language that you are listening carefully. Lean slightly toward the source of the sound, remain quiet while you listen. Offer opportunities to practice focused listening through your day. Even 20 or 30 seconds of still, quiet listening, and then visiting about what they heard will expand their ability to listen and process their surroundings.

In a Kindermusik class each week we have a few focused listening activities. They only last about 15-20 seconds, but it's something that the kids look forward to. We gather around our sound source, rub our ears to 'turn them on,' then listen, listen, listen. It's so fun to share all the wonderful images and thoughts the children had while they were attentive and quiet.

A Summer of Music

That's right! It's not too soon to think about your summer schedule and I would love to be a part of it. I know there are many things out there you want to do with your kiddos and schedules will fill up fast, so I wanted to let you in on a little secret-Kindermusik would be a fabulous addition to your summer!!!

ABC Mom & Me will be a great time for you and your toddler to spend together. If you only have 1 little one this is the class for you! We will explore basic musical concepts and contrasts, learn fun songs and stories, and have a great time singing and dancing together.

Move & Groove is for your older kiddos (you can drop them off) who are ready for some music education in the funnest way-moving! We will introduce basic music rhythms and steady beat, introduce Treble and Bass cleff, and sing and play together!

Family Time is great if you have a few kiddos between the ages of baby and 7. This is a great opportunity to bond through music as a family. We will have fun going to the zoo each week and visiting different animals-which will teach us about music and moving our bodies!

JUNE
ABC Mom & Me Wednesdays 10am-10:45 2-4 yrs old
Move & Groove (drop off) Wednesday 11am-11:45 4-6 yrs old
$50-includes 4 classes, a workbook, a CD, and an instrument to take home!

JULY
ABC Mom & Me Wednesday 10am-10:45 2-4 yrs old
Move & Groove (drop off) Wednesday 11am-11:45 4-6 yrs old
$50-includes 4 classes, a workbook, a CD, and an instrument to take home!

FAMILY TIME
Zoo Train (newborn –7 yrs)
June 7th-July 12th Tuesdays at 10am-10:45 & 1:00pm-1:45
$80 per family-includes 6 classes, a book, a CD, and an instrument to take home!

The classes in June and July will be different, so you can sign up for 1 month or for both months! There is a $10 discount if you sign up for both months. There are also sibling discounts available if you have multiple kiddos in the same class together (the exception being Family Time as that is a family price already).

Enrolling is as easy as leaving a comment, a quick phone call to me, or even better, click on the purple Enroll now button on the upper right hand corner! Thanks!!

Playing, Pretending and Learning

Play is not just play. Through play, children are developing cognitive, emotional, social and physical skills. Play is children's work. There are several activities in Kindermusik which integrate pretend play. The process of 'making things up' is an important step in cognitive development. Children at this age are practicing distinguishing between what is real and what is pretend. You may notice when a child tells you a story, another child will chime in with 'I did that too!' They are not purposefully lying, but are sharing their excitement and trying out new ideas in their heads.

The rood word of imagination is 'image.' When children use their imaginations they are creating mental images. These images add depth and permanence to the music experience. The experience becomes more 'three-dimensional.' In this world of canned entertainment children are becoming passive learners. They need practice coming up with their own ideas, having their ideas valued by adults and in creating images in their mind that have not been fed them by visuals on a TV screen. When children use their imagination, they 'make it their own.' These experiences are more likely to hold children's attention because they will follow the interests of the child.

So feel free to encourage your child to pretend play, dress up, tell stories and create their own world for a day. Get involved and imagine up a whole experience just for them. Don't forget to sing your way through it all!

Mozart Therapy

A recent article from Science Daily summarized some very interesting findings by the Tel Aviv Medical Center, namely that creating a musical environment for premature babies positively affected their ability to grow and thrive. Preemies who were exposed to 30 minutes of music by Mozart expended less energy during that 30 minutes, thereby using fewer calories and allowing for greater weight gain. Having a healthy body weight means these babies have a stronger immune system and go home sooner.
"The TAU study is the first to quantify the effect of music, specifically Mozart, on newly born children. Medical practitioners are aware that by changing the environment, we can create a whole new treatment paradigm for babies in neonatal care,' says Dr. Mandel. 'That's our main goal-to improve their quality of life."
While the study is based on the controversial 'Mozart effect' and researchers still aren't clear on the long-term effects of Mozart's music, one result is certain-music makes a difference. Thousands of Kindermusik educators around the world can attest to that; we are privileged to see the wonderful effects of music on young children and their families week in and week out. We especially love it when science confirms what we've known all along; one of the best gifts you can give your child is the gift of music.

