Change—especially for children in any capacity—is hard, but one thing always helps…music! Here are 3 quick tips on how music rituals can help alleviate transitions (like drop-off times and hand washing) and enhance child and family engagement.
3 Easy Music Rituals You Can Implement at Home
Establish new school year musical rituals before classes begin. Want to use a “drop-off” song as children prepare to exit the car or walk through the classroom door? That’s a great way to help set the tone for the day and mitigate emotional drop-off times. The kicker is practice. Just like starting bedtime earlier, practice your song of choice before the first day of school. We love “Everybody Wave and Sing Goodbye” from the Kindermusik Rituals album on the free Kindermusik App!
Play freeze dance to help toddlers-older children practice stopping their bodies. Freeze dance is the perfect way to promote executive function—including body control—in young children. Use their favorite songs, your favorite songs, or grab our favorite ready-to-play freeze dance tune to build up those self-regulation skills. They’re so critical for safety, transitioning from playtime to focus time, and more.
Keep the musical play going at home after school begins. One of the most difficult parts of a new learning curve is reinforcing what happens in the classroom at home. Ask teachers about their classroom rituals and what they’re learning that week or month, then reinforce it with music in the evenings. For example, is your child learning about trains? Find some songs about trains, pretend to be one as the music plays, and recreate the sounds a train might make (we’ve got a Transportation theme on our free app!). You’ll help them remember what they learned and fuel family bonding at the same time.
Kickstart Rituals with Music from Our Free App
We know that sometimes the hardest part of implementing any music activity is finding the perfect playlist. That’s why we added our Kindermusik Rituals Album, our themed playlists, and more to our free app! Download it on the Apple Store or Google Play.
Want more music ritual ideas? Find a Kindermusik class near you or check out our classroom kits for teachers.