Another reason I love Kindermusik

We finished up our 4-6 year class this week. This a super fun age because the kids learn so quick and are able to then play/clap a rhythm or rhyme and echo music. They are so proud of themselves when they are able to participate in a group setting. As I've thought about this age group I've thought of so many positive things Kindermusik offers our kids:

* Great social interaction. Sure they get that at school, soccer, dance and other activities. BUT Kindermusik is such a positive group activity. We make music together, we don't compete against anyone or perform or are judged according to performance. There are no regulations that say our music has to even sound good! Every child is able to participate on their level and be proud of what they can do! They are able to build friendships and simply enjoy playing instruments and making music, just for the benefit of music!
* Kindermusik meets a child where they are at. We had a super shy little boy in class, then a few super social kids. The shy boy just sat back and watched and was hesitant to participate the first few classes. By the last class (week 4) he was right along visiting, telling jokes, moving and playing instruments with the other kids. He needed some time to observe and figure things out. And that was just fine. He never had to participate until he was ready. Kindermusik is a safe, happy environment for children to become comfortable and grow into the experience as they need to.
* We get to move! This month we worked on Presto (fast) and Largo (slow). Most children like to move fast, jump high, yell loud. Most of the time we need to point out the opposite of that slow, quiet, low etc. We had a boy this month that could only move fast, literally. During one activity we were listening to a song that switched tempos between presto and largo and we needed to move our bodies to match the tempo. He was running and running and running so I went over and held his hands and asked him to move low with me. He said 'This is as slow as I go.' and started running in place! It made me laugh but also made me realize he is probably right and that's okay.

For the Love.....of Reading

I can not say enough about reading. It is one of our families favorite things to do. We started reading the same book to our kids each night, before they were even born! Sounds crazy but it helped them learn our voice and know that we have time to sit and listen to them and share every day.

Literacy begins early, with nothing more than simply spending time with a book. Even if your baby puts the book in her mouth while you read, she absorbs the sounds of your words, the action of you turning the page, and the pleasure you derive from reading.

The first time your little one points to a picture in a book, she’s understanding the concept of symbols – the idea that the words and pictures represent objects and ideas. A child’s motivation to learn about and use symbols grows as she realizes that this is how she can make her needs and thoughts known to others. This is the very basis of learning letters represent sounds, numbers represent quantity and musical notes represent rhythm and beat.

When it comes to choosing books, recent research shows that children who have been exposed to nursery rhymes and lyrical stories in their younger years become better readers and are more successful in school.

Here are some of my favorite tips for developing good taste in books.

Your baby: Spend time with your baby and an open book. Point to the pictures and talk about what you see. Even if your child doesn’t understand a single word, she’ll absorb your love of books and reading. This will create a ritual of sitting together and visiting and sharing what you are learning together. This is priceless when our kids become older and busier and we long for them to just sit with us.

Your toddler: Now your child can start adding sound effects when you read together. Choose stories with animals so your toddler can imitate their sounds and movements.

Your preschooler: Your little one is now ready to make up his own stories. He can also use a favorite story as the basis for his own pretend play. Help your preschooler make his own book using a favorite song or family photos. Share this “published” work with the whole family!

The Power to Read

So much of the intelligence children will ultimately have is developed before they even go to kindergarten. That's pressure right? When you read to your child, you are building pathways in their brains needed for successful reading experiences. They will develop auditory perception that allows them to think about how words sound. Listening to stories helps children enhance their vocabularies and use longer sentences. Another wonderful benefit of reading to children is that it increases their attention spans and ability to focus on what is being said. More than anything else, reading to young children gives them a desire to read.

My oldest recently began reading chapter books. He really likes the series Magical Treehouse. A few weekends ago we bought a swing set that had a 'fort/playhouse' and his first response when it was up was 'I'm going to go grab my books and make this into my own magical treehouse!' I wanted to jump up and down! He loves to read and has learned that reading isn't a chore (okay he's 7 so some days it is) but rather a new adventure every day! Share your excitement and love for reading with your kids. Library cards are free and most libraries will issue them to kids at around age 5. Enjoy the power to read!

Young Child 5-7 yrs old

I will have a Young Child 1 on Tuesdays at 4pm and a Young Child 3 on Wednesdays at 4pm this fall. This is a wonderful curriculum to introduce your child to music. We learn our alphabet years before we learn to read. This way your child can learn music before they learn an instrument.

