Signing for Hearing children

Children are born trying to decipher the mystery of language from the moment they are born.  It takes children 12 to 24 months to begin speaking, yet while they are preparing for this huge leap forward, they already have some of the pieces in place.  Signing with hearing children takes advantage of their motor abilities, which develop months earlier than the equivalent skills required for speech.  Using signing in everyday interactions will help open the door to early communication, facilitated speech, increased intimacy, and long-term learning (adapted from Kindermusik Sign & Sing).

Ideas for parents:

Start by incorporating just a few basic signs in your daily routines – signs such as “please,” “more,” and “all done.”  Be consistent and patient in using the signs.  Your child will likely catch on more quickly than you think!  You can both have fun adding more signs, including “thank you” and of course, “music!”  VisitSigningSavvy.com to find a wonderful video-based sign language resource.  It’s quick and easy to look up – and learn! – a few signs.

Making Music Together

Before you know it, your child will likely want to participate in a team sport, play in a band or orchestra, or sing in a choir. In class we help introduce you and your child to the opportunity to develop and practice the skills that are required to perform in an ensemble, such as:

• strong self-control – stopping on cue
• distinguishing between sounds
• listening for an appropriate entrance on cue
• timing the participation on cue
• matching the steady-beat play with an outside sound source, and
• playing with others on cue

These skills of timing, coordination, and group participation are also essential characteristics for success in sports. Kindermusik is truly so much MORE than just music!

Making music together is what music is all about! When children learn to contribute their part to a beautiful whole, they have benefited from one of the most important advantages of group instruction. Music becomes even more exciting when children begin to develop a growing awareness of themselves within the context of the group.

For example, in Kindermusik classes, when an Our Time age child moves up to Imagine That, he/she will be both the leader and the follower in ensemble and will have the opportunity to learn all of the basic skills necessary for ensemble participation in Young Child when they enter Kindergarten. This is a truly amazing musical journey, made possible in the early years by the quality time, and fun, productive, musical play in which you engage your child in and out of class

Development of a Singer

Because they are experiencing an explosion of language, many preschool children tend to respond first to the words in a song rather than the rhythm or melody. Once they have heard the whole song and understand the song’s “story,” they are most likely to then be able to concentrate on the melodic line. Children are most successful when singing songs that have a limited range, common rhythmic and melodic patterns, simple words, and plenty of repetition. That’s whyKindermusik songs are so catchy!

Joanne Rutowski, an expert on the child’s voice, describes the stages of vocal, or singing, development:

The Pre-Singer
Speaks rather than sings; uses little vocal inflection
The Speaking Range Singer
Talk-sings in a limited speaking range, with little vocal inflection
The Limited Range Singer
Sings in a range that is a bit higher than the speaking range but still limited
The Singer
Sings in a wide range; uses much vocal inflection when speaking

So what can you do to foster your child’s singing development?

• Children love singing when they are singing songs they know. Download the tracks from your Home CD onto your iPod at http://play.kindermusik.com and keep your Home CD in the car so that your child can become familiar with the music from this semester.
• Encourage your child to sing in a light head voice.
• Surround your child with a rich listening environment.
• Sing with your child. Love and enjoyment of singing is contagious!

When children are happily singing, they are stimulating all developmental domains: physical, emotional, language, and cognitive. Particularly significant is the reinforcement singing provides in abilities relating to sequences, patterns, memory, and language.

Again! Again!

Have you ever wondered why a child will ask you to read the same book over and over or perhaps never tires of rolling the ball back and forth? A newly published study may shed some light on this learning technique of young children. Nicknamed the “Goldilocks effect”, the study examines the attention span of infants in relation to the complexity of the world around them. The results showed that infants focus only on situations that are neither too difficult nor too easy.

“The study suggests that babies are not only attracted by what is happening, but they are able to predict what happens next based on what they have already observed,” says Kidd, lead author on the report. “They are not passive sponges. They are active information seekers looking for the best information they can find.” Children who are engaged in a sensory rich learning experience are best equipped to receive and retain new information. The repetition of a fun activity likely yields new information each time for your child and provides an opportunity for them to test their predictions based on their latest observations.  ”Parents don’t need to buy fancy toys to help their children learn. They make the best use of their environment. They are going to look around for what fits their attention level. Kids learn best from social interaction,” reminds Kidd.

Praise or Encouragement

Children need feedback on the work they do. But how can we provide feedback most effectively? Conventional wisdom would espouse that constant praise is necessary in our child-rearing… but is it really the most effective way to provide that much-needed feedback?

There is actually new research that would indicate that constantly praising our children is backfiring and even undermining their confidence! Praise, by definition, is an expression of worth, approval, or admiration. It is usually given to a child when a task or deed is well done or completed. In an article entitled “Encouragement or Praise for Children?” written by Elvin Klassen (written as a resource for parents teaching overseas), the author suggests that encouragement , rather than praise, should be our goal as parents and educators.

Encouragement in its best form should be specific, focused on the process rather than the finished product, sincere, focused on the effort made, non-comparative, and enabling the child to develop an appreciation for his own achievements. For example, instead of “Sally, you’re such a nice girl” – encouragement would say “Sally, I noticed you shared with Molly today.” Remember, praise gives a value judgment and focuses on the person, while encouragement makes an observation about a behavior. We need to convey through words and gestures that we appreciate our child’s efforts and improvement, not just their accomplishments

Sing and Sway your Summer Away

A child sings before it speaks, dances almost before it walks. Music is with us from the beginning.”-writer Pamela Brown

Summer is around the corner can you believe it! I always look forward to having my kids all to myself and a little lighter schedule and routine. But honestly I usually get a bit anxious too about how to entertain the troops for 3 months and still all be happy at the end of it :) Why not take a little break and add some music to your summer! I have many options for the family or for individual kids. Sibling discounts and referral discounts are available. Prices include all materials (books, CD's and instruments to keep at home) and classes. Sign up by May 15th and get $5 off the family class or ABC classes.

*Family Class: All kids under 7 and mom/dad: Zoo Train! For 6 fun filled weeks we will ride the Zoo Train and visit different animals each week. This class includes ASL, crafts and lots of giggles! Tuesdays at 10am June 12-July 17th $75.

*ABC Music and Me

Ages 3 and up-Drop off class (That's right moms you drop them off :)

Jumping Beans Tuesdays at 11-11:45am June 5-June 26th $50

Sounds Abound Tuesdays at 11-11:45am July 3-July 31st $50 (no class the 24th)

*Playdates

Ages 3 and up-Drop off class

Join the Parade Tues/Thurs 10-10:45am June 12 & June 14th $20

Picnic Day Thurs/Fri 10-10:45 am July 12 & 13th $20

Simply click on the purple ENROLL NOW button on the right :) To register for a playdate you can call or email me!

Benefits of Play

Play is a natural activity for children. The child a play is self-motivated and actively engaged. Whereas games are governed by rules, the value of play is that it provides freedom from evaluation and judgment. The freedom of a playful atmosphere fosters intellectual development as well as self-construction and the development of personality.

Tips for parents: There are many things we as parents can do to inspire play. Just making sure your child has lots of time for free play is an important first step. You might also want to look at the play areas – inside and outside – and ensure that they are safe and inviting. Finally, consider adding some very simple toys and props to the playroom – things like wooden blocks, cardboard boxes and tubes, blankets, dress-up clothes, etc. will all help your child make his imagination come alive through his play