Babies are born with an innate ability to learn, after all, EVERYTHING in the world is new to them! They are learning EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. What we choose to expose them to now will help build their brains for what they learn tomorrow. Music sets some wonderful foundations for our babies’ development! Enjoying music with our little ones encourages:
Learning language and seeing
meaning behind it (especially when doing hand rhymes).
Internalizing rhythm and beat
(important for the melodic flow of language as well as developing coordination).
Strengthening the bond between your
baby and you! The sense of touch is irreplaceable when communicating love to
your baby J
I love the idea of having a Mommy and Me music class/ play date and thought I could totally run the show on my own…
- DON’T TRY TO PLAY MUSIC DIRECTLY FROM YOUR PHONE.
No matter how loud it sounds in your house, it will not be loud enough to overpower a bunch of toddlers (and some infants!)
- It’s probably easier to narrow the age group you play with. Infants and toddlers respond to music differently, so trying to cover birth to 2 years was probably a bit ambitious!
It was wonderful that a couple of mommies saved the day by having toddler CDs we could play in the background 🙂 But for future reference, I’d love to be more prepared and even potentially visit a music instrument store to find some easy-to-play instruments and bring them along for an interactive session.
- Choose a fun (child-proofed and enclosed) location. My church allowed us to use the nursery area which was perfectly stocked with toys and instruments for the kids. I think I’ll be using that room more often!
- Last, go with the flow 🙂 Not everything I plan works as I imagine it, but it gives me more information on what to do for future play dates!
While the play date didn’t go exactly like the wonderful Gymboree classes I hear about, I had a GREAT time planning it 🙂 I found some really good songs and as I tried them with my boys, we were all giggling and sharing some precious moments together. So all was not lost because I will be using the songs I downloaded with my kids on a regular basis!
This is Cannon’s favorite song! He loves joining in the actions,
“With your little hands go clap-clap-clap, with your little feet go tap-tap-tap…”
Better for toddlers although older babies may enjoy watching you perform the motions and trying to join in!
Face Trace
I love this song for Hunter. It’s calm and guides you through tracing different features on baby’s face. A calm toddler may even appreciate it (Cannon was too wiggly to try this with him).
Bicycle
Both my boys LOVE this song! It’s so simple, but fun 🙂
“I have a little bicycle I ride it to and fro, and when I see that big green light I know it’s time to go…”
I lay the boys on their backs and move their legs in a bicycling motion…The song starts out normal but gets faster making for lots of giggles!
You are my Sunshine
I know this is a classic song, but this is my favorite version that is set to music. I love holding either of my boys as I gently sing this song to them.
I also had great lap songs to sing and play with younger munchkins, but the kids were a bit tired at that point so we didn’t really get to them. I will blog about those another time though because they are perfect for impromptu fun with your tot!
I’d like to know, what are your favorite songs to ply with your munchkins? Finding quality children’s music was tougher than I expected, so I look forward to any recommendations you may have 🙂