The Toddler and the Arts: Part 1 of a 4 Part Series

• Music enhances brain development, especially since it stimulates the connection of 'sensory-cognitive-motor' development building the neuro-connections stronger and more complex
• Art activities can develop sensory stimulation, patterning, and conceptual awareness
• Role-playing helps toddlers understand their world: experimenting and practicing roles--they can express how they feel about other people; they can practice with rules;
• Music activities enrich memory abilities

Here are activities to bring the arts to toddler's every day life:

• Toddlers love to bang on pots and pans and oatmeal boxes--builds creativity, motor development, sensory awareness, and rhythm.
• They love to march, and dance to music (don't forget the Classical Stuff!). Provide scarves, instruments, and ribbons to dance and march with
• Finger painting is F-U-N! Try finger painting in a bag (place paints in a re-sealable bag and 'paint' by drawing with fingers on the outside of the bag)
• Provide a box full of hats and gloves and shoes to dress up in--provide a full-sized mirror so they can see what they look like
• And don't forget sensory material: cornmeal, shaving cream, pudding, ice, rice, water, sand, flower, bells, Easter grass, sandpaper, silk, cotton balls
• Attach some "mac-tac" to the wall (sticky side out) and provide a variety of materials for mounting on their mural: magazine pictures and words, ribbons, popsicle sticks, pebbles, buttons, textured paper and material, pre-cut shapes
• Make musical shakers out of any container. With two shakers of each sound, they can compare and find the matching sounds
• Play "SH!!!! Shakers" by keeping one shaker empty. Have them find the SH!!! Shaker (the silent one).
• Chanting Box: place two of several different objects inside a box (objects that have names of 1, 2, and 3 syllables long). Have child pull out 4 objects creating the words for a chant (Ex. leather mitten, leather mitten, blue shoe, cup) This builds not only language skills but the rhythm of speech and of music
• Sing songs and do fingerplays: repetition of these songs develop memory skills, rhythm, and language
• Sing, chant, act, and speak with varying voice tones and pitches -- developing sound discrimination skills

How Kindermusik brings the Arts to Toddlers

Simply put, Kindermusik is a music and movement program. Each week in class we play, listen, and dance to music that will impact you and your child in profound ways. That’s because every song, story, and two-step has a carefully chosen purpose in this creative curriculum—one that’s designed to stimulate and strengthen the vital neural wiring taking place in your child’s mind, right now. A Kindermusik educator will guide you every step of the way so you know how each activity contributes to your child’s overall growth and development.

The latest research with proven methods—that’s Kindermusik, too. Our child-centered curricula incorporate ongoing, in-classroom studies with our own, 30-years’ experience in music and child development. Plus, we’ve combined the best music learning methods found in Orff, Kodaly, and Suzuki.

“Take-home” books, instruments and CDs from class let you take learning with you wherever you go. All while strengthening the emotional bond between you and your child.

So whether it’s twirling under a sea of scarves, experimenting with age-appropriate instruments, singing about a scampering squirrel, creating a musical ensemble, or snuggling in your lap during story time, Kindermusik speaks your child’s language and offers her (and you!) the best music and movement class available.

Behold . . . the Power of Kindermusik!

We know we’re being dramatic, but I’m afraid we won’t apologize . . . because the research about music and children’s development is truly jaw-dropping. In the last couple of years, the eyes of the research community have turned increasingly to music, and the marvels and mysteries they have discovered are nothing short of amazing (though perhaps not exactly surprising to people who’ve regularly witnessed its effect). The bottom line: early, positive, age-appropriate experiences with music—like Kindermusik—can have a remarkable and research-proven impact on children’s learning, including language and literacy skills (e.g., vocabulary, comprehension, listening, expression); social and emotional development; mathematics and pattern-recognition skills; and even ability to plan, guide, and self-regulate behavior. It’s a lot to keep track of, so we’ve summarized the latest research on the benefits of Kindermusik-style music and movement experiences. Take a look . . .

Music & Literacy
Early music experiences can have a significant impact on literacy and reading. According to experts, learning to read depends on acquiring a variety of skills, including phonological processing, oral language, and comprehension.

Jump on board at the Imagination Station!

Jump on board at the Imagination Station!
Reprinted from: Studio3Music's Notes.

Young children do not learn as grownups do. In order to comprehend they must pretend. Ever wonder why your child re-enacts recent events when they come home? It is their way of building their memories of what they have experienced. Benefits of pretend play include:

■Vocabulary development
■Social skill development (sharing, turn taking, and conversing)
■Differentiation between reality and fantasy
■Emotional support (by re-enacting episodes that involve disappointment, fear, anger or jealousy, children come to manage and understand those feelings)
■Creativity
■Resiliency (pretend play can offer a release of stress for a child)

Here are some fun ways to foster that pretend play in and out of your home.

■If your child is playing the role of a character, then play along without instructing, questioning or intruding. Let them be the leader and you can have fun on the ride!

■Blanket forts can be an easy way to transform an ordinary kitchen table or a couple of chairs into a castle or pirate ship. Don’t be in a rush to take it down; those can be great learning/teaching moments.

■Friends that are about the same age are a great way to encourage interactive pretend play.

■If your child needs to stay in character, don’t be in a rush to change clothes for the store. My son went to the store often in his Buzz Lightyear costume and people would just smile and nod.

■Imaginary friends are great way for a child to express themselves when they might not be able to do it otherwise. Of course if this gets a bit out of hand, you can always redirect and remind your child that “the friend” is pretend and your child needs to take responsibilities for their own actions.

To help support and encourage their creativity all you need is a few household items. It is easy to supply them with props! For example: save cereal boxes, bags, and cleaned out juice cartons for a “trip” to the grocery store. Use ace bandages, band aids and tongue depressors for Doctor’s office. Paper, crayons, a calculator and some envelopes are all you need to make a home office or school…..add some stuffed animals or dolls to these activities for even more fun! Don’t forget boxes of all sizes, empty paper towel rolls, and blankets can transform a room into a jungle, castle or whatever your child can come up with!

So climb on and enjoy the ride!

Basic Timing

Children who can feel and express beat possess basic timing. Basic timing is a fundamental skill that many children acquire before entering kindergarten or first grade. Children who have basic timing at an early age have a head start in at least three important areas of development: motor skills, musical skills and academic skills.