Teaching the Whole Child

All learning, including music learning, is integrated. Kindermusik International has developed an integrated curriculum that builds on the children's interests and experiences and allows for individual learning styles and temperaments. Nothing happens in isolation; children use 'all systems' when they learn. Since children's development and learning are so highly interconnected, an integrated curriculum is the very best way we can teach the whole child.

All Kindermusik classes have integrated learning experiences within and across lessons. These experiences integrate the senses, learning domains, developmental needs and interests of the children. Developmental domains that are ex;pored and integrated are:

*Language-discussing & describing
*Cognitive-remembering, recognizing, pretending, imagining
*Musical-singing, being introduced to simple instruments and basic rhythm
*Physical-hearing, seeing visuals, moving, mirroring
*Emotional-expressing through music, movement and visual art; experiencing beauty through music, bonding with care givers
*Social-listening to others, waiting for a turn, ensemble experiences together

It is expected that each child will participate at different developmental levels and will be stronger in some areas than others. The integrated activities in Kindermusik provide points of entry for participation by all types of learners. Each child learns differently and each class provides unique opportunities for everyone to play and grow and learn the best way they can.

All cooped Up?

Winter time can be a hard time, no matter where you live. I thought we were in for spring and then today happened. If it's not snowy, it's rainy. And often it's too cold to be outside. Or you're all trying to get well form the latest virus that the whole family passed around one by one. So what's a parent and a kid to do when you've been cooped up inside the house for too long? I suggest that you get moving...to some music that is!

The easiest way to get started is just to turn on some lively music, the kind that has your feet going and your hands clapping. Even just a few minutes of carefree, not thinking about the laundry dancing with your kiddos can turn the day around for both of you! Of course, movement is not just important for helping children let off a little steam or pent up energy but it is also a key factor in their overall development. And it's a great way for a child to be able to get close to and connect with someone she loves.

You might also enjoy moving in a slightly 'structured' way by making a small circle and doing a circle dance. Remember 'Ring around the Rosie?' Circle dances like this actually help your child focus on directing and moving her busy little body. She also becomes aware of her body in relation to the larger physical space. She learns about coordinating her body movements with the words of the song. Plus, she increases her memory and attention span as she follows the simple sequence of steps. Who knew a little dancing could accomplish so much?!

Kindermusik Tips

Research shows that listening and playing along with music is one of the few activities that stim fully engages both sides of your childs brain. Add the fine motor coordination it takes to hold and instrument and tap in time to the music and your child is working on the coordination it takes to hold a pencil, cut with scissors, tie their shoes, and dribble a basketball later on.

For your Baby-Gently tap the steady beat on your baby's hand, foo, or knee with an instrument or your hand.
For your Toddler- Invite your child to use the instrument to tap on his/her own toes, knees or even tummy!
For your preschooler or big kid-Preschoolers ad older kids can march around the house in a musical parade working on their whole body competency-arms and legs together!

Kindermusik Tools:
Radio App- The Kindermusik Radio App (which can be used on any iPhone or iTouch with 4.0 software) offers a parent-child activity for every song, and each activity is designed to engage and entertain young listeners as well as stimulate early childhood development. To take a look for yourself, click here.

Play.Kindermusik.com- At play.kindermusik.com you can preview, purchase, and download your favorite songs and albums. You'll also find activity ideas to do at home, written by individuals from our network of over 6000 Kindermusik educators from round the world. Check out the musical e-cards you can send to your friends and family-some with great animations.

Imagine That!!

It's so fitting that this is a class full of busy boys! Not the little girls wouldn't love it and probably help chill things out occasionally, but the energy level and imagination is abundant every week. We are always punching the air, shooting a gun, flying a plane, and doing many boy things!

This particular week the Home Assignment was to make a sculpture. child-directed sculpture is a wonderful activity for young children. It allows them to discover, invent and construct on their own, while developing and expressing their creativity visually and kinesthetically. It develops physical skills of fine motor coordination and eye-hand coordination and provides an opportunity for children to use their imagination and problem solving skills. I was so impressed with the sculptures that came to class the next week. We had Lego's, marshmallows, play-doh and paper mache. Each boy had worked hard and was very excited to share their creation.

We put the music on and danced all around our sculptures (that were each carefully placed on a platform aka hool a hoop) then when the music stopped we had to pick one sculpture and copy it with our body. We had to roll in a ball like the globe, pretend to be dead like the marshmallow man, or shoot like the Lego figure. The boys loved it and it was a very fun way to practice their stop and go body control!