We’ve had such a wonderful summer with all your beautiful families! We’re on hiatus to give us all a breather and some time to refresh ourselves before the Fall, as it will be back-to-school for so many of you with older kids.
We hope this time will be restful and joyful for you. If you are looking for a way to keep the musical experiences going in between Kindermusik sessions, don’t forget all the tools your educator has given you this year!
Did you even realize that your educator has given you tools to help you in your caretaking role? Music class is a joyful and enriching musical experience for your child, it is true. But our Little Learner classes are also chock-full of child development education for the adults too!
Our educators are child development experts. They not only have years of experience and training, but our JOY Team also engages in ongoing professional development to make sure we keep our skills sharp and learn the newest evidence-based best practices for teaching and raising children. We implement those practices in our classes, and in so doing model them for you.
From substituting “Good job!” for “You did it!”, to S.T.A.R. breathing, there are so many moments of a Kindermusik class that you can integrate into your routines at home. Try engaging your child’s mirror neurons with deep breathing and some musical cuddle time before tucking them into bed. Use an I Love You Ritual before a diaper change to set the connection and calm your child. Sing “toys away!” between activities to remind them to clean up at home as well and prepare them for transitions in their day.
And of course if you need a little extra fun during an unscheduled day, you can always tap into your Kindermusik @home activities for inspiration. There are fun craft activities, video field trips, dance-along music, and more. There are a lot of often untapped resources available to you with your Kindermusik enrollment.
As always, together or (briefly) apart, you are always in our heart. We wish you well and will sing with you soon!
During our seasonal break from the studio, lots of your little ones will be missing their music class. It’s so easy to have a little Kindermusik at home! And I’m not even talking about the vast library on the Kindermusik app or all your @Home materials available online. Just use a familiar Kindermusik class as inspiration for incorporating music at home.
1. Hello Song
When you greet your little one first thing in the morning or after nap time sing “Hello” to the tune of your choice, or sing the Hello Song you know from class. Just substitute your child’s name. Extend it into an activity using familiar motions and have a little baby exercise as you’re getting going. Mornings are a great bonding time to incorporate a little music into your routine.
2. Dance Together Open that Kindermusik app and search for one of these tunes:
Forte and Piano Dance
Tinga Layo
Peek-a-boo, I Love You
Bohemian Dance
Or simply play one of your own favorite upbeat songs. Slide around that Kitchen together. Sashay, zig zag, wiggle, glide, zoom, twirl, twist, bend, kick. Think of that movement poster in Studio Joy and think of creative ways to move together.
3. Go for a Ride!
Maybe you don’t have a bilibo at home, but I bet you have bath towels! Put your little one on that bath towel facing backwards and drag them around the house. (Make sure they face away from the direction you are moving so that if they fall back their head is caught on the sling of the towel and doesn’t hit back on the floor.) Put on some music to make it even more fun. I suggest the Germans Band: Stop and Go or Surprise Symphony songs on the Kindermusik app. Those are great for a little anticipation and inhibitory control.
If dragging the towel around doesn’t feel secure enough, simply put an empty, sturdy laundry basket on top of that towel, let your child climb inside, and “drive” them around the hard floors in your house. Don’t forget to pretend to buckle up first!
4. Storytime
As an enrolled Kindermusik family you have access to all the Kindermusik books right on the Kindermusik app. You can read a favorite one together or explore new ones. Better yet, head to the local library. Find a book that rhymes and has rhythm and cadence. Add your own melody. Or maybe find a book that illustrates a well-known children’s nursery rhyme or song. Lay our a special “story time blanket” and sing our well-known auditory cue “Let’s get our blanket out . . . let’s get our blanket out . . . It’s time for a story . . . sit right down and read with me.” That will make your reading time together feel even more special.
