Music Gets Us Going! It gets us moving. Most importantly, it helps
us remember information. Two-year-olds for instance “are just beginning to gain
an understanding of numbers; they often learn to count by reciting the names of
numbers from memory long before they understand the relative quantity of three
or nine” (babycenter.com).
Music can be used numerous ways
to engage children in the learning process. It can also stimulate their
physical development while teaching them their ABC’s, numbers, multiplication
tables, days of the week, and much more. One way to incorporate music into the
life of your child is to use it to support a different activity each day. Not
only will they grow to look forward to starting their day, but it can assist
them in shifting from one activity to another and understanding the concept of time.
Sesame
Street’s You Tube channel as well as its
website are filled with songs, some old
some new
but all engaging and
supported by sound education research and best practices.
For example, on Mondays, sing a song that sets out to
teach them a particular skill, such as their ABCs. Tuesdays, sing a silly playful song. On Wednesdays
try a favorite hymn or special song that carries an important message (e.g.
being respectful, taking care of things we cherish, and loving people). On Thursdays, create a song just for the
two of you. This is especially important if you have more than one child. Each
child will grow singing their own song. What a memory! On Fridays, sing “Pick up, pick up, everybody pick up” or some other
song about cleaning up and putting items back where they belong. This song will
be sung a lot and comes in handy on weekends. On Saturdays, sing about the activities of the day. If you shop for
groceries on Saturday sing a song about numbers, fruits, vegetables, or colors.
Be deliberate. Or, if Saturday is play day, sing songs about nature, the
weather, or safe play. The lessons we
have to impart are countless, so there is a song for everything we need to
teach our children. Even “Stranger
Danger” and more seriously themed songs can assist in having difficult
conversations. On Sundays, those who
follow particular faiths can rise singing a song that will be sung during the
service or is a fixture among those who share beliefs. If your family does not participate in such
rituals, singing a song about new beginnings or the importance of life would
also be a good anchor for the week.
Did you know? Approximately 80
percent of a child’s brain is formed by age 3, and a parent’s words are an
influential part of that development (talkingisteaching.org).
Want to take your ability to talk, read, and sing with your
child with you on the go?
Baby’s
Brilliant has an app for that! And it is free! Baby’s Brilliant provides “educational
videos and music that introduce babies and toddlers to concepts such as numbers
and colors, and helps them relax at nap time and bedtime. Some videos and songs
are featured in Spanish. Click the photo
or
http://bit.ly/1qkx5Db to
download the app.
To get you started, here is a website and a book to share.
Songs for Teaching uses
music to promote learning and provides the lyrics and music to hundreds of
songs.
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A book that can jump-start any week is Eric Carle’s “Today is
Monday.”
