Welcome to all our new families that have joined us recently. We loved sharing the joy of Kindermusik with more families last week and had a wonderful time welcoming new friends for Kids Music Day!
We are now ~6 weeks into our new season and this is often a settling point for many children. If your child is one of those kids who has a hard time with transitions or new places and faces, expect that it may start getting easier now. It can take children several weeks to feel comfortable coming into and participating in class.
One of the things that will help your child thrive in class is ROUTINE. Routines are essential for children to feel secure, to have a sense of predictability in their day. Our classes are structured in such a way as to build routine and familiarity with your child. We always start with Gathering Time, our Brain Gym, and a fun Hello song. And we always end with a Goodbye song and bubbles or a hand stamp out the door. Knowing what comes next helps children feel in control and comfortable.
If your child is still struggling adapting to class then consider what routines you can build into your Kindermusik day before you even come to the studio. If you wake your child up with a sing-song “Today is a Kindermusik day!” or a “Today we see Ms Katie!” that can set up some expectations in their mind and help them prepare emotionally for class.
Perhaps you can make a little game, poem, or ritual about preparing to leave the house for class. Finding shoes, buckling in, streaming your unit album as you drive, etc. If you are consistent with whatever you do, your child will start to notice that routine. It will signal to them that they know what’s going on, they’ve done this before, and they can handle it.
Maybe your child is resistant to being dropped off at our higher level classes and won’t let you leave the room. Time to start building expectations and ROUTINE to help them with that transition. And if you’re rushing in a few minutes late (we get it . . . we’re parents too,) try to make it just a little earlier so your child has a chance to fully experience gathering time. It is an essential part of class that helps our children transition into class time and remember the behaviors that are expected of them in the studio. Children who are given that time to transition always have a much easier time than those who rush in last minute
We love being part of your family’s weekly routine and can’t wait to sing with you again soon!