5. Active Listening Back to that Kindermusik app . . . on the bottom of the app in the center you’ll see a “library” icon. Click on that. Then head to the search bar and simply type in “sound”. You’ll find recordings of ALL SORTS of things. There are LOTS of ANIMAL sounds: elephant, lion, monkey, zebra, parrot, ponies, squirrels, crickets, and more. There are HUMAN sounds: laughter, chewing, knocking, walking and running footsteps, and more. There are INSTRUMENT sounds: drums, pipes, maracas, and more. There are VEHICLE sounds: sirens, engines, keys jingling, seat belts buckling, and more. There are NATURE sounds: ocean waves, wind blowing, birds chirping, and more.
Just like in class you can get your little one’s attention focused, rub those listening ears from top to bottom and say “Listen, listen, listen, shh.” Then play a sound. Mimic the sound. Guess what the sound it. Look up a picture of what is making the sound. Such a fun game to play at home!
***
There are MORE ways to incorporate simple Kindermusik activities at home. Check back here soon for even more ideas!
Our summer camps for our Little Music Makers are wrapping up this week and we have had a BLAST. Your kids have been pirates and adventurers, drummers, pianists, and more. Seeing the older children develop their musical skills through these camps is always a pleasure.
Our Little Learner classes are also winding down soon, and so many of your children are STEPPING UP in September. Our ongoing enrollment is the BEST way to ensure your child continues to get the best in child development classes. Just think how much they’ve learned in the last year! They’ve grown socially, physically, cognitively, linguistically, emotionally, and musically.
Our classes are music classes, yes, but they are so much more than that. We use music as the perfect tool to light up all areas of the brain and support all areas of development. Kindermusik fosters the perfect environment for your child to explore, try new things, experiment, observe, and learn. Your children learn from this environment and the other children as much as they do from the educator.
Hopefully you adults learn from your educator as well! They are not just there for your kids, but are there for YOU. Our JOY Team has been thoroughly trained in Conscious Discipline and child development and they have so many tips and tricks up their sleeves. Hopefully through their modeling you’ve picked up on ways to manage, teach, and support your children at home. From I Love You Rituals to S.T.A.R. breathing we model these techniques for you throughout the year.
And when you find yourself missing Kindermusik during the month of August, come back here to our blog and you’ll find some fun ideas for how to keep the musical fun alive at home.
Schools are closing. Restaurants are closing. But there’s a silver lining! You can make de-stressing, beneficial musical moments at home with your family.
Here are some suggestions on how to keep those little ones busy and how to make the time you spend together meaningful.
1. Turn on Some Gentle Music and Blow Bubbles
Blowing bubbles is one of the cheapest forms of childhood entertainment, and you can even sneak in some music appreciation benefit by playing some classical music during the activity. We suggest selections by J.S. Bach or Mozart. By the way, a bubble wand with more than one hole is the secret to a better bubble-blowing experience
2. Color to Music with Sidewalk Chalk
Want a no-mess activity that also gets your child’s creative juices flowing? Give your child some sidewalk chalk and offer the canvas of your driveway. Add a variety of music for fresh inspiration and enjoy watching your little artist go to work.
3. Use Painter’s Tape to Create Roads and Pathways
Hum along as you drive small cars around tape-defined roads or dance and move around paths marked by painter’s tape. The fun will be in deciding where to put the tape down, and the learning comes as you sing and label with movement words.
4. Make a Homemade Instrument . . . or Two!
How to Make an Oatmeal Bongo
How to Make a Homemade Guitar
How to Make Easter Egg Maracas
How to Make Bottle Top Castanets
5. Start Your Own Marching Band
Grab your homemade instrument, turn on some marching music, and have a parade through the house… and back around again!
6. Play a Musical Alphabet Chairs Game
This is a fun educational twist on a classic childhood game that combines moving, listening to music, stopping on cue, and identifying letters of the alphabet. Perfect for when it’s too hot or yucky to be outside!
7. Dance Like Nobody’s Watching!
Put on some homemade ankle bells and dance, dance, dance! This is a great activity for indoors or outdoors. You can even help your child experiment with different kinds of music for all kinds of creative movement ideas.