Kindermusik for the Young Child: Build a Musical Foundation
Using a small-group approach to music education, Kindermusik for the Young Child provides a pressure-free class where your child can develop a strong musical foundation by learning the concepts, language, notation, and vocabulary of music and its greatest composers.

The program is designed to prepare the young child who is eager for first experiences with musical symbols and instrument discovery but is not yet ready for formal lessons and traditional music reading with an instrument.

You can expect:

Singing and vocal development -- It may sound like a foreign language when a child sings “ta” and “ti-ti,” but this is the language of professional musicians and composers and getting young children ready to read and write simple rhythm patterns.

Movement -- See children dance expressively to music, giving them the practice they needs to coordinate their body movements to the sound of music. This kind of musical play not only improves musicianship, but physical coordination as well.

Reading and writing -- Young children will learn melodic notation and identify pitches such as the C, A, and D notes on the treble clef, plus rhythmic notation. Eventually even composing their own music.

Focused listening -- Children will learn to identify a range of orchestra instruments and their sound qualities, while also gaining an early awareness and knowledge of composers and masterworks in Western arts tradition.

Exploring and playing musical instruments -- Authentic percussion, string, pre-keyboard, and woodwind instruments expose children to the many choices for future musical study, and at the same time provide them with the opportunity to musically succeed before taking on more formal instruction.

Enrollment includes:

• Developmentally appropriate curriculum for children ages 5 to 7 years; caregivers attend the last 10-15 minutes


• 15-week semester


• Weekly 60- to 70-minute class


• One set of Home Materials—Children’s folder with stickers and Music At Home cards, Family Songbook, instrument (wind, string, or pre-keyboard instrument depending on the semester), CD of music from class, canvas bag (during first semester) and games bag

A Lifetime of Benefits

The musical experiences your child enjoys in the early years can provide a lifetime of benefits. At Kindermusik, we see this every day. And our numerous research studies have proven the results as well. We've found that a child who stays enrolled in Kindermusik class is highly likely to exhibit growth in some or even all of the following areas:

Perseverance
Confidence
Responsibility
Identity & Self-esteem
Discipline
Love of music & art
Culture
Identification of Talents
Using time wisely
Teamwork
Following Directions
Intellectual and social development
Precision and Motor control
Overcoming fears in public speaking and shyness
Commitment to Excellence
Creativity & Self-expression

Emotions & Learning

Emotions have a tremendous impact on learning. This was so evident to me when my oldest son began first grade. Going from half day of school to entire day of school, being in charge of eating lunch on his on in only 15 minutes, then coming home and doing homework was a little too much all at once! He was stressed out and tired and didn't think he could do it. He began to resent school which was not like him at all and he really struggled for the first few weeks. We had to create a new normal with new routines and rituals that allowed him to focus on what he liked and enjoyed about school. He was able to then feel confident and successful which motived him to continue learning. Our children are much more likely to reach out and learn when they are comfortable and happy.

Simple family activities like rocking together help develop a child's sense of security and worth, allowing him to grow into an assured, confident, learner with healthy self-esteem.

Unstructured Play

Child-development specialists describe unstructured play as essential to children's growth and crucial in cultivating creativity and imagination. Unstructured play also has a role in expanding intellectual, emotional, and social skills. In other words play with no rules, little or no adult direction and free for the children to go in whatever direction they desire, packs a powerful developmental punch.

I read a great book about child brain development a few months ago (my kids were thrilled that I was 'learning how to be a better mom) and it had a few chapters on the power of unstructured play. There have been studies to show how great it is for a child to be able to explore and discover the world through unstructured, undirected play. This is how they learn about reality and the real world, how to problem solve, make decisions, get along with others etc. There are a few elementary schools that have implemented 2 hours of unstructured play a day for grades K-3 each day, as part of their regular curriculum. The children are given an initial idea/direction such as 'let's play fireman and save a family who's house is on fire.' Then the teacher is there in the background in case she is needed but largely stays out of the way.

I used to be of the mindset that my kids need me to direct them and be involved. Yes I love to play with my kids but I've learned to be a follower in their play, not a leader. I allow them to take one idea nad let it go in any direction for as long as they'd like. I hate to wake a sleeping child, and I've learned to try very hard to not disturb a playing child either :)