Here are some quick tips to help families get into a productive, positive daily groove without screens.
Routines bring motivation, productivity, comfort, and even relaxation. Musical routines is the ultimate secret to helping jumpstart and secure healthy morning and evening success. Here’s why…
Morning Routines
Predictable routines can help to turn the typical chaos of school/work mornings into more of a comforting pattern. It’s not about taking away freedom or choice, it’s about funneling everyone’s energies into productive activities. After all, each person has the same things to accomplish: wake up, eat something, brush teeth, get dressed, gather belongings, and head out the door.
At Kindermusik®, we often think about life from a musical perspective. A busy morning should resemble a well-executed dance, with everyone doing the right moves at the right time. And the best way to set the mood for a dance? A happy tune, of course! Here are some bouncy Kindermusik tunes you might consider playing each morning. They will quickly make the annoying chime of your alarm a dim memory.
Buenos Dias
Who’s That Looking in the Mirror?
Morning Sun Has Risen
A morning song can become the glue that holds your family together as you busily accomplish what needs to be done. It’s a predictable cue that gets everyone on the right track as they begin the day, and its familiarity immediately unlocks the comfort associated with routine.
Evening Routines
Whereas school/workday morning routines are focused on getting everyone up and looking forward to what’s ahead, evening routines are centered on winding down the day. Tiredness and grumpiness often go hand-in-hand, and one wonderful thing music can do is shift that mood to something a bit, ummm, nicer.
When it’s time to clean up, pick up, and set things in order, try playing these songs to motivate everyone to pitch in more happily.
Welcome to Our House
Do As I’m Doing
And when it’s time to wind down and snuggle comfortably in bed? Predictable lullabies cue heart, body, and mind to enter a state of rest.
For babies and young children, music is a stronger sleep aid than white noise, and it has been scientifically proven that lullabies can promote relaxation by reducing heart rates and lowering anxiety levels. One of the most interesting findings of this UK study notes that live performance (as in, an adult singing the lullaby to the child) is much more effective at fostering relaxation than the act of tapping “play” on a device.
So, even though you can turn up our version of the familiar “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” song here, we encourage you to actually sing along with it (and later without a track in the background), letting your child see your reassuring face.
Twinkle, Twinkle
Now that you’ve got the tools for a few musically charged routines, repeat them and give them some time to stick. Then, watch anxiety lower, tricky transitions run smoother, and joy increase through the power of joyful musical play.
Want more ideas for boosting rituals and routines? Find a class near you, or get more information about Kindermusik’s offerings for all early learning environments at Kindermusik.com.